Right-Brain Business Planning – Page 3

Right-Brain Business Plan Blog

In November of 2007, I participated in Leah Piken’s Art Every Day Month. The final two days of the challenge serendipitously culminated in a new creative idea that I call the Right-Brain Business Plan. Well, in the last several weeks, my Right-Brain Business Plan has generated quite a bit of interest – comments on my blog, others posting about my plan on their site, and those who’ve seen it in-person wanting to create one for themselves. I even recently worked with a client and her business partner to develop their own Right-Brain Business Plans. So, given the great response, I figured, hey, why not officially start a movement!

I’ve created a new blog called “The Right-Brain Business Plan Blog.” Please check it out! Stay tuned for more creative ideas for your business and opportunities for connection and community with fellow right-brainers!

This is NOT business as usual!

Right-Brain Business Plan Part II – AEDM Day 30

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]

Right-Brain Business Plan – AEDM Day 29

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?