Business-Owning Moms Will Fail Without a Business Vision

You have to have a business vision or you won’t know where you’re going. You won’t know why you’re bothering with all this work. When things get hard, you’ll want to quit.

You might think you don’t need to create a vision, that you can just do the work and your business will grow. And I guess it might for a little bit. 

But there are going to be days or weeks that you get sidetracked and busy, and without a strong vision, you’ll be knocked so far off course that you don’t know how to get back.

I’m speaking from experience here. It’s tough to create a vision that is strong enough for you to want to follow it, even in challenging times. It’s also tough to remember and hang on to that vision in the midst of a bazillion other thoughts in your head. But you have to do so to stay the course and succeed.

What is a business vision?

Your business vision is your picture of what your business could be when you are killing it. It’s your business aspirations and long-term dreams for your business. 

A business vision describes the reason for your business’s very existence. And it keeps you energized and excited, even when you don’t feel like doing the work. 

The vision will explain how your business aligns with:

• Your life
• Your beliefs
• And the way you intend to live in the future.

Would you like some help developing your vision for your business? We’ll be working on your vision and goals for the next couple of months over in my Facebook group, The Done by 3:00 Club. We’re doing a challenge each month through 2021. Join us!

Reasons why you need a business vision

You’re so busy, it’s easy to get distracted and derailed

And your business vision is something that can help you refocus. If you have something that you can refer to easily, you can check in with it when you get stressed or overwhelmed.

Use your vision to guide your purpose/mission

When you’re writing a mission statement, your vision can help you be much more concrete. rather than the vague business-language missions that so many corporations have, you can build a mission that inspires you. 

Helps you make quick decisions when you’re overwhelmed

When you’re overwhelmed, it’s hard to think. It’s very easy to follow the next shiny object that bounces your way. Before long, if you keep jumping on new ideas, you’ll have a business you don’t recognize and may not even want to be a part of.

Use as a guide for your specific goals

Your vision can guide your actionable goals by acting like a compass, pointing you in the right direction. By referring to your vision, as you set your goals, you can make sure they are in line with where you want to go.

Use to keep you inspired

A strong, clear vision can give you hope and keep you inspired. It will help you remember why you’re doing all this work in the first place. Building a business gets hard at times and if you don’t have a reason to keep going, you might just feel like throwing in the towel.

Your business vision is more important than ever for 2021

We’re demoralized right now.

We finally realize that our businesses have to change even beyond the temporary changes during the Covid crisis.

The whole world is changing how it operates.

We’re stressed with all the extra people in our house/office/face.

And yet, many of us are lonely and missing our regular social activities.

Us moms have too many jobs now. More cooking, more cleaning, more laundry, monitoring online school. 

We need to be reminded of that dream we had when we started our business. We need the focus, hope and direction that a clear vision can provide.

In 2021, you may have to make some changes to your vision, and that’s okay. The world has changed, and you have changed. And in this new reality, you might have new or different dreams.

Just keep dreaming, and thinking about where you want to end up.

Crafting a business vision statement

Don’t get hung up on a vision statement and rules or best practices.

You want to create something that you can look at or check in with and be reminded of your dream.

This could be a vision statement. Or a collaged vision board made with school glue and poster board. You could select a word for 2021 to use a trigger to see your vision. Or even a journal with just a stream-of-consciousness entry describing your vision. You could do a drawing of yourself and your business succeeding. Lots of business-owning-moms I know have created digital business vision boards and used them as their wallpaper on laptops and phones.

As long as your vision is somewhere you can be easily reminded of it, it’s right. For now, this is all just for you and your own planning.

When you have a need to share your vision, *then* you can work on a succinct vision statement. (for example, if you have employees or a board or feel your customers would really resonate)

Having trouble with creating a vision?

Sometimes it’s tough to know what your vision is if you don’t take time to think about it. Maybe you’ve thought about it, but never put it down on paper.

The first time you try, you may have worries and doubts. Your vision doesn’t have to be set in stone. It can change if you’re intentional about that change. In fact, you will need to revisit your vision to make sure it’s still want you want to aim for.

So go ahead and document your vision in your own way, and dream big and crazy dreams. Take the time to really consider what you want. It’s not wasted time or frivolous arts and crafts time*. It’s working on a guide for your business that you need.

*Arts & crafts time is never wasted 😉

Featured Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash