One of the most common pieces of advice new business owners hear is to write a mission statement. But do solopreneurs actually need one? In this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur, Carly and Joe take opposite sides and land somewhere more useful than either started.
Why Business Mission Statements Often Fail
Joe has watched teams spend hours crafting mission statements that end up framed on a wall and never referenced again. Designed by committee and full of lofty language, most of them are decoration rather than direction. For solopreneurs, that time is often better spent elsewhere.
The Mission Statement Solopreneurs Actually Need
Carly agrees on the business side but makes a strong case for a life first mission statement. Instead of asking what you sell and who you sell to, a life mission statement asks how you want to spend your days, who you want to be present for, and what enough looks like to you. Get clear on that, and the direction of your business follows.
A Framework to Get Started
Joe shares six questions to think through, including why your life exists, how you want to behave, what you will and will not do to succeed, and what matters most right now. Carly offers a simpler three part approach. Name your non negotiables, describe your ideal Tuesday rather than your ideal vacation, and define success that does not need an audience or outside praise.
Your Challenge This Week
Find one current commitment that violates your life first statement, then decide what you will do to get one step closer to your ideal Tuesday.
If your business has slowly started taking over your life, this episode will help you flip the order and put your life first. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, and subscribe to The Life-First Solopreneur for more.