Project Future: 6 Steps to Success as Your Own Boss

Project Future: 6 Steps to Success as Your Own Boss

by Rob Kerr
Project Future: 6 Steps to Success as Your Own Boss

Project Future: 6 Steps to Success as Your Own Boss

by Rob Kerr

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Overview

***BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS 2022 SHORTLISTED TITLE***

You want to be your own boss, but how do you make the right decision and make it happen?
The world of work is unrecognizable from when you started your career. It’s full of uncertainty, but it’s also full of opportunities.
Never has it been easier to start a business and make an impact in the world.
Taking inspiration from project management techniques, Rob Kerr shows you how to test your ideas, get clarity, and launch a successful independent career. You’ll discover:

  • THE S.O.R.T.E.D. FRAMEWORK – to get your mindset right.
  • THE I.N.P.U.T.S. FRAMEWORK – to critically analyse your business proposal.
  • THE 6-STEP F.U.T.U.R.E. METHOD – to develop and deliver your plan.

Rob Kerr had a number of false starts in his own career before finding his path. A project manager for over a decade, he set up his first business in 2014 and has since found satisfaction and balance. Now he shares his approach with aspiring entrepreneurs, contractors, and freelancers, supporting them through these critical decisions and showing them how to flourish on their own unique journey.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781788601764
Publisher: Practical Inspiration Publishing
Publication date: 01/05/2021
Pages: 252
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Rob Kerr has applied project management best practice in a range of industries throughout his career, helping to bring brilliant products and services to market. He launched his own project management consultancy in 2014 and has been reviewing and expanding his offering ever since. He has written Project Future to ensure that others aspiring to be their own boss have the confidence to test their ideas and make it happen. Rob believes that everyone should be empowered to create the best life they possibly can for themselves, and that critical analysis in the planning phase is vital to prospects of success. Originally from Essex, UK, Rob lives in London with his wife and two children.

Table of Contents

Foreword xv

Preface xvii

Introduction 1

The nagging thought 1

What you'll discover 2

Why is this a project? 3

Dividing the project into phases 4

Phase 0 Getting prepared 7

Initiating Phase 0 8

Pre-step 1 The SORTED Framework 9

Being organized, clear and confident 9

Self-evaluation 10

Openness to change 12

Responsibility 13

Tenacity 15

Enjoyment 16

De-risk it 17

There's nothing like a deadline 19

Making headspace 20

Recognizing your own value 22

Taking confidence from yourself 23

Retrospective 24

Pre-step 2 The INPUTS Framework 25

The business case 25

Introducing the INPUTS factors 26

The impact factor 27

The numbers factor 28

The personal factor 29

The useful factor 30

The timing factor 31

The sales factor 33

Retrospective 35

Signing off Phase 0 37

Phase 1 Making the right decision 39

Initiating Phase 1 40

Making a project plan 40

Plan 42

Step 1 Find 43

The scope 43

The BIDS candidates 44

The different options 45

Giving your project a name 47

Premature decision risk 48

Exploring all ideas 48

Pivot 50

Be careful of the devil you know 51

Finding a niche 52

Not reinventing the wheel 54

Aiming higher 55

The Steering Committee 55

Steering Meeting 1: Signing off your BIDS candidates 57

Retrospective 57

Step 2 Understand 59

The scope 59

Requirements and design 60

Exciting times 63

SWOT analysis 64

Managing risk 66

Understanding your core customer 68

Business complexity 70

Competitive differentiators 71

Finding the sweet spot 73

Lifestyle 76

Values 78

Purpose, mission and vision statements 79

Personality types 81

Adaptive skills 84

Building or maintaining 85

Rethinking your experience 86

Accepting sacrifices 88

Training options 89

Successful case studies 90

Getting to know the tribe 91

Outsourcing 92

Starting a partnership 94

Joining an existing business or a start-up 95

Steering Meeting 2: Go ahead to Step 3: Trial or return to Step 1: Find 97

Retrospective 98

Step 3 Trial 99

The scope 99

The pilot 100

Getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable 101

Minimum viable product 102

Choosing a business name 104

Real-world experience 106

Range of trial options 108

Your elevator pitch 109

Creating opportunities 111

Adapting to those who find value 112

Responding to disappointment 114

The cutover 115

Re-baselining your plan 116

Steering Meeting 3: Signing off your business case 117

Retrospective 118

Phase 2 Making it happen 121

Initiating Phase 2 122

Plan 122

Step 4 Undertake 125

The scope 125

Going live 126

Committing 100% 127

Making it real 128

Early priorities 131

Long-term goals 132

Building momentum to get started 134

Asking for help 135

Cash-flow is king 136

You're never 'unemployed' 138

Reputation is everything 139

Abundance 140

Ways of working 141

Growing your network 143

Making the most of your network 145

Brand strategy 146

Communications strategy 149

Connecting with customers online 152

Marketing campaigns and advertising 156

Events 157

Public relations and publicity 159

Getting your image right 161

Your offering and pricing 162

Working environment 164

Discipline within the working day 166

Making time away from work 167

Rewarding yourself 168

Retrospective 169

Step 5 Review 171

The scope 171

The review 172

The INPUTS Review Framework 173

Types of review 174

Reviewing with a mentor or buddy 175

Change control 177

Forecast, actuals and variance 177

Capacity planning 179

Emergency changes 180

Lessons learned 182

Single points of failure 182

Self-care 184

Extraordinary Steering Meeting 186

Retrospective 187

Phase 3 Making it better 189

Initiating Phase 3 190

Plan 190

Step 6 Expand 193

The scope 193

Close and learn 194

Is 'do nothing' an option? 194

The contribution equation 195

Pivot again 196

Natural expansion 197

Your book and podcast 199

Closing down successful products or services 202

Collaborations and partnerships 203

Focusing on your priorities 204

Competitions and awards 206

Growing your team 208

Training your team 209

Creating assets 211

Scaling your business 212

Exit plan 213

Retrospective 215

A bright FUTURE 217

Applying the FUTURE Method 217

What you discovered 218

Be confident and have no regrets 219

A final action: Don't be a stranger 221

About the author 223

About the contributors 225

Acknowledgements 231

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

‘Everything you need to know to prepare you for setting up a business is in this book. Until now, running a business was for those crazy enough to have an idea and take a leap of faith. In this book, Rob Kerr uses project management tools and techniques to plan and execute setting up a business. Devour every word if you want to fast-track success and prevent a lot of mistakes. A practical handbook that will guarantee success.’ Jude Jennison, Leaders by Nature Ltd, executive and team coach, author and speaker
‘The journey from employee to business owner is much more than a leap of faith. It’s a complete mindset shift. It’s like standing on the bank of a fast-flowing river with a desire to reach the other side alongside a fear of being swept downstream. I know from experience that many won’t wade into that river because of the fear of the unknown. For some that’s the right decision but for many it is something they will always regret. Kerr’s book Project Future bridges that river for aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to make the bold decision and take control of their own destiny.’ Rory Prendergast, author and business coach
‘I’ve always had the ambition of starting my own business at some point but never taken the leap or known exactly where to start. This book has helped clarify my thinking, providing well-defined frameworks and clear actionable exercises to make key decisions with confidence and create an executable plan for an exciting future. I would highly recommend it for anyone considering their own venture.’ Bryn Emans
‘A must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs. Rob Kerr takes the principles of strategic project management and applies them in a practical, step-by-step process to help you figure out your business sweet spot. Packed full of frameworks, techniques and mindset tools you’ll make it happen and make it better.’ Bec Evans, co-founder of Prolifiko, author of How to Have a Happy Hustle: The Complete Guide to Making Your Ideas Happen and Business Book Award winner - Startup Inspiration 2020
‘The default position of any business is death. It is a risky adventure. Yes, a cheery thought. There are so many moving parts to get right that a wrong decision or move could end in disaster. Having worked with thousands of businesses the main reason is a lack of knowledge and skills of what it takes to run a business. The FUTURE Method starts to bridge that gap by providing a framework to go through. A risk is only a risk when the odds are against you. What Rob has done is to stack the odds more in the favour of the start-up, giving it every chance to succeed.’ Martin Norbury, bestselling author
‘Project Future is a really clever mix of structured project management techniques and the skills and attributes needed by an entrepreneur to start and sustain a business. The action steps ask searching questions and if the reader works through them, it will leave them with an excellent plan for taking their business idea forward… or not, depending upon the outcome.’ Lyn Bromley, Managing Director of First Impressions Training and best-selling author of Trusted
‘An exceptional book that gives you all the frameworks to guide you along your entrepreneurial journey. Full of simple but often easily forgotten advice to ensure you ask yourself the right questions at the right time and, most importantly, take action. If everyone who has done a business goal map with me reads and follows this book, their success for sure will come faster and magnify.’ Kulwinder Dhillon – Helping people set goals and use their own powerful mind, www.kulwinderdhillon.co.uk
‘Have you ever thought about setting up on your own as a freelancer or as an independent consultant but got held back by nerves or imposter syndrome? In that case, Rob Kerr’s new book Project Future is all you need to carry out a thorough self-evaluation as to whether this move would be right for you. This practical and well-structured handbook is packed full of helpful guidance and takes you on a carefully designed journey to consider all that’s required for success, from concept to cash-flow. A hugely practical guide, well worth a read for aspiring HR Independents or in fact any other budding business owner or entrepreneur.’ Lucinda Carney, CEO of Actus Software and author of How to Be a Change Superhero
‘Rob’s book provides great insight into the challenges and hurdles of starting your own company – both from an individual and business perspective. Having worked with Rob on numerous different client engagements, we can honestly say that he practises what he preaches. This book will help all budding entrepreneurs prepare themselves mentally for the challenges ahead when thinking about starting their own businesses and entering the brave new world of the self-employed. The biggest attribute that separates success from failure when starting out on your own is self-belief and a can-do attitude – both of which Rob demonstrates every day.’ Mark Bevan & Chris Charlton, Partners at Global PMI Partners, UK
‘What a brilliant book! Easy to read and well structured, it makes you really think, and plan, and is a great guide for anyone thinking about starting their own business. I cannot recommend it highly enough.’ Su Britter, HR Executive

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