Nine Building Blocks of Biz

 by Jenna P

Today’s featured noodle is the cold sesame noodle with cucumbers which is an often forgotten yet absolutely delectable side dish from Business Model Generation.

There are 9 building blocks of a business:
Customer segments : who do you serve
Value proposition : your why
Channels: how you deliver your why
Customer relationships : your whats and how you keep your whos
Revenue streams : $$$ in
Key Resources: what you need to fulfill the promise
Key Activities: what needs to happen to fulfill the promise
Key Partnerships: who you’ll work with to fulfill the promise
Cost Structure: the cost to be a business delivering the promise to your customers

Now, it’s easy for me to read this model with IVS in mind. I can see how we operate within each of these building blocks.

And it’s easy for me to see how a theatre- more specifically, an artistic director- could use these 9 building blocks to build their theatre’s revenue. And when looking at the model through that lens, I can see that an ACTOR is a key resource (a human resource), performs a key activity (production and problem solving), and can become a key partnership (think as a repeat hire, recommending other actors for jobs, or even is hired in the first place because of a theatre’s pre-existing partnership with a CD or an agent).

It doesn’t feel as clear to me how an actor as a business owner (of themselves) can use this model.

Who is my customer? The artistic directors? The audience? People who already attend theatrical events or people we’re hoping will in the future? Casting? Producers?

What key activities are within my control?

What do YOU think?

Maybe if we can iron out the specifics of these in regards to an acting career, we’ll gain the clarity to better see where we can adjust our business models for more effective generation.