Without a strategic plan, sometimes business owners lose sight of why they started their business. Your organization exists for a very specific reason, and most likely its purpose is different than any other company out there. Companies are founded for reasons as varied as something to do during retirement to making the world a better place.
Here are a few questions to consider in determining your purpose:
Why was our organization started?
What business are we really in?
Why does our business exist? Or what would be different in the world if we didn’t exist?
To jump-start your thinking, here are some examples of distinct purposes from organizations large and small:
To solve the growing diabetes crisis
To capitalize on a real estate growth trend
To work for myself
To provide quality window and door products better than anyone else
To make fitness a way of life for everyone by making it fun, easy, and accessible
To make my community a better place to live, work, and recreate through publicly accessible open space
To provide people with a great place to work
To be the perfect clown
An excellent way to uncover the purpose of your business from a different perspective is to talk with your employees. What do they think the distinct purpose of your organization is? The responses from your employees will help you uncover your competitive advantage. You may be amazed at the insightful comments you receive back from your team.