It’s true; even the most seasoned businessmen and women often find themselves baffled by the question: “What is it that distinguishes a Vision statement from a Mission statement?” In today’s post I’m going to put an end to the mystery.

Both of these documents provide basic guidelines for business success. They are your compass when it comes to strategic planning. A clearly written Vision and Mission statement will go a long way in helping you determine what’s next.

So What Is A Vision Statement? A vision statement should outline the personal values that compelled you to start your business. Clearly explain why your idea matters to you and how it is beneficial to others. The goal is to show how your business, directly or indirectly represents you as both an individual and entrepreneur. Highlight the need you are working to fill and establish an emotional connection with your target market.

Describe where you see yourself down the road. People want to know why your business exists.Provide the big picture scenario, your purpose and motivation. A vision statement is also likely to give you a better idea of what it is you are working towards.Talk about what you aspire to.Make your purpose memorable, achievable and realistic.

Decide what you stand for and what you envision as your future. Demonstrate in fair detail how you plan to achieve your goals. It’s important to highlight the evidence that supports your arguments.

Ok, What Is A Mission Statement? Now that you have the big picture, its time to hone in on the practical how-tos. Your Mission statement is about breaking things down into manageable chunks of information that will drive results.The objective here, is to come up with a series of specific goals that will help you get to where you want to go. Once you’ve outlined the how, its time to move on to the what. Focus on the key operational strategies of your organization. For instance groups that might have invested interest in your business, targeted professional connections and potential outreach opportunities. Your mission statement must reflect your vision at all times. Your challenge is to continue to reinvent and adjust the image of the organization to respond to the needs of your clients.

 For more useful tips on what makes a good Vision or Mission statement check out this video below by Bruce D. Johnson or visit the WizOf.Biz site for more interesting posts.  

Paul Toby is an internationally known expert in online marketing and helps thousands of people every year build success for their businesses.  He provides business advice through his seminars, books, videos and websites.  I was lucky enough to attend one of his seminars here in Toronto.   Some of the best business advice he gave was:

Never Take Advice from People in the Same Category: Don’t take business advice from people who claim to know what you need but may not have the level of experience you’re looking for. They may have good intentions but offer no practical solution. Connect to people who have a proven track record of success.

Using Keywords: Focus on keywords for your site which have a lot of searches and low competition. Google provides online tools to help you discover the best keywords.  Then use these keywords in your sites title, on its content pages and in its headlines.  Work to get the links going to your site to related to these keywords.

The Money’s in the List: Create email lists that offers potential clients something of value. Provide free content that they can use to help them in their business. This will establish trust and credibility as well as give you contact information you can use to offer new products and services. One useful tool, InFusionSoft, is a great autoresponder system that will tell you your client conversion rate and collect other helpful data.

Become a Great Leader: Leadership skills are important when it comes to business. Great leaders are also effective speakers. Don’t bombard your audience with too much information, instead give them context. Your focus should be your knowledge, experience and expertise. Constantly think of ways to inspire, engage and motivate your audience.

Engage with People: Don’t sell. Most of us don’t like being sold to. Instead focus on value added. Your job is to make people feel something. People shop based on emotion because it makes them feel something or due to the fear of missing out. So engage in conversation, make connections and the money will follow.

Hypnotic Copywriting: This type of writing is about hooking peoples attention. Your writing needs to draw them in quickly. Your headlines need to be prominent on your page and evoke curiosity. People are visual creatures, so paint a picture using metaphor; use something that is familiar to people to describe something that is not.

Let People Know They Have a Problem: Create a need by making people think they have a problem. If they don’t believe that your product or service will offer a solution they will not buy. They need to feel like what you’re offering is the ultimate path to happiness. If you offer a solution repeatedly they will talk about your product or service.

3 Reasons Why: Offer people three reasons why you are the one they should buy from. Tell them exactly what it is that makes you stand out from the competition. Highlight your experience and knowledge. Explain why you’re the best at what you do including your lifestyle, belief system and people in your circle of influence.

Help Others Help Yourself: Quite simply, helping yourself is about helping others first. Think of others who want what you want and help them get ahead. This will help you generate positive results and built trust.

Paul Tobey is not only an engaging speaker he is also an insightful business strategist who can help you increase your potential and establish a deeper commitment to business success. I encourage you to visit his website: trainingbusinesspros.com for more information on seminars and courses you can take to help you reach your business goals. For more business advice, and personalized services, visit Wizof.Biz.

Any successful business owner and entrepreneur should know, that innovation and forward thinking must become an integral part of their daily planning. Building reliable networks is not an easy task, particularly for those who are starting out and are looking for expert advice. The internet is an incredible source for people, including young professionals and entrepreneurs to quickly find the answers they’re looking for.

This is the first in a series of posts where I am going to point you to a list of websites and resources that might help you implement your vision.

1) visionary.is is an online member matching service that acts as an intermediary for business executives, inverstors and entrepreneurs. It is made up of a diverse group of men and women, who are experts in their field. Once you sign up, you will be introduced to people who are genuinely interested in what you do. It also helps generate a list of one-hundred potential business relationships to engage with you. It also provides workshops, strategies and progress reports that assist in tracking your successes.

2) Another great resource is Rapport. This is a marketing organization that works with you to learn what sets your business apart from the competition. After finding out your unique selling point, they help you develop and implement a marketing plan that best suits your audience and business objectives. Their creative communications solutions helps you improve what you have by offering new perspectives.

3) 360 Degrees Of Inspiration offers participants a chance to be part of a series of discussion forums and events that take a look at the deeper issues that affect businesses in today’s competitive environment. This is a chance to hear from a panel of experts and share with peers. These events are geared towards CEOs, Executives and Enterpreneurs. Their next conference, Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast takes place on September 24, 2013.

4) X Design ia a unique organization that works with business companies to design innovative, sustainable and user-friendly work spaces that help motivate, inspire and optimize productivity. The firm develops architecturally responsive workspaces that best suit your business needs The team is driven by their belief that designing comfortable, economical spaces is a collaborative endeavor that should serve to support its users.

5) Good Experience is a creative project based platform that assist businesses to improve client experience. They do so, by offering businesses a wide range innovative consulting services, resources, organizational tools and events. Mark Hurst is the founder of Creative Good. Since its start in 1997, it has worked with over 500 high profile businesses and startups with the focus on enhancing the client experience.

6) User Testing is a great service that offers businesses a chance to test their website, app or prototype for usability, accessibility and effectiveness. The process is quite simple. You create your testing criteria by specifying your target market, device and operating system, and finally the questions users should answer. Professional testers then, capture the client online experience by using high resolution cameras. Submit your test and you’ll be matched with real people who will do the work for you.

7) Mentor City. If you need meaningful business advice and guidance, matches you up with a mentor who can help point you in the right direction. This is also a chance for you to put forth your expertise and experience with others who share your aspirations and entrepreneurial spirit. You can connect to knowledgeable people who seek to inspire, discuss goals, identify existing resources and more.

8) Creative Group is an incredible one-stop shop resource for companies who are actively looking for creative talent. Businesses searching for a particular skill set including graphic design, writing, multi-media and marketing are invited to browse through a large collection of professional creative portfolios to help provide clients with the services they seek. They provide an in-depth, personalized project needs assessment and guarantee full satisfaction.

9) Canadian Youth Business Foundation. This organization provides young enterpreneurs between the ages of 18-39 who have a unique business idea, the opportunity for funding and implementation. The foundation provides planning and coaching services with access to a network of community partners and entrepreneurs-in-residence. There are also mentoring options and online business resources. They are dedicated to helping young entrepreneurs become successful contributors to our economy.

I am sure, these resources will help you navigate your way to business success. This post includes a variety of creative links to help address your entrepreneurial needs. Use them wisely and don’t forget to visit us at WizOf.Biz for more qualified business advice. We are always happy to hear from you. So don’t be shy, ask questions, browse our site and post your comments on our blog.

Image Creative Commons curtesy Jayel Aheram. 

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