Let’s be honest.
Mission, Vision, and Values sound like the kind of thing you’d scribble on a whiteboard during a corporate away day, and never looked at it again.
But here’s the thing:
If you’re building a business without them, you’re basically assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions, in the dark, while blindfolded.
Let’s break them down;
Mission = What the f**k are you actually doing?
Vision = Where the f**k are you going?
Values = What the f**k do you stand for while you do it?
I look at it like your startup’s GPS. Skip it, and you’ll still be moving… but probably in circles.
Take Heights (a brain health startup).
Their mission? “Help people do their best thinking.”
Their vision? “A world where mental health is as talked about as physical health.”
Their values? “Science-led. People-first. Progress over perfection.”
No fluff. Just direction.
Or Oddbox—a wonky veg subscription saving food waste.
They don’t just sell veg. Their mission is about fighting food waste. Their values champion sustainability, honesty, and doing good without being preachy.
It’s their North Star, and it bleeds into their packaging, tone of voice, hiring, everything.
Why MvV still matter (especially for startups)
One last thing
If you’ve put off defining your MvV because it sounds “too corporate,” flip that mindset.
Done right, it’s not a poster on the wall. It’s the engine under the hood.
Business Equation is built on the belief that strategy doesn’t have to be stuffy—and MvV is your first formula.
Want to define your Mission, Vision, and Values like a boss? Start with “why the hell are we doing this?” and build from there. The rest will follow.
