Starting A Business Plan Collaborative, Part 1

I met Kelly Simants a few years ago and from the get-go we always talked business.  We both came from corporate backgrounds and always liked to talk about the “behind the scenes” of weddings: what really happens in the small business world of this industry.  We also commiserated with one another about our business plans and how they needed updating.  Soooo… we decided to get together every couple weeks.  We would meet for coffee for 2 hours and work on the writing of our individual business plans.  And, thus we began our business plan collaborative.  (Little did we know that we’d be teaching people how to write their own business plans two years later!)

What is a business plan collaborative?

A collaborative is a group of two or more people working together for a common purpose.  In this case, the common purpose is the completion of one or more business plans.  (Click here to learn more about what a business plan is.)

Introducing the Bodacious Business Planners…

I am sooo excited to share with you guys the awesomeness that is happening in our industry RIGHT  NOW!  Introducing the Bodacious Business Planners AKA “The BBP”.  This is a group of 9 wedding professionals who initially met from their participation as Wedding Bees*.  They were all starting up new businesses and were in high need of writing their business plans.  So, they formed a collaborative!

The BBP is made of four wedding planners, two photographers, two stationery designers, and an illustrator.  It includes:

• Sara ~ Stinkerpants Designs
• Stephanie ~ Stephanie Michele Events
• Brooke ~ Songbird Creative
• Kate ~ Kate Miller Events
• Jenna ~ Jenna Cole Photography
• Shannon ~ Fromage Photography
• Kelly ~ Blush !nk
• Charlene ~ Sweet Chic Events
• Julie ~ Duet Letterpress

Kate Miller of Kate Miller Events, who orchestrates the BBP, says “Being a diverse group, we get a wide-range of perspectives from multiple and similar industries all at once. It’s a fantastic sounding board for new ideas and problem solving. We are all, for the most part, non-compete as we are spread out across the continent – from California to Pennsylvania, from Canada to Texas.”

How did they do it?

The BBP used Sage Wedding Pros’ 13-step business plan to guide them each through the process of writing their plans.  But, they needed to find a way to meet virtually.  Kate shares:

“To make this work, we had to find a medium that allowed for that “coffee break” atmosphere that I was jones-ing for.  Skype was the first obvious piece of technology to try, but we found it limiting in it’s video conferencing abilities.  We wanted to be able to look each other in the face, especially because it was hard to not speak over each other during meetings.  After looking at a few free online video conferencing tools, we chose TokBox (www.tokbox.com). It’s a great free video conferencing tool that allows up to 20 people to broadcast at once. It has it’s difficult moments, but so far, it’s proved mighty useful.

We also use a Basecamp project on my online planning Client Section that I use for my Bride and Groom clients. I knew it’s capabilities – having used it for many weddings to track checklists, idea boards, calendars and contracts – and knew it was extremely flexible. I tailored the BBP project to meet our needs and it now allows us a great way to communicate, RSVP to meetings, track our progress, schedule future meetings, document our meeting minutes and peer edit our biz plans.

We meet every two weeks, via TokBox and always cover the following topics:

- the current step of the 13-Step Business Plan that we are on
- any difficulties in progressing on this step
- each member shares a win since the last meeting
- each member has the chance to ask the group a business-related question.

Thoughts on Forming a Collaborative

I think what the BBP has done is AWESOME!  Good for you ladies!  If you’re reading this and want to do the same, here are some thoughts:

• Form a group or a partnership… either can be empowering and supportive.
• Find a friend who also wants to build a business plan and make a bimonthly meeting with them.
• Keep limits on time for the meetings.  The deadline will keep you focused.
• Decide on tasks to accomplish before you meet.
• Find a way to communicate if you can’t physically meet.  The hone is good, as is Skype.  If you have a large group, use TokBox for virtual meetings and form a ning group for bulletin board conversation.

The Challenges of Forming a Collaborative

The BBP has expressed some challenges in writing their plans.  These are challenges that many small business owners face in writing their plans (with or without a group).  Tomorrow we’ll discuss these challenges and how to get over them.  Can’t wait!

NOTE: We’re having a contest this week…

Post a comment during any of our posts this week: Share with us something about your business, how you’ve collaborated with other pros, why you want to attend The Simple Plan, a tip for teamwork… let us know what you want to learn about business planning… anything… and we’ll pick one person at random.  The winner will receive a free ticket to The Simple Plan, Atlanta.  (We’ll pick a winner at random on Friday at 3pm EST.)

* The BBP is not affiliated with weddingbee.com .