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img_3249-smallMy mind can’t process classic “business plans” (you know, the 20 page Word documents with marketing and sales plans, financing plans, planning the plan plans…)   About a year ago, I sketched out a Visual/Circular Business Plan.  Now, since I’m introducing the idea to my PebbleStorm “Come Play With Me” group, and now I’ve updated it…

One of the biggest differences in this plan, compared to a classic plan, is that there is no specific time line. You could add some rough time estimates in as rings (like tree rings). There is, more importantly, a logical progression of small projects and goals that lead to larger ones, like stepping stones.

Consider that you, today, are in the middle. The innermost ring is your first or next babystep.  The outermost rings are your vision.  It’s not meant to be perfect, accurate or a ‘project plan’ – it’s a simple way to have fun giving your vision a shape and substance that is easily explained both to yourself and others!

Oh – and if you do one, you have to share it with me 🙂   And most importantly: have fun with it!

visual-business-plan-b

And some video…

An Example By A Reader

From Todd Clark, of www.FireUnderEveryButt.com

I recently stumbled onto your site and loved the creative business plan you developed.

I just sat down tonight to do the same because tomorrow, at my group mastermind session, we are to present our business plans for 2012. I’m gonna hav a good time with this one!   I am sharing it with you ’cause you said to do so on your planning page.

It’s not a great photo of it…butt (not a typo), you get the gist.
T H A N K   Y O U.
What a great approach!
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Here’s Todd’s art… (click to enlarge).  By the way he’s clearly great at art (much better than I in his way)…you do not need to be ‘good’ at art to do a fun version for yourself!

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11 Responses to “A Visual Business Plan v2.0 (Updated w/Video)”

  1. Onna Young Says:

    Awesome! We do have fun working together!! Thanks for the videographer credits! I can add them to my list of my Unique Genius – – capturing the moment!

  2. Hong-Anh Says:

    Hey you guys!
    You definitely were exuding fun to me! I like I like! I was smiling the whole time while I was watching the video 🙂 Enjoyment points galore here!!!

  3. George Kao Says:

    Aaron, this is AWESOME. What an innovative, fun, memorable business vision and plan!

    I can see a more traditional business adapting it so that the “slices” of the circle are components/departments like Marketing, Operations, etc. or having multiple circles representing various levels, e.g. one that represent the whole business mission, another that is a 5-year vision, another for just the Marketing department’s various components, etc. “Telescoping” visual biz plans.

    Love the video, too, it’s fun and helpful to see it being put together in action.

    Thanks for inspiring us!!

    By the way, up to now I’ve just been subscribing to your blog via RSS feed, but I’m regularly neglecting my google reader now, so I appreciate the option to subscribe by email! http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2287594&loc=en_US

    aaronross383 Reply:

    @George Kao, I like the telescoping idea! And I agree, you could apply the basic concepts to all kinds of plans and in all kinds of ways. I just like circles 🙂

    Oh – and I’ve been neglecting my RSS feed too…I feel ya!

    Thanks again for being an amazing contributor and inspiration to everyone around you and in pebblestorm.

    Aaron

  4. Maria Ross Says:

    You should also check out Artizen Coaching’s Right Brain Business Plan at http://www.artizencoaching.com. Jennifer Lee is awesome and she gets it! It’s a business plan for the rest of us – and is really fun, creative and inpirational.www.artizencoaching.com

    aaronross383 Reply:

    @Maria Ross, That’s so cool! I just tweeted her site 🙂

  5. Making The Best Better Team Says:

    Great video 🙂 I love it! Entrepreneurs are usually reluctant to sit down and design their own business plan because it can be pretty overwhelming. But I must say that your approach of making a visual business plan is a wonderful way to overcome this obstacle!

  6. Madhanaya Says:

    excellent post

  7. John Landmark Says:

    It is great. My website http://www.fixmybusinessprocess.com was totally designed using a Visual business plan like this one.

  8. Business Plans v2.0… what would they look like? « Funding startups & other impossibilities… Says:

    […] yes, I’ve already had a trawl through various “business plan v2.0″ sites (such as this one, PlanHQ, and even the rather laconic icon-based business plan summarizer from Rotterdam), but […]

  9. Unique Genius Superhero Interview: Jennifer Lee, Author of “The Right-Brain Business Plan” | Pebblestorm Says:

    […] I did my own version of a visual, circular version of a business plan here. […]

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