Planning Tools, Ideas, & Advice
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For Wedding Pros
We’re back, and we’re talking about creating two foundational statements for your business: your mission and vision statement.
In our last blog post, we discussed creating a business plan, so I want to get into this part of the business plan a little more today. This is a commonly overlooked task when creating a business and in planning, and I often see people just jot something down as they fill out a business plan template. But, like everything else in business planning, this is not just a box to check. Whether you're a wedding venue, a photographer, a wedding planner or any other pro in the industry, this is your heart on paper and will serve as your north star in your daily operations and long-term strategic planning, so you don't want to skimp on this exercise.
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen companies make when defining these statements is not doing the deeper work to really think through what these should be. Most often, I see these being generated out of thin air or using another company’s example and changing a few words. Don’t do that. You are a creative person, so use that to your advantage and go deep into your heart to uncover a mission and vision statement that you can really get behind. This guide is going to help you do just that.
In this guide, we’re going to help you develop a comprehensive understanding of these statements, including their purpose, prompts to help generate your statements, tips for creating a kickass mission and vision statement, and some examples to get you inspired.
How to Use This Guide:
I recommend reading through the guide once before starting the exercise. Then, allocate a few hours to dedicate your undivided attention to free-writing, dreaming, and crafting the perfect statements. Depending on available time and your capacity for deep thinking over several hours, you may want to do it in two or three sessions.
For me, these exercises are best broken out into a few sessions, allowing new ideas to percolate from my subconscious in between sessions, but there’s really no right way to do this…just make sure you dedicate enough time to generate meaningful statements you’re excited about. Do what works for you.
Over the years, I’ve participated in dozens of working sessions to develop and refine vision and mission statements, and I’ve done a ton of research on these two foundational aspects of a business plan to understand how they contribute to every aspect of a business. Let’s break it down.
These two statements are commonly confused, so before we dive into creating the statements, it’s important to understand the difference between them.
A mission statement defines an organization's current purpose, objectives, and approach to achieving its goals. Simply stated: what are you doing today, how are you doing it, and who are you doing it for? Or, in the case of a new wedding business, what will your business do in the short-term?
A vision statement outlines the long-term aspirations and desired future state the organization aims to achieve. What lasting impact do you want to create? For many creative entrepreneurs building a purpose-driven business (i.e., you’re in it for more than just the profits), this is likely tied to your “why.”
It’s worth noting that you can combine these two statements if it makes sense to you. As long as you can clearly see the “what we do today” plus the “lasting impact we hope to create” parts of the statement, that's a totally valid format.
Now that you know the difference between the two, let’s get into creating them!
A mission statement is important because it guides daily operations and decision-making, and aligns the team with the organization’s goals. Even as a creative entrepreneur, where you may only have a small team or no team at all, the mission statement helps ensure alignment (even within your own brain), helps employees or contractors understand their role, and communicates your focus to others outside the organization.
North star, the guiding light, the thing that you’re most passionate about, that gets you out of bed every morning, the one thing you will die on the hill for…that’s your vision statement. At the end of the day what is the lasting change you want to create or impact you want your business to have—however big or small. It helps communicate your passion for doing what you’re doing, where you’re going, your why.
Here are the steps—we’ll break down each one below:
Start by using these prompts to get at the heart of your wedding business’ mission and vision. Grab a pen and paper and write freely without judgment. You’ll refine language later but for now this is all about letting the inspiration flow. Feel free to respond to every question, or select a few that feel good to you.
Remember, your mission statement is all about describing what you do now, how you do it, and for who.
Your vision statement is a summary of the lasting impact you want your business to have.
Now that you’ve brain dumped all the goodness about your business and your dreams out on paper, it’s time to draft the statements. I’ve included some templates, tips, and examples below to help you. You might want to draft a few versions, wait a day or two, and then come back to finalize. Or, maybe the braindump exercise you did has given you perfect clarity and you can just knock it out!
[Company name]'s mission is to [primary purpose] for [intended audience] by [how company achieves purpose]
This is where your big dream comes to life on paper. A vision statement articulates where you’re going. This is your big, bold, aspirational statement that feels just a touch out of reach.
My vision is to [verb/action] the world by [what you create or do], so that [impact or benefit for your audience], all while [unique twist or personality of your brand].
As you work to finalize your statements, know that as your business grows and evolves so too will these guiding principles. These will be reviewed regularly and adjusted as needed over the coming months and years, so don’t feel pressured to get it perfect. Inspired and aligned is good.
There you have it—a complete guide to creating badass mission and vision statements for your wedding business that remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing and where you want to go. I recommend putting these front and center in your workspace so you can see them every day and be sure to share them with any team members, even contractors, to always make sure everyone knows what’s at the heart of your brand.
Cheering you on 🙌