Share on Social Media

It can be difficult to write a vision statement for your company because it needs to clearly identify your brand, core values, and long-term objectives. Although a lot of well-established businesses concentrate on their mission statement, a vision statement may be an important tool for motivating your staff and creating a sense of company identity.

We’ll discuss vision statements and their significance, provide resources and best practices, that help you create a compelling vision statement which drives your growth plan.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is a formal proclamation that explains to all parties involved—especially employees—the meaning and purpose of your company. It outlines the intended long-term outcomes of the work done by your organization. An early Microsoft vision statement, for instance, called for “a computer on every desk and in every home.”

“What an organization most aspires to be and achieve in the long run is revealed at the highest levels through a company vision statement,” stated Katie Trauth Taylor, owner and CEO of the writing consultancy Untold Content. “It accomplishes an aspirational goal by combining all of the company’s insight into a single, powerful statement.”

A vision statement is important because it explains the shared objective of all employees in the organization. Companies striving for greater goals tend to attract both present and potential workers. A company’s long-term performance can be impacted by its vision statement, so take the time to create one that captures your goals and inspires your team.

The benefits of a vision statement to your company?

A vision statement describes the tactics an organization is employing to fulfill its mission. It’s a description of where you want to go in five, ten, or even twenty years, and the kind of influence you want your small business to make on the world, for your investors, shareholders, partners, customers, and employees.

Even though many businesses today blend vision and mission, it’s still crucial to get the terminology right and know the difference. An effective vision statement should pique investors’ interest in your long-term goals.

What makes a vision statement necessary?

Your unique business venture ought to have had a purpose. To start a business, you must have had a motivation, an interest, or a talent. Additionally, you might think that scaling a small business on a day-to-day basis is possible without the “marketing fluff” that comes with having a vision statement. However, a concise statement can support your business development in two ways:

A well-crafted vision statement facilitates the expression of your company’s core values.
Your employees (and consumers) will be inspired and motivated by a compelling vision statement.

You would say, “I want to build a company,” as opposed to, say, “I want to make the highest quality, most popular, beautifully engineered boardroom tables in the UK.”

What’s the difference between a vision and a mission statement?

A lot of people mix up the two terms.

A vision statement has the future in mind. Its goal is to outline the ideal future by emphasizing the company’s goals and values—what you hope to accomplish. The goal is to motivate and focus people’s energies, particularly within, which is why many vision statements are only internal records.

A mission statement is grounded in the present. It serves as a means of outlining the purpose of your company and its current operations, particularly for clients and investors. A mission statement, said simply, looks at and provides a solution to the straightforward question, “Why does this business exist?” in a way that sets your company apart from the competition.

Moreover, strategy is not vision. Vision defines the long-term where and what of your company. Tactics are the specific steps you would take to accomplish a campaign target; strategy is the overarching campaign plan that may require complicated decision-making to oversee tactical execution.

Use these easy steps to uncover the words and feelings that are unique to your company as a written exercise that involves brainstorming with your staff. They will assist you with identifying your goals and crafting a compelling, motivating vision statement for your small company.

Describe the kind of future you envision.

Dream big. 20 or 50 years from today, picture a completely different and improved planet. Now consider the ways in which your company may have helped bring about that transformation. How do you envision that world? What makes people’s lives unique? In what ways would your firm differ from what it does now, and what would it produce or supply as a service?

2. Explain WHY you own a business

Respond to these inquiries. Why is your company in existence? How do you outperform your rivals in what you do? As a corporation, what do you physically do?

3. Describe your company’s definition of success

This does not always imply considering your profit and loss. It includes considering strategies for growth, product development, market dominance, and winning the most awards within an industry. Put down in detail what makes you stand out from the competition. As a small business owner, your success is dependent on you and your contribution to the day-to-day operations of the company.

4. Explain where you are in the hierarchy of things.

What actions are your rivals taking? Is there a comparison that illustrates the advancement you could achieve? If you are a small business owner, you might find it simpler to articulate your personal mission statement than your company’s place in the marketplace. However, if you can clearly state where you are right now and where you want to be in the future, both are valid.

5. Outline a quantifiable objective.

The objective should be quantifiable in some manner, but it doesn’t have to be one that is simple to achieve. Recall that this is merely collateral that may assist you in communicating your lofty goals rather than a strategic goal. Achieving “x” over a number of years, such as influencing a particular target audience or possibly enabling an accomplishment over a region.

Creating a vision statement for a company

You may construct a business vision statement for your company by following these steps.

Create your vision (in collaboration with partners or co-owners) or host a business vision workshop for employees, mentors, and advisers.
Start by thinking about the business’s “why.” Explain in detail why the business is important to the employees and clients.
Think about the ‘what’ of the company. Give a clear description of the company’s operations, including its products and services.
To help you decide what information to include in your vision statement, try utilizing our business model canvas to write down all the important details.
Condense the what and why into a single (1–2) sentence statement.
Make sure the statement is easy to understand by someone outside the company, is succinct and straightforward, and is written in plain English.
Throughout the company, put the corporate vision into practice. Examine:

Putting up the mission statement in areas used by staff member
incorporating it into important policy papers such as your code of conduct
using it as a tool for employee performance evaluations
Publicly exhibiting it (on your website and in marketing materials, for example).

When necessary, go over and revise your vision statement. Testing the vision statement across friends, colleagues, or business networks might be beneficial. As needed, revise and modify the statement in response to comments.

Decide who will help you realize your vision.

Deciding who will write the vision statement is the first step in creating one. You might be able to get advice from everyone in a small business. In a larger organization, you might have to capture a variety of staff voices while exercising more selectiveness.

Examine the publications that your company has released.

It’s likely that your business has previously declared its values and aims in its marketing materials, employee handbook, and other publications. Author and content, marketing, and media strategist Alison Brehme advised using this knowledge as a guide for your work.

According to Brehme, “a company’s vision is shaped by its mission, purpose, goals, and values.” “Incorporate these ideas and viewpoints into your mission statement.”

To generate ideas for your vision, host workshops

Workshops with important stakeholders that represent a cross-section of your organization are advised by Brandon Shockley, head of investor research and insights at Vanguard and previously vice president of market research at branding and marketing agency 160over90. Then, he advised, put teams together, use collaboration software to draft several iterations of the statement, and get input from staff members regarding how well each version strikes a chord.

Obtain personal feedback

Falkowski also recommended interviewing certain stakeholders to get their candid opinions. Workers can utilize visual branding tools to create a vision statement, find recurring themes, or verbally or visually convey the organization’s future.

Writing advice for business vision statements

You will create a powerful company vision statement by using these suggestions.

Align it with your company’s overarching objectives, core principles, and mission.
Refrain from including too much information; don’t overburden the statement or conceal the main point.
The statement should be succinct and convey a lot with a few words.
Make sure it addresses the main goal of your company.
Make it memorable, impactful, and passionate.
Make sure the idea is feasible in terms of available resources, skills, and room for expansion. Keep your goals reasonable but aspirational.
Make use of simple, succinct language that is devoid of jargon.
Make it engaging and inspiring; it should pique the interest of the audience and move them to action.

Things not to include in a vision statement

Keep your vision and purpose statements separate. Since mission statements are a reflection of your current work, they are usually simpler to write. Recall that a vision statement outlines your desired future state, whereas a mission statement outlines your current goals.
Don’t overthink the words you use. Choosing the appropriate language is one of the most difficult aspects of writing a vision statement. It’s possible that you’ll find yourself revising and worrying over it nonstop. Do these two sentences, taken together, sum up your core beliefs and corporate identity without being overly general? Avoid getting bogged down in the need for flawless phrasing; a clear and distinct vision statement is

Putting your vision statement to use

Establish the location of your vision statement and its function inside your company. This will elevate the process above a cerebral game, according to Shockley. If your vision statement is never truly incorporated into your company culture, there’s no need in having it displayed in the lobby or promoted on social media.

Shockley advised considering the vision business statement to be a component of the strategic strategy. It is an instrument for internal communications that motivates and unites your team to accomplish the objectives of the business.

A vision statement should therefore be seen as a live document that is subject to revision and revisitation. Above all, it needs to address your staff directly.

“You’ll never be able to carry it out if your employees don’t buy into the vision,” stated Keri Lindenmuth, director of marketing at the online and IT solutions company Kyle David Group. Your staff should be able to relate to the vision statement. They won’t act or make decisions that don’t align with the mission of your company till then.

The vision for your vision statement

One item that might assist your company in expanding and achieving brand success is a vision statement. You’ll encounter all kinds of obstacles and detours as you expand your firm, in addition to good and bad months.

Above all, you and your team should be reminded of the ultimate aim on a regular basis via your vision statement. It’s critical to remember this message, particularly on the most trying days.

Writing a Vision Statement That Excites: A Step-by-Step Guide for Success