We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

How do I Write a Business Mission Statement?

By Sheri Cyprus
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGeek is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGeek, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

When writing a business mission statement, start with a clear reason of why the particular organization exists. For example, something like “The XYZ Home Care Company expertly and compassionately serves the needs of elderly and disabled clients who wish to remain in their own home" clearly explains what the business does. A written mission statement should be meaningful and understandable by everyone who reads it.

Using excess or empty words in a string of "business speak" or specialized jargon should be avoided. Write your business mission statement as if you were answering a question about what the company does and stands for from a fifth-grader. This focus on simplistic clarity can keep you on the right track in creating a clear, concise, straightforward sentence or two.

Try to stay away from writing a mission statement that is so common it could apply to almost any company. Instead, incorporate product or service details into the concise, yet properly detailed business mission statement. For instance, "Brenda's Bakery is dedicated to providing fresh baked goods to the communities of East Rivers and Troppville" explains why the company exists and who it serves. On the other hand, "Brenda's Bakery provides fresh baked goods to the community" isn't distinctive enough; it's also lacking a strong word that communicates an important business value such as "dedicated" does in the other example.

Industry leadership may be an angle to use in a business mission statement, but only if that really is the company's goal. A statement such as "DeVonn's Motors strives to be the industry leader in complete, honest auto service" conveys the leadership goal while also puts forth the company's values and philosophy in terms of offering total service as well as integrity. If you stay on course with what the business stands for and what it does, you should be able to write a quality mission statement.

A test to put your written mission statement through is to be sure it can stand alone as a guiding message for employees as well as customers. If you feel that it doesn't, try adding another descriptive word or two into what you've already written for the business mission statement. Whether you're writing a mission statement for a salon, construction company or nonprofit organization, look at your finished work from the client's point of view. Ask yourself whether your statement is compelling enough to interest someone enough to contact the business.

WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Discussion Comments

By nextcorrea — On Mar 22, 2012

Does anyone have some good business mission statements examples that I could look at before I try to write one of my own? I have done a lot of reading on the subject and I have seen a lot of bad examples but I have yet to have someone point out a mission statement and say "Here, this is how it's done."

By whiteplane — On Mar 22, 2012

I have always thought that crafting a mission statement for a business was primarily an exercise in bureaucracy rather than something that is useful to employees or customers. So many mission statements are thinly veiled marketing ploys that it is hard to think that anyone takes them seriously. Even the ones that are descriptive and specific and effective seem more like nice ideas than something of any real use.

I know that my company has a mission statement but the only time I have ever heard it or seen it referenced was in the new employees binder that they gave me when I was first hired. It is frankly not a meaningful feature of the company. It does not effect our decision making, it is just something that is there. How does it work at your companies? Does anyone have a mission statement that they have actually found useful?

By Ivan83 — On Mar 21, 2012

The most important thing to keep in mind when you are trying to write any kind of mission statement is to figure out what makes your organization unique and focus on that difference. There are far too many mission statements that are just a laundry list of cliched sentiments like "quality products, customer service, lowest prices, guaranteed." Taken together these words mean nothing. How can you have high quality and low cost? Any consumer knows that this is meaningless.

Figure out what sets you apart from the competition and focus on that. If you really do make the best products in the industry play that up but don't try to water down the sentiment by piling on a bunch of other accolades. Good mission statements are all about focus.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.