There are certain questions that are easy to answer. What’s your name? What’s your website? Where are you located? These questions are my favorite. There is no wrong answer.

 

But then we get into the sticky questions. What is your purpose? What do you want to accomplish? What is your grandmother’s maiden name? You may not know the answers to these questions.

 

While many businesses take the time to make sure their website is visually beautiful, selecting colors that compliment each other and provide a sense of calm, they may not take the time to answer the two following questions:

 

What is your mission?

 

What are the benefits of working with you vs. a competitor?

 

Some people put motivational quotes on their desk. I would argue that every single company, whether you are 1 person or 100,000 people, should answer these questions, write the answers down, and post it on every desk in the building.

 

Knowing the answers to these questions is a powerful tool. Let me give you an example.

 

Here are my answers. Now, I’m only one person so I don’t need to have conference calls and call in the national guard to get people to agree, but knowing this information helps me make informed and appropriate business decisions every single day.

 

What is my mission?

 

To provide the best quality writing for websites, blogs, and marketing materials as possible. To make certain that every piece of writing I deliver to a client is perfect in every way. To be the best at what I do.

 

What are the benefits of working with me vs. a competitor?

 

I provide MORE than just quality writing. I provide the full customer service experience. I am available to speak to all my clients whenever they need help. I never, ever nickel and dime clients. I help in anyway I can, even if that goes beyond what I’m hired to do.

 

I know these answers to my business, and I think about them every time I have a business decision to make. A client needs to talk asap, can I make time for them? Of course, it’s part of what makes me unique. A client wants me to write an article about something I’m not comfortable with. Will I do it? No, not unless I think I can do the absolute best job possible. If it’s not for me, I know other freelancers who can take over.

 

These decisions are informed by what I know I want my business to be.

 

For your business, if you know the answers to these questions, you can also get your business to where you want it to be. Sticking to your guns on these two simple ideas will inform all your decisions, and I would bet very good money, make you a better business for it.

 

Sit down as a team and agree on these answers. Take a full day and refresh your mission and your uniqueness. I promise you will not regret it.