Our Home To Yours Re-brand Series
Mission Statements
When starting a business it is best to get the core beliefs
down on paper before any naming and design takes place. I think if you start
with a name and/or design and go from there you have to grow the company around
that design so the message is clear and consistent. So what happens when you
are stuck on a design or name but the core beliefs don’t measure up? Scrap the
name or design and work it the right way.
Ok, so its not the end of the world if you’ve registered
your name and logo but haven’t written your mission or values statement yet.
Sheesh. Just be sure to hire someone clever enough to intertwine it all
together in one cohesive brand.
If you need a refresher of where I started with this go read these first:
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Keep in mind that research is so important during this whole
process.
The lack of research is what brought my partner and I to
this re-brand experience in the first place. It was our eagerness to start
selling stuff that got us off on the wrong foot. Etsy is a great place to start
but it’s not the only source to sell your handmade wares, nor should it be your
“one stop online shop” for your budding business.
Looking through
Etsy shops I see lots of names that are
neither here nor there- just the person’s name hyphenised or some sort of
hybrid username, which doesn’t make too much sense in my opinion.
We are looking to be successful on
Etsy, sure, but we are
looking to be successful *businesswomen*, and to be that we need to build
our business from the get-go the right way.
What the heck is a mission statement anyway? Why do we need
it? According to
Dictionary.com a mission statement is, “an official statement
of the aims and objectives of a business or other organization” and individuals
too. If you don’t have any goals or objectives set how do you know which
vehicle to transport you? You wouldn’t drive a car out to sea now would you?
Unless you have a crap-ton of money to waste, then hold on a second while I go
gouge my eyes out with a spoon.
But for those of us who have a broader worldview and are
sensitive to the economic well being of ourselves and our community, lets try
to save what time and money we can by planning accordingly. And I did plan and
write our core beliefs with my partner before I started thinking of names…
After much consideration, drafts, and research we have come
up with this mission statement:
“To
provide quality handmade products which embellishes both the home and heart.
Using the gifts given to us by our Father God we aspire to adorn our customers
with charm and comfort.”
Yes we are Christians. Lets leave it at that. And yes it is
perfectly all right to intertwine your beliefs with your business because after
all it’s your business. You would only be crossing the line when you
discriminate. And we (meaning my business and my partner etc.) do not
discriminate. I am not here to preach scripture to you, I am here to sell you a
friggin’
crocheted scarf.
On that note how about a values statement? A values
statement is just what is says- a statement of your values, morals, ethics, principles,
standards, etc. Our statement:
“We strive to provide superior
products that are earth friendly and made in the USA while also being
affordable. Our morals and values stem from Christianity, we are not
discriminatory and endeavor to be examples of Christ’s love. Hate is unwelcome.”
This could be almost anything. You can be as hardcore as you
want; this statement serves as motivation for your employees to remember who
you are as a business and how to conduct yourselves.
And what about vision? Where do you see your business? That
should be a central element throughout this whole process:
“To
procure a successful online presence while growing in our craft which will eventually
stem out to a physical store/studio where customers can interact with the
process and purchase merchandise. To support local small businesses in any way
by either purchasing services or providing services to them at a discount cost.”
Do you remember the
three questions I mentioned at the
beginning of this journey? Let’s revisit them:
Who are You?
- An online handcraft shop
What do you do?
- Create unique items for the home and heart.
Why does it matter?
- Because our items are timeless and no two items are exactly alike.
These questions need to be answered with thought and cleverness;
your business needs to be set apart from the rest. I mentioned my current
employment in my last post and most of you can guess where I work (if you’re
super smart you visited my
LinkedIn profile), it is true that after morning
meetings there is the “cheer” and if you do not participate in the cheer you
have to lead it at the next meeting. In this cheer (which is meant to be a team
motivational thing) this question is asked, “who’s number one?”
With the reply, “the customer! Always!”
Ok yes the customer is number one, but! Who in this industry
is number one?
You are!
No. I am!
Go find your own category to be number one in.
