Tillu was traveling for the first time by train. As he boarded the train, TC approached Tillu and asked for the ticket. Searching his pockets, Tillu realized the ticket was not there. Disturbed, he quickly opened his bag but, unfortunately, the ticket was nowhere to be found. He became so tensed and exhausted.

Looking at the situation of Tillu, TC said, “Sir, I think you have bought the ticket but you have lost it somewhere. I can understand, do not worry.”

Tired, Tillu looked into TC’s eyes and snapped, “Shut up! You stupid. I’m not looking for tickets to show you. I want my ticket because I don’t know which station to land.”

This situation is not unique to Tillu; mostly startups also face similar challenges, and that is why more than 90% of startups shut down within one year. Now, I will try to make it very clear how your Mission and vision statement play an essential role in the growth of a company.

We all are familiar with these two words: Mission and Vision, but how much do we care about them when it comes to implementation? Do we genuinely comprehend the importance of a company’s mission and vision statement?

Based on my observation, the mission, vision, and values often seem to be merely for show on a company’s website.

Now, let me share a story that illustrates the significance of aligning mission and vision with the actions of a company:

There was a king who used to roam his city every day to see his arrangements. While walking one day, a thorn suddenly got stuck in his leg, causing him great pain. The doctor treated him and warned the king that the thorn was poisonous. If it got stuck in his leg again, he could lose it. As roaming was a regular activity for the king, he asked his ministers to find a solution to this problem. The ministers came up with an idea—to sweep the entire city’s path before the king’s roaming, so the thorns would be cleared.

However, this solution led to a new problem. The dust from sweeping caused discomfort and breathing issues for the people in the city. They complained to the king, who realized that the initial solution was not practical. He asked his ministers to come up with a better plan. After some contemplation, the ministers suggested a slight change to the existing idea—after sweeping, immediate irrigation would be done with water to prevent the dust from flying.

Although the king liked this modification and ordered its implementation, it still had unintended consequences. The path became muddy, and the king’s feet got dirty during his roamings. At that moment, a boy from the crowd stepped forward and offered a pair of shoes to the king, saying, “I made these for you, Maharaj. This is the solution to your problem.”

Since then, all the people in the village started wearing shoes on their feet.

The moral of this story is that when we start any business or try to solve a problem, our primary focus should be on finding effective solutions rather than temporary fixes.

I believe that if our mission and vision are reflected in our work from the very first day, then many problems can be avoided.

Let’s explore the meanings of Mission and Vision:

Mission means the purpose of your existence, why you are in the market, and what problem you are solving for your customers.

Vision, on the other hand, refers to where you ultimately want to reach by solving that problem.

To understand this concept better, let’s take a look at the Mission and Vision Statements of some top brands, paying attention to the highlighted words:

1. Apple Mission Statement: Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
2. Microsoft Mission and Vision Statement: Mission – “To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” Vision – “To help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.”
3. Nike Mission and Vision Statement: Mission – “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” Vision – “To remain the most authentic, connected, and distinctive brand.”
4. Tesla Mission and Vision Statement: Mission – “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transport.” Vision – “To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.”
5. Amazon Mission and Vision Statement: Mission – “We strive to offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience.” Vision – “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
6. KFC Mission & Vision Statement: Mission – “To sell food in a fast, friendly environment that appeals to pride-conscious, health-minded consumers.”
7. Starbucks Mission and Vision Statement: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
8. Disney Mission and Vision Statement: Mission – “Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services, and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative, and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.” Vision – “To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.”
9. Google Mission and Vision Statement: Mission – “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Vision – “To provide access to the world’s information in one click.”

These companies’ success is a testament to how their mission and vision statements align with their work. By incorporating the same approach into our startups, we can increase the chances of success significantly.