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Starting and growing a profitable business requires wearing many hats. Sometimes you might lose sight of the big picture or your company’s long-term goals.
That’s where a vision board for business comes in handy. Use it during pivotal moments, such as when you are launching a new product line, navigating a brand pivot, or setting milestones for the year ahead.
Visualizing your ambitions can help you stay on track. And with a vision board, you can get creative and map out how to achieve your goals in an inspiring, motivating way.
Ahead, you’ll learn what a vision board for business is, why they work, and how to create one.
What is a vision board for business?
A business vision board is a curated collection of images, symbols, and quotes that inspires you to reach your goals. It serves as a visual road map for your company and helps visualize your long-term objectives. You can create a physical vision board to hang in your office, or a digital one using a vision board app.
By turning abstract business goals into visible, daily reminders, a vision board can help you realize what you’re trying to accomplish and how you and your team will get it done. It gives you a big picture view of your retail business.
Business vision board vs. personal vision board
Personal and business vision boards share the same intent of helping you visualize your future. But their roles are worlds apart. A personal vision board is a compass for the soul, and a business vision board is more like a GPS for your brand.
Most business owners struggle to close the gap between strategy and execution. A survey of 300 business professionals in the US, the UK, and Germany found that while 85% of organizations are confident in their strategy, 44% struggle to connect their day-to-day work to that overarching vision. A vision board keeps you grounded and motivated to persist, even when things get hard.
Here are some key differences between business and personal vision boards:
1. Goal type
Business boards turn high-level strategy into action, helping companies connect big visions to daily tasks. Personal boards are all about your lived experience, focusing on the habits and values that make you feel like you.
2. Audience
In business, the board serves as a source of truth, keeping teams aligned and working in the same direction. Personal boards can be vibes-based and individual. They’re for motivating you, and don’t require anyone else’s approval or buy-in.
3. Metrics
Business boards thrive on hard data, such as objectives and key results (OKRs), with many practitioners suggesting a maximum of three objectives per cycle. There is no requirement to associate metrics with a personal vision board.
4. Review cadence
How often you review your business board depends on your company’s size and goals, but you’ll likely establish a regular cadence. Personal boards are much more relaxed, and you can bring yours out whenever you want.
Why a vision board for business works
A disclaimer to the cynics who dismiss vision boarding as nothing more than a DIY craft project: There’s science behind this practice, and establishing goals in writing and plans is associated with higher achievement. Vision boarding for business is one way to do this.
Setting aside time to think deeply about your business goals for the year (and creating a vision board in the process) helps you meet basic goal-setting criteria and lay the groundwork for success. One prominent theory suggests considering these principles:
- Clarity. Creating clear and measurable goals.
- Challenge. This means no low-hanging fruit or easy-to-meet goals. Goals need to stretch you outside your comfort zone.
- Commitment. Entrepreneurs and employees need to be involved to actually follow through on a goal.
- Feedback. Incorporate a way to gather feedback, track progress, and offer recognition to employees who are successfully working toward a specific goal.
- Complexity. While a goal should be a challenge, it can’t be too overwhelming. Ensure you allot enough time and resources to actually achieve your goal.
Creating a vision board can help you work through this list and brainstorm business ideas that will make an impact and help with growth.
“Visualization sparks flow—a psychological state associated with peak performance,” says Melody Wilding, a licensed master social worker and professor of human behavior at Hunter College in New York.
“When you imagine the future and the goals you want to achieve, you activate a brain area that scans for new opportunities, called the reticular activating system. That’s why once you put something on your vision board, new opportunities start coming into your life: Because your brain is more actively looking for them.”
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Think of vision boarding as a visual way to plan at the macro level. As brand strategy consultant Kim Mackenzie puts it: “It’s like a captain before they jump on a ship: they need to plot their course. Vision boarding for business also helps you prioritize and gives you a clearer picture of your goals and what steps you need to take in order to achieve them. Planning means you can take better control over where your energy and efforts go,” Mackenzie says.
If you’re ready to level up your retail business goals, dream big and pin those dreams to a vision board—it’s the ultimate manifestation tool.
8 steps to creating a vision board for your retail business
- Block off time, block out distractions
- Ask yourself some questions
- Divvy up your goals
- Source the right materials
- Keep your eyes open to inspiration
- Start creating
- Go with the flow
- Consider your feelings along with your goal
1. Block off time, block out distractions
When you’ve got revenue-generating tasks to complete, it’s easy to bump something like a vision board for business down your list of priorities. Build time into your calendar and treat your vision board like an important meeting.
Schedule the session during your annual planning, quarterly reviews, or right after a big milestone. Aim for a window when you have the mental space to think big-picture rather than being bogged down by daily retail operations.
Find a friend to create a vision board with and work in tandem to hold each other accountable. If finding a few uninterrupted hours to commit to this task still seems impossible, make your vision board a weekend or after-hours activity.
2. Ask yourself some questions
Whether you’re a solo founder or an established retail operator, taking time to reflect is essential. Mackenzie advises her clients to consider what their next year could look like before diving into their vision boards. She suggests asking questions like “What feels right?” “What feels big?” and “What does success look like?”
“Success is personal and always shifting,” Mackenzie says. “One year it might be taking better care of yourself, another year it could be gaining 20% more clients. You should take some time to figure this out. When you know what you’re aiming for, it’s much easier to know what to say yes or no to.”
Use the following questions to surface what matters most this year for your business stage and to set goals and a vision for your business:
- What goals do you have for your business for the year? Think sales, marketing, growth, and beyond.
- How would you like to upgrade your own skills, both as a retailer and an employer? And how would you like to develop these skills?
- How would you like to invest in your business this year? That could include equipment, a new product line, additional staff, or any other investment of time or money.
- How would you like to work with others in the industry this year? Do you want to do more networking to meet other retailers, build a partnership with a brand you admire, or find a mentor to offer guidance?
- What other brands in your niche do you admire? What have they done well that you’d like to try in your business?
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3. Divvy up your goals
Decide how you want to divide your business vision board. Limit yourself to three or four areas so it’s easier to keep track. Here are a few categories worth considering:
- Revenue. Include literal images of money or words that represent your goals. Set official targets, such as hitting $50,000 monthly or increasing profits by 20% year over year.
- Customers. Visualize outcomes like reaching 10,000 email subscribers or achieving a 30% repeat purchase rate. Include photos of customers happily shopping in your store or interacting with your ecommerce website.
- Products. Want to launch a new seasonal collection or sell out of a signature product line? Put it on the board. Use sketches of new designs and photos of your dream retail layout.
- Team. Whether you’re hiring a manager or rewarding staff with a bonus for reaching sales goals, incorporate what a winning team looks like for you.
- Brand. Add photos of aspirational brands and businesses, or leaders you look up to. You may want to see your logo on shelves like Target or open multiple retail locations.
When you’re deciding on your business vision board categories, think about the different areas of your retail business and what you’d like to change or improve first.
4. Source the right materials
Make sure you have the magazines, Pinterest images, and other materials best suited to finding the words, phrases, and pictures you’ll need for your vision board.
Decide whether you’ll make a digital or physical version. A digital board is better for collaborating with remote teams and is easier to update regularly.
A physical board works best if you love a hands-on, creative process or want something tangible to display in your office or backroom.
For a physical vision board, you’ll need materials like:
- Magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, or other printed materials
- Poster board
- Markers
- Pens
- Colored pencils or crayons
- Paint
- Scissors or an X-Acto knife
- Glue or other adhesive
For a digital vision board, use a tool like Canva, Miro, or FigJam to compile graphics, images, and other assets into a collage.
5. Keep your eyes open to inspiration
“Vision is the foundation to building anything worth value,” says Jasmine Takanikos, creator of the BrandHuman methodology. “Start looking at the world differently—stay open and learn to document what moves you. Learn that design and user experience go hand in hand.”
Take time to look up from your digital devices more often, especially when you’re out of your home or office, and try to be more present. Material for your vision board comes from everyday observations. When you encounter something that inspires you, write it down as a note or snap a photo so you can reference it later.
6. Start creating
Here’s where you start getting crafty. Whether you create a physical vision with poster board, glue sticks, and magazine tear-outs or prefer a digital version, spend time creating and thinking through your goals.
Place your main “North Star” goal in the center of your board and add images and words around it. Overlap images for a collage effect or intentionally leave white space so certain targets stand out.
Once your board is complete, consider framing it or placing it in a prominent spot in your office or workspace. Place it where you can see it daily, like above your monitor or near a shipping station. Set it as your computer’s wallpaper, or set reminders to look at it once a week or more often.
7. Go with the flow
Don’t get hung up on the aesthetics of your vision board: Let go of rational thinking so your goals can flow. Prioritize that deep connection to your future success over how polished your board looks.
Remember that done is better than perfect. When it comes to vision boarding, you’re not being judged on your skills, so don’t overthink or obsess over technical details. If you find that refining the layout is distracting you from defining your goals, stop and prioritize the vision itself.
8. Consider your feelings along with your goal
Don’t limit your images to physical objects—also think of the feelings they represent. An effective board captures outcomes, yes, but it also captures the emotional experience of success.
“Don’t only focus on things you want to have or own,” Wilding says. “Focus on finding images that represent how you want to feel—the ideal emotions you want to experience.”
Look for visuals that represent emotions tied to your business goals, such as the relief of financial security, the pride of a sold-out product launch, or the peace of mind that comes with smooth retail operations.
How to use your business vision board
A vision board looks amazing as wall art, but it’s also a useful business tool. Here are a few tips for using your vision board:
- Plan goals for the near future. Pick three to five top priorities for the next few months. Make sure each has a point person, a success metric, such as total monthly sales, and a deadline.
- Create an operating rhythm. Book yourself a meeting with your vision board to check in. For example, set aside an hour each month to review your progress. Are current projects getting you closer to the board’s vision? Is anything getting in the way?
- Make progress visible. It’s easier for teams to align with goals when they’re transparent. Create a small scorecard area on your board. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and trends. Seeing a line graph go up and to the right is far more motivating than crossing tasks off a checklist.
If your goals are off-track for two or three reviews in a row, consider a different approach, change the goal, or try a new approach to goal setting.
An important part of the vision board creation process is letting go of what no longer serves your business and clearing a path for the way forward.
Get started with your vision board for business
Be creative, set big (but achievable) goals, and share your vision with your team to make sure everyone is working toward the same target.
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Vision board for business FAQ
How do you make a vision board for a business?
- Start by gathering images, photos, quotes, and other materials that represent what you want from your business. You can use magazine clippings, Pinterest, Instagram, or any other source to collect these items.
- Once you have gathered items, begin organizing them into themes. For example, if you want to increase sales, you might create a theme focused on sales growth.
- Choose a material to create the vision board. You can use a poster board, canvas, or corkboard.
- Begin assembling the board. Add the images, quotes, and other items you gathered.
- As you assemble the board, think about how each item relates to your overall goal. Enjoy the creativity of the process and see if it inspires new ways of thinking about your business ambitions.
- When you’re finished, hang your vision board where you can see it daily. This will help to keep you motivated and inspired.
What are the three types of vision boards for business?
Three common types of vision boards for business are:
- Physical vision boards. A mental vision board is a visualization technique for representing goals, dreams, and aspirations in your mind. Although it’s difficult to share with a team, it can be a powerful personal tool for focusing on desired outcomes.
- Digital vision boards. A digital vision board is a virtual representation of your goals, dreams, and aspirations. It can be created using a variety of web-based tools, such as PowerPoint, Photoshop, or Canva.
- Mental vision boards. A mental vision board is a visualization technique used to represent goals, dreams, and aspirations in your mind. Although it’s difficult to share with a team, it can be a powerful personal tool for focusing on desired outcomes.
When is the best time to create a business vision board?
The best time to create a business vision board is during big moments like annual planning, quarterly reviews, or when launching a new product or service. It’s also helpful when you’re coming up with a business idea and exploring different business opportunities.
What should be included in a business vision board?
There are no set rules around what you can or can’t include, but you might consider adding any or all of the following:
- Company mission statement
- Inspirational quotes
- Visual representations of goals
- Photos of successful people in the industry
- A timeline of short-term and long-term goals
- Lists of keywords that represent the company’s values and goals
- Colorful images and designs
- Charts, tables, and diagrams that represent progress
- Ideas and notes about potential strategies and tactics
- Affirmations and mantras to boost morale
What should not be included in a business vision board?
Avoid including low-hanging fruit or easy-to-reach goals. Vision boards exist to remind you of the big picture. Your vision board should challenge you and push your business outside its comfort zone. You should also exclude any old goals or distractions that don’t support your current business vision.
