The Importance of Having a Good Vision Document for Your Business
Courtesy of Health Matter 4 All Blog
A few weeks ago I was putting together a blog post for a new project of which I am a part. The piece was written by one of the other project contributors and it was my job get it up to the blog. It was about the importance of smart goal setting and the author was sharing how the practice of setting goals and ways to achieve them directly impacted his ability to achieve those stated goals. And this got me thinking…I haven’t set goals for my business in a while, if ever.
The first thing I decided to do before setting some new goals was to dig up the original vision document I had created for my business when I first started it back in March 2007. I hadn’t reviewed it in a while and felt that it would make sense for me to re-visit this before setting some new business goals. Problem was, I could not find the document.
This bothered me and so I booted up my old PC that I had used a lot more back then and started digging through my backup drive to hopefully locate the file, which I did luckily. After reading it a few times, I am happy to report that with the exception of a few things I am very much in synch with my original company vision. I can’t think of anything that needs to be changed and I really like how it is laid out. So I thought I might share it here verbatim as a resource for others to consider in need of creating your own vision doc.
So here it is, exactly how I have it. The only thing to note is that the company name used has changed from Webtwologies to AutoConversion…
Webtwologies – Prepare Your Business for Tomorrow’s Web
Vision
Webtwologies is an IT consulting firm that produces forward-thinking solutions and marketing strategies for small- to medium-sized businesses. Our commitment to industry is for the betterment of society with the idea in mind that we are always stewards of a Higher Purpose.Strategy
Our strategy is to provide progressive Web 2.0 solutions couple with digital marketing concepts to establish new customers and/or retain existing ones for YOUR business.Opportunity
Our opportunity lies within businesses that would benefit from a dynamic web solution for internal and/or external purposes and that are committed tio investing into a digital marketing strategy that strives to meet their own core objectives.Mission
Our corporate mission is to provide information, tools, and resources that give people the ability ti be constructive and to prosper. We strive to establish and maintain a product that lives on through the ages.Key Objectives
- To build relationships with people and businesses through a sense of humility and service.
- To always be forward-thinking and innovative.
- To always be open and ready for change.
Keys to Success
- Build customers for life!
- Use technology as an accelerator, not a trailblazer.
- A commitment for constant improvement in all areas of business and our lives.
So that is it. That was my original vision doc.
You can see that I distinguished between some core concepts that can vary from person to person and business to business. You should also be able to see that it defines the who, what, why, and how but it leaves off the “when” and it also does not have specific goals stated in it. I don’t recall ever stating clear set goals int he 4.5 years I have had this business, let alone how I could achieve them. Granted I have set tasks and projects that needed to be accomplished but I never laid out cornet goals such as sales numbers to hit, lead counts, revenue goals, etc.
Maybe one of the things I need to add to this document belongs in the Keys to Success section: Regularly set clear goals, define a plan to achieve them, and be accountable for doing so. This by the way is precisely what the aforementioned blog post is about that I referenced while opening up this post. It’s called Four Principals to Achieving Your Goals and it is the Practical Coaching Tip for May’s edition on the Business Vision Network blog, which is the project I mentioned as well. In the post, author Chris LaGarde demonstrates not only the importance of setting goals (Affirmation) but also the importance of Accountability, Tracking, and Action.
If you are lacking in defined goals, or lacking in your ability to achieve the ones you have set, then click on over to Chris’ post. Likewise if you need to create yourself a vision doc for your business then by all means feel free to use what I have offered here as a starting point to get things rolling. And of course if you have some feedback or input to offer me or others viewing this post, your comments are certainly welcome.
Hey, Ryan,
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An awesome post. I am currently reading The E-Myth Mastery (since my copy of EMyth Revisited is highlighted and dog-eared), and just got to the chapter on the written business plan. Ugh. Yes, I did a written business plan in 2004 when I started my first business, and now I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to have an updated version for my current business. I think the framework of the vision document will be a great springboard for me. Thank you for sharing! (And please say Hi to Chris from me!
Ah ha so you know Chris L, eh. I will have to mention that. So yeh The E-Myth is good stuff. So glad I read that before I started my own business. It really put me in the right frame of mind. Good luck updating your vision doc. Be sure to share it with me and others once you are ready.
[...] A good Vision Doc is one that clearly defines your who, your what, your why, and your how. It provides general direction without specific tactics or milestones, but it is specific in its core values and objectives. I wrote about vision docs last month on my digital marketing blog in a post titled, “The Importance of Having a Good Vision Document for Your Business.” [...]