Having a visible and known mission statement is crucial to building a values-driven business. It's not uncommon for businesses in general to form without a mission statement, but if you haven't spent a significant amount of time thinking about the goals of your social enterprise, make sure you work on that core building block before going any further. "It's always a good idea to go online and read the mission statements of the 10 companies that you most admire," says Hollender. You'll find that it helps to see the operating principles and values-oriented statements put out by established companies, and then use those as model for your own, he says.