I had the good fortune to travel through Cedarville, Michigan this summer and take a tour of the Great Lakes Boat Building School, the only wooden boat building school in the Midwest. Bud McIntire, their director of development, took us on a tour of their operation to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating tools and techniques they use in boat construction.
For the purpose of today’s post, I want to draw out some metaphors between business and boat building that will help you picture the path your business is on so you can guide it along a changed course. In particular, I’d like to draw your attention to the art of lofting, as the boat builder calls it, in which the two-dimensional (flat) design layout becomes a full-scale layout in its journey towards becoming a boat. It was so named because it is commonly done in the loft of the boat building factory, in a mezzanine location overlooking the factory floor where large tables allow the layouts to be done on a full scale.
These full-size images, which connect the designer’s mind and drawings to the real world, are then traced onto slices that are stood up in sequence along the keel to become the form that the boat is built around. These are then connected by planks and an interior structure to form the boat.
What got me thinking, was the analogy between these wooden frames and the business model maps that I use with client organizations. I have talked previously about the utility of the business model canvas as a very useful tool for mapping out key business concepts in a very visual way.
Mapping Out Your Business Model
In my workshops we use a from, to, toward model that allows us to build three, two-dimensional maps. The first is the as-is model of the business, and this is the way the business is operating now. On the second map, we draw out how we want the business to be operating in the near future, typically nine to eighteen months down the road. Finally, I ask them to draw a future map that shows where they ultimately see their business headed — at whatever the edge of the headlights is for them.
These three slices represent conceptual models of the business aligned along the keel of time. By rigorously looking at the differences from one business model to the next, box by box, we can understand the specific changes that need to be completed for the next business model down the line to take shape.
The beauty of all this, is that you can hold three pieces of paper in your hand and foresee tremendous opportunity for the business as a whole. All this work can be completed in the virtual world, then each aspect tested in the real world before locking down the model. Once you have the tested and analyzed conceptual design, you can put the new business model in motion.
Much as the boat builder moves his work from two-dimensional sketches to a finely built craft, the business model architect comes alongside organizations and coaches them to do all the hard thought work and rigorous testing before building the next phase of the organization.
So to bring this down to shop floor level:
- If you’re unfamiliar with the business model canvas, go and check it out
- Draw a first pass for your as-is organization and begin talking with everyone that is represented on the model for their input
- Take a second map and outline a step function change in your business model informed by customer value.
- Compare the two and make a specific list of all the work that needs to be done
- Rank order the work by risk
- Spend time, money and effort eliminating the risks
- Then “Loft your business model”
Boat building and business model building are replete with both art and science – I would love to hear more about your thoughts and experiences. Please leave a comment below or drop me a line.
