The Micro Business Model
Complete Course Syllabus
Online Business Training for Aspiring Soloprneurs
📈 Unlock Course + Spreadsheet Now ➡️Section 1: Intro and Fundamentals
Getting Organized | Course Introduction | Foundational Concepts | Meet Data
MODULE 0
GETTING ORGANIZED
This first module is all about getting you organized. I know you don't want to come back and re-watch a 30 or 40 minute long lecture to try to remember what was discussed. Instead, I'll walk you through how to organize the printable content in a 3 ring binder and how to structure the lecture PDF slides. Your binder will be your permanent takeaway from the course.
This is also the module where you'll find all the downloadable content from the course, including the latest versions of the Big Spreadsheet and the Course Companion. The goal with this module is to set you up for success, maximizing the value you can extract from the material.
MODULE 1 (32 MINS)
COURSE INTRODUCTION
This module takes a high level look at the course. We'll discuss what this course is and who it's for. We'll dive a bit into my background and then move on to discussing the course content that is right around the corner. Watching this module is the next step after you finish reviewing this page (syllabus). The slides and a full transcript are also available.
This module is available for free as part of the course preview.
MODULE 2 (29 MINUTES)
FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS
This module covers some basic concepts that may show up during the course. I'll try to explain concepts as we go, but this stand-alone module will allow a bit of a deeper dive into these things. Some are critical the course while others are things I find really valuable as philosophical tools to guide decision making. This also serves as a good window into my general philosophy on strategic decision making.
MODULE 3 (16 MINS)
MEET DATA
Data is our stand in solopreneur for the course. Demographically, he basically describes me from 10 years ago when I was getting started in my business. We'll use him as an example and to brainstorm ideas as we go through certain parts of the course. We'll try to understand why a business model is critical (and why a traditional "business plan" is not).
Section 2: Building Your Business Model
The Four Building Blocks | Customer Acquisition Cost | Developing a Model | Stress Testing
MODULE 4 (40 MINUTES)
THE FOUR BUILDING BLOCKS
This module dives into the 4 inputs (variables) we need to plan and test our business model - we call these the "Four Building Blocks". By understanding the relationships between these variables, we can understand how to design different approaches to a solo service business. Critically, it's understanding these relationships up front that prevent us from getting trapped into a nightmare scenario where our entrepreneurial journey has morphed into a terrible job that we hate.
MODULE 5 (31 MINS)
CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COST
One of the most important concepts in the entire course. Building Block #4 gets its own module. Would you rather get a client for free who's worth $50, or spend $50 to land a client worth $500? We learn to treat our cost to acquire customers as an investment - rather than an expense. Importantly, we build this into our business model from day one, allowing us to comfortably invest in finding valuable, quality clients.
MODULE 6 (33 MINUTES)
DEVELOPING A MODEL
In this module, we'll build out the framework of a business model you can apply to your own micro business. We'll combine the Four Building Blocks with some of our foundational concepts to understand key relationships in the model. You will understand why strategic decisions you make NOW will decide if you end up working 30 hour weeks or 60 hour weeks. Having (and understanding) a model that achieves both financial and lifestyle goals is what separates a saavy solopreneur from a hustling freelancer caught in an endless grind.
MODULE 7 (45 MINS)
STRESS TESTING
Simply having a model isn't enough. It's not hard for a spreadsheet to make you think you have a great plan. The reality is that things WILL NOT go according to plan. In this module, we learn how to "stress test" our model so we can understand how real-world variation will impact our idealistic calculations. Does our business fall flat on it's face if ACV is 50% lower then planned? How do we adapt our model to that discovered reality?
Solopreneur Pro Tip:
No one is gonna do it for you. Might as well start today.
📈 Unlock Complete Course Now ➡️Section 3: Business Strategy Development
Lines of Business | Profiling Your Ideal Client | Positioning Strategy | Pricing Strategy
MODULE 8 (31 MINUTES)
LINES OF BUSINESS
In this module we do a deep dive into Lines of Business (LOB's). We'll discuss what they are, why they matter, and brainstorm some examples. This is all about developing clearly defined service offerings and targeted customer groups with an eye on marketing. Ultimately, we need to settle on targeted LOB's that align with our broader business model and positioning strategy.
MODULE 9 (33 MINS)
PROFILING YOUR IDEAL CLIENT
A key part of your strategy is understanding who you want to work with - and who you don't. We'll discuss the Crappy Client Cycle, what motivates different types of clients, and how critical your client targeting will be to long term happiness. This forms a key part of our larger strategy as we seek to bring all of our variables into alignment.
MODULE 10 (47 MINUTES)
POSITIONING STRATEGY
One of the most critical concepts for any solopreneur to understand. How do we want to position our business in the market relative to our competition? We discuss why your clients associate your market position with the value they receive for your services. Does that $50 bottle of wine really taste better than the $10 bottle? Guess what - even when they're the same exact bottle, the more expensive one still tastes better. Isn't human psychology weird?
MODULE 11 (54 MINS)
PRICING STRATEGY
This lecture is a deep dive into pricing strategy. This can be one of the most nerve-wracking topics for anyone selling services. Get it wrong and you might well end up hating your new business. In this module, we'll do a deep dive into various types of pricing strategies and lay out a decision tree to help us choose what strategy is best for a given situation. As with the other modules in this section, we need to align our strategic decisions and our business model to create a realistic, durable approach.
Section 4: Preparing to Launch
Understanding Your Competitive Advantages | Step-by-Step Launch Framework | A Primer on Digital Advertising | Testing and Validation | Metrics, Accountability, and Maintenance | Final Thoughts
MODULE 12 (19 MINUTES)
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Do you know what competitive advantages the solopreneur market position provides to your business? Learn why if your business was a haircut, it would be mullet. Discover the moat you can build around your business for long term success.
MODULE 13 (39 MINS)
STEP-BY-STEP LAUNCH FRAMEWORK
Everything up to this point has been about the up front strategic planning that goes into designing your business. Now let's dive into formalizing that strategic phase into a step-by-step "framework." The key is that now we have a deep understanding of how everything works together. We can begin to transition out of the "research and learning" phase and into the "execution" phase. Now, we can design a business from the ground up understanding how our model and strategic choices have to work together.
MODULE 14 (28 MINUTES)
A PRIMER ON DIGITAL ADVERTISING
You want your business to generate leads on auto-pilot using digital advertising. While this is NOT a course on that subject, we're trying to design a business that's *ready* to be advertised. This module explains how our positioning, lines of business, and ideal client targeting all come together to give you a business that is ready to go down this path. Whether you DIY your own paid advertising or outsource, this module will give you a clear understanding of how our entire strategic process was developed to make the business "easy" to market.
MODULE 15 (33 MINS)
TESTING AND VALIDATION
Tim Ferris named his book - 'The Four Hour Workweek' - by spending $200 on digital ads and seeing which headline got the most clicks. Let's discuss the value of testing our service ideas in this way and see how you can validate your entire business prior to committing full time. This type of approach is common in the tech startup world, and we can leverage some of those same philosophies to reduce our risk and validate our core business ideas and messaging before we dive in headfirst.
MODULE 16 (17 MINUTES)
METRICS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MAINTENANCE
As a solopreneur, you wear all hats. So how does your CEO hat make sure your worker-bee hat isn't slacking off on reddit all day? Let's discuss what metrics we should track and establish a plain for accountability to ensure long term success. There's literally no one to call you out for your failures. Intrinsic motivation is a great tool, but building a system to drive accountability is a massive upgrade.
MODULE 17 (20 MINS)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The End! In this final lecture I'll provide some parting thoughts while doing a terrible impression of President Whitmore from Independence Day to get you fired up. Now it's time to put all of this into practice. Start developing your personal business model and strategic plan. There's nothing easy about any of this, but you're not flying blind anymore. You have the tools and knowledge you need succeed as a solopreneur. Let's get to work!
