The questions you're probably asking
Honest answers, before you have to ask. If yours isn't here, bring it to the free call at the end of this book ... we've heard most of them.
Do we need business experience to do this?
No. This process has been run by artists, teachers, retirees, and teenagers ... at the same table. Everything it asks of you is a plain conversation, a short list, or an honest answer.
Can our teenagers really be owners?
If they're truly going to carry part of this ... yes, and it's often the best thing that happens to the whole project. An owner is anyone who'll make sure their piece gets done, at fifteen or at seventy. Be honest about school schedules when you set their hours (Worksheet P2), and give them something real to own ... kids can smell a fake job a mile away.
What if there are only two of us ... or it's just me?
Two works fine: same workshop, same worksheets, fewer chairs. Just be extra careful with "where will we stall?", since two people can't cover six kinds of work ... lean on your time-or-money call. Solo? It still works, but recruit one honest friend to sit in and ask the follow-up questions. Deciding alone in your own head is how the forever version sneaks back in.
Is the $25-per-person quiz really necessary?
Yes ... it's a requirement of this process, not a nice-to-have. Who owns what, who keeps the tracker, and where your team will stall all come straight off the map ... and self-report lies: people sincerely believe they're finishers until the map shows otherwise. Budget the $25 per owner the way you'd budget the workshop itself.
What if we can't agree on the one thing we sell first?
This is the most common stall, and it's usually two people protecting two dreams. Try the reframe that's worked at many tables: pick the steady thing as the main offering and make the beloved thing what grows out of it ... the hotel and its beautiful event space. Still split after that? That's not failure ... that's the single best reason to bring in an outside voice.
Do we need an LLC or legal paperwork before we start?
Usually not before the workshop ... deciding what you're building comes first. But before you take a stranger's money, the "rules, permits & insurance" part of your plan needs real answers ... and they vary by where you live. Classic pay-for-it territory: one expert hour beats forty internet forums. Put it on the first-30-days list with a name and a date.
…and the ones that come up by week three
How much money do we need?
Less than the forever version needs ... that's much of the point. The facts page (Worksheet P3) makes you write down what you have and what the launch actually requires, and the time-or-money call keeps you from buying what your own hours could cover. Many first seasons run on sweat, phone cameras, and one or two well-chosen expert hours.
What if the workshop doesn't fit in two hours?
Protect the last conversation (the first 30 days) at all costs ... a workshop that ends without names and dates didn't happen. If a middle conversation runs long, park the sticking point, choose a "good enough for now," and keep moving. And yes, it works over video ... just be twice as strict about phones and half-attention.
What if we fall behind?
You will ... everyone does, usually around week three. That's what the weekly meeting is for. Don't rewrite the plan; walk the tracker, ask "what's stuck and why," and remember the pattern: if everything stuck is tagged Time, the answer might be $. Falling behind isn't the failure. Skipping the meeting where you'd have noticed ... that's the failure.
What if someone isn't doing their part?
Check the map first ... is their job sitting in one of their frustrations? Then their Worksheet P2 ... did the plan quietly assume hours they never had? Most "not pulling their weight" is one of those two, and both are fixable with a trade or a smaller list. If it's truly neither, that's a "no ill intent" conversation at the weekly meeting: name it kindly, out loud, early. Resentment compounds faster than any to-do list.
What if someone we love isn't on board?
Don't draft them. A reluctant owner is heavier than an empty chair ... make them a helper with your whole heart and no guilt trip. People join real, moving things more readily than meetings about ideas. Launch; let momentum do the recruiting.
Is this only for businesses?
No ... it works for anything that needs to go from "beautiful idea" to "real thing people show up for": a community project, a ministry, a nonprofit. Swap "customer" for whoever you serve and "sale" for whatever a yes looks like. The 90-day version, the names on jobs, and the weekly meeting don't care what kind of dream they carry.
When should we get outside help?
Two moments: at the table, when people who love each other can't referee their own tie-breaks ... and at the finished plan, when a practiced eye spots the roadblock you've stopped noticing. That's what the free call at the end of this book is for. Everything else, your time-or-money call already answered.