to other people. Since that day I’ve worked with
household names like TimeWarner, Microsoft,
Sony and Google. I’ve been party to discussions
with business leaders, ministers and royalty, and
I’ve drawn everywhere from a muddy field to
Buckingham Palace.
25
1 INTRODUCTION
As you can imagine, along the way I’ve learnt a
lot of lessons. My aim is to help you draw yourself a
better business, and have a whole new range of
go‑to methods in your toolkit.
I’m not a scientist or a professor, but I am a hands‑
on expert. I’ve put in my 10,000 hours and then
some, and along the way I’ve learnt a LOT.
Those lessons are what I want to share with you.
who is this book for?
Whether you’re a start‑up, an entrepreneur, a
consultant or a small‑business owner then this
book is for you. You might be at the beginning of
your business journey, or well on your way. If…
you have a creative soul, even if you’re not
sure you have the creative talent to match
spreadsheets and flipcharts hurt your brain
or bore you to tears
you’ve stopped developing your business in
favour of ‘doing’ your business
you want to work in creative, collaborative
and effective ways with your clients
…then this book is for you.
You’re not going to believe me yet, but you don’t
need to be artistic to use this book. Trust me.
It’s true.
26 DRAW A BETTER BUSINESS
it’s about working
visually, not creating art
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re
running, or what your experience is of working
creatively. Draw a Better Business is for everyone
who wants to get their visual thinking brain in gear
and get the business benefits.
how does this book
work?
This book is designed to get you started working
visually in your business.
If you like a bit of order then by all means work
through the book from beginning to end. It was
written in a logical order, but if the very thought
of that makes you yawn, know that the book is
designed so that you can dip in (and out!) as often
as you like. Draw a Better Business is a resource you
can keep coming back to again and again.
Here is the low-down on the sections in case you
want to jump around:
part 1- working visually
This is a quick introduction to what we mean by
visual thinking and working visually. Before diving in
anywhere else, I recommend you read chapter 2,
which explains why working visually is so powerful.
part 2 - you
This part of the book is focussed on YOU. We’re
going to turn you into a confident visual worker,
so chapter 5 is a ‘drawing 101’ boot camp, whilst
chapter 6 gives you more inspirational ideas for
building your visual muscle memory with some
daily habits. If you’re already a confident drawer,
you can jump to part 3.
part 3 - the toolkit
Now you’re skilled up, let’s give you some visual
tools to use in your business. Chapter 8 focuses on
planning tools you can use on your own business
but also with others (if you’re a consultant, for
example). Chapter 9 is full of tools for customer
and client engagement as well as tools to help
you think about your business differently. Finally,
chapter 10 focuses on tools for delivery: think
hacks for your flipcharts and meetings that really
work hard for you.
28 DRAW A BETTER BUSINESS
All the tools and methods in this book are ones
that you can use inside your business to improve
your everyday, and externally to enhance your
work with clients. I’ve put all the templates in a
free workbook you can download as a reference
tool at graphicchange.com.
If you like company when you’re learning (and
let’s face it, working for yourself can be a lonely
business) you can also hook up with us on social
media @graphicchange using our hashtag
#DrawaBetterBusiness and share your visual
adventures, experiments and triumphs. I’ll be there
waiting to see how you’re doing and cheering
you on.
If you then head over to the Graphic Change
Academy you’ll find more free resources and our
newsletter The Visual Edit.
If you know you want to apply these skills
in your business but think you want more
support, then you can access Draw a Better
Business coaching over at graphicchange.com
too.
Let’s face it, we all have busy lives, with work,
family and friends to juggle. But, and it’s a big
BUT,