The Skinny on the Righ-Brain Business Plan Process and Structure
Every right-brain entrepreneur needs a Right-Brain Business Plan. And a Right-Brain Business Plan needs a creative, innovative approach and will walk you through the basic building blocks of your very own visual map for success.
Think of this book as a friendly companion that will guide you through the creative planning process. Youâll get lots of passionate inspiration along with practical information.
While this book focuses on right-brain techniques, itâs still organized in a left-brain way. (See? The two types of thinking really do go hand in hand.) Although Iâve suggested a structure to follow in which each chapter builds on the one before, know that your planning process will probably be nonlinear at times. Feel free to work through the chapters sequentially, or focus in on certain topics, or skip around as you evolve and refine your plan. Make it work for you.
Developing your business plan doesnât need to take months and months of agonizing, researching, and writing â at least, not with this right-brain approach. If you prefer to dive in and get things done within a condensed time frame, and you spend a day or two on each topic (chapters 2 through 8), you can have a plan within a couple of weeks. Or, if you prefer to space things out and have more time to reflect, you can cover one topic per week and complete your plan in a couple of months.
Throughout the book, youâll find the following headings and icons:
Right-Brain Reflections. Reflection questions will help you ponder, find patterns, or see the big picture. These inquiries are meant to bring your awareness to, and deepen your understanding of, a belief, intention, or situation. There are no wrong answers here, only your own personal discoveries. Itâs up to you how deeply you want to explore. You may want to further reflect on questions by journaling, doodling, collaging, or talking with a trusted friend, colleague, or mentor.
Illustrated Play Sheets. Who needs serious work sheets when you can have fun, artful play sheets? Most chapters have at least one illustrated play sheet to help you explore a part of your plan in more depth. These are visual maps to guide your research, planning, and thinking using your right-brain strengths. You can also download PDF versions at Rightbrainbusinessplan.com.
Exercises. Each of the following chapters includes exercises to help you clarify your business. These exercises will help you build your right-brain muscle and may include creative art projects, daily practices, exploration, or experiential activities. They are useful for helping to inform the pieces of your plan; however, you are not required to do all of them. See what fits your business, but also stretch yourself by trying a few exercises that may seem more challenging or even aspirational. The more you explore, the more youâll learn about your business.
Right-Brain Boosters and Left-Brain Chill Pills. Sprinkled throughout are quick, healthy doses of Right-Brain Boosters to enhance your creative intuition, and Left-Brain Chill Pills to quiet your judging mind.
Tips. Occasionally, Iâll offer a tip, make a suggestion, or point to something to watch out for.
Success Stories. Iâve included inspirational accounts of creative entrepreneurs in various stages of their businesses whoâve benefited from tapping into their right brains. Youâll discover what worked for them as you read about their successes and experiences. I hope that, by learning from other creative entrepreneurs, youâll realize youâre not alone, and that you too are a success story because youâre following your dreams.
Left-Brain Checklists. Since the left brain excels at linear structure and practical details, each chapter ends with a Left-Brain Checklist to make sure all your bases are covered before you move on to the next section. Some items will be noted as optional and, depending on your business, not all of every checklist may apply to you.
I bet that, as an entrepreneur, youâre constantly doing, doing, doing to get the job done. As a right-brain entrepreneur, though, recognize that your quality of being is as important as action, if not more so. Just as the how is as important as the what, the being is as important as the doing. While you explore this process, remember the following ways of being:
A Right-Brain Business Plan is a visual, creative, and fun road map for your business success. Typically a business plan has yawn-inducing sub-heads such as âExecutive Summary,â âCompany Overview,â âCompetitive Analysis,â âTarget Market,â âFinancial Plan,â and âMarketing and Sales Plan.â (By the way, to prevent your eyes from glazing over as you read ohso-boring terms like these, Iâve taken the liberty of coming up with catchier phrases, which youâll see in a bit.) As you follow the process outlined in this book, youâll still address all these standard sections; however, youâll bring your vision and plan to life through images, art, and creative expression. Youâll have a tangible representation of your business vision that can then be translated into a more formal plan, if needed.
The basic building blocks of your Right-Brain Business Plan include the following:
Hearty Highlights (a.k.a. Executive Summary). Think of this section as the CliffsNotes version of your plan. If someone needs to understand the main points of your business, she could skim this overview and get the big picture. Although Iâve listed this section first, your Hearty Highlights are typically written last, as they sum up the whole plan. Weâll discuss Hearty Highlights/Executive Summary in chapter 8.
Business Vision and Values (a.k.a. Company Overview). This section describes what business youâre in and where youâre headed. Your vision and values serve as the foundation of your Right-Brain Business Plan and connect you with ...