Do you own MORE than “Just a business?”

We were working on mission statements with several clients recently and the question came up, “why not just come up with a catchy slogan that we use as our mission statement?” That’s what most places do, right? Find some group of words or a phrase that is catchy, repeatable, and gets stuck in the head of whoever hears it? That’s as far as most mission statements go.

Mission statements need to be so much more than that... why? Because it’s what fuels you every single day. It’s what keeps you moving on the days you have to pull yourself out of bed. It’s the “Why” behind everything you do. It’s so much more than a catchy slogan that gives your sales some juice. 

At the end of the day, so many people think the same thing about their business. Just like they say, it’s just a mission statement, they say…” It’s just a business!” It’s just a way to bring home a paycheck and finance my lifestyle. 

But what if your business could be more than that? What if there was an amazing “Why” behind it that led to something much much greater? Well, then that would touch all areas of your life and your community. It would lead to a sense of purpose that not only impacts you, but every single one of your employees and their families. Which is Exactly WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO!

How do I know? Because I get a front-row seat to it with our heroic business owners every day. Once they realize their why, it turns a simple landscaping company into one that teaches their employees about finances enough to tell them they are getting ripped off by cashing their checks at a local grocery store. They worked with them to actually open bank accounts and are saving them hundreds of dollars a year (per employee), by taking the time to teach.

I’ve gotten to sit front row as I see local nurseries pay to put their employees through financial peace university and help them get driver’s licenses to help get them out of debt and gain some ground financially in life! I’ve watched a client of ours at Pay Proudly take a portion of every sale and give it away to non-profits that desperately need the money.

I’ve seen mortgage companies take a portion of their profits and invest in local schools and teachers to let them know they are valued and important in the eyes of the local community. I’ve watched as employees grab hold of the vision and see a destination that they can achieve and then set out to go and do it! To grow and not just settle into a job. 

You see it’s amazing when business owners see their work not just as a business, but as a way to invest in people and a community. That’s the why you have to capture. Something that when someone looks at you and hears your mission would want to ask, “Ok, but how do you do that.” And you get to tell them what you do. 

That’s a “Work worth doing.” That’s something that will keep you excited for years to come. That’s what our world needs more of. Is people with a work worth doing, willing to view their work as more than just a business, but an investment into everyone they come into contact with. 

I hope you can grab ahold of that and figure out your why in your day to day...