How to use this book

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Craftsman Creative | BLOCKBUSTER - How To Use This Book

A show that helps creative entrepreneurs and business owners build and grow their businesses using proven principles and frameworks so they can survive the present and thrive in the future.

Craftsman Creative

Every book should have a chapter like this one.

This book, Blockbuster, is a blueprint for you to follow to get the outcomes you want in your life and business. It follows the familiar process of making a feature film - you start with planning and development, known as pre-production. Then you move into production where you film the movie, and finally into post-production where you take what you’ve made and turn it into something an audience can pay you for.

Your business is the same. We start with developing your mindset as a leader and business owner. You define the outcomes that you’re after, and decide how you’ll use your business to help you achieve those outcomes.

Then in the production phase we create all of the systems your business needs, starting with visibility, and then implementing your content, lead generation, email engagement, product ecosystem, and sales systems.

Lastly, in the “post production” phase, you’ll expand your impact and build your dream business. This isn’t always about scale, but about leaving a mark on the world, changing people for the better, and finding the deep fulfillment in the work you get to do every day.

You’ll notice the bolded words above spell out a five part MOVIE framework. Yes, it’s on the nose, and yes, I’m inordinately proud of my movie framework that’s part of my blockbuster book. This is my version of expanding my impact as a film producer.

Here’s how I recommend you use this book:

1. Start with the companion scorecard at ​scorecard.craftsmancreative.co​. In order to get where you want to go, you need to know where you’re starting from. The scorecard will show you. It’s free and only takes a few minutes.
2. You then have a choice. You can start from the beginning and read the whole book first, then go back to the section that the scorecard showed you needs your immediate attention. That’s my preferred method.
3. You can also skip right to the section you want to work on first. Just know that the context matters, and at some point you’ll want to read (or listen to) the whole book so you understand the big picture.

Just as you would refer to a script as you’re filming and editing a movie, refer back to this book as you build your business. You wouldn’t start editing before you start filming. You wouldn’t hire actors for a role that hasn’t been written yet.

The same applies to your business. The sequence matters, so start with pre-production, then go into production, take action on building out the systems your business needs, then refine and optimize in “post”.

Follow this blueprint and you’ll have people (figuratively) camping out over night to be the first in line to do business with you on opening weekend.

Consider this your green light! Let’s start building your blockbuster business.

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Blockbuster - Introduction

Creators are my people. I’ve spent my entire 17+ year career working with creators, artists, filmmakers, musicians, and entrepreneurs. People who create art, who cultivate ideas, and share them with the world in order to make it a better place to live in. I write this during the rise

Craftsman Creative BlogDaren Smith