I once worked as an intern with a public utility company. It was a great job for a college kid during the summer. The staff was friendly, the work interesting and hours very predictable.
One vivid memory from this stint was their organizational mission statement.
This statement, all 15 bullet-points, was posted in the building lobby. Each point was accompanied by a descriptive paragraph. The descriptions were chock-full of all sorts of fluffy corporate words, like someone took a bunch of those terrible motivational posters and played Mad Libs with them.
A running joke among the staff involved targeting one of these statements each day, sarcastically joking about how little the statement had to do with the actual work environment.
Now, as a 20-year-old college student, cynical and sarcastic banter was to be expected. But I was joined by men and women who had been working there for decades. In retrospect, it was kinda sad.
So What’s the Point?
I believe every company, organization, etc. needs a mission. But it should be a short, simple, clear, believable mission. It should be a rallying point, respected by the team that surrounds it, and used as a compass for making decisions.
Our mission at kitchenCRATE is simple:
Ridding America of ugly, dated kitchens in 7 days and for less than $15,000.
Now, this may sound a bit harsh.
Perhaps it would be more PC if it were something like “providing beautiful kitchen renovations at affordable prices.” Or we could go real corporate and “provide high-quality, affordable kitchen remodeling services to homeowners while creating an exciting, dynamic and diverse work environment for employees.”
But, in our opinion, those options are generic, terrible, boring and easily forgotten. They’re too vague. They don’t take a stand or put a stake in the ground. They aren’t, well, interesting.
Let’s Break it Down
Lest anyone think our mission is too simple, here’s the meaning behind it:
“Ridding” – Implies that we all deserve an awesome kitchen. Furthermore, ugly and dated kitchens are an epidemic needing a cure.
“America” – Our goal is to make kitchenCRATE a national brand. One key vision: being able to design and purchase your kitchenCRATE project via a kiosk at Costco after you check out. It’s a long way off, but the vision drives us.
“ugly, dated” – We’ve narrowed our focus to kitchens originally built between 1970 and 2000. They are perfect candidates for kitchenCRATE services.
“7 days” – The number one complaint about remodels is how long they take. Problem solved.
“less than $15,000” – The other most common complaint is kitchen remodels cost too much. Problem solved.
So there you go. That’s our mission. That’s our goal. It’s all about making our kitchens better, more enjoyable, cleaner, prettier. That’s it. That’s what we stand for.
Now, I’m off to make a poster about it…
Curious how kitchenCRATE can transform your kitchen in 7 days? Just fill out the simple form on the top right side of this page and we’ll be sure to get right back to you!
Scott Monday is co-founder and CEO of kitchenCRATE and bathCRATE. Follow him on Facebook, Google+ or Linked-In.
