Mission Statements: How To Write One (16+ Examples To Copy)

Published October 12, 2022

/ Updated January 17, 2025

If you click around on Uber’s website, you’ll see this mission statement: “Uber’s mission is to reimagine the way the world moves for the better.”

Pretty catchy, right?

But mission statements are about much more than a catchy phrase. They define a company’s core purpose, its goals, guiding values, and what sets it apart in the marketplace. Mastering them is pretty important — especially in a world where 94% of global consumers engage with and reward companies that “have a strong purpose.”

Want to know how to craft a mission statement that matters? Read on to learn everything you need to know.

The Purpose Of A Mission Statement

What Is A Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a 1-2 sentence description that explains your organization’s purpose and what you do for your staff, customers, and the wider community. Some mission statements also describe your long-term goals, environmental impact, position in your industry, and short-term objectives.

Mission statements are typically short, clear, and under 100 words. The best ones are simple and focus on answering the basic questions: “Who are we?”, “What do we do?”, “Why do we do it?”, “Where do we work?”, and “How do we make a difference?”

Developing a strong mission statement can help your organization to:

Convey its vision to investors and stakeholders
Guide staff when it comes to making decisions for the organization and customers
Help customers understand what you can do for them
Set performance and quality standards
Attract new staff members whose values align with your organization’s

How To Create An Effective Mission Statement

Capturing the essence of your organization in a single sentence can be tricky. Very few businesses only offer one product or service, so you may find you need at least 1,000 words to explain all the great things your organization does.

Instantly create a powerful mission statement with CoSchedule’s Mission Statement Generator!

Source

While this essay might be really inspiring, it’s doubtful your stakeholders will read it. So, here’s how to create an effective and short mission statement:

Step 1. Highlight the Benefits of Your Products/Services

The first step in creating your mission statement is to brainstorm the things your organization offers.

We suggest you brainstorm either in a large notebook, on a whiteboard, or in a blank document — you’ll probably come up with more answers than you might originally expect.

Start by listing down the core products and services your organization offers. Then, use them as a jumping-off point and list the benefits associated with each. Here are some categories of benefits to consider:

Technological benefits. For example, access to automation, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), etc.
Environmental benefits. For example, is your product made from recycled plastic, is your packaging recyclable, etc.
Social benefits. For example, do your products make your customers seem more professional and organized?
Cyber security benefits. For example, do your products protect customers against cyber threats, do they offer greater anonymity, etc.?
Convenience benefits. Do your products make a typically complicated task simple?
Time-saving benefits. For example, do your products save people time or eliminate a time-consuming task?
Cost-saving benefits. Do customers save money by using your products?
Emotion-driven benefit. How do your offerings make customers feel?

Step 2. List Your Stakeholders

Next, create a list of all the stakeholders who benefit from associating with your company. Anyone who has an affiliation with your organization is a stakeholder.

Stakeholders come in two different types:

Internal stakeholders = those within your business like the staff.
External stakeholders = those outside your business like suppliers.

Stakeholders have varying levels of investment in your company. Primary stakeholders contribute heavily to your work and are the most invested (for example, your CEO, CMO, and CFO). Secondary stakeholders contribute, but not as much (for example, a lawyer who works with your company contractually).

Here’s a list of possible stakeholders to consider for your mission statement:

Customers
Owners
Members of the leadership team
Investors
Creditors
Unions
Employees
Contractors
Members of the local community
Those within the same industry or niche

You’ll likely end up with quite a long list, so take the time to highlight 1-3 primary stakeholders. This shortlist should always include clients or customers.

Step 3. Identify 2-3 Company Goals

By this point, you will have gotten into the brainstorming grove. Keep the momentum going and list your company’s goals and objectives.

Goals are long-term, broad things that span multiple departments. Meeting net zero is a goal, for example.

Objectives are short-term, specific milestones that chart your progress towards your goal. Increasing your Facebook followers is a goal, for example. (Read this article for more examples of goals and objectives.)

Once you’ve developed a list of goals and objectives, edit your list until you are left with 2-3 goals that capture your company’s vision.

If you’re having trouble coming up with goals, use your company values and marketing plan as inspiration.

Step 4. Describe What Sets Your Company Apart From Its Competitors

Your competitive advantage is the thing that makes your brand stand out from competitors, so it’s definitely something you want to capture in your mission statement.

Before you start writing your statement itself, take a moment to identify and describe your organization’s competitive advantage. Broadly, there are five types of competitive advantages:

Cost-based advantages
Differentiated advantages
First mover advantages
Time-based advantages
Technology-based advantages

A great place to look for inspiration for your competitive advantage is your brand’s SWOT, 5C’s, and PEST analyses — available in your marketing documentation.

Don’t confuse your competitive advantage with your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Your UVP is specific to a good/service, whereas your competitive advantage applies to your company as a whole.

Unique Value Proposition:

A unique value proposition (UVP) is the core benefit or solution that differentiates your product or service from the competition and positions it as the best possible option on the market.

Step 5. Summarize Into 1-2 Sentences

Finally, take inspiration from the brainstorming you did over the last four steps and your marketing and summarize it into 1-2 sentences to form your mission statement.

You’ll need to make sure you cover these three crucial things:

Your purpose
Your values as an organization
Your organization’s goals

If you’re struggling to formulate your statement, try this formula…

1. {Organization}{action} to {stakeholder} by {unique value}.

{Organization} {Action} to {Stakeholder} by {Unique Value}.

For example: “Border States provides value to our customers by delivering innovative product and supply chain solutions.”

… or this one…

2. To {action} — {how}.

To {action} - {how}.

For example, Starbucks’ mission statement is: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

18 Examples of Effective Mission Statements

To help you create the best mission statement possible, here are eighteen mission statement examples to inspire you:

1. CoSchedule

CoSchedule’s mission statement:

Pursue growth, empower our team, and build simple products that are uniquely helpful, fun to use, and consistently punch above their weight.