by jenn on November 30, 2007
in Art, Art Every Day Month, Business, Coaching, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Expressive Arts Coaching, Expressive Arts Envisioning, NaBloPoMo, Right-Brain Business Planning
With scissors, pens and glue stick in hand, I worked on detailing out the different sections of my Artizen Coaching Right-Brain Business Plan on the flip side. Sure beats sitting in front of a computer for hours!
I revised my company description with the look of my ink and water colors visual journal. The paint really brought the key words to life and made it feel more like me.
I wanted my plan to be interactive and evolving, so I created different ways to incorporate information that I could take out, update and put back in. The next page to the left has a pocket that holds cards describing my different services and products. I like that I can pull them out and add to it easily.
Next, I created a mini bound calendar to list out my major events and milestones. It actually slips out of the little holder so that I can thumb through it (see picture below).
I also created a section for describing who I’m partnering with and for what. In addition, I thought through what my role would be versus what I have already outsourced or need to outsource in the future.
I really love that this format is expandable and adaptable – just like my business! Plus, it’s portable and fun to look at!
Finally, I created spaces for holding my financial and overall business goals plus my marketing strategies and approaches. Since these are also in an envelope type form, I can easily slip cards in and out. Plus there’s a little more privacy.
I’m super-excited to have a tangible, interactive vision for where I want to take my business in the next year and beyond. I’m also thrilled that I’ve developed another creative approach to use with clients in crafting the personal and professional goals.
I am so grateful to the Art Every Day and NaBloPoMo challenges (I’m overlooking those days when I was sooo overwhelmed and stressed!). This month’s art making and blogging has culminated into a new way for me do business planning, has helped me to develop new approaches and product ideas and has widened my community of creative souls. This process reminds me that the more I try new things, connect with others, tap into my creativity… then the more quickly my vision and ideas can evolve and manifest. Doing art every day has definitely accelerated my life big time in ways I wouldn’t have even imagined 29 days ago and am still processing. Amazing!
[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, business planning, right-brain business plan, art visioning, expressive arts coaching, business coaching, entrepreneurship, collage, book arts, accordion book[/tags]
by jenn on November 29, 2007
in Art, Art Every Day Month, Business, Coaching, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Expressive Arts Coaching, Expressive Arts Envisioning, Ladies Who Launch, Law of Attraction, NaBloPoMo, Right-Brain Business Planning
How many of you cringe when you hear the words business plan? Or maybe even worse… budget, cash flow or P&L statement? If you’re like me, those terms (especially the financial ones), make your skin crawl. Yet, as an entrepreneur it’s vital to know where you’re going and what it’s going to take to get there.
So, how about approaching business planning (and life planning) from a visual, creative and fun perspective instead?
The idea of doing a more right-brain approach to my business plan came to me while brainstorming materials with my colleagues Starla Sireno and Tara Russell at The Fearless Entrepreneur. As we refine resources and exercises to use with our business coaching clients, it’s also important that we walk our talk, too. So, I revisited my business plan (originally in a boring, static Word document) and decided to update it for 2008 and beyond using my art visioning techniques.
Above are the front and back covers of my Artizen Coaching business plan accordion book. I started off decorating the front with a really cool art studio image from a magazine. Then I thought it would be clever to have the back be more of the “zen” in the Artizen.
Here are some detail shots of the interior.
Typically a business plan has sections such as: an executive summary, company description, industry analysis, target market, financials, marketing and sales plan, etc.
In the first couple of pages I wanted to just set the tone of my business and also list out the different products and services I’m offering or working on.
Next, I got clear on my strategic alliances and affiliations – who I’m working with and what organizations I belong to for networking and support. It’s a relief to know I don’t have to go it alone!
For the finances, I really wanted to concentrate on abundance and chose images/words around that. I have my P&L statement folded up in the little manila envelope so I can pull it out and look at it when I need to.
These last pages are about marketing and getting myself out there. Part of what triggered doing this project now was that today I received galley copies of the book that I’m featured in: The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career in Gear and I got excited about next year! I also want to write a book, so there’s a little 3D book attached to one of the pages.
Tomorrow, I’m going to write out more details on the back of each page. Now that I have visuals and the emotional connection to what I’m wanting to create, I can articulate it more clearly in words. I’ll probably write out my strategy and tactics in a creative way, too, and have some images as well.
How do you plan out your business and personal goals? What if the process was more fun and engaging? What else would be possible for you if you let your creativity and intuition run wild?
[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, business planning, right-brain business plan, art visioning, expressive arts coaching, business coaching, entrepreneurship, collage, book arts, accordion book[/tags]
Was tagged by Matlide for a 7 random things about me meme. Thanks Matilde!
Here are the rules:
Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself. Tag 7 random people participating in nablopomo at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So, here it goes…
- I can burp the alphabet.
- I’m a really speedy speed player (and quite a sore loser when it comes to pretty much any card or board game, so watch out).
- I missed my high school graduation day to compete in Dramatic Interpretation at the national speech championships in Fargo, ND (was cool to be able to say I’d been to Fargo once the movie of the same name came out!).
- My husband and I met at our college newspaper.
- My favorite movie when I was in junior high school was Sixteen Candles. I could recite practically every line. Ironically, my brother got married the day before my sweet 16 (in the movie Samantha’s sister gets married the day after). Alas, there was no Jake Ryan and no red Porsche waiting outside the church for me!
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- I’m a total Elmyra when it comes to my dog . He’s just so cute I can’t stand it!
- My mom taught me how to knit a few Christmases ago when I was sick with the stomach flu and bored out of my mind.
I’m tagging:
- Paul at Invisible Lives
- Shea at Cakes and Icing
- Caren at The Skeptic Yogi
- Marilyn at The Land of Moo
- Bodhi Dreaming
I’m tired and need to go to bed, so I’ve just tagged 5 and I’ll call it a night.
Today I felted yet another spotty basket. I went to the yarn shop yesterday and got some different colors, so I’m looking forward to experimenting with new color combos now that this one is done.
I know it’s not officially winter yet, but the chill is in the air, the wind is blustery and so many people I know are coming down with colds. Winter slows us down. Gives us time to hibernate. Reflect. The colder nights remind us to take care of ourselves. To bundle up and to protect what we hold dear. It’s a time to integrate all that we’ve grown and harvested throughout the year.
I’ve been feeling slower and more tired and I tried to capture that in this piece. I used gray and black oil pastels. As I was blending the colors off the corners of the pages, I saw this cool shadow effect on the paper underneath. So, I tore up scrap paper to smudge a shadowy outline of a tree. That’s how I’ve been feeling the past few days – a little fuzzy around the edges.
[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day, winter[/tags]
Today’s art is an homage to the revival of domesticity and “women’s work” with a modern twist. I originally wanted to do a piece using aprons (I love their symbol of home and housekeeping and they’re just so darn cute! – That’ll be for later). But as I played with the images I cut out, I cooked up this recipe idea. So, I pulled out a blank recipe card and started to list out the ingredients that make a modern woman. Those superwomen who juggle home, family, work, their own needs/values, health, meaning, fun, etc. and do it with panache, style and grace. What qualities would you add to the recipe? Seconds anyone?
[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month[/tags]
