What is your purpose in business

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it”
― Gautama Buddha

You want to start a business.  You're working through your first draft of your business plan, when you're suddenly stumped: 

What is my mission statement?

What should you do?  You haven't given this much thought.  What do you want people to know about your business?  

What is your purpose?

http://www.stjamessantee.org/our-mission-partners.html

A mission statement should include your goals.  Your mission statement can, and should, be an elevator pitch for your company, or at the very least, the start of one.  Your mission statement should capture attention and make a person want to know more.  So how do you get that into a succinct phrase or paragraph?

Whenever I'm tasked with helping a company create their mission statement, I always look for inspiration.  I work to weave in a story of where the company started and where it's going.  I try different ideas out loud alone, and then in front of my closest and most beloved critics.  I come up with idea after idea, carefully crafting it piece by piece.  And more often, I look to the great mission statements and see what works, and to the worst to see what doesn't.

Let's look at Starbucks:

 "Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time."  Do they hit their mark?  As a quick mission statement - kind of.  They give you the feeling of comfort and community, and I get that from their company.  Thankfully, they have an extended mission statement on their site that goes into the important parts that their original statement is lacking.  They let us know about the products, the service, the clients, the employees, their overall vision, and what they do for their shareholders.  Overall, their albeit short quip is fulfilling.  It makes me want to know more.  It makes me want to partake in their culture.

Let's try another, General Motors.  

"G.M. is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment."  As a mission statement, it fits in alignment with what should be there: products, quality, customers, employees, shareholders.  Everything is summed up quickly and informatively.  Does it invoke emotion?  Aside from their current issues, yes.  I want to know what "superior value" their quality products offer.  Personally, as an aside, I hope that they are able to overcome their current trials so that they can maintain this mission without fear of it being seen as tongue-in-cheek.

Inc Magazines "The 9 Worst Mission Statements of All Time" has a wonderful list of the bottom of the barrel mission statements, my favorite (or least favorite) being McDonald's "McDonald's brand mission is to be our customers' favorite place and way to eat and drink. Our worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win, which center on an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience."  Yes, they meet some of the qualifications for a good mission statement, but instead of being forward-thinking, they're fluffy.  Full of air.  It does not make me want to learn more; in fact, their "global strategy" sounds a bit lame and cheesy.

So what's the takeaway?  

First, don't just throw your first idea on your business plan and call it good.  Your mission statement needs to say something; something about the company, where it's going, what it's offering and to whom, how it's offering those services or product, and what you're offering your community.  Just remember: who, what, when, where, why, and how.  Second, involve people in on the planning of the mission statement.  Work out a few ideas, say them out loud, see if you can spin an elevator pitch from it.  Work the top risers with a team of people who understand your business.  Shine it up like a new penny.  And third, make sure you're hitting your mark.  You get to pick what journey your mission statement takes people.  Make sure it's a journey worth taking.


Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Editing your content to death

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”
― Stephen King

How many steps does it take from pen to paper to publication?  

One?  A few?  Too many?

I have a confession.  

I edit my content...to death.  I pre-write, then I write, then I edit, then I edit again, and again, then I pass it off to someone else, then I edit again and then, maybe, it's done.  This whole process happens in normally a day, two tops.  Or, at least I used to.  Then I got smart.

http://janefriedman.com/2013/05/31/find-freelance-book-editor/

I heard some great advice in a podcast (The Solopreneur Hour #117) that if you want to be a better public speaker, you should study comedians.  While I use this methodology for speaking, it also transfers well to writing.  One lesson has really stuck lately - your first draft sucks. Tweak it over time. Then, when you've dispersed it enough, throw it out and develop new content. It's helped me to stop my edit-to-death step that comes after creation - instead, I'm letting it develop and editing it a little at a time as it goes.  

While I'm not altogether giving up on editing, I'm taking it more as a long process instead of a hack job.  I pre-write a few bullet points.  Then, I write, whether it be an article, a blog post, content for a marketing piece, or a presentation, and then I let it sit.  I'll browse over it and tweak obvious errors.  I'll pass it along for feedback, then respond to the feedback.  I'll let it sit a bit longer.  I'll look for ways to enhance the piece, and if I can't, I stop trying.  I'll throw it out to the public and let them comment.  And then, if I feel that the message is good, I leave it along.  I write my blog posts a couple weeks ahead so that I have time enough to fix what needs to be fixed, but I no longer fixate on fixing everything...to death.

I realized that writing is not a sprint to the finish, it's a marathon.  

You have to pace yourself.  You have to prepare for the long haul.  If you're spitting out perfect content in the first go, well, you're amazing.  But realistically, your first piece needs work.  Sometimes a lot of it.  Most of the time, though, it doesn't need to be red-penned to death.  Most of the time, it just needs time.

Do you pick your pieces down to the bare bones, or do you fluff it up? 

 I try to land somewhere in the middle.  Content matters, but how it is delivered is obviously important.  No one is going to be interested in a story or presentation that is just bullet point information with no depth; but on the same token, readers and listeners don't want to be walked through every single thought, emotion, or action that you, the writer or presenter, has.  Get to the point in a meaningful way.

How do you determine when your piece is finished?

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Just a soliloquy

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
― Jack Kerouac

Once upon a time -

I decided to write down my thoughts, ideas, and plans.  I decided to change my inner monologue, soliloquy, into a conversation.  Maybe I'm the only one who reads it.  Maybe it is just a conversation with myself, or maybe I have the potential to reach a larger audience.  When a person first starts putting pen to paper, or fingers to keys, they don't know how wide their potential reach is.  Who knows what will become of my journal writings and stories?

For at least 15 minutes every day, I make it a point to write.  Some of those writings go here, others get hidden away for my eyes only, and some of those writings are being cataloged for a book I'm working on.  Most days, the words come easily.  I write what I know.  Sometimes, though, I decide to do something I typically dread: creative writing.  I like to think of myself as a thorough technical writer, so creative writing is foreign and uncomfortable.

http://garima82.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/writing/

This summer, I plan to punch out 1000 word chapters.  This summer, I plan to publish an ebook and work toward a larger print book.  This summer, I hope to get enough of a manuscript to submit to a publisher.  This summer, I plan to find a magazine, blog, or other periodical to get published in.  This summer, my goal is to make writing a larger focus of my life, and business.

For me, writing is a release.  Writing is empowering.  The written word is impressive and finite and clear.   Spoken words can be censored and grey.  They can be wishy-washy and undefined.  Maybe it's the introvert in me that prefers the written word over the spoken, but maybe that's why I can effectively communicate through text.  Yes, I communicate just fine with the spoken word, but things become clear with written word.  Even better when I am given the opportunity to combine the two.

How often do you write?  

Does it come easily, or is it a chore?

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur