Vision is the de facto essence of business.

What is a vision?

• idea
• essence
• philosophy
• the nature of the business
• forecasts
• direction
• compatibility.

Vision rules:

• Laconicism - no one has time to listen to extended visions.
• Connection with business - of course, each of us can be moralistic and pathetic, but the vision must be simple and to the point.
• Univocity - unpretentious and unique.
• Simplicity - let everyone understand, but especially your target customer.
• Ambition and balance - not in vain or together, because they complement each other.
• Connecting with values - we certainly do not only create businesses to achieve some financial goals, but we are based on some very well-drawn values.

How does a laconic vision translate into practice? It has clear goals:

1. Is no longer than 2 sentences.
2. It does not deviate from the general purpose of the business.
3. It corresponds to the essence of the brand.

What are the benefits of a well-planned vision?

• It allows the efficient design of the strategic plan.
• It sets lucrative goals.
• It keeps some clear goals.
• It increases brand awareness.

The 6 steps you need to take to set up a business vision:

Step no. 1: Drawing time limits

Imagine a future world in which your business competes well or dominates the market. Would you rather become a strategic partner with your customers than a third-party supplier? This "world" is the place where the vision of your business should live.

The vision must set a direction of 3 to 10 years, covering the growth and consolidation of a business.

Step no. 2: Determine the purpose and position of the organization

To develop a vision, you should consider the purpose, advantage, and scope of your business. Here's what you need to do at this stage:

Goal: "Why does your organization exist?"

Advantage: "How do we do things differently, better, or more efficiently?"

Domain: "What should we do or not do to achieve our goal?"

Stage no. 3: Design the success

Properly define the success of the business so that it is predictable. We do not go to extremes; we go directly to what we want to achieve.

Stage no. 4: Take into account the specifics of the company

Nonprofits tend to describe an ideal world, while for-profit organizations describe their place in an ideal world. Respectively, the vision must concretely reflect the specifics of the company and resonate with its values.

Stage no. 5: We refer to competitors by analogy

If you represent a smaller organization that is turning into a new niche, it is a good idea to refer to an organization that your employees would quickly recognize. This will allow them to create an immediate picture of your vision. Here is an example of a hypothetical vision statement:

"We will grow faster than brand X." (X being the number one brand in your industry)

Stage no. 6: Describe a measurable goal

The measurable goal can be quantified and pursued, so the vision must motivate the achievement. For example, you can use this form:

"We will be number one in the industries in which we compete."

"We want to reach X $ in sales up to 20XX."

Some final tips:

• Communicate your vision relentlessly to employees. Vision will not help if no one knows what it is.
• Implement a strategic framework - such as a Balanced Scorecard - to help track progress in achieving key aspects of the vision.
• When you reach your vision, set a new one! Once the vision has been fulfilled, it's time to look to the future again and decide where you want to go - and work towards it.