Despite having a creative business, I like to reference traditional Business tools. I don’t believe in “digital marketing” as something revolutionary and exclusive to our times; for me, marketing is marketing since always. What marketing gurus do nowadays is adapt some ancient concepts, wrap them in a new shiny paper, and sell them as something unprecedented.
I told you on the issue below how difficult it was for me to take the first step toward my new business (this very one that allows you to read me!) and how I turned to the Canva Business model framework for help.
The Canva business model is a 20-year-old strategic management template that gives you a 360-degree view of a business; it is not a detailed actionable business plan but will provide a clear panorama. Every time I have a new business idea, this is my first step. It is like a mental download of what I want the business to be like. This is the Notion template I use but on Google, you may find several other options.
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Let’s break into mine:
Value propositions
(What's your product/service? What value does it bring your customer?)
I help Solopreneurs (self-employed people) transform ideas into business through planning, structuring, and selling services and products online.
My products:
Substack: blog/ newsletter: I share my 6-year experience in the Creator economy, offering my readers insights and shortcuts to implement in their businesses, saving time, stress, and money. I build trust and connection by showing them I’ve been where they are.
Digital products: I offer my clients general tools for clarity and guidance to improve specific aspects of their business.
1:1 consulting: I offer my clients personalized clarity and guidance to create a solid business that grows sustainably over time. I work on my clients’ business with them.
Customer segments
(List your top customer segments that bring you the most value.)
My core customers are:
Self-employed people who want to structure and sell their services online, like Coaches, Teachers, Psychologists, Nutritionists, etc.
People who create digital products.
Content creators.
Secondarily, my customers include:
People in their careers transition into the creative industry.
Aspiring content creators.
Creatives in general.
Channels
How do you communicate with your customers?
Core channel: Substack (blog/ newsletter)
Inbound - attraction: TikTok, Linkedin, Youtube
Personal life: Instagram
Customer relationships
How do you maintain a connection with your customer?
The main customer relationship channel is via the comment section in Substack and newsletter replies through email.
The second one is the comment section in TikTok.
The third one is LinkedIn comments and DMs.
When YouTube is launched, it will become the second main channel.
Revenue streams
List the top three ways your company makes money.
Mainly:
1:1 consulting.
Digital products.
Substack subscriptions (monthly/ annually).
Secondarily:
Affiliate marketing?
Brands sponsorship.
Key activities
What are the everyday things you do to run your business?
Product:
Writing long-format content.
Studying.
Curation of content.
Client meetings.
Client acquisition process.
Growth:
Answering comments/ messages/ emails.
Creation of short format content/ inbound mkt.
Networking in Substack/ real life/ social networks.
Key resources
The things you need to run your business.
Substack account
Inbound mkt platform accounts: TikTok, Linkedin, Youtube, Instagram.
Content and business management platforms: Notion, Google Workspace, Photo editor: Lightroom, Video editor: Capcut/ Inshot
Learning platforms: Coursera, Masterclass
Human resources (very important!):
Physical health: healthy diet + physical activity + quality sleep
Mental health: workload control + stress management + silence + rest
Creativity fuel: cultural tours + reading
Key partnerships
Who are the external people/companies you work with to run your business?
Basic business structure:
Substack
Notion
Google Workspace
Cost structure
Looking at your activities and resources, what are you spending money on?
Substack - fee per sale
Substack: 10%. Stripe: 2.90% + €.30
Notion: US$ 5/ month
Google Workspace: R$ 49/ month
Taxes: 23%
Kajabi: US$ 69/ month - soon
Grammarly: fee for now
Canva: free for now
Lightroom: free for now
Capcut/ Inshot: free for now
As mentioned above, this is my first step when a new business idea comes up. It gathers, in only one place, all the ideas normally flying in our minds at this embryonic stage. I hope it helps! Let me know your thoughts below.