Do You Need a Business Plan or a Business Designer?

It can be pretty overwhelming sometimes to be an entrepreneur. There are so many things that we are supposed to do but it's like nobody wants to tell us what those are.

One thing that most of us here at some point is that we need a business plan.

So we sit there and we type up this big document with all of our hopes and dreams and how we're going to achieve them enumerate it out line-by-line, page-by-page.

We experience a moment of relief knowing that we have our plan.

And then that documents that we poured all of this time into goes into a file somewhere and isn't used again. The act of planning still gave you some focus, but the reality is that the document itself did very little to inform what you should do with your business.

The reason this happened is that most people don't understand what a business plan is actually used for. And they don't know what other options are out there to help them figure out what a good plan is for their business.

To help you decide if you need a business plan or a business designer I'm going to help break down both. I want to help you decide which one is going to be the best fit for where you're at right now in your business and the goals that you have for your immediate future.

Let's get into it!

Business Plan vs Business Designer

Let's start by getting on the same page with the definitions for each one.

A business plan is a detailed map for your business. It breaks down all of your goals, strategies, target markets, financial forecasts, and operational details. It is a comprehensive document that helps you stay on track as you're starting to build and grow your business.

On the other hand a business designer is focused on innovation and adaptability. We help you create a dynamic, customer focused business model that is able to adapt with the market as well as your own lifestyle changes and responsibilities. We still create plans, but they're designed to be a lot more fluid.

Let's dig into each one in a little bit more detail...

When Should You Create a Business Plan?

Business plans make a lot of sense if your goal is to seek out funding, clarify your vision, or document for clarity. Investors and banks love seeing detailed business plans because it shows that you are serious and have thought everything through.

When you already know what you want your business to be, a business plan can help you layout all the steps that you need to take. This documentation can provide you with a clear, strategic path forward that can help you make informed decisions at different stages of your growth.

Business plans also give you the structure to navigate your launch and growth phases, track your financials to see if you're on target with your projections, and keep your operational decisions in alignment with your overall business goals.

All of these things are crucial as you're building and growing a sustainable and scalable business.

When Should You Work With a Business Designer?

A business designer can be the right choice if you're still figuring out who you are as an expert and how your business is going to help people.

Business designers are all about innovation and adaptability. Our goal is to help you create a customer-focused business model that is able to evolve with the market while keeping in mind all of your unique goals and challenges so that you enjoy the journey.

This approach is ideal when you're still in a flexible stage trying to understand what your business is going to be when it grows up. Instead of just focusing on how to keep the business healthy, we help you ideate how to be happy with the business you're building.

This includes thinking through all of the products that you're going to be offering, how you're going to deliver your services to your clients, what your staffing and technology needs are going to be, and how your role in the company is going to grow and change overtime as the company grows.

So Which Should You Choose?

If you're still exploring ideas and unsure about what your business is going to really do over time, start with a business designer. We help you refine your ideas, understand your market, and build a flexible customer-focused business model. Once you have a solid foundation, then you can create a business plan to formalize your strategy and seek any funding if needed.

If you have a clear idea, and you're seeking funding start with a business plan. This document will help you articulate your vision and strategy, making it easier to attract investors and plan your operations. You can always work with a business designer to fine tune this strategy as you start to grow.

In an ideal world, you should use both approaches. Beginning with a business designer to ensure that your concept is strong and then using the insights from that process to develop a business plan can give you the best of both worlds... innovation plus structured planning.

Final Thoughts

Whichever one you choose, what's most important is aligning your approach with your current needs and your future goals.

You need to make sure that whatever you do is gonna be something that you can be happy with.

You need to make sure that you're going to fall more in love with your customers than you do with your products.

And you need to make sure that your business is going to be able to thrive even when you're not around.

Truly scalable, sustainable, success happens when you can achieve harmony between your needs, your clients needs, and your businesses needs. They all have to operate together and they all have different requirements to do that.

If a business designer is what you need, then check out my services and choose the one that's right for your needs. From 1:1's to group workshops to my business school... I have something that can help you level up faster, easier, and more successfully.