8 Vision Statement Examples + How To Write Yours

Manifesting is the process of willing your dreams into existence with the power of your thoughts and feelings. This tradition grew out of a 19th-century spiritual belief system known as “The Mind Cure.” If you want to learn to manifest your desires today, all you need to do is check social media, where thousands of TikTok and Instagram videos explain how to use tools like personal vision boards and affirmations.

While broadcasting your personal vision statement on social media might be a relatively new phenomenon, brands have been doing this for decades. Crafting and sharing their vision for a better world—and how they’re going to help create it—helps brands prioritize initiatives, attract talent, and connect with customers.

Read on for expert advice on writing a vision statement and get inspired by eight vision statement examples from successful brands.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is a short, compelling description of your company’s long-term goals. It describes what you’d like to accomplish and why this is significant. Vision statements are forward-focused; they look five to 10 years down the road and make bold claims about the future.

Alice Li, CEO of organic gummy vitamin company First Day, crafted her company’s vision statement with help from her team: “To help 1 billion people be healthier and solve modern health crises.”

First Day’s vision statement guides the team and serves as a daily reminder of their values. “We use it as a gut check for everything. It keeps us focused,” Alice says. “It reminds us that what we’re doing should mean something, not just be about the numbers. We talk about it in team meetings, during onboarding, and pretty much everywhere. It helps set the tone for the kind of impact we want to have.”

A good vision statement creates a North Star and actionable framework for internal decision-making. Vision statements can also help attract like-minded talent and customers to your company.

Vision statement vs. mission statement: What’s the difference?

Vision and mission statements discuss some of the same ideas, like brandvalues, goals, and direction. However, vision statements are generally broader and look further into the future. They focus on what your company hopes to achieve and why it matters, whereas mission statements deal with the current state of operations.

For example, a local bakery selling ancient grain bread might write the following mission statement: “To deliver delicious, nutritious loaves to busy families.” This line describes the company’s current offerings. Its vision statement might sound more like this: “To build a healthier community by reviving ancient grains.” This line focuses on a long-term, ideal outcome.

8 vision statement examples

1. First Day
2. Gymshark
3. Warby Parker
4. Allbirds
5. Oatly
6. Wild
7. Monos
8. Coravin

A great vision statement is concise, inspirational, and unique. The best examples reflect the company’s distinct point of view and personality. Review these examples to see how other brands express their ideal future and goals.

1. First Day

Vision statement: To help 1 billion people be healthier and solve modern health crises.

First Day’s vision statement is bold and ambitious. Including a specific number, one billion, helps this statement make a striking impact. Following a concrete number with the broad phrase “be healthier” adds flexibility because there are numerous ways to achieve this goal. This statement focuses on consumer benefits, not company profits. It positions First Day as caring and socially conscious.

2. Gymshark

Vision statement: To unite a community of changemakers to lift, strengthen, and sustain our planet and the people it homes.

Listed on the sustainability section of its website, Gymshark’s vision statement ties its products to larger social issues—sustainability and community. Using words like “lift” and “strengthen” makes this statement feel unique to Gymshark by evoking a connection to fitness.

3. Warby Parker

Vision statement: Warby Parker was founded with a mission: to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.

Listed on the company’s About Us page, Warby Parker’s vision statement is simple and direct. It uses uplifting language to elicit strong emotional reactions. Using the word “vision” connects this statement to eyeglasses, Warby Parker’s primary product.

4. Allbirds

Vision statement: Our goal is to reverse the environmental impact of consumption by informing people to make better, more conscious decisions for themselves as well as the planet. To us, this means making products that reflect and respect nature, while educating our fans in the process.

Found on a page about the brand’s commitment to sustainability, this ambitious vision statement describes Allbirds’ values and goals. It discusses sustainability and conscious consumption—two of the company’s core values—and the brand’s desired impact. This statement expresses a desire to spark change and educate people—an aspirational goal that could inspire young designers or eco-conscious consumers.

5. Oatly

Vision statement: We have a bold vision for a food system that’s better for people and the planet. We believe that transforming the food industry is necessary to face humanity’s greatest challenges across climate, environment, health, and lifestyle.

As laid out in its F1 registration statement with the SEC, Oatly’s vision statement is broad and bold. It goes beyond selling plant-based milk and voices the company’s aim to influence the global food system. It builds positive associations by connecting its products to both nutrition and social progress.

6. Wild

Vision statement: We envision a future where we can remove plastic packaging from our daily bathroom routines.

Outlined on a page dedicated to explaining the company’s vision, Wild’s vision statement outlines an ambitious goal with simple, direct language. This short vision statement is easy to understand yet radical and ambitious.

7. Monos

Vision statement: Travel is what you make of it. For some, it’s an escape from everyday life. But for others, it’s a chance to grow and learn. To explore places near and far with wonder and curiosity, with gratitude and graciousness. To greet the world with open eyes and arms, and an open mind and heart. We founded Monos with these travellers in mind, because we are these travellers too.

For its Origin Story page, Monos used brand storytelling to create a unique vision statement. This passage uses emotional language instead of corporate lingo. The company’s vision statement paints a picture of a world where travellers are more present and open to meaningful experiences.

8. Coravin

Vision statement: Giving wine lovers the power of choice, the flexibility and freedom to finish the bottle whenever they want, confident in that every glass will taste as good as the first.

Coravin, a wine bottle opener company, displays its vision statement on its About Us page. It’s notably focusing on the consumer instead of corporate goals or financial success. Describing the user experience gives the reader something to relate to and helps them understand the core product’s benefits. This statement uses language like “power of choice” and “freedom of flexibility” to empower readers.

How to write your own vision statement

1. Identify goals
2. Add context
3. Focus on inspiration and aspiration
4. Keep it simple

Vision statements aren’t a to-do list. They’re a sweeping, ambitious description of your dreams for your industry and/or your customers’ lives. Follow these steps to figure out what to include and how to craft a compelling vision statement. Plus, hear how Alice and the First Day team approached their vision statement.

1. Identify goals

Imagine this scenario: It’s the year 2055, and you’ve just won a prestigious lifetime achievement award. What would the emcee say about your company’s accomplishments before they bring you on stage?

Vision statements include big-picture goals. You probably already know your near-term business goals—these are the measurable benchmarks you use to plan projects and evaluate success. They’re typically related to ongoing work. Vision statement goals, on the other hand, focus on impact. They describe the ideal outcome of your company’s efforts.

Reflecting on your current work and company values can help reveal your big picture goals. This process helped Alice develop First Day’s vision. She says, “What helped was going back to our mission and asking: What’s the change we’re really trying to make? That changed everything.”

By interrogating the significance of First Day’s mission statement (“Real wholesome nutrition to fight the hidden health crisis. Helping 1 billion people live better & healthier”), Alice was able to craft an authentic statement grounded in her company’s values.

2. Add context

Why are your goals interesting and important? Adding context is the key to writing an inspiring vision statement. Explaining why your goals matter will complete the picture of your ideal future and help readers understand their appeal.

For example, an organic baby food company might identify the goal: “To feed every baby the finest purees, mashes, and slurpable smoothies.” Adding context with the line, “So that they can grow into healthy, happy adults,” would make this statement much stronger. Explaining the significance of your goals gives readers a reason to believe.

Alice became inspired to expand the First Day vision after speaking with customers and reviewing some voice of customer research. In her words, “I could see a trend where solutions out there just didn’t go deep enough. They didn’t focus on the real cause of what’s making families unwell. That’s what inspired the vision for First Day, so we can actually create something that helps families feel better every day.”

3. Focus on inspiration and aspiration

Set aside quantitative benchmarks and SMART goals—vision statements have a wide scope and use vivid, emotional language. Avoid mentioning specific products or initiatives. This will create some wiggle room so that your stated long-term goals will remain relevant, even if your immediate priorities or product lines shift.

4. Keep it simple

In Alice’s opinion, the best vision statements are “clear, with no jargon or fluff; purpose-driven, so it shows a true motivation; and heartfelt, so it connects with real feelings and passion, not just logic.”

Using approachable language and keeping it short can help you craft a statement that resonates with your target audience. There’s no need to explain how your revolutionary new technology works—focus on what could change when everyone uses it.

Run a draft of your vision statement by trusted colleagues and solicit feedback. Verify that it’s clear and reader-friendly. Perform a gut check for yourself, too: Ask yourself if you really believe in what you’ve outlined.

Alice recommends, “Be honest about what change you really want to create. Make it sound like you. The best brand visions are deeply, intimately personal.”