If you want to run a successful business, you need a business plan. It’s pretty much Business 101. You need something written to understand if you are working on something that’s going to pay off, or if your time is just being wasted. And, once you’ve determined that your DJ business is viable, you’ll use your business plan to figure out what to work on next. A business plan is so useful for a small business owner. And, think how many DJs actually sat down to write out a plan for their DJ business. Basically none. You will be light years ahead of your competition.
But, I get it. Writing a business plan seems super daunting. But there is a secret method that thousands of startups and top companies around the world are using. It will take you less than an hour, one page of writing and be more useful than a 100-page business plan it would take an MBA months to write.
Lean Canvas is a one-page business plan that will help you see all of your DJ business at once. It’s a simple-to-complete form that will get you thinking about all of the little things you didn’t realize your DJ business needs. You take 20 to 30 minutes and fill in all of the boxes on the canvas. If you’re not sure what to put in a box, that’s a good sign that you need more help in that area.
I’ve used Lean Canvas for everything from my DJ business, to award-winning startups, to our stroller rental business. It’s a great way to quickly figure out if I have enough knowledge and resources to get started. And it’s saved my butt on many crazy business ideas that seemed really good, until I put them down on paper.
Lean Canvas is designed for startups who are looking to explode online, but the concepts hold up for any business. When I built my Lean Canvas for my mobile DJ business, I had to think about how these startup concepts apply to my business. It wasn’t too hard, but it took some creative thinking. I had to think about aspects of my DJ business that I didn’t know would be an issue. And, my business is more solid because of it.
Once you’ve got a Lean Canvas business plan built, you can use it in so many ways. Print it out and post it by your computer so you can stay on track every day. Share that Lean Canvas with others and get their feedback. Look critically at each one of the categories, figure out where your weaknesses are, and fix them. Then, fix the next one, and the next one. And, before you know it, your business will be humming along.
Now, that’s a simple description of how you can use Lean Canvas. Lean Canvas is a part of the full Lean Startup model. If you want to get deeper into the concepts and use the full Lean Startup process, you can sign up for a paid account. Paid accounts get access to the full Lean Startup training and all of the tools. Accounts start at $10 per month. If you’re a student with an active .edu email account, you can get a Basic account for free.
For me, I got enough value out of their Lean Canvas alone that I haven’t yet upgraded to a paid account. You can sign up for a free account and try out the Lean Canvas for yourself. Go there now, take 20 minutes, create your own business plan, and see where it will take your DJ business!
