20 / FRAME BUILDER - VOL7 NO3
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
you want to see what that looks 
like in practice, this post on 
building an infectious culture 
gets into the specifics.
What to do: Run a brainstorm 
with your team. Give them 
homework before the meeting. 
Ask them to come in with 
three to five values they think 
should define how the business 
operates. You'll see overlap. 
You'll see some things you 
didn't expect. Narrow it down 
to four to six. Then use them, 
refer to them, and hold each 
other to them.
I f  A n y  o f  T h i s  Is 
Missing, That's Where 
the Work Starts
Mission, vision, values. 
They sound like corporate 
exercises. In practice, they're 
the difference between a 
business that runs on the 
owner's memory and one that 
can operate without the owner 
making every call.
We've done this work with 
teams across Columbus, 
across industries, business 
sizes, and stages of growth. It's 
not complicated. It just takes 
someone making time for it.
If you're not sure where your 
business stands on any of 
these three, or if you've got 
the words written down but 
they're not really working, start 
the conversation. We can walk 
through it with you.
And if you're curious whether 
this kind of work applies 
to your industry or stage of 
business, take a look at who we 
work with.
FAQs About Building 
Your Business Foundation
How long should a mission 
statement be?
Two sentences is the target. 
Long enough to be specific, 
short enough that someone 
could repeat it from memory.
We wrote a mission 
statement years ago. Do we 
need a new one?
Not necessarily. 
Check whether 
it still matches 
how the business 
actually operates 
today. If the team, 
services, or focus 
have shifted 
significantly, it's 
worth revisiting 
and updating 
rather than 
starting over.
What's the 
difference 
between a vision 
and a goal?
A goal is usually 
a number or a 
milestone. A vision 
is the full picture: 
team size, number of clients 
served, how dependent the 
business still is on the owner, 
and what the business looks 
like five to ten years out.
How many core values 
should a business have?
Four to six. Fewer than that 
and they may feel incomplete. 
More than that and the team 
won't remember them, which 
defeats the purpose.
Who should be involved in 
creating core values?
The team, not just the owner. 
Give people homework before 
a meeting to bring their 
own ideas, then narrow the 
continued from page: 19
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