Business Soul Searching

     There comes a time in our lives when we have to dig deep and do that dreaded soul searching. For some reason, it seems that us humans are naturally adverse to seeking out the truth about ourselves. There is always that voice in our heads telling us one lie or another. Remember that time in school where they asked you to tell the room something interesting about yourself? I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, I was always drawing a blank - what IS interesting about me? Who am I? What am I interested IN? Nothing ever seems interesting enough or good enough. Let's take it one step further and recall our resume writing experiences... What are your skills? Again, blank. Maybe it's just me, maybe I am no good with words, but when it comes to telling someone what I am good at, I can't think of a single thing. Then I end up saying some generic mumbo-jumbo like "I'm a hard worker, I'm punctual..." Terrible. I hate it.

     So you can imagine my horror when my business community told me that I have to write a mission statement for my company. I understand that it is supposed to be the guiding force behind what a company does and stands for, but heck, I don't need one that bad, do I? Eek. How was I supposed to write a single sentence defining what my business is and what it stands for, when I can barely make those discernments for myself? Time for some personal reflection, I guess. 

     I won't lie to you, a big part of my "soul searching" was really just searching Google. "What is a mission statement?" "How do I write a mission statement?" "What does a good mission statement look like?" I perused a few articles and got a couple ideas, but it began to come into a clearer picture when I read Michael Palmer's "The Successful Bookkeeper." Michael is a business coach and CEO of Pure Bookkeeping, a network that I am already involved in and passionate about. I already felt a connection to the author so I put my trust in his words and began the process of writing a mission statement. 

     Now I wont give away the the book, as it is a really great resource for any business owner and you should definitely read it, but ultimately it gave me ways to begin to think about myself and my values in life. As I worked through the exercises my eyes began to open to the world as I viewed it. I began to see the things that mattered to me more clearly and was able to piece together a few key words and phrases that ultimately fueled my mission statement. I didn't realize how vital it would be, but now that I have defined it, I feel that my business has a whole new life to it. A life of its own. It is a living thing that has dreams and goals and wants. 

     I can't stress this enough to the young aspiring entrepreneurs out there, define who you are. Dig deep into yourself and create a business that encompasses who you are and what you value in life. And please, it's not just about money. During the time I was trying to figure this all out, I had a conversation with my husband about what I was learning about mission statements. How it should be the purpose driving your business, and he just wasn't getting it. He kept saying "isn't the point of business to make money?" Well yes and no, the wise say that the purpose of business is to serve those around you, money is just the outcome of that purpose realized. Then of course, as husbands go, it became a big fun joke to say "MAKE MORE MONEY" just to drive me a little nuts. I still love him though. 

     So have a look at my new Missions, Visions, and Values section of my website. It is a look into who I am as a person and a business woman, and it is what my business is all about. I hope that you find some value in it, as to me, it is immeasurably valuable. 

     Thank you, dear reader, for enduring another page of this journey with me, I would love to hear your comments about your own experience with writing a mission statement. You can send me an email or find me on social media. Goodnight

         Love, Melissa