Eye on Entrepreneur > Mission Statement

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You may remember when mission statements were all the rage. Corporations poured tons of money and manpower into developing their special message. The problem was they tended to be very wordy and pretentious, and pretty much useless because employees didn’t understand them. So I used the principle that’s applied in weight-lifting circles when creating my company’s first and only mission statement: KISS. In other words, “Keep It Simple Stupid.” And that’s exactly what I did for Sports Physical Therapists, the Philadelphia 76ers, Pat Croce & Company, Pirate Soul, Rum Barrel, and Quaker Media. Along the way, my vision and goals might have changed, but my mission statement has never wavered – right from the beginning.

You didn’t have to understand geometry in order to understand my company’s mission statement – even though I described my message with the use of an equilateral triangle. Imagine an equilateral triangle – that’s a triangle with three equal sides. Now on each side of the triangle is printed a word in capital letters – QUALITY, PROFIT, and FUN. That’s it. I wanted to provide quality. I wanted to make a profit. And I wanted to have fun. And I wanted to convey this mission to everyone working with me in a very simple and comprehensive format.

Quality. Profit. Fun. Three words. Seven vowels. Nine consonants. No verbs. And no clutter. None of the three more important than the other. None of the three possible without the other. Just like the three sides of an equilateral triangle.

I didn’t want to make money but not have fun doing it. I didn’t want to make money at the expense of providing the highest quality service or product. And I didn’t want to ensure the best product but lose my shirt in the process. Quality. Profit. Fun.

It was – and is - the mission statement for every company I created, ran or continue to oversee. I also use it today as part of my personal mission statement. For this, I’ve added several straight lines under the magical equilateral triangle, which read:

1.	To enjoy my family and friends.
2.	To create possibilities that will have a positive impact, make a dramatic difference, or create a lasting memory.
3.	To obtain meaning in my life by helping others achieve happiness and success. -- PC