A strong mission statement is important because it articulates in one or two sentences exactly what your company is doing or aiming to achieve.

Thus a strong mission statement should give people a clear understanding of what your company is doing and aiming to achieve. Moreover, a mission statement should be exciting and inspiring to anyone who reads it, especially employees who are dedicating their time and energy to the business, as well as investors and other external partners who might want to invest or support the mission of your business.

It’s worth noting that there are no set rules as to what a mission statement is, how long it should be, or what it should say about a company. At the very least, however, it should be a powerful one-liner that captures the main aim and purpose of your business.

Seven mission statements from famous companies

Below are seven mission statements as given by some the world’s most famous companies It’s interesting to consider whether your own view and understanding of these companies accords with their mission statement, and whether their statement captures what they are in fact doing.

Facebook’s mission is “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected”.

Tesla’s mission is “to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy”.

Amazon’s mission (combined with a vision) statement is “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.” – (The second part of the sentence is the mission statement, whereas the first part states their vision)

Apple’s 2017 mission statement is “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.”

(Note how Apple’s current mission statement differs from Steve Job’s original mission statement: “To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.” – Two very different statements; which is the more inspiring one?)

Uber’s mission is: to bring transportation – to everyone, everywhere.

Match (which owns Tinder and a number of other dating sites) states that: Establishing a romantic connection is a fundamental human need. Whether it’s a good date, a meaningful relationship or an enduring marriage, romantic connectivity lifts the human spirit. Our mission is to increase romantic connectivity worldwide.

Patagonia’s mission is: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”