In the first chapter of <!—-><!—-> <!—->Taunton<!—-> <!—->‘s “For Pros by Pros: Running a Successful Construction Company,” David Gerstel speaks of The Four C’s: Clarity of Purpose, construction, communications, and controls. I’m confident that I meet the requirements for construction. I’ve been through a four-year apprenticeship and have been a journeyman carpenter for several years. I also feel confident in my communication skills. The controls, or paperwork aspect of it however, is another matter.<!—-><!—-> <!—->
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The very first recommendation in David’s Start-Up Plan, is to “Define your purpose.†Doing this involves the first “Câ€, clarity of purpose, which is writing a mission statement. Being paperwork, it seems to involve the fourth “Câ€, controls, as well. The second recommendation is to decide on your services, and the third, to decide on your market.<!—-><!—->
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This initial paperwork task seems rather easy, though I did have to do some reflection to come up with the following mission statement. The second two points on the Start-Up Plan seems even easier to accomplish. Being a carpenter, I think it’s safe to say my best bet would be offering services in carpentry. More specifically, whatever a union carpenter would do (as specified in the union contract) on the job. Being a journeyman, and having experience in both commercial and residential work, I think I can advertise to a broad range of markets and then pick and choose. All markets seem (at least to me) to be doing well right now.<!—-><!—->
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Below is the mission statement I’ve come up with so far. I’ve included my targeted markets, and a very vague description of my services in it as well. Does anyone who runs their own construction company have any suggestions, or will this statement provide me with the “clarity of purpose†that I need? <!—-><!—->
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This construction company will endeavor to acquire satisfying work at the highest comparable wages and profit margins, by working with and hiring the highest of skills, as well as providing the highest quality craftsmanship and customer service in carpentry, for the following markets: (1) Subcontracting in commercial building, (2) homebuilding, (3) subcontracting in homebuilding, (4) subcontracting in commercial remodeling, (5) home remodeling.
–T
Replies
Do a Google search for Stephen Covey. He wrote the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." It is a Must Read for someone starting their own company.
In it, he teaches how to write a mission statement and how one for business differs from one for personal concerns.
FYI - The book is out in paperback.
Frankie
There he goes—one of God's own prototypes—a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.
—Hunter S. Thompson
from Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
T-
I'm no expert on mission statements, but I'm not sure I like yours.
I don't know about the "endeavor" (to much like just try need a stronger word) or the "highest possible comparable wages and profit margins". I have seen situations where people who are not employees ask for the mission statement and if a customer saw that, they might be put off. I also think the list of potentials sites for or types of work is too long and unnecessary.
I won't offer any advise beyond that since I just found the business plan I started to write two years ago. I might get around to finishing it someday. <G>
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
I think you should express your mission in a way that will make someone think, "This is the kind of business we want working for us!"
This is what I came up with for my business:
The Mission:
To Delight Customers with Smart Design and
The Finest Craftsmanship in the Home Improvement Business.
Our Focus:
• Quality Cabinet and Countertop Installation.
• Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling.
• Fine Finish Carpentry.
• Custom Closets and Storage.
Key Elements of Our Vision:
• Highly Skilled Employees
• State of the Art Methods & Materials
• Continual Improvement of Design & Execution
• High Quality Carpentry—On Time
• Target Core Kitchen Business
• Expand Into the LaCrosse, WI Market
Here's our mission statement. I agree that you should do things rather than try to do them and that your first job is to feed your family and the families of your employees. Quality is a subjective concept that has little value in a business plan from my perspective. I also think quality is a word so stripped of meaning that it has no place in your marketing. The entire business plan is posted at our website http://www.ChandlerDesignBuild.com borrow from it as you wish.The mission of Chandler Design-Build is first and foremost to provide meaningful, sustainable, and gainful employment for our stakeholders and employees. Our primary business is building unique mid-priced homes for clients who are looking for a more personalized home building experience, custom craftsmanship, and an emphasis on "green building systems" with sustainable, low embodied energy content materials that are not pretending to be something other than what they really are.
In that learning and growth are important elements in sustaining quality of life, we will train our co-workers in skills related to running a construction company such as plumbing, radiant floor heating, solar heating, building design, woodworking, and computer use in the understanding that the kind of people we want to have working with us are skill collectors who are always in pursuit of improving their skill set and their understanding of the trade.Our focus is not on being the biggest or best but on optimizing our shared quality of life balanced between adequate financial resources, varied and interesting work, and flexibility to have time off as needed. In keeping with this we do not measure our performance based on percentage of sales or return on investment but rather on the ability of the company to provide adequate financial compensation to our stakeholders and employees without sacrificing their quality of life at work or at home.
Edited 3/30/2006 10:42 pm ET by ShelterNerd
U2 said "Charles Manson sold this song from the Beetles...we're stealin' it back." Now, to transition back from "Helter Skelter" to Shelter.I strive to do work of the highest quality...I think quality, as a word, has been abused...I also think that if I do some of the best work in these parts--I can steal back "quality".Most contractors try to position their business to compete on quality or price, or like you, some balance between the two.My mission is focused on providing for the customer, not my company, self or family. My customers don't really care about providing for me. However, if I keep a customer-focused business, my needs will continue to be generously met.
One of my previous employers was part of a big conglomerate filled with MBAs and other such types. One day they were discussing the company's mission statement, and I chipped in that I thought the mission statement was simple: to make money for the owners.
I find that people often get hung up in the trend of the year in business circles, and this basic fact seems overlooked.
My mission is really to knock people's socks off doing something I am passionate about (and to get a fair price for it).Those are my priorities...put the customer and the best work first...then the money comes in. I want to have a financially sound company, secure future and all of that...I just have a different way of thinking of it.
"Your money in my pocket."
This is the only mission if you're in business.
How you do it is your business.
Joe H
I think you are trying to put too much into it. Mission statements should be inspiring and short.
It is the compelling picture of the desired outcome that inspires and motivates you to action.
Mission statements aren't for marketing--imho--they are for you and your employees.
If you can't commit it to memory it is too long. If what you are doing doesn't stir your passion, why bother? Use the mission statement to inspire and motivate.
List your "markets" elsewhere - keep your mission focused.
I like the way you are approaching your business - best wishes
Mission Statement
This construction company will endeavor to acquire satisfying work at the highest comparable wages and profit margins, by working with and hiring the highest of skills, as well as providing the highest quality craftsmanship and customer service in carpentry, for the following markets: (1) Subcontracting in commercial building, (2) homebuilding, (3) subcontracting in homebuilding, (4) subcontracting in commercial remodeling, (5) home remodeling.
The basic (and only) reason for being in business is to MAKE MONEY (either generate positive cash flow, acquire assets, or produce income.)
Everything else is subordinate to that, because, if you can't make money to pay your bills, you will not be in business. It really is that simple, and I am thankful to the man who made that very clear to me when I was in the corporate jungle. Another truth he taught me: profit is NOT a dirty word.
I find it interesting, especially concerning Mission Statements, that these basics are usually omitted or buried under a mound of fluff. I have sat through too many managers' meetings, strategic planning, seminars, etc. developing and reviewing mission statements that were ultimately useless. It is amazing to me the amount of time (and therefore, money) companies have expended on this issue. I'm talking tens of thousands of dollars invested with no payback.
Make a mission statement that you are really going to keep looking at throughout your business life, and try to adhere to it. Otherwise, it's just another useless piece of paper. My 2c is to keep it simple and be able to adhere to it.
What happens when you find out you can make more money and/or be happier and it goes against your mission statement? e.g. you don't need highly skilled laborers to haul materials, and therefore don't have to pay them the "highest comparable wages." or, the customer doesn't want a job of the "highest quality craftsmanship", but the job will be very profitable because you can get in and out quickly with no hassle. Are you going to turn it down because it doesn't fit into your mission statement? Or are you going to blow off the mission statement (just this once, yeah, right)? Blow it off once, and the second time is easier. Third time, and you have no mission statement anymore.
IMHO, the part of your mission statement listing your markets is useful. It can be a guideline to check back in a year to see how you're doing. I would keep the rest simple and omit fluff.
I don't mean to be too critical, but I have just seen a lot of time and effort wasted on this part of a business. It would be easier to just click on the link below until you find one.
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/games/career/bin/ms.cgi
Pete Duffy, Handyman
Many, if not most, of the highly profitable businesses in the Fortune 500 say nothing in their mission statements about making money.These are not all Fortune 500 companies, but here are some examples:McDonalds: "McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile."J. Sainsbury: "Our mission is to be the consumer's first choice for food, delivering products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost through working faster, simpler, and together."Success Networks: "Our mission is to inform, inspire, and empower people and organizations to be their best -- both personally and professionally."Big Binoculars: "Our mission is simply to offer our customers the most binocular aperture, at the highest quality, for the lowest price."Levi-Strauss: "We will market the most appealing and widely worn casual clothing in the world. We will clothe the world."OHCHR: "The mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is to protect and promote all human rights for all."The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.At Microsoft, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.Basswood Home Improvement: "To Delight Customers with Smart Design and
The Finest Craftsmanship in the Home Improvement Business."The author of the "Art of the Start", Guy Kawasaki even says "Forget mission statements. Think Mantra--3 words tops. He goes on to say, Focus on what you can do for your customers."GE has no formal mission statement, just "Imagination at Work."
Edited 4/2/2006 11:47 am ET by basswood
Those are Marketing slogans. Well, maybe not Sainsburys', and I won't comment on the UNs'.
McD: Make every customer smile. Oh Kay, have free food days. Every day.Big Binocs: Sell Binoculars for 1 cent.Levis: FedEx pants to everyone in the world.Southwest: Be nice serfs.MS: Help people, that's all there is.
Mine is much more honest, and it's something that inspires me:
Retire in ten years with $XXX income.
As a means of accomplishing that, I read and think about the ones like you've posted , because without pleasing my customers, I can't fulfill my mission.
SamT
I found this on:http://www.onepagebusinessplan.comGood mission statements describe why your company or business unit exists. Good mission statements go a step farther in that they are short and memorable, communicating in just a few words the company’s focus. Great mission statements always reflect the benefit your customers receive and answer the question--- Why does your company exist?Ultimately, mission statements are not about money, but about meeting the customer’s needs. Businesses must produce a profit, but the enterprise must be balanced in terms of both customer and corporate needs. Unbalanced business will almost always fail.Often, some of the best mission statements are an integral part of a company’s branding strategy that compels customers to buy. But at the same time, mission statements can and do direct and influence all significant management decisions. Review this list of Mission Statements and ask yourself if these taglines answer the question, "Why does this company exist?"Federal Express - The World on Time
Nature Conservancy - Saving the last great places
Mervyn’s - Big brands, Small prices.
Ethan Allen - We create beautiful spaces
Pennzoil - We’re driving protection.
Lenscrafters - Helping people see better one hour at a time
Tillamook Creamery Assoc. - Memorable Cheese, Profitable Farmers, & Environmental StewardsMission statements answer these specific questions:
Why does this business exist?
What is our unique selling proposition?
What are we committed to providing to our customers?
What promise are we making to our clients?
What wants, needs, desires, pain, or problems do our product/services solve?
Maybe that's why I can't get into public mission statements. I think they are all a bunch of falsehoods designed to sound good to someone other than the business owners.
They don't become true until one adds "In order to make as much money as possible. . ."
Maybe it's because I'm literal minded, but when I see a mission statement that goes, "our mission is to cloth the world," I always wonder why their product is the most expensive on the shelf.
Federal Express - The World on TimeNature Conservancy - Saving the last great placesMervyn’s - Big brands, Small prices.Ethan Allen - We create beautiful spacesPennzoil - We’re driving protection.Lenscrafters - Helping people see better one hour at a timeTillamook Creamery Assoc. - Memorable Cheese, Profitable Farmers, & Environmental Stewards
Now, I see those as slogans. I have one of those, and it's for public cunsumption, just like those.
"Foundations like a rock"
Slogans don't have to make literary sense, a mission statment does. A slogan is poetry, it invokes a feeling. A mission statement is a directive, obey it.
Take MS's mission statement for example, "...To help people...that's our only mission" That is fine for the production staff, but sales has a different one, "To charge as much as the public will bear" and marketing has yet another one, "To make MS sound better than sliced bread, no matter what the truth is." (|:>) And I'll betcha M$ Marketing had a more to say about their public mission statement than any other department.
SamT
You make some good points.The idea is to make the mission statement so inspired and simple that it is distilled down to a slogan, but one that captures the essence of what you do (and why people should be willing to fork over some money for it).
Mission statements like those seem designed for huge beauracracies, so that the minions will know what they are supposed to be achieving. Short and sweet for the uneducated grunts who do the work. I can't see why a small business with less than 10 people needs a mission statement; if everyone doesn't know the score in a small business, then I'd suggest there's a communication problem.
It's just another layer of fluff and feel good foolishness, added on to all the current trends in business. Let's all feel warm and fuzzy, maybe we can hire 10 or 20 consultants to draw up our mission statement. At some point, somewhere in the organization, someone has to do some work. But it's more fun to leave that to someone else, while we all focus on the mission statement, and our six sigma program, and our environmental policy, and everything other than making money. That's what's made GM the success it is today.
I like a simple, inspirational mission statement, and my business is just two people.To each his own.
HH,
I have a mission statement, and everything I do is bounced off it to see if it fits.
I (will) have a crew. They don't need to know my mission, they have their own, given to them by me.
Should they get caught, I will of course, deny. . . Oops~ That's a different story.
SamT
I stopped by the local book store yesterday (as local as a book store would be in my area anyway) to pick up The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I read it back in my apprenticeship, but they didn’t let us keep the book. While I had remembered writing up a personal mission statement for the “Technical Writing†class at Ivy Tech, I had well forgotten that we used this book as a manual to do it.
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Beginning on page 139, Stephen R. Covey speaks of organizational mission statements. On page 143 he defines a mission statement as something that “creates a great unity and tremendous commitment.†Similarly, David Gerstel in his book Running a Successful Construction Company, defines it on page 6 as something that ‘states clearly what you want to accomplish as a builder.’ Its purpose, he relates, is to give you a “starting pointâ€â€“to give you “direction.†In other words, it gives you “clarity of purpose.â€
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Now, taking a closer look at what a mission statement is supposed to accomplish, and considering the suggestions that have been provided, I’ll see if I can’t properly revise my original statement.
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In defining clarity of purpose, Gerstel first lists ‘knowing why you have chosen a career in construction.’ I touched on this in my first statement, listing “satisfying work.†While I do find construction to be satisfying, I think more specifically the reason I do is because I love to build, especially with wood. Perhaps that’s still too vague, but I’m targeting a broad market, and I know of few carpenters that get more specific than that. The bottom line: If I’m building something, particularly if I’m building something out of wood, I’m having fun.
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Gerstel next lists ‘knowing the values you will uphold in your work.’ First and foremost, I know I want “skill†to remain on my list. I love working with, and improving in skill. Whether you’re working on something intricate or simple, your balance of quality and efficiency will depend on your level of skill. Second, I think I’d like to add “diligence.†Skill + diligence = $$$$$$!
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Gerstel’s mention of “values,†also brings to mind something ells that Covey mentioned on page 143 of his book: “Creating an organizational mission statement takes . . . empathy.†Hence I ask myself; what values will my customer want in return for his “$$$$$$?†If I were to hire a contractor, the first things I would wonder about would be his competence, his honesty, and his integrity (after all, he’ll be working around my family or customers, in my home or building). Figuring that “competence†could be covered by “skill,†I’m left with “honesty†and “integrity.†While honesty is a specific moral concern with contractors, listing honesty may be mistaken as a façade for dishonesty. Since integrity includes honesty, I’m left with “integrity.â€
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Finally, Gerstel lists ‘knowing what services you want to offer.’ Since I have a broad range of markets I’m targeting, hopefully “carpentry†will do.
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After considering the many fine suggestions at this forum, as well as reanalyzing these, and several other suggestions in the above mentioned books, this is what I’ve come up with:
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“The mission of this construction company is to provide its customers with fine craftsmanship in carpentry, while working with skill, diligence, and integrity. The company will do this by providing hardworking men and women who uphold these values with honest pay, and employment that contributes to a high quality of life.â€
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I’ll consider any final suggestions, but I’m pretty sure this will do. Chapter four of David Gerstel’s book addresses marketing. Perhaps I’ll find a place to put my markets there. Thanks for all the helpful comments.-T
I'm with a lot of the others here. I think the statement should be short, to the point and entice a customer to want you. More importantly however is that you believe your mission statement. I never wrote one but in my mind I constantly remind myself of some basic qualities I like to bring to a job. Because they are close to my heart it's easy to stay focused. Just ask yourself why do I get up and go to work in the morning above and beyond paying the bills? Then ask yourself what is the biggest turnoffs you have had working for others in the past. That should clarify things for you.
Perhaps my statement would be along these lines:
Satisfied customers, responsible, expert workmanship, time and budget sensitive while remaining competitive with my peers.
Let yourself out man
Our "elevator speech" version always was "to have a great time working with good people earning a living wage building cool projects for appreciative customers" I think that your cash profit is only one element of having a successful business. It has to make you (and your employees) happy to get out of bed and go to work instead of fishing or whatever. One guy once said he tried to design his business so that if he were to win five million in the lottery he'd continue to go to work. After 32 years in this game Beth and I have it to the point where we aren't working for the next draw but rather to solve the next puzzle. You do need to push the PR machine in order to bring in cool puzzles. And you need to be perceived in your community as worth a premium price so you can sell jobs at a profit. My computer has a little tag on it that says "no amount of hustle can make up for a sloppy estimate" All the bestMichael
"to have a great time working with good people earning a living wage building cool projects for appreciative customers"I like the elevator speech version of your mission. I was very impressed by the kind of projects you get into and the approach you take, as presented on your website. Very cool.
Thanks, we have a great time, and we pay the bills, Saturday the entire crew is going to an oyster roast at a house we finished just before Christmas. I guess something must be working.
Mission statements now a big deal in academe, where my day job is. I think they are a waste of time. They all sound the same to consumers/clients, and can anyone think of an instance where a problemn in a company or institution was solved by referring to the mission statement? So, what good do they do, really?