Entrepreneur hack: Draw a storyboard before the business plan.

Just about two years ago, I hung up my partner hat at a prior company and started the Crowd Companies journey. I recall we had a mere ten weeks to the launch at LeWeb. I went to mother nature to do some deep thinking, and wound up in a Redwood forrest near my house, with a moleskin.

Before writing the business plan, I drew out a storyboard, just like you see before a movie is shot, illustrating key phases the company should go through. Then, I wrote the business plan in a detailed powerpoint, complete with goals, numbers, resources, limitations, and a timeline, and “pitched” it to my friends, advisors, and even my supportive wife.

I also made a list of four things that this endeavor should achieve:

  1. Have a mission and impact greater than any individual
  2. Be in a growth market –not in a declining market
  3. The company should be financially healthy
  4. Have a lot of fun doing it.

Of course, none of this happens in solitude, as I’m blessed to work with amazing colleagues who keep us straight, and keep me in check to achieve those four criteria. We’re exciting for our largest member event ever, our 11th event with a cast of amazing speakers, startups, and case studies from our own members in the Collaborative Economy.

With that said, there’s a lot more work to do. the Collaborative Economy is just a budding industry and there’s many established companies that need to change their business model to partner with the crowd. What a journey, and I’m going to do my best to enjoy every single step.

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