Hey,
It’s the new year - we made it!
And now a lot of us are writing our goals after doing a little introspective thinking. Maybe this is the year you launch your own brand? Or take your existing brand to new heights?
Either way - it all starts with your vision.
Now, before I go any further, a quick reminder: your brand vision is not where you see your business in 20 years from now (revenue, people etc.)
Your brand vision is the one big change you want to see in the world around you, the reason your business exists beyond making money.
It’s the version of the future that all your stakeholders and customers can get on board with.
And it never changes. Even if your team or product does.
Yes.
Whether you’re a bootstrapped solopreneur or a huge corporation, you can use your vision statement to gain clarity and ensure that you consistently make decisions that are in line with your vision for the future.
Your vision helps you develop a stronger brand that differentiates you from the competition. It also unifies your brand and keeps everyone focused on what really matters – because if you get these things right, the profit will follow.
You’ve probably seen the terms ‘vision statement’ and ‘mission statement’ pop up a lot in your Google searches. And you’re probably wondering what the real difference is. Well, whilst they get mixed up a lot, it’s actually quite simple.
In short: The mission is “what” your business does and “how” it does (a master plan). And your vision is simply your version of the future.
Vision: this is the big change you want to see in the world but it’s not specific to you or your business necessarily
Mission: what you’re going to do to contribute to achieving the greater vision, this is specific to your business (the what and how)
A great example of this difference is IKEA’s vision and mission statements:
Vision statement: To create a better everyday life for many people.
Mission statement: Offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.
A great example of a young brand is The Ethical Butcher.
Their vision: is more people being connected with nature.
Their mission: is to produce meat in the most ethical way possible and to show people where it’s come from.
And the last one is us:
Our vision: anyone can turn their passion into a successful brand and achieve creative and financial freedom
Our mission: to build a platform and a community that give good people with great ideas the confidence and tools to launch successful brands online.
A lot of new brands skip the ‘nailing their vision’ step and jump straight into designing a logo or worse, a website.
You know that’s not the best place to start, that’s why you’re here, so let’s get started with your vision...
Honestly, I think most agencies and brands really overcomplicate the ‘vision’ process. It’s not something that should feel stressful, it should be fun and emotional. So, we’ve taken the boring stuff out and just left you with the important bits.
Not sure what your vision is just yet?
Don’t stress, most of us don’t have it all figured out right from the beginning (trust me, Jonny and I have worked with hundreds of founders between us and very few have been able to tell us their vision right from the word go).
More good news...
There is no ‘right’ way to nail your vision.
Through working with founders and other brand strategists ourselves, we know that everyone has their own way of doing things and that there are lots of ways to go about finding your vision.
The key is not to overcomplicate it.
The Squeeze course we’re building will incorporate the best of everything we’ve worked on/come across over our years as brand builders. We’ll share more on that soon. But here are a few options to get you started:
I’ve always found I am most emotional when writing and so find writing down how I see the future the best way to dig deep. If you’re the same, this should work well for you.
Get out a notebook and pen (or phone if you’re fully digital) and write yourself a letter that describes the future version of the world you want to live in.
It doesn’t have to be war and peace, it should come straight from the heart so try not to overthink it and just get down what you’re thinking.
Once you’ve done that you might have lots of things you’d like to see change but it’s important to choose one.
So ask yourself, what’s the one change you want to see in the world?
If you’re not a fan of writing or you find it hard to think about this stuff on your own, ask a friend to chat to you about your vision for the future.
Think of it as being interviewed on a podcast with no audience.
Get them to ask about the world you wish to create and talk about why the world will be better with your business in it.
If you don’t fancy either of the above, have a go at answering these questions instead...
Once you’ve answer the questions above, look through for patterns, themes or repeated words in your answers. Then start to simplify and prioritise, so that you can write your vision into a sentence like this:
My vision is to __________
Your vision should be a single change you want to make. Don’t try and help people get fit and save the rainforests at the same time, keep it simple.
Choose the ONE change you want to make.
Write it down.
Stick to it no matter what.
Believe it or not, nailing your brand vision is actually the easy part. Sticking to it and avoiding distraction is the hard part. But we’ll be here to help you with that too.
When you google ‘brand vision’ nearly all of the examples you’ll find are from big corporate brands that probably feel a million miles away from where you are right now. Don’t let that put you off. Small brands, solo brands and even side projects will benefit massively from having a clear vision from the beginning.
All brands need a strong vision and the best ones usually come from a passionate founder just like you. So dig deep and find the thing you will always want to work towards. The thing that will get you through the difficult days and make the good days feel amazing.
If you’d like feedback on your current vision statement I’m more than happy to chat it through, just reply to this email and I’ll get back to you.
Keep being an outlier 💪
J + K
For bootstrapped entrepreneurs – how to grow your business without spending a fortune.
Every week, we tell you how an existing brand has overcome a growth challenge, sharing the insight, mindset and actionable tips to do it yourself.
