Your creative introvert business model. If you've ever struggled with the fantasy fiction writing required for a business plan, this adaptive model will come as a huge relief in your business planning. If you're a good business plan writer, you've probably got a good career in science fiction to sorry, but the number one problem with business plans is that for most of us, especially in the creative industries, is that there are simply too many unknowns in our business. Coming up with answers in order to write a plausible business plan feels a lot like writing a science fiction novel. We usually don't feel very grounded in reality. When I was accepted onto the Prince's Trust enterprise program, the first thing they had us do was to write a very old school business plan.

I slaved away to plucking numbers from the air and hoping for the best. It passed the test all right. But that thing was looked over maybe once and never again saw the light of day. That's it. I'm not getting The idea of business plans. My problem is in the old school format, many still adopt.

Enter the creative introvert business model. Fortunately, I've since been introduced to the business model canvas. It's dynamic, straightforward, vs free, actually very useful tool for mapping out your business and sharing it with other people. It's a one pager divided up into sections. I've adapted the classic version to make the creative interpret business model, the most suitable version for the people I tend to work with, whether you're a freelancer or an entrepreneur. And here is the important part is the questions it asks all of which a regular business plan covers just in a more concise and useful fashion.

Let's look at each of the sections in depth. Number one, who are you creating this for? If you only filled out this one section, let it be this. This is your superfan and there'll be more in that in Nice cloth. This is the person who has no doubt about buying your product or hiring you. They simply love what you do and know it's for them.

They'll be your most loyal returning customers, the ones who recommend you to all their friends. Of course, not everyone who buys from you will be your superfan, and that's perfectly natural. But when you focus solely on your superfan, the other lesser fans will jump on the bandwagon in time. Your superfan is your ambassador, who does the maxing work for you? A great example comes from Tim Ferriss who, after failing multiple times to find a tone for his book, The Four Hour Workweek, decided to write it as he would an email to his friend. The result.

A book that reached not only superfans people like his friend, but over time spread worldwide to people from a variety of backgrounds, because it had enough momentum from the early adopters, the people who are the first to take on a new idea when you get clear on your superfan and can on yourself only with our needs, the others will follow. To How will I look after my customers. Once you know who you're creating for, it's time to think about keeping them happy. Whether you're creating a digital products, physical products, or serving a client once one, your top priority as soon as they become customers is to treat them like royalty. There are some tried and true techniques that people adopt to offer high quality customer support. A supplement company might offer 100% Money Back Guarantee no questions asked.

A web designer might offer six months free support after the client site goes live. an Etsy seller might throw in some cute stickers alongside the print they've shipped. The important question to ask is whether or not it appeals specifically to your superfan. If they're concerned about something before buying, no doubt they'll have the same concerns after you have the opportunity to get in there and reassure them before they may even make the purchase. So that they have no doubt whether or not what you're offering is for them. You might also have the opportunity to keep delighting them after the sale, surprising them with fun packaging, checking in weeks later to make sure everything is running smoothly with the new website.

Three, what problems you solve justice with the concerns someone might have about buying, you have to be a bit of a mind reader here about what your superfan is struggling with. We'll go into more depth with this in the next class. But for now, have a think about all the problems that your existing product or service might solve. People aren't usually buying something for fun even if it appears that way. But to solve a deeper problem, a deeper need. Some problems may be a lot more urgent and important than others.

But don't let this put you off. Have a think about some of the recent purchases you've made. From toothpaste, to sneakers, to candles to toilet paper. All of these are solving some sense of lack or need you feel or have even if it's at a subconscious level. For what needs to happen to deliver on my promise. This is a helpful way to think about the everyday tasks that go into making your business happen.

For example, someone who crochets cardigans, might need to spend time making the products, taking photos and listing them on their online store, promoting and posting to social media, reaching out to stockists and press as well as answering emails from customers. Five, who am I suppliers, collaborators and investors. These are the people and resources you have at your fingertips, as well as people you will likely be needing in the future. This could be a very small list of people, particularly if you're a one stop shop, service based business play encourage you to add as many people as you can to this list. Six, what are your costs? costs are fairly straightforward, but it's also something many of us creatives tend to put off thinking about, spent a good amount of time thinking about all of the costs from hosting your website to buying supplies.

Postage and packaging and coffees with potential clients. What will my customer pay? Similar to you considering your costs, it's very helpful to list out all of your price points here and really say see where your cash flow, the cash that flows into your business is coming from. See, it's not so bad. I promise this will help clarify your ideas and will serve you very well. If you're looking to get funding for your ventures now or in the future.

Remember, it's okay to make a guess. We'll be experimenting with all of these as we go action Step. Download your free creative interpret business model from the resources. I don't expect you'll be able to fill out everything in depth right now, but get familiar with it. We'll be tackling your superfan later. So maybe come back to the creative interpret business model when you finish that part.