How to Create a Vision Board for Your Small Biz (A vibey, woo-woo one)
Have you ever opened Pinterest to “get inspired” for your business… and 47 minutes later, you’re planning a fictional life in Italy instead?
You know the one. Linen pants. Cappuccinos. A woman whose assistant definitely answers all her emails.
It’s fun. It’s aspirational.
And sometimes dreaming is exactly what your small business needs. But as your business besties, we’re gonna show you how to create a vision board for your business that’s not just vibes and wishing on a star.
You’re learning how to create a vision that actually guides your decisions, keeps you focused, and helps you build the version of your business you keep thinking about at 2 am.
Because dreaming is great.
But dreaming with direction is where things start to shift.
Why vision boards work (even if you’re allergic to woo-woo)
Let’s clear this up first: a vision board is not magic.
But it can be a powerful strategic tool.
A good vision board doesn’t just inspire you. It helps you filter. It gives you a visual shortcut for deciding what actually aligns with where you’re going and what’s just noise.
There’s also a brain reason this works. When you visualize something consistently, your brain’s reticular activating system (RAS) starts noticing opportunities connected to it. You begin to see patterns, ideas, and paths that were always there but easy to miss when you’re in survival mode.
Here’s the thought-provoker that really matters:
What if the reason you can’t stick to a plan is because you’ve never seen the version of yourself who already did?
A vision board helps you see her.
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The two types of vision boards your business might benefit from
Not all vision boards do the same job. Depending on where you’re at, your business might need one or both of these.
The “north star” vision board
Think of your North Star as the one big thing your business is working toward. It’s a guiding principle that makes everything else clearer: what to say yes to, what to drop, and where to pour your limited time and energy.
A North Star might look like:
“more nights booked”
“more people starting their day with us”
“empowering entrepreneurs”
And as you turn this concept into a vision board, you might focus on:
Tangible business outcomes (revenue ranges, capacity, sustainability)
Customer transformations
Product or service imagery
Brand mood and energy
Your actual dream schedule and the way your days really feel, not the hustle fantasy version of you that’s “doing it all.”
The impact you want to make
If someone looked at this board, they should immediately understand what your business exists to do.
The “this is who I need to become” vision board
This is the one that sneaks up on you.
Recently, we did a journaling exercise around defining our word of the year, and these questions landed hard:
Who are you becoming?
What is your business becoming?
Who will you need to become to support both in the coming year?
Your business can’t outgrow the version of you who built it. And what got you here certainly isn’t going to get you there.
So the purpose of this board is to figure out what identity shifts need to happen. Do you need to go from:
Overwhelmed to intentional
Scattered to calm CEO energy
Reactive to proactive
“I’ll try” to “I will”
Busy to productive
You might include words or visuals that represent:
Traits you want to embody, like consistency, courage, or setting boundaries
Feelings you want to experience, like freedom, creativity, and confidence
Skills you want to develop, like writing, selling, or organizing
When you look at this board, you’re calling in boss energy, and you know exactly who you’re setting out to be in the upcoming year.
Build your board
Now that we’ve covered the types of boards and what to look for, let’s get down to the details.
First, choose your format:
Poster board (If you, like us, enjoy old school ransom-style cut-out letters from magazines and glue sticks.)
Corkboard (If you can cut, but you’re certainly not willing to paste and ruin your nails)
Pinterest (If you must, for time/resource reasons or if you’re just a better thinker in the digital realm)
Then start adding content from categories like:
Brand energy (colors, textures, patterns)
Ideal customers (what they care about, not just demographics)
Revenue goals (through the lens of what they create, i.e. more revenue might mean the chance to build a team or to sleep late or to enjoy a nice dinner out with clients)
Personal lifestyle goals that support your business (Is that you sitting with your laptop overlooking the ocean? Is that you spending time with your family on a Wednesday afternoon instead of clocking more time?)
Putting together your vision board should excite you and give you energy. If it feels draining or like just another monotonous task on your to-do list, maybe you’d be better off taking 5 minutes to sit quietly and do a mental vision board instead.
Turn your vision board into something actionable
A vision board only works if it becomes part of your world.
That means:
Put it where you’ll see it. That might be where future-you does her best thinking, or a spot you pass by on your way to the office every day. Don’t tuck the board away in a closet only to stumble across it next year.
Look at it daily or weekly (set a calendar reminder if you need to!)
Do quick check-ins when making decisions with your board as a filter. Ask:
Does this move me closer to the board or farther away?Pair the vision with habits. Big vision + tiny, consistent habits is a winning combo. If your board is about creativity, where in your day or week can you carve out space for creative endeavors? If you need to learn a language to better serve future clients, when is the time for that, and how will you support your own success?
Talk about it. Say it out loud. Share it with someone you trust. Vision gains momentum when it leaves your head. Plus, you now have other people who are working toward your biggest, baddest goals, using their RAS to look for opportunities for you. And that’s freaking awesome.
Common vision board mistakes to avoid
As you build your vision board, avoid these common mistakes.
Building a board based on what you think you should want: Your vision is completely up to you. Don’t add fancy watches or clothes if that’s not what really drives you. Don’t put images of conference rooms full of employees if you deeply desire to remain a solopreneur. Sometimes society can give us unhealthy images of what success means, but that doesn’t mean they deserve a place on your vision board.
Prioritizing aesthetics over meaning: Go deeper than just the colors. Sure, you want your board to be pretty, but more than anything, the images you capture should make something stir inside you and say without question, “yes, that’s what we’re working toward here.”
Making it so vague it doesn’t guide anything: Choose images that are specific enough to get you where you want to be. A well-dressed person smiling is probably not going to be as impactful as someone up on stage giving the exact keynote you dream of doing.
Making it so crowded that it overwhelms you: Space has a purpose, too. Don’t crowd your board so much with overlapping visuals that it feels like there’s no space to breathe.
A board that confuses you will not lead you.
Instead, you want a clear visual anchor for the business you’re building so your decisions feel simpler, your energy feels more focused, and your expectations for yourself quietly rise.
You don’t need a fantasy life in Italy.
You need a vision you can actually live into, and one that starts right where you are.
When you’re done, take a pic of your vision board and share it on Instagram. Tag @bigbadmktg, and we’ll reshare the post on our story!
