Writing a mission statement.
When I began Cleveland Flea, all I knew was how much love I had for the city that had become my home. Little did I realize that I’d need a mission statement and that this would become a cornerstone of my team’s mission.
Mission Statements are important to us for a few reasons:
they help us make decisions, both big and small
they help us explain to the world why they should support us
they help us further narrow our brand
they unite us as a team so that we can all row in the same direction
they let potential sponsors know if we’re a good fit for them
they lead us in choosing partners
they make us feel proud of our efforts
I intuitively lead my business without a mission statement for a long time, but when I began to scale, I needed to find a way to tell the world who we were and why we were different.
Our mission statement is 3 parts:
We help Cleveland love itself more.
We help creative business owners dare greatly to their best business selves.
We have fun doing it.
Crafting your own mission statement.
You’ve got to dig deep and decide who you are and what will guide all your decision making when you’re crafting your mission statement. Who are you? What truly guides your efforts? Why are you different than others who are similar?
All those are questions that are super important to answer when crafting your mission statement. This year, I printed our mission and posted it in the office so that we can be reminded of it daily.
The three parts of our mission reflect the people who are most important to us:
Our city / shoppers
Our vendors
Us
The last part was not a part of our lives until this year, and it’s crucial as we grow. I didn’t always prioritize us (or me) and I don’t think that’s served me personally. With a team, and as caring for a bunch of humans became important for us, I added a part just for us.
Now, as much as we love everyone else, we get to love ourselves, too.