The World is a Stage
One of my favorite companies helps people develop business models and define value propositions. The founder, Alexander Osterwalder, uses a concept from sociology to define the activities of organizations.
Front Stage/Backstage
Osterwalder is a master of visual learning. This one-minute video is a fun little explanation of how front stage and backstage activities apply to your business.
In simple sentences, front stage activities are the things we do drive value and bring in revenue from our customers. Backstage activities are the things we must do to support the front stage but drive cost.
Front stage is my core business.
Backstage is what I do in support of my core business.
For me, front stage is teaching a Growability® Collaborative, having a coaching call, or spending the morning on-site with a client. Front stage is creating content.
Backstage is maintaining my CRM, responding to email, networking, and reading.
Off Stage
Michael Hyatt adds another activity platform in his book “Free To Focus.”
Off Stage is where you go to “protect the asset.” It’s where you refresh, renew, and restore yourself.
I think this is a good addition.
Try this:
Think about your tasks in terms of these three stages: front, back, and off.
What are your front stage activities?
What are your backstage activities?
What are your off stage activities?
Are you doing the right things at the time to create the most value?