Design the Business You Actually Want to Run
Your week is full. Is your business actually going anywhere?
Put your whole business on one page, decide how you’ll win, and leave with a 30-day plan you start tomorrow.
The problem
Busy isn’t the same as moving forward.
Customers, suppliers, quotes, a new idea on Tuesday. By Friday the week is gone, and it’s hard to say whether any of it moved your business closer to where you want it to be.
That’s not a discipline problem. When your direction lives only in your head, every request competes on equal terms. The loudest task wins, the newest idea feels urgent, and yes is easier than stopping to think.
And stepping back takes time you don’t have.
16.1%
of Australian businesses with one to four staff have a written strategic plan.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Characteristics of Australian Business, 2024–25
33%
of small business owners say limited time to work on their business is one of the biggest pressures they face.
Source: Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, Small Business Perspectives 2025
The problem
Busy isn’t the same as moving forward.
Customers, suppliers, quotes, a new idea on Tuesday. By Friday the week is gone, and it’s hard to say whether any of it moved your business closer to where you want it to be.
That’s not a discipline problem. When your direction lives only in your head, every request competes on equal terms. The loudest task wins, the newest idea feels urgent, and yes is easier than stopping to think.
And stepping back takes time you don’t have.
16.1%
of Australian businesses with one to four staff have a written strategic plan.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Characteristics of Australian Business, 2024–25
33%
of small business owners say limited time to work on their business is one of the biggest pressures they face.
Source: Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, Small Business Perspectives 2025
What changes
You’ll know which part of your business is strongest, which part is holding you back, and the one priority you’ll work on first.
You’ll have a “say no” line written down before you need it, so the next request or idea gets weighed against your direction, not decided on the spot.
And at day 30 you’ll have two things you can count: a completed action list, and at least three requests or ideas you turned down because they would have pulled you off course.
What changes
You’ll know which part of your business is strongest, which part is holding you back, and the one priority you’ll work on first.
You’ll have a “say no” line written down before you need it, so the next request or idea gets weighed against your direction, not decided on the spot.
And at day 30 you’ll have two things you can count: a completed action list, and at least three requests or ideas you turned down because they would have pulled you off course.
What changes
You’ll know which part of your business is strongest, which part is holding you back, and the one priority you’ll work on first.
You’ll have a “say no” line written down before you need it, so the next request or idea gets weighed against your direction, not decided on the spot.
And at day 30 you’ll have two things you can count: a completed action list, and at least three requests or ideas you turned down because they would have pulled you off course.
What you’ll build
Three finished documents you’ll use the day you complete them.
Your Business Canvas
Your whole business on one page. Six parts rated and explained, a score out of 30, and the opportunities and threats around you.
Your Business Design Blueprint
Your purpose and five decisions about how you’ll win, tested before you rely on them, plus a Business Brief you can paste into any AI tool.
Your Priority Plan
One strength to amplify, one weakness to address, a “say no” line and a week-by-week action list you sign and start tomorrow.
How it works
Four short lessons, about 55 minutes of teaching, and three exercises you complete for your own business in Google Docs or Word, around an hour in total.
Lesson 1. Scan Your Business From Every Angle
Lesson 2. Choose Where You’ll Play and How You’ll Win
Lesson 3. Stress-Test Your Blueprint With AI
Lesson 4. Commit to the Priorities That Matter Most
Every exercise has an AI prompt with clear privacy ground rules, and a version you can complete without AI. A worked example from Kelp & Kiln, a fictional ceramics studio, follows every step.
Then 30 days of small weekly actions, with checkpoints at day 7, 14 and 30. It’s self-paced, so do it in one sitting or across a few.
This is for you if...
- You work hard all week but can’t tell whether it moved the business forward.
- You say yes to most requests because there’s no clear reason to say no.
- You have more ideas than time.
- You’re starting out and want a direction before habits set in.
- You’d like a plan that fits on one page, not a document nobody opens.
This is not for you if...
You need a full business plan for a lender or grant application. This course gives you the direction and first priority a full plan builds on, not the full plan itself.
You want deep training in marketing, people, pricing, customer experience or technology. Each of those has its own IOE course.
The thinking behind it
The course borrows a simple idea from business strategy: decide where you’ll play and how you’ll win, then let those decisions do the filtering for you.
It’s built around one priority at a time, because that’s what actually holds. Research shows people follow through more often when they decide in advance what they’ll do when a situation comes up. Your “say no” line is exactly that: an if-then plan, written before the next request arrives.
It draws on Australian research on small business planning, and every source is listed in the course so you can check it yourself.
Common questions
Who is this course for?
Small business owners in any industry, from trades and health to hospitality, retail, professional services and tourism. It suits you if you’re busy but not sure the business is moving forward, or you’re starting out and want a plan before habits set in.
Do I need to use AI?
No. Every exercise has an AI prompt to speed things up, with clear privacy ground rules, and a version you can complete without AI.
How long does it take?
About 55 minutes of lessons and around an hour for the three exercises, which you can spread across a few sittings. Then 30 days of small weekly actions, with checkpoints at day 7, 14 and 30.
I’m just starting out. Will this work for me?
Yes. You rate how strong your plan is for each part of the business, and that shows you where to start.
How long do I have access?
For as long as the course is available, so you can come back in 90 days, re-score your canvas and choose your next priority.
Can my team or organisation do this as a live workshop?
Yes. Despina delivers this as a hands-on workshop for councils, business networks and industry groups. See how we can work together (opens in a new tab).
Pricing
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Four lessons, about 55 minutes of teaching
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Three exercise documents to complete and keep
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AI prompts with privacy ground rules, plus no-AI versions
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A worked example at every step
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Access for as long as the course is available, so you can re-score your canvas in 90 days