What is a vision statement?

A vision statement says where your business is going: the future you are working toward, and what will be different when you get there. It is not what you do today. That is your mission. A vision is what you are aiming at.

A good one is short enough to say from memory and specific enough that you could tell whether you were getting closer. This tool helps you get there by asking about the impact you want to have, then writing the statement, a short version, and a fuller narrative around it.

From a few answers to a vision: a real example

This is a real run of the tool for a 6-person bookkeeping firm. On the left, the answers. On the right, what came back. The full document also includes a one-page narrative set five years ahead and an at-a-glance summary.

Business: a bookkeeping firm with 6 staff in Melbourne, mostly small trades and hospitality clients, looking 5 years ahead.

Biggest impact: Small business owners stop dreading their books. They always know where the money is, and nobody gets a surprise from the tax office.

Approach: We run monthly catch-ups on a fixed schedule, and every client gets the same simple dashboard. Everything is documented so any of us can pick up any client.

Who benefits: Owner-operators who used to leave their paperwork in a shoebox until June and lose sleep over it. Now they have a clear picture every month and time back on weekends.

VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is to end the dread small business owners feel about their books, by running a fixed monthly rhythm and one simple dashboard for every client, so owners always know where the money is.

IN SHORT
Ending the dread of the books for small business owners.

TWO OTHER VERSIONS
Bold: Our vision is to make the shoebox obsolete across Melbourne's trades and hospitality, by giving every owner a monthly catch-up and a dashboard they actually understand, so nobody loses sleep over tax time again.

Pragmatic: Our vision is to give owner-operators a clear picture of their money every month, by running the same documented process for every client, so weekends stay free and the tax office never brings a surprise.

Vision statement examples from real organisations

Each of these was copied from the organisation’s own website in September 2026, with a link to the source. Notice how short they are, and how each one is about the people it serves.

IKEARetail · 10 words“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”source

Cancer Council AustraliaNon-profit (Australia) · 7 words“Our vision is a cancer free future”source

Habitat for HumanityNon-profit · 10 words“a world where everyone has a decent place to live”source

LinkedInTechnology · 10 words“Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”source

The Smith FamilyNon-profit (Australia) · 12 words“A world where every child has the opportunity to change their future.”source

Bendigo and Adelaide BankBanking (Australia) · 8 words“We aim to be Australia's bank of choice.”source

Want more? See all 15 vision statement examples, with sources →

How to write a vision statement

1. Pick a horizon. Three to five years is far enough to matter and close enough to picture.
2. Say who benefits. Start with the people you serve and how their life is better, not with your revenue.
3. Add how you will do it. Your approach is what makes the vision yours and not a competitor’s.
4. Write one sentence, then cut it. Use: our vision is to [outcome] by [approach], so that [benefit]. Aim for 40 words or fewer.
5. Test it out loud. Could your team say it from memory? Could a competitor say exactly the same thing?

The tool above walks you through this in about ten minutes. Or read the step-by-step guide.

Build the rest of your foundation

A vision works best next to your values and a clear offer. These tools follow on from it.

A vision only works if the team sees it.

Questions, answered