When will your vision be realized? How will you know that you have achieved it?
What do you want your company to be based upon? What idea most represents the foundation of your company? Why this idea?
How can you take your idea and turn it into a story that connects with your customers, employees, and other constituents?
Culture
What values within you do you feel as most representative of the company culture you would like to see surrounding you?
How do you see your work environment? What distinctive elements would you like to see, smell, taste, hear to make your workplace a representation of your business vision? Describe these sense impressions as clearly as you can from the inside out.
How would you like your company to be managed? Do you conceive of particular organizational approaches that would create your ideal company? Do you have a specific management style you would like to emulate?
Do you envision particular behaviors, attitudes, dress for your employees?
Do you envision distinctive operations (superior efficiency, quality control, innovative methods or technology?)
Market Position
What fundamental idea does your business possess that clearly differentiates it from the competition?
What do you do differently in your product, service or business that you could base your brand upon?
How does the story you tell connect with the worldviews of your target market and draw them to your business?
What are the distinctive elements of your product, service, business, that you feel create your competitive advantage? (Consider price, quality, convenience, customer service, advertising, sensory package, product features, responsiveness, speed of delivery, appearance, market coverage, simplicity, reliability, durability, and any other element that you feel elevates you over your competition).
Do you have any distinctive marketing methods you feel deliver an advantage over the competition?
Target Market
What is the general classification of your target customers? Individuals, business, government, etc.
What is the general description of your target customer? (Age, income, family status, occupation, education, net worth, attitudes, key behaviors).
What are the attitudes, decision-making processes, perceptions, etc. of your target market?
Create targets for yourself that you would like to direct the company towards, with the understanding that these may shift over time: annual sales, profitability, return on equity, number of employees, number of locations, overall growth rate. Use your best sense of the market opportunities and what you believe is a combination of a good stretch and a clear probability of hitting these targets. It's your choice, what tangibles to include.
