The Double Shop Floorplan

For startups and improving sales.

Not knowing what is missing is the biggest constraint for startups and improving sales. When you tried everything already you discovered that finding what is missing is like searching the proverbial needling in the haystack. It can take ages. And maybe you’ll never find it. I lost tons of time not knowing what I was looking for since I started my company in 2012.

Everything is always about gathering enablers

Let’s call what is missing a missing enabler for our convenience.

Startups are about gathering and developing new enablers while improving sales is about acquiring missing enablers. The Double Shop Floorplan helps to determine the (still) missing enablers.

Double Shop Floorplan

The Double Shop Floorplan groups all enablers in their specific group. Each group with its unique purpose. Assets are your personal enablers for your capabilities. Your capabilities are the enablers for the products and services you sell. Your products and services are your enablers to acquire a dominant position in your niche. Your niche is the enabler for marketing for generating leads. And the leads marketing generates are the enablers for sales.

Every startup is alike

Although there is no startup like yours, that needs exactly the same enablers, you see that the purpose of these groups is exactly the same for startups and companies. Even if it is different from everyone else.

Your clients are missing enablers you can provide

You not only need to know what enablers are (still) missing for your own startup or sales improvement, you also need to know what enablers your client is missing. This is why this is a Double Shop Floorplan. The only reason why clients want to do business with you is that they are missing an enabler, that you are capable of providing them. You must be more knowledgeable about their situation than themselves. Else they would solve their problems themselves.

This makes the purpose of your capabilities more specific. The purpose of your capabilities is to provide missing enablers to your clients they are not capable of themselves.

The floorplan for startups and for improving sales is logically the same. The difference is that your walk-through is in opposite directions. Startups typically start with gathering assets and building capabilities. The most obvious place to start for improving sales is with sales.

Workbook

A workbook is available for participants of the Empower Your Projects Bootcamp Programs for a forward walkthrough with questions for startups gathering enablers. It probably results in long lists of enablers you need to develop during the startup stage of your company. This workbook also covers the backward walkthrough, for improving sales to find the enabler you’re still missing to increase sales.

Because marketing is an enabler for sales, the missing enabler you need to improve sales, might be marketing. Because a clearly defined niche is an enabler for marketing, the missing enabler you need to improve sakes, might be in the definition of your niche. And so one. That means that a sales constraint might be anywhere and you need to determine where it is. This workbook will help you to discover exactly where it is.

Your startup and your client might be affected by not only missing enablers. External factors or influences might be a source disturbance or disruption. This is what the disablers are about.

Forward and Backward Walkthrough

When you walk through the Double Shop Floorplan into the designated direction, the first missing enabler you encounter (or the first disablers) masks what is obstructing your startup or sales improvement.

As important as planning your strategy for obtaining missing enablers and for removing the disablers is to stop working on any other enabler or removing any other disabler. Because they will distract you from what will make the difference.

Your only constraint

Together the missing enablers and disablers are what is in the traditional theory of constraints covered by the concept of constraint. However, the true constraint is you. Your only constraint is your ability to obtain missing enablers or to remove disablers. When you’re always in control, you’re always the constraint. The success of your startup is always in your own hands.

Want to know more about starting up your business or improving sales?