Empowering Conscious Entrepreneurs. IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR TOOLKIT.

Empowering Conscious Entrepreneurs

IMPACT ENTREPRENEURTOOLKIT

Small Business Stage Assessment

Stages of Small Business GrowthG

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Cap

acity

, Co

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Time

5

4

3

2

1

Incubation Phase

Start-upPhase

StablePhase

GrowthPhase

The “Plateau”

Stagen calls this“Scrambling”

It is excitingand messy

Getting the business safely off the ground

The time it takes to develop

the idea

@2014 Conscious Business Coalition Use with permission granted as long as attribution is given

Instructions

Complete the Assessment first as a way to confirm your intuition about which stage your business is in

Following the assessment you will find four separate “Conscious Business Toolboxes”

A few of the tools are repeated in each toolbox because they are equally useful at every stage

Each toolbox has two tools (one aimed at a Checkpoint and a second supporting an Accelerator) that are especially helpful for that stage (yet could be useful for businesses at other stages)

Many tools are self-explanatory while a few have tool-specific instructions to help you get the maximum value

Enjoy!


If you have not yet completed these milestones, then it is unlikely that you have completed the Incubation Stage

The details of the products and services are clear

A viable business model has been fleshed out (on paper)

First product / service offer is sketched out in some detail

Funding or initial community of customers is established

If you have completed these, then you may have moved into the Start-up Stage.


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If you have not yet completed these milestones, then it is unlikely that you have completed the Start-up Stage

Early customer relationships established

Infrastructure is in place

Initial product development and market testing is complete

Adequate funding in place (or cash flow from sales)

You have one or more “transformational” products or services

Clear purpose is being translated into impressive results

If you have completed these milestones, then you may have moved into the Stable Stage


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If you have not yet completed these milestones, then it is unlikely that you have completed the Stable Stage

There is a strong, consistent demand for your products/services

Your product / service has achieved “proof of concept”

Your business model is working

The company has sustainable economics

Product portfolio is expanding with innovation and success

You have a solid customer base with brand loyalty

Happy customers are spreading products through word of mouth

You have a core team of engaged, loyal partners/employees

If you have completed these milestones, then you may have moved into the Growth Stage


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If you have not yet completed these milestones, then it is unlikely that you have completed the Growth Stage

Business model is tuned and humming

Significant revenue growth

Big opportunities and challenges coming at an accelerating pace

Strong and growing demand for products and services

Healthy, sustainable cash flow allows you to make big investments

Organizational governance in place with aligned team

You have a well-documented Service Model (S.O.Ps)

Teams accomplish big results following established systems

If you have completed these milestones, then you may be ready to move beyond the Growth Stage and start scaling


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Stra

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Road

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Strategy is how your business is going to achieve it’s purpose in the world

Checkpoints represent the major “developmental milestones” that your business will need to complete at each stage as a prerequisite for moving to the next stage

Acce

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tors

87%

CHECKPOINT

Investors Products

Pricing

Staffing

Culture

Marketing

Technology

Accelerators are tactics that work well at that stage to grow your organizational capacity and your results more quickly

The Four Small Business Growth Factors

Road Hazards are the most common problems that businesses encounter at that stage that you must avoid

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Incubation Stage Roadmap

Get inspired and remain connected to deep purpose Create an elegant launch plan for quick start-up Deeply understand WHO you’re helping, and HOW you’ll do so

A transformational product/service that inspires people Enough courage and faith in the idea to experiment and get feedback Start-up funding along with significant sweat and heart investment

Solid business plan / business model well-vetted by experts First public offer sketched out Funding or initial community of customers tapped into

Acce

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The founder has “blinders” on; doesn’t listen to outside perspectives Naivety results in insufficiently detailed concept/ business model Procrastination, fear or insecurity prevents founder from putting the idea

(and initial product offering) out there to be tested and get feedback

87%

CHECKPOINT

Investors Products

Pricing

Staffing

Culture

Marketing

Technology

Stra

tegy

Chec

kpoi

nts

Start-Up Stage Roadmap

Courageous and decisive leadership energizes the organization Develop inspired and creative/innovative product/service offerings Strong marketing plan results in cash flow (which is fuel) Build momentum quickly to bolster team and supporter enthusiasm

Focus energy on growing revenue and emphasize productivity Absolute clarity on your “customer avatar” and dial in your branding and

marketing to be resonant with their worldview Short product launch cycles, lots of feedback iterate quickly and adapt

Adequate funding in place or cash flow from sales to allow momentum You have one or more “transformational” products or services that deeply

serve your customers with a meaningful impact in their life Clear purpose is being translated into decisive action & impressive results

Negative cash flow. Under capitalized Poor product quality (or problems with it that can’t be easily solved) No or limited relationship with market and customer avatars Founder burns out from solo responsibility, or founding team falls apart

CHECKPOINT

Investors Products

Pricing

Staffing

Culture

Marketing

Technology

Road

Haz

ards

Acce

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87%

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Stable Stage Roadmap

Establish sustainable economic foundation Consistently serve people and deliver value Focus on marketing and product creation

Attract and invest in talented people to co-create business with you Create strong marketing infrastructure to build relationships Invest in growth (technology, staff, outsourcing, advertising)

Product portfolio expanding, with innovation and success Achieve solid ‘customer base’ through brand loyalty Happy customers spreading products through word of mouth

Staying too long on the plateau can cause organization to stagnate Major strategic miscalculation leads to demand drying up Business becomes complacent and marketplace leaves it behind Founder loses interest - the business dies from “infant death syndrome”

CHECKPOINT

Investors Products

Pricing

Staffing

Culture

Marketing

Technology

87%

Road

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Growth Stage Roadmap

Concentrate on growing revenue within core business Empower team members with responsibility AND authority Take calculated risks investing in high-leverage growth tactics Stay fast and flexible; “dynamically steer”

Strong and growing demand for products and services Healthy, sustainable cash flow Organizational governance in place with aligned team

High leverage marketing strategies such as joint ventures or affiliates Use outsourcers who can do many of the detailed tasks inexpensively Leverage an online and mobile-based collaborative project management

tool to expedite communication and maximize organizational productivity

Business struggles to grow beyond its founder(s) because they are unable or unwilling to share responsibility and authority

Lack of delegation, leadership team stretched too thin Fast decision-making leads to unquestioned assumptions and big mistakes

CHECKPOINT

Investors Products

Pricing

Staffing

Culture

Marketing

Technology

87%

Road

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Evaluating Six Organizational Capacities

In this section, you will be introduced to the six major “organizational capacities” that enable your small business to grow, mature, and progress to subsequent stages.

Small Business Capacity


Organizational Capacity


Think of these capacities as the “multiple intelligences” or “lines of development” of your company. Each of these area will have increasing capacity as your business matures.


Meaning


• Impact entrepreneurs “start with why” and draw inspiration and strength from “answering the call” to have a positive impact in the world

• This meaning orientation attracts and keeps both team members and customers engaged over the long term

Have you clearly identified your company’spurpose? Do your stakeholders(partners, employees, customers,vendors) resonate with that sense ofmeaning? What might expand this senseof meaning? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rate your business’ current capacity in this area:_____ (a number between 0 and 10)


Leadership


•Conscious leadership is one of the four a “pillars” of conscious capitalism•Learning “Integral Leadership” gives impact entrepreneurs and conscious advocates an enormous advantage•By understanding about people’s needs and motivations, integral leaders are far better equipped to positively influence change for the greater good

How strong would you characterize yourleadership capacity? Are your partnersand team members highly engaged andmotivated? How might you expand yourleadership capacity? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rate your business’ current capacity in this area:_____ (a number between 0 and 10)


Transformational Products & Services


• Conscious entrepreneurs create and deliver products and services that enrich the lives and transform the perspectives, experience and capabilities of their customers.

• Good examples include coaching and consulting services, impactful educational programs, empowering software and tools, and even information products such as onlinecourses

Do your products/services make ameaningful positive impact in yourcustomers’ lives? What is “transformed”when using your products/services? Howmight you expand this capacity?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rate your business’ current capacity in this area:_____ (a number between 0 and 10)


Advocacy & Relationship Building


• Understanding your customer (market research, avatars, customer problems and goals) is key to success

• Advocacy is the key to bringing yourperspective and approaches to the world ona larger scale

• Relationship building is how you find,connect, and help the people you aretrying to help

How well do you understand yourcustomer? What do you believe in?What can you be an advocate for? Do youhave a “relationship funnel” and activelycultivate it? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rate your business’ current capacity in thisarea: _____ (a number between 0 and 10)


Strategy & Execution


• Conscious entrepreneurs use integral perspectives to find and leverage opportunities that less aware competitors overlook

• They prioritize their initiatives and projects toachieve maximum leverage. Success depends oncareful project planning followed by disciplinein delegating, tracking and managing projectsto completion

• Personal productivity is crucial,including focus, attentionmanagement, task managementand collaboration

How strong is your strategy? How effective isyour execution? Your project management?Do you stay focused on the most importantthings each week? How might you expand thiscapacity? _________________________________________________________________________Rate your current capacity in this area:_____ (a number between 0 and 10)


Operations & Finance


• Operations and finance represents the health of the processes and infrastructure of your organization.

• This health is cultivated by thoughtful"org structure,” intelligent work processdesign, and clearly articulated teamexpectations.

• Impact entrepreneurs must managefinances diligently and have a strategy for funding growth

How strong is your capacity to manageyour operations? How disciplined is yourfinancial management? Are you tending tothe processes and systems that your businessneeds to thrive? How might you improve?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rate your business’ current capacity in this area:_____ (a number between 0 and 10)


Signal Light Analysis

This “Signal Light Analysis” tool enables you to subjectively evaluate those areas of your business in which you can move ahead confidently, those areas that you should proceed with caution, and the areas where you may be stuck and need some help.


Instructions

The following slides offer a “Signal Light Analysis” enabling you to subjectively evaluate those areas of your business in which you can move ahead confidently, those areas that you should proceed with caution, and the areas where you may be stuck and need some help.

Following that, there is the “Roadmap” slide that lists all of the major strategies, checkpoints, accelerators and road hazards for this stage of small business growth. If this is YOUR stage, then pay extra attention to these details, and try to use every tool provided. If this is not your stage, you still may find some of the tools useful (at minimum, informative).


In What Ways Are You Moving Ahead Confidently?


In What Ways Are You Proceeding with Caution?


In What Ways Are You Stopped?

“Signal Light” Analysis of Your BusinessList key areas of your business and the “signal light” indicators for each

Area of Our Business Move Forward with Confidence

Proceed with Caution and Careful Consideration

We are stopped and need help getting unstuck

Milestones to Complete Your Current StageRefer to the provided roadmap for your current stage of business. Put the relevant “checkpoints” from the map here along with the other major goals that you know you need to accomplish this year for your business to progress

CHECKPOINTS

Your next action you need to take toward this milestone Name of Milestone


Accelerators and DeceleratorsDrawing inspiration from the roadmap for your current stage, list the relevant accelerators from the map here along with the other ideas you have to boost your business performance. Next list the things that are currently slowing you down.

List Ways You Can Boost Performance

List the Things That Are Slowing You Down

87%

2014 Opportunities and DangersUse this worksheet to brainstorm the opportunities and dangers that you are currently aware of at this stage of your business. Then discuss these with your key stakeholders to get input

Opportunities to Increase Our Success Obstacles, Pitfalls and Other Dangers

Conscious Business Canvas

We Believe

We Exist to

We Believe

Our Purpose

We Help

We Help Solve Our TransformationalProducts and Services

We Benefit Our Relationship Funnel

We Love We Connect

Our Operating Model Our Stakeholders

Our Sustainable Costs Our Sustainable Revenue

v.1.0

What do you believe about what is happening, what is important and needed, and what action should be taken?

Who do you help? What problems do you help them solve? How specifically do you help them solve those problems?

Describe the people you most love to help (your ideal customers). Describe your 3-4 primary “Customer Avatars” (in terms of demographics and psychographics)

Describe your core offering(s). What (or how) do you help your customer actually transform? How is your “transformational” offering unique or distinct from available “transactional” alternatives?

List the top ways you benefit your customers. These benefits must be specifically tied to the problems your customers want to solve (and are willing to pay for).

Where do you find and connect with the people that you love to help? How do they learn about your advocacy (what you believe)? How do they find out about the unique benefits that your help offers? If they are looking for help, how do they go about it, and where do they search?

You want to leverage your finite resources wisely by minimizing waste and inefficiency, and maxizing sustainability.1. What are the total costs to develop your transformational products and services? 2. What are the total costs to deliver them? (Variable costs per unit and all fixed overhead) 3. What are the total costs you incur to acquire a new customer relationship (in your funnel)?

Revenue is the fuel that your business uses to help your customers and to grow more capable. 1. What are your current (core) sources of revenue? 2. What are your secondary or potential future sources of revenue? 3. If you are using investment capital (or favors such as free labor) to fuel your growth currently, what is your breakeven point where you become fully self-sufficient and sustainable? 4. What is your Gross Margin? (Revenue minus COGS)

Our purpose is ______________. We are passionate about _____and use our gifts of __________to have a meaninful contribution in the form of _______________

Describe the levels in your funnelExposure to your advocacy

Initial (Free) Engagement with You

First Low-Cost Value Exchange with You

Core Product/Service Purchase

Loyal and Repeat Customers

Most Intimate Customers (Investing the most time/money with you)

Describe how you operate. These are all the key activities your business must do to thrive. What core organizational competencies can you leverage? What can you outsource or partner with others to get done.

List all your stakeholders. This is everyone (and everything) that may be impacted (positively or negatively) by your ongoing operations.

v.1.0

Conscious Business Canvas

We Believe

We Exist to

We Believe

Our Purpose

We Help

We Help Solve Our TransformationalProducts and Services

We Benefit Our Relationship Funnel

We Love We Connect

Our Operating Model Our Stakeholders

Our Sustainable Costs Our Sustainable Revenue

v.1.0

Type answers here…. Type answers here….

Type answers here….






Describe the levels in your funnelExposure to your advocacy


Initial (Free) Engagement with You


First Low-Cost Value Exchange with You


Core Product/Service Purchase


Loyal and Repeat Customers


Most Intimate Customers (Investing the most time/money with you)



v.1.0 Company / Venture __________ Your Name _____________

Reflection Questions

What stage is my business currently in? What flows easily for me and which areas do I

feel stuck in or struggle to acomplish? Which parts of my “platform” are in place and

which ones are still missing or underdeveloped?

What would unlock growth in my business? Where might I get more leverage? What is holding me back? (examples:

mindsets, habits, lack of resources, lack of clarity, lack of energy?)

Reflection Questions - Answers

Type here….

Empowering Conscious Entrepreneurs. IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR TOOLKIT.

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Transcript of Empowering Conscious Entrepreneurs. IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR TOOLKIT.