A strong mission statement that both your employees and customers can buy into can give your business clarity and purpose. But what is it that makes an effective mission statement? Your mission statement should answer the question, “What does my business do and why do we do it?” The most effective mission statements also include some kind of aspirational element (that’s the why part of your statement) and should work to set your business apart from its competitors.

It might be helpful to ask yourself what the value of your business is. Google’s mission statement is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Their mission statement doesn’t say anything about being a search engine. Instead, they focus on the value their company brings, and keep their statement aspirational by saying they aim to make information universally accessible and useful.

While your mission statement should be concise — after all, nobody has time to read an essay — avoid the trap of writing a mission statement that might limit you in the future. Mission statements are all about controlling the forward direction of your business, so make sure you write one that leaves plenty of room for your business to grow.

If you’re working on a mission statement, there’s a high chance that your business is in growth mode. If so, consider joining AFEUSA. Our members enjoy a broad spectrum of benefits, including discounts on services like Eric’s Jobs, a national job posting service where our members can satisfy all their staffing needs.