Bruce D. Wyman Company

Since 1988

Providing Strategic Business Planning Services to small businesses and associations, both for- and non-profit, to help them leverage their use of their scarce resources: time, funds, and effort.

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." *

What is a Purpose or Mission statement? A Vision statement?

Your statement of Mission or Purpose is your critical starting point and should require a great deal of HARD thinking on your part, because it is the keystone for all that follows in building your Strategic Business Plan. It should specify what your business or association will provide and to whom, irrespective of changes in profits, numbers of employees, changes in political environments, physical location, tax and operating laws and regulations, etc. The WHAT YOU SELL part can be very tricky to figure out (e.g., the president of Revlon reportedly revealed that, although Revlon manufactures and distributes cosmetics, what they really sell is HOPE). Your Purpose or Mission statement significantly constrains or enhances the way you view your business or association and the challenges and opportunities that arise. The remaining parts of Strategic Business Planning are equally easy(?).

A Vision describes what the company or association sees itself or some principal element of its environment as being "when it grows up." "In 15 years, how would you want your company or association described in a thumbnail sketch, if it were mentioned [in a positive context] on page 1 of the New York Times or London Times?" (For example, a Vision might be: "No individual within the quad-state area goes to bed on any night without having a hot meal made available within the sphere of their environment.") The Vision is "what it will be" and the Purpose/Mission is "what it does."

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