Have you considered changing your career? Are you concerned that your current career might not survive the volatile economic environment? Are you new to the work force and trying to decide what your career should be? Business Model You may have the answers you are looking for and help provide a jumping-off point in determining your career. While this book was published in 2012, the four-step process described is still relevant and may be even more applicable during this time of extreme changes and reassessment of your life and priorities. Canvas Canvas is the concept created by the authors that will assist you in describing and understanding both traditional business models and personal business models. A business model is essentially the plan for how the business will provide services to their customers and receive revenue and profits for those services. This section gives a fantastic overview of the business model and includes the different components: customers value provided channels customer relations revenue key resources key activities key partners costs Then the book discusses how to apply those same components to our own personal lives, taking into consideration “soft” values such as stress and satisfaction. Reflect During the process of forming your own personal business model, self-reflection is an essential part. These chapters discuss discovering you, considering your passions and focusing on your purpose. There are several exercises done in these two chapters that will hopefully assist you in uncovering all of these aspects of you and determining how to apply that information to the process of determining a career path. Revise These two chapters focus on the next step after creating your personal business plan based on the information you gleaned during the reflection period. The first chapter encourages you to consider different perspectives and to readjust your perceptions and expectations. The second chapter then asks you to take a different perspective of your personal business plan and determine what aspects are working and which ones are not working. Act The next two chapters will help you with putting your created and revised personal business plan into action. The first suggestion is to test your model, most likely with your customer base. This includes talking to them and determining whether your model matches with what they are looking for, and then trying to sell yourself to your customers. If they “buy” your product, then you have succeeded! Final Thoughts The final chapter discusses what to do with this newly gained information and skill set you have developed throughout this book outside of planning and enacting your personal business model. This book has fantastic information, examples, and real- life applications that will help anyone develop their actual business plan or their personal business model and determine what career best fits them and their lives. This book is also a wonderful tool to use in conjunction with a career coaching appointment, which can be scheduled with the Career Center at the Main Library on Goodwood. You can call 225-231-3733 to make an appointment for career coaching or to place a hold on this book. A hold can also be made online at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library website.
