One of the most common things businesses have difficulty with is defining what they actually do. I can’t tell you how many times I have visited an interesting looking website, spent a good 2 minutes on the site and left in frustration because I couldn’t figure out what the company actually offered. I think the reason the website was so vague is because the people running the company have a hard time defining what they do. Defining your purpose is critical. What do you offer? What are you trying to sell? Why do I need you? To get started defining your purpose do this.
- Make a short list of 10 things (max) that you offer
- Cross off 5 of the least important things
- Write a sentence that summarizes the remaining 5 items
This becomes your mission statement. Refer to it before you make any decisions and ask, “am I sticking to my plan?” The final thing you need to do is take your new mission statement and cut it down to 20 words or less. This is very important. Give yourself 5 minutes and get started now.