Consider your typical startup. It’s usually centered around a team of bright, driven entrepreneurs. They’re going to save the world, disrupt markets, and reshape the course of human history. Airbnb, Slack, Mailchimp, these companies -among others- have reshaped the ways we do business and how we live our lives. Their founders were dreamers, visionaries, and tech tinkerers. People who love to think. But you know what most startups aren’t thinking about? Their brand.

Companies can be a lot like couples: a good balance is often better than a bunch of the same. It’s called branding, not blanding, and there are good reasons to keep the brand fresh and flexible–especially when your audiences and your competition aren’t the same across the board.

Customers are looking for companies with passion, but traditional Mission–Vision–Value statements are dead and buried. May they rest in peace!

We’ve all seen bad mission statements. Maybe, we’ve even written a few ourselves. In fact, since becoming popular in the late 1960’s Mission, Vision and Values statements have become both ubiquitous and meaningless at the same time. So how is a Passion statement different?