1099 Mission Statements

There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal a while back about how Unilever's "purpose driven" campaigns for their products, like Hellman's Mayonnaise, has not in fact, boosted sales.

Terry Smith, an investor and critic of the Unilever strategy, said this gem in 2022.

"A company which feels it has to define the purpose of Hellmann’s mayonnaise has in our view clearly lost the plot,” Terry Smith, chief executive of Fundsmith, one of Unilever’s largest shareholders, wrote in his annual letter to investors in January. Unilever, he added, “is obsessed with publicly displaying sustainability credentials at the expense of focusing on the fundamentals of the business.”"

Does your Mayo Need a Mission Statement

I've always rolled my eyes at corporate mission statements. Most are written just to thinly hide the fact that the purpose of the company is to make money by delivering a valuable service.

As a 1099, you don't need a mission statement. You can be honest with yourself about why you are working (more money, more time freedom, more autonomy).

But once you definitively separate yourself from your identity with a company, you do need to find other "missions" to fill your life.

Focusing on your family, pursuing a creative hobby, getting fit, volunteering, learning new stuff, traveling, etc. are all non-work things that can help shape your life in a meaningful and purposeful way.

Use that new found 1099 autonomy to help you accomplish the mission of living a more meaningful, fun, and fulfilling life.

But also don't forget about sustainability ;).

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Paul Millerd inspired this e-mail with his own newsletter, Pathless Path. I recommend signing up.

End of the purpose Era & IRL Meetups

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.