Summary: "Dream jobs are more often created than found, so they're rarely attainable through conventional searches. Creating one requires strong self-knowledge." Business Model You, page 84 People drifting from job to job may soon realize that they've visited the same crossroads too many times. Changing careers is tough, but some job seekers may be tired of compromises which would only lead to the same suboptimal choices they've experienced in the past. While others may seek to become just employable, these rare and brave souls seek to be remarkable and relevant. The truth is that they already are. We all are, in fact. And now, there's a way to tap into that greatness and bring it into the present. In the spirit of Alexander Osterwalder's successful book Business Model Generation (BMG), Tim Clark (who was also BMG's editor) has written Business Model You: A One Page Method for Reinventing Your Career. Clark shows that you can use the same business model thinking from BMG to unearth your greatest strengths, talents, and interests, and then paint them onto a powerful blueprint. Business Model You was co-created between 328 entrepreneurial minds spread out over 43 countries. The book is a beautiful designed and succinctly written journey replete with each contributor's diverse experiences and insight. The common theme is that everyone involved in producing the book struggled, but ultimately succeeded, in reinventing themselves. Their stories will help you paint your personal business model. What’s a business model? In short, it's “the logic by which any organization sustains itself financially.” Likewise, the Business Model "canvas" is a structured but simple visual technique which shows how the nine most important components of any business model fit and flow together. First, the original canvas is introduced for enterprises before being translated to the world of the individual. Business Model You is also an itinerary of thought experiments, anecdotes, and exercises to help align work with purpose. Some of the many experiments include the Lifeline Discovery and Holland's Six Tendencies. This journey of self-knowledge really counts, because aside from financial sustainability and survival, this is a book about thriving and doing the kind of work that resonates at your core. So why is business model thinking the best way to sharpen yourself in an ever-changing world? What's really required to develop our personalbusiness model to the fullest? Golden Egg Uncontrollable Environments "Because they can't change the environment they operate in, companies must change their business models (and sometimes create new ones) in order to remain competitive." Business Model You, page 21 Tim revives the classic example of Blockbuster declaring bankruptcy to prove a point. Redbox and Netflix had outmoded the old business model, proving that movies and games could be delivered better via the internet, postal mail, and vending kiosks than through the traditional retail environment. Even with a rough economic climate, technological trends and societal mores still shift fast beneath our feet. Whether for-profit, non-profit, or government entity, every organization has a business model. The striking parallel between companies and people is that they cannot control their environment. Just as organizations must evaluate and change their business models during unpredictable times, people must change theirs as well. You are your most important business model. Only those with strong self-knowledge and flexibility can truly grow personally and professionally. If you're already part of a great company or organization, can you spot how it has changed and innovated over time? Did it require you to change, too? "Employees who care about the success of the enterprise as a whole (and know how to achieve it) are the most valuable workers -- and candidates for better positions" (page 21). GEM # 1 Knowing the Real You
