1.
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www.FlourishingBusiness.org
@FlourishingBiz
www.SSBMG.com
@StronglySustain #SSBMG
a project by
members of
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FlourishingBusinessesInnovationToolkit–TheStorySoFar…
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Flourishing Business
Innovation Toolkit
The Story So Far…
A PersonalPersonal Perspective for the Members of the
Strongly Sustainable Business Model Group
Feb 9, 2016
Antony Upward antony@EdwardJames.biz @aupward
ENTERPRISE
Builds on many
Builds on many
slides; download &
slides; download &
view in slide show
view in slide show
mode for improved
mode for improved
comprehension
comprehension
Lots ofLots of
speaker notes,
speaker notes,inc. references
inc. references

2.
2
Objective
• Share my view of the Story so far…
…to Inspire and Pollinate
• In other words…
– Make an invitation to accept our gift and make it your own –
in your own hero’s journey*
• Gift: Flourishing Business Canvas and the opportunity to engage,
contribute, to contribute to your own flourishing
• Question for You:
– Will you accept our invitation?
– How will you use our gift on your own journey?
– Who will you pollinate?
* The new story of business – mentors to their stakeholders – the provider of knowledge and resources for their hero’s
journey. Sachs, J. (2012). Winning the story wars: Why those who tell (and live) the best stories will rule the
future Harvard Business Review Press. (Hero’s Journey Video: https://vimeo.com/50791810)

3.
3
Content
1. Convener
• Core Beliefs
• Starting Points
2. Why is flourishing the goal?
• Appreciate / Abhor the Situation
• Vision
• Theory of Change
3. What came before this project?
• Whose shoulders are we standing on?
4. Gap to be closed to realize the vision
• Challenge – Language, Knowledge &
Utility (inc. Beauty)
5. The journey 2010-2014
• The original research
• A key realization – Theory for Success
• Core Team Convened
• Project & project vision, plan and
business model outline
5. The journey 2014-present
• Improved Canvas
• Academic Credentials
• First Explorer Program
• Collaboration with Related Endeavours
• Maqruee Funders & Strategic Partner
• Go-to-Market Trials
• Growing the Community
• Validation / Feedback
5. What’s next for 2016
• Personal Assessment
• An invitation
• Appendix
• Business Proposal, Vision, Mission,
Strategy, Values, Plan Details & Status

4.
4
Introducing the Project’s Convener
• Sustainability Business Architect
– Certified Management Consultant
• 25+ years consulting experience
– 10+ years university teaching experience in
business schools and elsewhere
• Undergrad, grad and professional
– Masters Environmental Studies in Business
Model Design and Sustainability – 2010-13
• Thesis summarized in high ranked peer
reviewed journal
• Founder and principal of
Edward James Consulting Ltd:
Flourishing Enterprise Designers
• OCAD U* Strategic Innovation Lab Industry
Partner
• Co-Founder Strongly Sustainable
Business Model Group – Jan 2012
• Convening Entrepreneur and Program
Director of the Flourishing Business
Innovation Toolkit
* OCADU – Ontario College of Art and Design University
Faculty of Design includes using design to design anything that isn’t a thing (policy, process, business model, etc.)
Antony Upward
www.antonyupward.name

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My Two Core Beliefs
All life (including us humans), can only have the possibility
to flourish forever§
on our finite planet¶
, if we accept our
role as stewards¥
– caring for ourselves, each other, all
life and our planet through our unlimited capacity for
love and rational thought*
A powerful illusion†
, that we created for ourselves, is at
the heart of our Global Problematiqué‡
:
mind is separate from body, body from world, I from
we, you from me, us from them, this from that.
§ Ehrenfeld, J. R. (2000). Colorless green ideas sleep furiously: Is the emergence of ‘Sustainable’ practices meaningful? Reflections, 1(4), 34-47.
¶ Allen, T. F. H. (2003). In Hoekstra T. W., Tainter J. A. (Eds.), Supply-side sustainability. New York: Columbia University Press;
12 slide summary http://www.slideshare.net/AntonyUpward/supply-side-sustainability-summaryupward-av102
¥ Crutzen, P. J. (2002). Geology of mankind. Nature, 415(6867), 23.
* Upward Family (2002). Funeral Program for Christopher Upward. Self-published
† Hutchins, G. (2014). The illusion of separation: Exploring the cause of our current crises FLORIS.
‡ Ozbekhan, H. (1970). The predicament of mankind, quest for structured responses to growing world-wide complexities and uncertainties: A proposal. The Club of Rome.

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My Starting Point
What to do with such a belief?
What action can I take?

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““How do we want to be
How do we want to beremembered? We were
remembered? We werethe ones who got caught
the ones who got caught… trying something
… trying somethingaudacious” – Majora
audacious” – MajoraCarterCarter

8.
8

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Humanity’s Situation – 1 / 2
• Based on our values, we don’t have a common sense of
• An aspirational collective purpose for our species, nations and communities
• How such a purpose is linked to our individual life goals
• How these purposes and goals are enabled and constrained by environmental,
social, economic, physiological and psychological realities as (increasingly)
understood by credentialed science
– This lack of a purpose and goal means our efforts to “make things better”
are increasingly ineffective, inefficient, too slow and at cross purpose
• At the same time results (good and not good) of our past actions
to achieve previous implicit and explicit purposes and goals are
now becoming more and more evident
• Economically, socially, environmentally
• Our collective and individual circumstances now understood to be
– Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous
– Comprising of a “Global Problématique” consisting of many inter-linked “continuous
critical problems” – Ozbekhan 1971
– A “mess of messes” – Ackoff 1974
– “not (just) climate change, but everything change” – Atwood 2015
– The pace at which these are negatively impacting the status quo and efforts
to make things better is accelerating – the risk of significant increases in

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10
Humanity’s Situation* – 1 / 2
• Current attempts to set aspirational goals while well intentioned
and necessary are not sufficient nor achievable based on already
known credentialed science
– e.g. Sustaining development is not possible on a finite planet – this is the
current goal of humanity described in the Global Goals for Sustainable
Development, recently official blessed by the UN General Assembly*
• Development = GDP growth = increasing flows of materials and energy - forever
– Most current efforts, based on currently acceptable purposes and goals,
are merely “reducing unsustainability”;
• This can never create “sustainable” or “reslient” outcomes
– Don’t believe me? Go argue with a physicist!
• Not a good tactic if you want to sustain any type of profit by mitigation of
known risk!
We don't have to save the world. The world is big enough to look
after itself. What we have to be concerned about is whether or not
the world we live in will be capable of sustaining us in it
Douglas Adams
* See my keynote talk for through exploration of this based reality on the work of MIT prof, John Ehrenfeld and others

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And Our Understanding & Values ARE Shifting in
the Necessary Direction for Change
• Instead of the 21st
century; we got the 19th
!
• Globalization – not so great
• The Economy – unfair, not delivering;
system is the problem
• National governments not protecting nor
representing us
• Free enterprise needs a bridle (reform)
• Rising fear; perceived corruption; declining
hope
• Convergence and now divergence between
North and South
• Rise of personal action [driven by deeply
held values of what is right] and the sharing
economy
Decade long public option trends across 20
countries Global North and South

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Observation
Our governments, civil-society (macro), health-care (physiological & psychological)
(micro) attempting “big things” – why not our (meso) organizations?
Macro:
Biosphere, Our
Civil Society &
Economy etc.
Micro: Our lived experience – mentally,
emotionally, spiritually, practically,
artistically & economically
Meso: All our organizations –
the predominant way we
collaborate to meet most of
our needs (formal / informal;
not-for-profit / for-profit; our
institutions )Small
& Fast
Large &
Slow
Multi-scale Panarchy diagram from Holling, C. S. (2001). Understanding the complexity of economic, ecological, and social
systems. Ecosystems, 4(5), 0390-0405. doi:10.1007/s10021-001-0101-5
We’re not taking
advantage of the
feed-back and feed-
forward loops – hence
pace of change can’t
accelerate!
Huge efforts
to transform the outcomes of
our activities in the world, society
and economy at the macro and
micro level – much less at
the meso level

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Challenge
What could be the most practical, relevant and attractive stretch goal for humanity
as a whole (including our meso organizations – including our enterprises of all types)?
Macro:
Biosphere, Our
Civil Society &
Economy etc.
Micro: Our lived experience – mentally,
emotionally, spiritually, practically,
artistically & economically
Meso: All our organizations – the
predominant way we collaborate to
meet most of our needs (formal /
informal; not-for-profit / for-profit;
our institutions )
What’s should
be the goal, our chosen
design brief, for these, our
interlinked realities that we
create – moment-to-
moment?
Small
& Fast
Large &
Slow
Multi-scale Panarchy diagram from Holling, C. S. (2001). Understanding the complexity of economic, ecological, and social
systems. Ecosystems, 4(5), 0390-0405. doi:10.1007/s10021-001-0101-5

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Strive to sustain
“the possibility that
human and other life will
flourish on this planet
forever” – John Ehrenfeld, MIT
• Audacious
• Inspirational
• Attractive
• Universal
• Practical
• Values Based
• Continuous
You, Me, Us,You, Me, Us,
Everyone, EverythingEveryone, Everything
Flourishing as a Goal

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Our Vision for the Future of Enterprise
• We imagine a world where
human enterprises
– No longer merely attempts
to do less harm
– Sets as their goal the
flourishing of human and
other life
– Creates tri-impact by being
tri-profitable:
• Financially viable
• Socially beneficial
• Environmentally
regenerative
* Increasingly shared: see recent Flourishing & Prosperous Business
Conference (www.globalforumbawb.com), the book
“The Flourishing Enterprise” by Laszlo, Brown, Ehrenfeld et. al. and
the Future Fit Business Benchmark (www.FutureFitBusiness.org)

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 Clean air & water
 Vibrant soil for food
 Healthy eco-systems
creating materials for us
& rendering our wastes
harmless
Trusting relationships
focused on well-being
with all our fellow
citizens (neighbours,
communities, cities, regions
& countries)
Businesses choose to co-
operate, collaborate and
compete to best meet
our needs today & in the
future, whilst creating the
wealth to meet shared
needs
(education, infrastructure, etc.)
Individuals choosing
to strive to flourish:
emotionally,
spiritually, physically,
practically, artistically
& economically
Our Understanding:
Requirements for Flourishing…Big PictureBig Picture
Macro: Natural Sciences
Micro: Physiology, Psychology, etc.Meso: Business, Organization, etc.
Macro: Social Sciences

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Future fit businesses, operating forever,
would not only do no harm, but do well by only doing good
… creating the possibility that human and
other life will flourish on the planet forever.
… throughout its value constellation
A flourishing enterprise is financially
rewarding, socially beneficial and
environmentally regenerative
WHERE
WHY
WHAT
Implications for Enterprise Vision & Mission
for the Possibility for Flourishing*
* Inspired by Future Fit Business Benchmark – a project of The Natural Step Canada & 3D Investment Foundation –FutureFitBusiness.org
WHO … for all its stakeholders:
founders, customers, employees,
owners and communities

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=
Do Good to Do Well
We Believe
Flourishing Enterprises are Simply Better…
Compared to Profit-First Businesses, in our
increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous
world, flourishing enterprises have the possibility for:
More Innovation, More Opportunity, Less Risk, More
Resilience and as a Result Improved
Financial Viability over the longer term
Shared values and goal:Shared values and goal:
sustaining the possibility forsustaining the possibility for
flourishing for all foreverflourishing for all forever

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But How?
How can we
enable flourishing
in new and existing
enterprises at
scale?

20.
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Our Theory of Change – 1 / 2
• Nothing of significance happens in the world without humans
working together in organizations of all kinds
• Therefore to realize a future in which the possibility for
flourishing for all is systematically sustained requires increasing
the nature, scope and scale of “business model”* innovation
• To realize this future vision:
1. The nature of business model innovation must decisively shift
• Explicitly start with the of goal sustaining the possibility of flourishing for all
forever
• Be systematically informed by the best available science of flourishing
2. The process of business model innovation, the design, testing and
improvement of such business models, and the speed of their
subsequent wide-spread adoption by enterprises world-wide, must also
be significantly improved
* “Business model” means a representation of the necessary and sufficient concepts that describe how any human organizations defines
and achieves success; like all models – business models are never “right” but they have been shown to be very useful.

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Our Theory of Change – 2 / 2
• Must engage people emotionally
– Get them excited about the benefits for them, their organizations, communities about
striving to flourish informed by their values
• Must be empathetic
– Meet people where they are
– Enable them to learn in their contexts informed by their values; don’t require / prescribe
• Must enable business model innovation aligned with the inter- and trans-disciplinary
knowledge of flourishing
– Required to avoid worst implications of our past choices on the economic, society and
environment
– Systematically increase scope of innovations from organizational to systems level
• Must move people from analysis/forecasting to synthesis/backcasting to envisage
significantly improved futures and iteratively bring them about
– Move from Plan / Execute to Design / Test / Learn / Repeat
– Increase speed of innovation design, testing and deployment at scale
To realize this future vision at scale we must enable people
in their enterprises to take new / different actions in the
world

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But Why Business Models? Because they
Integrate Many Views of an Enterprise
Business modeling efforts integrate all the aspects of an
enterprise – enabling you to learn more effectively to
create the most compelling story of your endeavour
YourYour
BusinessBusiness
ModelModel
Operational PlanOperational PlanTransformation PlanTransformation Plan
AssumptionsAssumptions
Vision, Mission, ValuesVision, Mission, Values
StrategyStrategy
ContextContext

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Have
Needs
Work Together to
Meet Our Needs &
Achieve Our Goals
Exist
withinShare
To Work
Together
Requires
Common Language
Describe Organizations –
Economically, Socially,
Environmentally
Process
Understand current, & design
the future, organization that
better meets our needs &
achieves our goals
Example
Flourishing
Business
Canvas Tool
Example
ABCD
Strategic Design
Process
Current
Business
Model
Innovative
Future
Business
Model
CanImagine
Has
Understand, explore,
imagine, design, test,
assess, diagnose,
choose, and tell stories
about…
Enabled by the shared
language and process of
organizations, together we
can…
So that ultimately
we all have the
possibility to flourish
on our
planet forever
  


Science
1-6 Theory of1-6 Theory of
Change – SummaryChange – Summary

24.
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Progress?
So what’s been done
to date to realize this
audacious vision for
humanity and our
planet?

25.
25
Previous Best Practice
for Business Innovation
• Have Idea
+ Get Money
+ Hard Work
+ Hope
+ Luck
Not…
• Efficient
• Effective
• Reliable

26.
26
EmergingBetterPractice…

27.
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Design your Business Model so it creates the
possibility for financial profitability
Your Business Model
Emerging Better Practice – 1 / 3
“A business model describes the rationale of
how an organization creates, delivers and
captures value (financially)”*
* “Business Model Generation”, by Alex Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur, 2008

28.
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Emerging Better Practice – 2 / 3
* Business Model Canvas described in 2009 crowd-funded book “Business Model Generation”, by Alex Osterwalder based on his 2004 PhD
1+ million books* sold,
used in 250 entrepreneurship
programs in NA alone
Some investors now see a tested
business model as more useful to
assess enterprise potential than
business plans
5 million downloads of
the Business Model
Canvas: a collaborative
visual tool to designesign
financially profitablefinancially profitable
business modelsbusiness models

29.
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Benefits of the Business Model Canvas – the Language of
Profit Prioritizing Business: 9 Questions for a Profitable
Business Model
Evidence of the benefits of the Business Model Canvas approach from “The business model canvas – why and how organizations around the world adopt it – a
Field Report” http://blog.strategyzer.com/posts/2015/2/9/why-and-how-organizations-around-the-world-apply-the-business-model-canvas
Enables Strategic
Discussion
Makes Us
Creative
New Idea
Template
Fast to
Use
Clarifies
Thinking
Enable Better
Conversations
and Decisions
Understand
customers Alignment – get’s us
all on the same page
Shared Language
for all Depts.
& Locations
Helps Tell Our Story to…
Investors, Customers,
Suppliers, New Employees
Creates a
Sense of
Urgency
Better
Teamwork
Focus Quickly on
Best Ideas
We Can Act
Immediately on
Our Ideas
Inspires
Innovation
Drives
Effective
Collaboration
Emerging Better Practice – 3 / 3

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Emerging Better Practice – Summary:
Necessary but not sufficient
…(almost) nothing
about everyone and
everything else
Lots about money,
and the people
you financially
transact with…

31.
31
Extending Better Practice
• Many who believe business can be a “force for good”*
have proposed extensions to the Business Model Canvas
– Add things believed to be “missing”
– Building entirely new canvas based on their experience and
knowledge
• Our research determined these extensions are not
suitable to enable the design of organizations that
systematically enable financial viability, social benefit
and environmental regeneration
The proposed extensions are largely “ad-hoc” changes to
the existing financially oriented business model canvas and
its variants – none are based on the level of systemic and
trans-disciplinary thinking required
* For Example – B Lab the NGO behind the global Benefit Corporation Certification and Legislation

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Tri-Impact Enterprises Need More
Your Business Model
“A business model is a description of how an
enterprise defines and achieves success over time.”*
Design your Business Model so it creates the
possibility for flourishing:
financially, socially and environmentally
* Upward, A., & Jones, P. H. (2016). An ontology for strongly sustainable business models: Defining an enterprise framework compatible
with natural and social science. Organization & Environment, Special Issue: Business Models for Sustainability: Entrepreneurship,
Innovation, and Transformation 29(1), 1-27. doi:10.1177/1086026615592933 & download manuscript: www.academia.edu/14461116

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The Language Challenge
• A common future focused language for all the
elements of a flourishing business model is
required
• Developing this language, plus tools and
techniques to enable the design of flourishing
business models is a key initiative of:
www.SSBMG.com

34.
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Goal: Explicit compatibility with the inter- / trans- disciplinary
credentialed science via a shared and explicit
systems approach – synthesis + analysis
Knowledge Challenge
Physiology
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Ecology
Positive &
Ecological
Psychology
Management,
Strategy &
Innovation
Organization
& Leadership
Operations
Information
Systems
Objective: Explicit compatibility with the inter- / trans- disciplinary
credentialed science via a shared and
explicit systems approach – synthesis + analysis
Normative Goal: Our enterprises should strive to “sustain the
possibility for human and other life to flourish on our planet forever”
(Ehrenfeld, MIT)
Conceptual Framework: Applied, realist, critically pragmatic*
Macro
MacroMeso
Micro Ecological
Economics
Environmental &
Positive Sociology
* Adapted from Chapter 3 and 4 (Upward, 2013, p.p26-406)

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The Challenge to be Useful
• Inconvenient truth – its even harder to design tri-profitable
enterprise than a financially profitable one
– Requires much broader knowledge of many more topics than currently
taught in business school’s and understood by business leaders and
professionals
– Requires authentic, meaningful and on-going engagement of all an
enterprises stakeholders based on their values and fundamental human
needs
• So to be useful a flourishing business model language and design
tool will have to boil down huge amount of knowledge and make
this knowledge accessible without preaching
– Understandable
– Actionable
– Attractive
– Complete
This is a very challenging design brief with many experiments
required to learn what will be and be seen as useful!

36.
36
So Where does that Leave Us?
What are you
doing to bring into the world the
tools we need to efficiently design and
test flourishing business models –
embedding all the required knowledge
into a new language of flourishing
business models?
And… how are you
doing this very challenging
work so that the majority of businesses
can design their business models to
enable the possibility for flourishing as
soon as possible?

37.
37
…The quest for better tools begins…
http://hdl.handle.net/10315/20777
…journey to 2013
2010
2012
2013
2004
2009

38.
38
We Went Deep – 2010-2013*
SSBMO Detailed
Design Principles
DDP1-6
SSBMO Detailed
Design Principles
DDP1-6
4.3-4.7
Strongly Sustainable
Business Model
Ontology
(v1.031)
Strongly Sustainable
Business Model
Ontology
(v1.031)
7.2 -7.4, SM3, SM4
Overall Research
Design + Key
Theoretical Frames
Overall Research
Design + Key
Theoretical Frames
3.2-3.5
SSBMO Build
Principles
BP1 & 2
SSBMO Build
Principles
BP1 & 2
5.4.1
Preparation:
Literature Reviews to
Identify “Truths” About
Business Models and
their Contexts, including
detailed critique and
review of the BMO
Chapters 1 - 4
Research Objectives
RO0-2
Design Principles
ODP1 & 2
Research Objectives
RO0-2
Design Principles
ODP1 & 2
3.1-3.6
SSBMC
Design Principles
CDP1-3
SSBMC
Design Principles
CDP1-3
4.7.4
Strongly Sustainable
Business Model
Canvas
(v1.031)
Strongly Sustainable
Business Model
Canvas
(v1.031)
7.5, SM5
Key Knowledge Input / Output Key Activity Output from Activity
We went back to Osterwalder’s 2004 PhD and his financially focused
Business Model Ontology (BMO); then from the Required Knowledge
developed a Strongly Sustainable Business Model Ontology. From this
our Canvases are derived – not from the Business Model Canvas
Flourishing
Business
Canvas
(v2)
Flourishing
Business
Canvas
(v2)
ThesisPublishedAug2013
Osterwalder’sBMO/PhD2004
StartofOurResearchFall2010
* Adapted from Figure 7-14 Derivation of the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Canvas (Upward, 2013, p.840). Numbers above boxes are section numbers in thesis

39.
39
Finding Like Minds and
Convening Our Community – 2012-2013
• Founding of SSBMG – Jan 2012
– Jeremy Bowes, Nabil Harfoush, Peter Jones, Antony Upward
• Theory of Change Prezi – Summer 2012
– https://prezi.com/vp8kfcmf6iam/
• Founding blog posts – Summer-Fall 2014
1. http://blog.ssbmg.com/2014/01/26/ssbms_defining_the_field/
2. http://blog.ssbmg.com/2014/09/16/towards-a-definition-of-
organizational-strong-sustainability-a-review-of-the-literature/
3. http://blog.ssbmg.com/2014/09/16/towards-business-design-principles-
for-strongly-sustainable-organizations/
• Thesis published – Sept 2013
– http://hdl.handle.net/10315/20777
– Now downloaded >1350 times

40.
40
Community Theory of Change
(Discussion / Refinement Required)
Theory of Change Prezi – first attempt to lay out the elements to achieve our community mission of “Our
objective is to assist and accelerate the shift of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at any stage of
development (from start-up to long lived) to a strongly sustainable mode of operations; we believe one key
approach to achieving this via the design and successful implementation Strongly Sustainable Business Models ”
wiki.ssbmg.com/home/streams and prezi.com/vp8kfcmf6iam/

41.
41
2011-2013 – Version 1* of a better Tool
© Antony Upward / Edward James Consulting Ltd., 2013 All rights reserved.
Based on 3 years of graduate research and conceptually better Canvas
is “powered by” its own ontology – the Strongly Sustainable Business
Model Ontology based on a comprehensive critique of Alex
Osterwalder’s profit-first Business Model Ontology (his 2004 PhD)
* The “pre-α”version of the canvas

42.
42
Reaction?
(Confidential Expert Respondents – 2012)
“I really liked is that it
really makes youmakes you
thinkthink about things
that you would never
consider before”
Management Consultant
“You've ratcheted it upYou've ratcheted it up to the
next degree of specificity and
made sure that it is truly about
sustainable businesses. Whereas
the current [tools] that I’ve seen,
honestly could be applied to any
kind of business”
Sustainable Business NGO
“The power of this thing is
it’s really the first to takethe first to take
the social aspect and thethe social aspect and the
biophysical intobiophysical into
considerationconsideration. And I
haven’t seen that that any
other business model
That would take that into
consideration”
Business Architect / Professor /
Consultant
“This is an
impressive
body of work”
Management
Consultant
“I like the tool and think
it provides a great way
to analyze a company”
Leader Eco-Industrial Park
“It’s about timeIt’s about time
somebody did
something like
this”
Author / Consultant
“I recognize this firm.”
“This gets the zeitgeist ofThis gets the zeitgeist of
who we arewho we are, which is great”
(Reacting to his business
described using the Canvas)
CTO Small Manufacturer
“If I was starting a
brand new business, a
significant business today,
I would use thisI would use this business
model to help me define
and develop a pure
detailed business plan”
Management Consultant

43.
43
Make it
“better,better,
faster,faster,
strongerstronger” ?
Learning by
Using / TestingTesting
it out someit out some
moremore?
But What About…?
(Ideas from All Research Respondents – 2012)
A better way to
introduce and
summarize the
canvas
A methodologymethodology for
designing great
sustainable
business models?
An “app” so I can
do this on my
tablet with my
clients?
A communitycommunity of
people using and
improving it?
Ensuring the design
principles align with
the emerging “Future
Fit Benchmark” for
Flourishing Business?
Training /
Workshops for
Social /
Environmental
Entrepreneurs ?
A Consulting Service
that uses the Canvas
to Diagnose and
Improve the
Sustainability of
Business?
The design principlesdesign principles to
help me come up with
great answers to the
questions the canvas
asks?
How about some
more examples and
case studiescase studies?

44.
44
But how about
earning an income
nownow?
The people developing this have
to have first hand experiencefirst hand experience
using the tool… without it you
won’t be credible when providing
advice, writing a book, nor fund
raising
But What About…?
(Ideas & Risks… from Team and Our Trusted Advisors 2013-14)
Organizing an effective
project, including a large
crowd-funding
campaign, need a lot of
planning – it takes timeit takes time
The “First
Explorers” of this
approach need
help if they are to
be good casecase
studiesstudies?
Getting one or two well
known organizations as
funders before ‘going
public’ with the a larger
community creates
significant additional
credibility
All the current
toolkit elements
need to be
documenteddocumented at a
consistent level of
detail

45.
45
2013 – Key Realizations…
• If we’re going to change the world at scale we need a global collaborative
approach to overtake the BMC as the tool of choice for designing business
models
– We simply have a better design tool for our emerging understanding of our world
and our role in it
– ALL business models of ALL human enterprises!
• We don’t want to “just”
– Help those few leaders who already “get it”
– Publish a book and sell a few professional services – we want to provoke a global
change movement in the purpose and culture of business
• We need a comprehensive global program: community, team, toolkit,
research & development, plans, budgets and legal entities to achieve this
goal
– We need to plan for this endeavour itself to be financially viable, socially beneficial
and environmentally regenerative – sustaining the possibility for the flourishing of
all our stakeholders – including ourselves!
– This will take time, we need to plan for our own flourishing for the long journey –
we expect to say “our overnight success took us x years of hard work”
What are the key elements of success for such a program that
comprehensively tests our theory of change while trying to bring it
about? (aka action research)

46.
46
““How do we want to be
How do we want to beremembered? We were
remembered? We werethe ones who got caught
the ones who got caught… trying something
… trying somethingaudacious” – Majora
audacious” – MajoraCarterCarter

47.
47
Old… …Entrepreneur as Hero
(Goes fast, but by themselves)

48.
48
New… …Entrepreneur as Convener
(Goes far by going together)

49.
49
read content
first &
exclusively
use the
canvas in
your own
business
now!
try it out –
be a case
study
interact with
Flourishing
Business
Thought
Leaders
influence
team & the
community
share your
experience,
gain from
others
demonstrateyour thoughtleadership toyour peers
exclusive
webinars
preferred access to
subsequent training &
consulting revenue
opportunities
your name /
organization
logo in book
credits
discounon finalbookprice
be a part of
the change
we need to
flourish
be a part ofsomething BIGBIG:
a global
flourishing
business
community
haveFun!
early access toimprovements
This lead to anThis lead to an
exploration of whyexploration of why
“first followers”“first followers”
might want tomight want to
meaningfully engagemeaningfully engage
in this project now?in this project now?

50.
50
+
Our Theory for Success – 1 / 3
Go Together through Pollination*
=
* Compare to “viral” approaches – virus’s harm, hurt and kill their hosts in their quest to propagate – pollination creates new life & flourishing

51.
51
Pollination is the fastest way to Get Committed
Followers to create a Movement*
• Every first-mover must have guts to the
“lone crackpot” until they have followers
– First movers need to be easy to follow
– Fun! Useful! Reputation Enhancing!
– Relationship not Transactions (social and financial)
• First-followers are a first-mover’s equals
– They have guts too
– Its about the nascent movement not the
first-mover
• Even a small crowd of first-followers is news
– and the news is both followers and first-movers
• Later followers tend to emulate the
first-followers not the leader
• With sufficient followers you have momentum and a movement is born
• Now the tables are turned – the people not following are at the risk of being left out –
but its not to late to be part of the “in-crowd” – if they hurry
– Leader crosses the chasm and enter the tornado (Geoffery Moore)
* https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement (Thanks to Brad Zarnett @TSSS for reminding me of this!)
Anyone can be leaderful – not everyone will be a leader all the time -
leaderful behaviour is the power behind the moment NOT the first-
mover (even pollinators take a break now and again)

52.
52
Our Theory for Success – 2 / 3
Experiment to Gain Experience

53.
53
Theory of Success – 3 / 3
My Perspective
• Put the goal at the centre of everything – not the organization
– Aim high – what if.., imagine a world where…
• Trust acting in alignment with your values will attract those who want to help you succeed
– People are drawn to your “why” not your organization and its brand
• Be a mentor – not a hero – everyone else is a hero – offer them genuine help and gifts
• Practice planful co-opportunism
– Cast a wide net
– Play it forwards
– Co-generate the required serendipity – “hope is not a management strategy”
– Pay attention when amazing serendipity happens (and it does)
– Spend effort where people pull you
• Consistently apply the 6 co-operative principles*
– We always do better together – when we care for each other
– Start to build the relationships / shared experience to realize the long term vision of a “Co-operative of
Flourishing Enterprise Innovators”
• Open to all who share in the goal of realizing the vision of human enterprises enabling the possibility for flourishing
for all forever
• Those who wish to co-operate to enable the possibility for flourishing for themselves and their stakeholders around
the world – environmentally, socially and economically
– Co-operation is not a zero sum or negative some game when scaled – unlike other legal structures
• Continuous improvement – always in everything
– Plan-do-check-act / use the method of scientific inquiry in our “action research” in the world
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_Principles#ICA_revision_.281966.29

54.
54
Our Theory for Success – Detail
• Enjoy Being the Change
– Authentic – purpose / passion driven
informed by our values
– Focus on Small / Medium Business
(they can change more easily)
• Existing and Start-ups
– Think Local, Adapt Global
– Radical Transparency with
Appropriate Protection
• Creative Commons Licensing
– B Corp Certified – Scoring >150/200
• Steps toward a Vision
– Iterative via multiple “Minimum Viable
Products” (MVP) over time
– Compliance with The Natural Step
Sustainability Principles
• Powered by the Crowd
– Committed & Engage
– Individuals & Organizations
• Research Enabling Continuous
Improvement
• Pollinate a Global Community
– Follow co-operative principles
– Mutually supportive eco-system
• Highly involved stakeholders
• Sharing of opportunities and revenues
• Maximize local opportunities, minimize
flying around!
– Collaborative writing / testing /
governance
– Spread the word
– Learn by Doing & from Each Other
– Use leverage to the max B Corps /
Locally oriented businesses

55.
55
( )
Feb 2014 – Toolkit
Core Development Team Convened
All Members of the OCAD University sLab SSBMGroup*
Bill Craig
Edmonton
Stephen Davies
Toronto
(via Wales)
Doug Gilbert
Denver
You?
TBD
Peter Jones
Toronto
(via Dayton, OH)
Alexandre Joyce
Montréal
Patricia Kambitsch
Toronto (via Dayton, OH)
Florian Lüdeke-
Freund
Hamburg
Harry Stoddart
Peterborough,
Ontario
Sebastian Straube
Berlin
Bruce Stewart
Toronto
(via Vancouver)
Antony Upward
Toronto
(via Birmingham)
Bob Willard
Whitby, Ontario
Manager (Advisor)
( )
Visual Design Lead (Contributor)
1. Introduction & Story Editor (Contributor)
2. Tool Lead (Contributor)
( )
( )
( )( )
( )
3. Design Principles Lead (Contributor)
4. Methods Lead (Contributor)
( )
( )
( )
5. Patterns & Case Studies Lead (Contributor)
Roles
West East
( )
Visual Designers
Kelly Kornet
Toronto
Additional Team
Members
Kritika Sharma
Toronto (via India)
( )
* Strategic Innovation Lab Strongly Sustainable Business Model Group – http://forum.SSBMG.com
Leo Mburu Toronto
(via Liverpool)
First
Explorer
Community
Animator( )

56.
56
Core Team Planned the Program
• Developed our business model– using the SSBMCanvas!
– For the project – down-to-action viable now striving towards long term flourishing
– For the long term for-profit business – aspirational long term vision for a
flourishing enterprise
• Developed comprehensive plan, including:
– Vision, mission, strategy, values and tactics – Business Model is backup
– Established initial roles, responsibilities, norms of behaviour
– Developed detailed project plan and budget
• Seeking funding while “just getting on with it” – sweat equity while searching
for paid work that both advances the project and wider practice and
pollinates the community
• Made all this available in public
– wiki.ssbmg.com/FBT-project/business-model
– As per radical transparency required for flourishing
– “Sunlight is the best disinfectant”
F2F / Virtual Convening Workshops May 2013; F2F Core Team
Workshops Toronto (OCADU sLab) Feb 2014 – “All for One, One for All”
(everyone invested, including paid their own way to attend)

57.
57
I need helpI need help
to designto design
my bettermy better
businessbusiness
OthersOthers
working
to
convince
the rest
to
change
We haveWe have
thethe betterbetter
tools youtools you
needneed
But where to start? Help Those
Who Have AlreadyAlready Decided to Do
Something Different
I need helpI need help
to design myto design my
flourishingflourishing
businessbusiness
Our Hypothesis
Our Hypothesis
… WhateverWhatever their starting point and reasoning
“Blue Suits”
“Green Suits”
Tell meTell me
again, what’sagain, what’s
the problem Ithe problem I
need to fix?need to fix?
“PinstripeSuits”

58.
58
Possibility for:
More Innovation
More Resilience
More Opportunity with Less Risk
We Imagine…
Better Tools toBetter Tools to
Help Apply thatHelp Apply that
Logic & ScienceLogic & Science
A NewA New
Logic forLogic for
FlourishingFlourishing
EnterpriseEnterprise
Toolkit ContentsToolkit Contents
• Tool (canvas)
• Design Principles for
Flourishing Business
• Methods for effective
use of the tool while
applying the principles
• Patterns and case
studies
Based onBased on
the Latestthe Latest
ScienceScience
Doing GoodDoing Good
toto Do WellWell

59.
59
Impact We Want Toolkit to Have…
We believe SMEs,We believe SMEs,
with their smallwith their small
management teamsmanagement teams
have the mosthave the most
ability to changeability to change
the most andthe most and
fastestfastest

60.
60
Passing
Benefit
Corporation
Legislation
Passing
Benefit
Corporation
Legislation
We Believe a Toolkit forWe Believe a Toolkit for
Flourishing Enterprise DesignFlourishing Enterprise Design
can, helpcan, help ALLALL these flourishingthese flourishing
enterprise innovation leaders beenterprise innovation leaders be
more successful… and manymore successful… and many
moremore besides!besides!

61.
61
Toolkit to be published as a
“book” – but not your typical
business “book”:
1. “Book” is not the end-goal, but
a key enabler to pollinate a
global movement
2. Inspired by design ethos of
Business Model Generation
3. Self-publish initially
• Find Agent & Publisher
– Marketing, Distribution, Translations
• “app”
– Design Tool
– Business Learning Game
• Community Revenue Opportunities via
– Training Service “Toolkit”
– Consulting Service “Toolkit”
– Education / Classroom “Toolkit”
– Sustainability Entrepreneur’s “Toolkit”
– Industry Specific “Toolkits”
– Sustainability Maturity Level Specific “Toolkits”
• Full alignment with emerging Future Fit Business Benchmark
– Measurement “Toolkit”
• Best Practices
• More Case Studies
Next
Later

62.
62
Proposed Table of Contents*†
* Book describes version 1.0 of our Flourishing Business Innovation Toolkit – which includes the Flourishing Business Canvas tool.
† Learning suggests we’ll replace “Business” with “Enterprise” as more inclusive – i.e. Flourishing Enterprise Canvas, Flourishing Enterprise (Model) Innovation, etc.

63.
63
After “Book” is Published…
• Flourishing Business Canvas will be made available under a Creative Commons License
– Free to use commercially & non-commercially*
– Minimize barriers to uptake of the key element of the toolkit to maximize likely of impact at scale
• Toolkit will be first product offering of a global for-profit co-operative business of “Flourishing Enterprise Innovators”
– Book will be first revenue stream based on the Toolkit intellectual property
• Initially focus sales on Flourishing Enterprise Innovation leaders globally – early adopters
• Then as market continues to shift on-going sales for the – early majority and beyond – overtaking Business Model Generation sales and impact replacing the
Business Model Canvas with the Flourishing Business Canvas as it is accepted as a better tool to design better businesses
– Other revenue streams will be:
• Branded training, workshops, labs
• Certification
• Apps and other electronic forms of the IP
• Industry Specific versions etc.
– Members wish to co-operate to enable the possibility for flourishing for themselves and their stakeholders around the world
• Members will be individuals and enterprises of all types who share in the goal of realizing the vision of human enterprises enabling the possibility for
flourishing for all forever
• Members expected to mostly be legal enterprises (inc. sole proprietors) not individuals
– First right of refusal for joining to:
• FBIToolkit Core Team Members and Volunteers (see next slides)
• FBIToolkit First Explorers (see later slides)
• Strategic Partners, Marque Funders and CrowdFunders
• SSBMGroup Community Members
• A not-for-profit Research Institute will co-ordinate relevant global on-going research
– Opportunities for on-going partnerships with education and research institutions
• An independent not-for-profit community will act as a global hub and clearing house for all flourishing enterprise innovators (incl.
but not exclusive to users of the co-ops toolkits)
* Current version must be licensed before use – at no cost via the Flourishing Business Innovation Toolkit “First Explorers” program
Toolkit project ends with the publication of the book – the program plan
(incl. co-op legal entity) then uses the book as a pollination tool to scale the
impact of the Toolkit in order realize the vision and complete the testing of
our theory of change

64.
64
Plan to Create Toolkit:
Releases to v1.0 and beyond
“Pre-α”
Today - α
β
v1.0
>v1.0
• v1 canvas + various levels of thinking on other topics
– Challenge: Not easy to learn or use
• Find Marquee Funders
– 2-4 Organizations / Independently Wealthy Individuals
• Core Devt. Team Creates α-Toolkit. incl. v2 canvas
• Core Devt. Team uses α toolkit to gain 1st
hand experience
– Own business / training / consulting / research
∀ α Toolkit used by 20-80 “First Explorers”
– Animation of and co-creation with this community is required
∀ α Toolkit published (print-on-demand “Handbook”)
• Core Devt. Team Creates β-Toolkit in light of experience with α
• Crowd-funding
– 500+ Individuals and organizations
• Crowd-funding collaborators use β-Toolkit
– Experiences shared within collaboration community
• Core Devt. Team Creates v1.0 Toolkit described in book
• Book released
• Co-op, Research Institute and Community Hub formally launched
• Toolkit evolution and expansion begins
Core Devt.Core Devt.
TeamTeam
Gains 1Gains 1stst
HandHand
ExperienceExperience
Core Devt. TeamCore Devt. Team
Learn fromLearn from
CollaboratorsCollaborators

65.
65
What Was Done Next?
So there is a team with
a theory for success to “power” a
theory of change to realize an audacious
vision, there is a plan for developing the
first version of the Toolkit in a way that
pollinates the change to the
next level of scale…
But… at this point the team
only had a pre-alpha canvas which
was clearly not ready for the prime
time and very limited experience for
its effective use to help people
design flourishing
business models…

66.
66
A tool that provides a common language in a useful visual framework to
enable you to collaboratively sketch, prototype, design, improve,
communicate, understand, measure, diagnose and tell stories about your
flourishing business model
Oct 2014 – Introducing …v2
Based on feedback on v1,
Based on feedback on v1,canvas was renamed and
canvas was renamed andmade more attractive
made more attractiveand easier to use
and easier to usethrough collaboration
through collaborationwith professional
with professionaldesigners on Core Team
designers on Core Team& OCADU MDes SFI
& OCADU MDes SFIstudents paid through a
students paid through a
small grant
small grant

67.
67
Based on 3 years of now peer reviewed research*;
Built on Alex Osterwalder’s 2004 PhD – the basis of the very
practical and successful Business Model Canvas
Oct 2014 – Introducing …v2†
† The “α”version of the canvas – now the key component of the Toolkit for Flourishing Business Innovation
* Upward, A., & Jones, P. H. (2016). An ontology for strongly sustainable business models: Defining an enterprise framework compatible
with natural and social science. Organization & Environment, Special Issue: Business Models for Sustainability: Entrepreneurship,
Innovation, and Transformation 29(1), 1-27. doi:10.1177/1086026615592933 & download manuscript: www.academia.edu/14461116

68.
68 V2.0© Antony Upward / Edward James Consulting Ltd., 2014 All rights reserved.
Flourishing Business Canvas – the language of tri-impactful
enterprise: 16 necessary and sufficient questions to describe a
flourishing business model: financially, socially, environmentally
A Business Model Tool for
Tri-Profitable Enterprise Design

69.
69
Key Points About
Flourishing Business Canvas – 1 / 2
• Didn’t delete concepts compared to BMC
• All 9 questions still there – you can move stickies
that describe the profit making elements of a
business model from the BMC to the FBC
without any changes
• AND then you’ll start to see, through the
additional and expanded questions, new
opportunities and new risks – that come from
the integrated view of the economic, social and
environment

70.
70
Key Points About
Flourishing Business Canvas – 2 / 2 *
• A common language for describing and designing
flourishing organizations
• Builds understanding of interconnections of the
organization with the world: Economically, Socially,
Environmentally
• Enables broader, deeper and richer conversations
about all aspect of value co-creation (and destruction)
• Provides context to enable collaboration – enabling
teams to align on key strategic decisions
The Flourishing Business Canvas: A key component of a
comprehensive innovation toolkit to collaboratively think through all the
aspects of an enterprise to create the possibility for flourishing – sketch,
prototype, design, improve, communicate, understand, measure,
diagnose and tell stories
* Separate articles, presentations, talks, videos, workshops, labs introduce / explain / give examples of the Flourishing Business Canvas

71.
71
Progress Since Fall 2014
• Process
• Academic
– Credentialing / publication
– Research
• Praxis / Project – “The Toolkit”
– First Explorers
– Collaboration with other projects
• In SSBMG
• Outside
– Co-developing, applying, testing content
– Marquee Funders
• Practice
– Go to market trials / action learning
• Plan do check act
– Recent Validation
– Customers
• Community – SSBMG – the driving force behind it all
– New ideas
– New people
– Sharing / collaborating

72.
72
The Feed-back and Feed-forward Loops
of Planful Co-opportunism
A new type of entrepreneurial / movement making –
it looks & feels very different from the mainstream /
silicon valley “hero” approach

73.
73
Academic Credentialing
• And as conference paper
– Jones, P. H., & Upward, A. (2014). Caring for the future: The systemic design of flourishing
enterprises. Proceedings of The Third Symposium of Relating Systems Thinking and Design
(RSD3), Oslo, Norway, 3(1) 1-8. Manuscript with Links to Presentation
www.academia.edu/14497937
• Original research published in high quality peer
reviewed journal
• Upward, A., & Jones, P. H. (2016). An ontology for strongly sustainable business models:
Defining an enterprise framework compatible with natural and social science. Organization &
Environment, Special Issue: Business Models for Sustainability: Entrepreneurship, Innovation,
and Transformation 29(1), 1-27. doi:10.1177/1086026615592933 & download manuscript:
www.academia.edu/14461116
• To our knowledge includes first critique in academic press of
Osterwalder’s original Business Model Ontology from any perspective
More on the way + quasi academic / practitioner book chapter
Uniquely amongst all other ‘sustainable’ business model tools proposed,
not only is the Flourishing Business Canvas conceptually powered by its
own formally defined ontology informed by systems-oriented economic,
environmental, social, organizational and psychological science, this
ontology has been credentialed via the peer-review publication process

74.
74
Academic Research – Next Steps
In addition overall action research approach funded by
“sweat equity”:
– SSBMGroup Cultural Flourishing Business Models project
received a small SSHRC grant last year and is now applying for
a larger Insight Grant
– University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Prof. Dr.
Rob Elkington is applying for a SSHRC Insight and other grants
for a significant longitudinal comparative study of the utility
of the Toolkit on the Flourishing Leadership outcomes for
Social Entrepreneurs in Ontario (Durham Region) and South
Africa (Cape Town Region)

75.
75
2013-16 First Explorers Program
• 43 individuals and organizations have signed free First Explorer
license to use α-Toolkit in return for providing feedback
– Further ~10 in process of signing agreement with ~3 per month applying
since Jan 2015
– Leo Mburu First Explorer Community Animator recruited / volunteered
(un-paid) to administer this program and more if / when funds available
(1-2 hours per week; expect backlog to take months to clear)
• First Explorers include:
– Project Core Team (using Toolkit in go-to-market efforts – see later slides)
– School for Social Entrepreneurs-Canada
– Forum for the Future
– Durham Region Community Innovation Lab
– OCADU via RECODE Impact Collective
– Global Leadership Initiatives
Significant opportunities to further animate this community to enable
them and the project to realize the full value of this program

76.
76
First Explorer Program – Next Steps
• Animate the community – get them using the
Flourishing Business Canvas and reporting experiences
via GoogleGroup
– first-explorers.FlourishingBusiness.org
• Requires
– Mural Training
– Handbook
• Short form of final book – will contain other elements of the α-Toolkit
– Design Principles, Method, Patterns & Cases
• Co-create this handbook / test it with the First Explorers
• Provides sellable artefact / give-away for people we’re co-creating
value with our professional, learning and coaching services
Pending Funding

77.
77
Collaboration with Related Endeavours
• The Toolkit and other projects inside and outside
SSBMG are highly symbiotic since they share the same
values and vision to help enterprises sustain the
possibility for flourishing for all forever informed by the
best available scientifically credentialed knowledge
– Extensive collaborations to these projects mutual benefit
started and continue
• The Toolkit project is actively exploring collaborations
with a range of others who share the Toolkit project’s
vision, values and goals, facilitated by the SSBMG

78.
78
Shared
Science-Based
Approach
Key Symbiotic Global Initiatives – 1 / 2
When we implement the business model
we’ve designed with the intention of
creating the possibility for flourishing, how
can we assess if we’ve done enough?
Described by Flourishing Business Canvas Defined by Future-Fit Business Benchmark
If our business is not able to attain the
future-fit benchmark goals, can we
collaboratively improve our business model
to enable that level of performance?
Future-Fit Business
Goals and KPIs
Your Business Model
Flourishing Business Canvas (www.FlourishingBusiness.org) Future-Fit Business Benchmark (www.FutureFitBusiness.org)

79.
79
Does Your Enterprise
Measure-up?
State in
Baseline
year
Competitor
Goals
Competitor
Current
State
Your Enterprise
today
Current
state
Your Tri-
Profitable
Enterprise
tomorrow
Unsustainable
Past

Flourishing
Future

Self-
defined
short-term
goals
Where is theWhere is the
Enterprise’sEnterprise’s
Visionary?Visionary?
Where do the business models lie?Where do the business models lie?
(current & target)(current & target)
Future-
Fit state
Best current
knowledge
Slide adapted with permission from www.FutureFitBusiness.org /
Dr. Bob Willard – Presentation to Strongly Sustainable Business
Model Group wiki.ssbmg.com/meeting/2016-01-12

80.
80
Key Symbiotic Global Initiatives – 2 / 2
When we implement the
business model we’ve designed
with the intention of creating the
possibility for flourishing, how
can we implement our desired
our enterprise design?
Described by Flourishing
Business Canvas
Harbourfront Centre & REFOCUS
(www.refocus.harbourfrontcentre.com)
Flourishing Business Innovation Toolkit
(www.FlourishingBusiness.org)
If we commit to truly sustainably
operations, and seek to demonstrate
that this enhances our performance,
how can we transform the
organization to make this possible?
Science-Based
Approach
Developed using the
REFOCUS Program Model
Your Business ModelYour Business Model
Work
underway to
fully align
with Science
Your TransformationalYour Transformational
ProgramProgram

81.
81
Possible Additional Symbiotic
Global Initiatives
• B Lab / Benefit Corporations
• Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
• International Living Futures Institute
– Living Building Challenge, Living Product Challenge, Living Community Challenge
– Declare, Just and Reveal Labelling Standards
• Transition Towns
• Future Fit Foundation
• GenuineWealth Foundation
• Forum for the Future
• SustainAbility
• Aim2Flourish / FlourishPrizes
– Affirmed by UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME)
• Global Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI)
• ThrivAbility Foundation
• Sustainable Design Awards
– Originated at OCADU and now Province Wide
• Social Business Models
There are many other initiatives underway around the global that share,
albeit often using different labels, the vision of a world in which enterprises
sustain the possibility for all to flourish forever – here are some we’re keen
to work with – many of whom we’ve some initial contact
What ever we call it –
all these folks are in
the same Big Tent

82.
82
Marquee Funders
• Seeking to raise project funding via donation from 2-3 funders
• aka R&D / working capital for t he co-operative
– A key pollination test - is our flower attractive enough to a funding bee?
• Depending on funding source may need a strategic partner through whom to
flow donations
– Project team members are private companies / individuals who need to be paid –
not a employees of a charity, NGO, etc.
• Seeking Funders and partners
– Who share our vision to accelerate the achievement of the future-fitness of all
human enterprises and their investors globally
– That work with same groups we seek to help - helping start-ups, existing small and
medium enterprises (for-profit, not-for-profit, social enterprises, hybrid, co-
operatives, Benefit Corporations, etc.) and (impact) investors
– Whose work would be enhanced through the use of better visual, collaborative,
systemic tools like ours,
– Who wish to get involved and shape the project,
– Who can provide material, relationships capital, practical support to secure grant
funding

83.
83
Funding Call
Funding of $300K will:
• Fund the activities in Phase 1 and the start of Phase 2 of the
project plan (see appendix)
α-Toolkit Handbook
– Professional public presence
– Collaboration platform to enable growing community to work effectively
together
– First Explorers Community Animation to get meaningful feedback on α-
Toolkit
– Talk, workshop, lab and professional services development
• Be used for professional services of: Project Manager, Core-
Team members in Canada and elsewhere, First Explorer
Community Animator, Web/Social Media Pollinator, Visual
Designer, Writer/Editor, Videographer

84.
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Go-to-Market Trials – Action Learning
Brands Under Active Testing in the Market via
Minimal Viable Offerings
– Flourishing Business – learning services for all
– BetterMy.biz – Services for SME’s and
Growth Stage Impact Investors
– Lean4Flourishing – Services for Tri-Impact
Entrepreneurs and Early Stage Impact Investors
– Personal brands invested
• Antony Upward, Harvey Weisfeld, Stephen Davies,
Bruce Stewart, Russ Christianson, Ondine Hogeboom
• All First Explorers, not all Core Team!
– Legal Entities powering the Brands
• Edward James Consulting Ltd, Wiser Solutions,
Transformation by Design, Bruce Stewart Consulting,
Rhythm Communications, Ondine Hogeboom Consulting
– Via professional services communities
• Global Leadership International
Going-to-market not only helps us achieve some financial
sustainability as we gain 1st hand practical experience using the
α-Toolkit, it demonstrates to funders the market reaction and it
informs value propositions and revenue model for long term
business – co-operative of flourishing enterprise innovators!

85.
85
2014-16 Keynotes, Workshops &
Labs: Developed*
• Introductory
– Story – Why I need a flourishing business model
– 3 min audio / visual animation (prezi)
– 2 x 10 minute videos – more on the way
– 20, 30 and 60 minute Keynote talk
• Introduce concept of flourishing, how this applies to enterprises, the value of the business model design approach supported by appropriate tools
– 4 hour introduction hands-on workshop
• Co-Creative Skills for Collaborating Entrepreneurs & Stakeholders
– 2 and 4 hour workshop
• Hands on case study of business models of existing B Corp’s in the Food Sector (Analytic)
– 20 minutes – gamified, 2 hour, 4 hours
• Experiential design (Synthetic)
– Case study based
• 1 hour – Co-operative Business Succession
• Full-day – Design an innovation for an existing business
– Role playing simulation a B Corp
• Half-day and full-day – Designing the business model of a new enterprise
– Case “Dirt-to-Shirt in 500km” value constellation (Apparel)
– Case Green Building – includes both product design (the building) and Business Model Design to build/operate the building)
• Labs
– Full-day with early-stage social enterprises with entrepreneurs and their stakeholders
– 2 and 4 hour with later stage entrepreneurs: explore their for-profit business model (risk & opportunity identification)
To start to share the Flourishing Experience and gain experience in its
use we have developed and a range of workshops and labs
* 1 page briefs for each of these workshops available and labs available

86.
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2014-16 Keynotes, Workshops &
Labs: Delivered
• 40+ workshops and labs delivered to over 1000 attendees in 5 countries in last 20 months (to Feb
2016)
• Of these delivery was funded only at the following (in this order):
– Global Forum for Business as Agent for World Benefit, Fowler Center for Sustainable Value Case Western
Reserve University (Attendees paid)
– Plymouth University Business School Futures Entrepreneurship Centre (Local Funds)
– Hamburg University Faculty of Economics and Business (Local Funds)
– OCAD University DesignJam (OCE Campus Linked Accelerator)
• 2 half-day, 1 full day, 4 x 2 hour workshops at Big Tent event
– Sustainable Corps at Centre for Social, OCADU Impact Collective (Attendees paid)
• Keynote, 2 two-hour and 2 half-day
– University of Toronto MSc Sustainability Management (Program Funds)
– Durham Region Community Innovation Lab (OCE Ontario Social Impact Voucher pilot)
– OCAD Impact Collective (McConnell RECODE)
• Delivery will be Q1 2016
– EIT-Climate-KIC Pan-EU Climate Change adaptation and mitigation program – flourishing business design
for innovation & sustainability learning materials development and delivery
– School for Social Entrepreneurs – Ontario
• Delivery in 2016
Based on very positive feedback from initial delivery, significant interest
in further funded delivery by other OCE Funded RICs via OCAD U
DesignJam / OCE CLA funding, EU Funded pan-European Climate-KIC
program, School for Social Entrepreneurs-Canada and others

87.
87
2014-16 Keynotes, Workshops &
Labs: Delivered – Selection
40+ workshops and labs40+ workshops and labs
delivered to over 1000delivered to over 1000
attendees in 5 countries inattendees in 5 countries in
last 20 months (to Feb 2016)last 20 months (to Feb 2016)

88.
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Learning Services – Next Steps
• Flourishing Enterprise Design for Innovation
– Competency Model
– Learning Materials
– Delivery Services
• Complete Flourishing Enterprise Curriculum
– Entrepreneurs / Start-ups (early-growth)
– Leaders / Managers Existing SMEs (change)
– Civil Society Leaders – civil servants, NGOs, Charities
(transformation / not-for-profit)

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Integrated Flourishing Enterprise
Coaching / Professional Services Model
In our service design we integrate coaching and professional services to
maximize the client’s depth and speed of learning on all fronts through a
consistent plan-do-check-act approach – we believe this is a significant
innovation and differentiator

90.
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2014-15 Professional Services:
Developed
• Integrated Coaching, Assessment, Diagnosis, Design
and Value Discovery services developed* and promoted
to tri-impact
– Investors
– Encouragers (hubs, incubators, etc.)
– Enterprises (for-profit, not-for-profit)
– Consultants
• Significant hopper of opportunities / clients developed
from scratch
• Significant work undertaken to build relationships
needed to create qualified funnel of paid work
* See separate presentation for details

91.
91
2014-15 Professional Services:
Offers*
• Our approach helps tri-impact enterprises, their funders and
stakeholders effectively undertake strategy assessment and
development at many steps of their journey
A Start-up From concept to proven business model
B Find Funding to Scale Ensuring capability to grow and readiness for
funding
C Enterprise Succession From decision to sell through new owner control
D Enterprise Innovation New product / service design and associated
business model development and testing
E Value Network Innovation Multi-stakeholder collaborations to resolve
systemic barriers to tri-impact creation
F Tri-Impact Performance
Assessment
Financial, social and environmental reporting, risk
analysis and opportunity identification
The services are designed help tri-impact enterprises flourish at
all stages of development
* 1 page briefs for each of these service offers available

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• Assess Quality and Completeness of a Business
Plan for Impact Investor or Impact Investment
Applicant
– Environmentally, Socially, Economically
– Template Report and Delivery Method
• Co-operative Succession Process
– From: current owner considering selling
– To: New co-operative operating business
– 18 Step Succession Process
2014-15 Professional Services:
Examples*
* Longer briefs and / or template deliverables available

93.
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2012-15 Growing the
Community
• SSBMG is a “knowledge mobilization” action research community hosted
by the OCADU Strategic Innovation Lab convened by Prof. Nabil Harfoush
and co-founded with Prof. Peter Jones, Prof. Jeremy Bowes and Antony Upward
• On-line Presence: www.SSBMG.com forum.SSBMG.com (LinkedIn Group) wiki.SSBMG.com blog.ssbmg.com
literature.ssbmg.com files.SSBMBG.com tv.SSBMG.com facebook.SSBMG.com twitter.SSBMGcom
• A number of initiatives undertaken as collaborations by members
– Toolkit, Flourishing Cultural Business Models, Future Fit Business Benchmark underway
– Methods for Flourishing Enterprise Design and Patterns of Flourishing Enterprises under discussion
• SSBMG membership growth continues
– 2012-2014 – reached 300 members
– 2015 Jan-Oct – added 225 members (total at 525)
– 2015 Nov-Jan 2016 – added 25 (total 550)
– All continents represented; Solid mix of practitioners, researchers and graduate students
• SSBMG activity is growing
– Meeting live regularly F2F/Virutal
• Feb 2016 was 48th
monthly meeting
• Attendees – solid mix of F2F (Toronto) and elsewhere (Timezone challenges)
• 2 projects secured small grants to fund OCADU MDes SFI students
All work of to plan, organize, promote, run monthly meetings and initial
projects in the SSBMG has been undertaken without funding. Detailed
report of SSBMG activity and benefits to OCAD U available
Improved Group
Governance Model
Under-Discussion

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2014-16 Validation / Feedback
• The lack of a language, tool, design principles and method for flourishing
business is a recognized problem that needs to be addressed
– Existing business model design tools outdated or incomplete
– Enhancements to current tools
• Don’t go far enough – missing aspects of economic, social, environmental
• Aren’t rigorous – not based on applicable available inter-disciplinary science
• People are actively looking for a practical solution to this highly complex
problem
• Flourishing Business Canvas is starting to be recognized as first practical
solution – its ready for thought-leaders to undertake significant experiments
in many situations
• Our theory of change, overall project approach and plans are seen as
audacious, but possible
– Continuing to attract interest, positive feedback and encouragement
Positive feedback from potential clients, funders, academic
reviewers, professional colleagues, workshop and lab
participants from around the world

95.
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Other Evidence
• Number, growth and wide-spread location of SSBMG
members and First Explorers
• People finding us despite lack of SEO
– LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Academia.edu
– Across platforms community has ~2500 social media
“follows”
• >1350 Downloads of original thesis
– US, Canada, Germany, UK, China, Denmark, Netherlands,
France, Brazil, other (131)
– 8 cites of original thesis,
– 3 cites of 2016 peer-reviewed summary
• >5500 Views of ~3 min audio/visual intro
Additional evidence we’re building some presence and
beginning to be noticed

96.
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Movement’s First-Followers
• Appears we appear to be attractive enough + timing is right – context is
changing (COP21, SDGs, etc.)
– More people changing their plans to align with / build on ours
– Pollination is starting to work
• Long term collaborators are investing even more
– Core team – particularly mgt team – Peter, Stephen, Bruce, Bill, Antony + Florian,
Bob, Harry, Patricia
– Close Friends & Volunteers – Harvey, Russ, Ondine, Javier, Claire, Krittika, Kelly,
Andrew, Leo
• Additional first-followers starting to respond to our open invitation to
collaborate with us
– “How can we help?”
– “How can I benefit?”
Moving from “nut case” to “bleeding edge innovation”…
will ridicule from main-stream be far behind?

97.
97
What’s Next for 2016?
Wow, given you’ve no
money and no formal
organization you’ve made a
ton of progress on many
fronts… so what’s next for
2016?

98.
98
Next Steps for 2016
• Continue learning and professional services
work to gain first-hand experience and revenue
• Seek strategic partner to help us find and flow
funding from 1-3 marquee funders
• Use funds to:
– Animate First Explorer Community
• Accelerate getting additional feedback
• Provide Handbook and Active Assistance
– Prepare to pollinate community to support for the
co-creation with them of the book / toolkit

99.
99
Personal Assessment
Which way will the wind blow in the first months of
2016: will these clouds clear or is a storm gathering?

100.
100
Toolkit Project:
Personal Assessment – Jan 2016 – 1 / 2
• Very limited financial support for all activities to date
– One very small academic grant to fund students
– Time to deliver (not develop) some workshops and labs has been compensated
– Financial sustainability of further participation by core team in question
• Significant pro-bono support from many
– 5+ years of investment by convening entrepreneur
• Very largely sweat equity / significant financial opportunity cost
– Core Team Members
• Including funding travel to meeting in Toronto from around the world
– OCAD University
• Brand, network, space and facilities
• Canvas is ready for use, documentation of other elements of the α-Toolkit is
lacking
α- Toolkit Handbook is required to make it easier for people to use the Canvas
– Ability of First Explorers to use Canvas without significant support not possible
Funding the project will enable us to retain the commitment
from the people with the passion, knowledge and skills to build
on the significant achievements to date

101.
101
Toolkit Project:
Personal Assessment – Jan 2016 – 2 / 2
• Public face of the project doesn’t have necessary level of professional look
and feel be attractive to future participants
– Website, social media presence, videos, presentations, documentation, etc.
• First explorer program membership continues to grow, but majority of
existing members mostly inactive
– Comprehensive and multi-facetted animation of this community is urgently
required to ensure these pollinators see the Toolkit as “good” and “useful”, are
willing to pollinate their network during the next phase of pollination, and provide
the project get meaningful feedback required for continuous improvement
• Significant effort has been expended to generate a funnel of opportunities for
core team members to gain paid hands-on deep dive experience in the use
the Toolkit with enterprises of all kinds, but finding customers #1, #2 and #3
has been very challenging
– Finding early customers for new services is always challenging; unsurprising
– Key way to speed up finding paid work is via relationship-based introductions to
potential customers from people/organizations they already trust
A strategic partner willing to use their relationships to help the
project find funding and relevant paid work will enable the
momentum to continue to grow

102.
102
Challenges &
Opportunities
for a
Strategic
Partner
Our On-Going & Open Invitation
Join us in founding a Values-Aligned Dream Team of First Movers to
create and pollinate the Global Flourishing Enterprise Movement We
Urgently Need: How much value could this create for you?
Which of your challenges could this improve?
Challenges &
Opportunities
for Marquee
Funders
Challenges &
Opportunities for
Flourishing
Business
Innovation
Toolkit
Project/Program
Growing GlobalGrowing Global
Community of FlourishingCommunity of Flourishing
Enterprise Designers,Enterprise Designers,
Consultants, Researchers…Consultants, Researchers…

103.
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www.FlourishingBusiness.org
@FlourishingBiz
www.SSBMG.com
@StronglySustain #SSBMG
a project by
members of
ThisworkislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike4.0UnportedLicense.Permissionsbeyondthescope
ofthislicensemaybeavailableathttp://www.EdwardJames.biz/Permissions
FlourishingBusinessesInnovationToolkit–TheStorySoFar…
Version1.12016-02-09
©EdwardJamesConsultingLtd,SomeRightsReserved
Appendix / Back-up

104.
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Proposal*:
A Project to Create Our Business†
1. Business Proposal
• Our Declaration of Purpose
– Our Beliefs and Commitments
– Our Vision, Mission, Strategy, Values
• Our Theory of Change
• Tactics: Our Learning & Development Program
• Metrics: Our Definition of Acceptable Success
Business Models
• Project & On-Going
2. Book Proposal
• Describes version 1.0 of our Toolkit
• First product of our business
3. Core Development Team Roles and Responsibilities
4. Detail Plans
• For project to create Toolkit v1.0 and to establish our business
* Described in 9 separate documents –
http://wiki.ssbmg.com/book-project/business-model#TOC-Business-Proposal-and-Detailed-Planning-Documents;
Draft detailed budget prepared.
† Working name: Co-operative of Flourishing
Enterprise Innovators: Members wish to co-operate to
enable the possibility for flourishing for themselves and
their stakeholders around the world. Members will be
individuals and enterprises of all types who share in the
goal of realizing the vision of human enterprises enabling
the possibility for flourishing for all forever. Members
expected to mostly be legal enterprises (inc. sole
proprietors) not individuals. “First right of refusal” for
joining to:
• FBIToolkit Core Team Members and
Volunteers (see previous slides)
• FBIToolkit First Explorers
(see previous slides)
• Strategic Partners, Marque Funders and Crowd
Funders
• SSBMGroup Community Members

105.
105
Our Business Vision
• Our business strives to only create positive
environmental, social, and economic value for
all its stakeholders, contributing to the
possibility that human and other life will flourish
on our single shared planet forever: we do well
by doing good, while continuously endeavouring
to do no harm.*
• We will achieve this vision in timeframes that
minimize the harm to the flourishing of human
and other life.
* The goal for a Flourishing Business, with minor changes, from the Future-Fit Benchmark for Truly Sustainable Business
http://www.FutureFitBusiness.org

106.
106
Our Business Mission
1. Fomenting a system level change: the
permanent shift in the goals, operating logic*
and outcomes of all Small and Medium
Enterprises so they proactively enable resilient
sustainability as the possibility for flourishing.
2. Creating a passionate, values-driven, for-
impact and for social purpose organization
that aims to consistently produce an
acceptable level of environmental, social and
monetary profit for the foreseeable future.
* Strategies, business models and processes

107.
107
Our Strategy
• We believe that the most powerful lever we have to
complete our mission is the development, delivery and
continuous improvement of a multi-faceted toolkit that
helps SME business people world-wide undertake the
required shift in goals, operating logic and outcomes.
• Our business strives to have authentic enjoyable
relationships with all stakeholders: behaving at all times
in an ethical, radically transparent and open manner,
striving for win-win while being place aware and
aligned with the science of flourishing.
Our Values

108.
108
Overall Plan to Create Toolkit:
Releases to v1.0 and beyond
“Pre-α”
Today - α
β
v1.0
>v1.0
• v1 canvas + various levels of thinking on other topics
– Challenge: Not easy to learn or use
• Find Marquee Funders
– 2-4 Organizations / Independently Wealthy Individuals
• Core Devt. Team Creates α-Toolkit. incl. v2 canvas
• Core Devt. Team uses α toolkit to gain 1st
hand experience
– Own business / consulting / research
∀ α Toolkit used by “First Explorers”
– Animation of and co-creation with this community is required
∀ α Toolkit published (print-on-demand “Handbook”)
• Core Devt. Team Creates β-Toolkit in light of experience with α
• Crowd-funding
– 200-500 Individuals and organizations
• Crowd-funding collaborators use β-Toolkit
– Experiences shared within collaboration community
• Core Devt. Team Creates v1.0 Toolkit described in book
• Book released
• Evolve toolkit
– Based on wiki.ssbmg.com/FBT-project/complementary-toolkit-elements
Core Devt.Core Devt.
TeamTeam
Gains 1Gains 1stst
HandHand
ExperienceExperience
Core Devt. TeamCore Devt. Team
Learn fromLearn from
CollaboratorsCollaborators

109.
109
FBIToolkit Project Plan – up to and
including launch of Co-op

110.
110
Toolkit Development Phases aka
Phases of the Collaboration Project
Self Study / Mutual
Support + Workshops
+ eBook / PoD
α
1
Core Devt. Team
Content Leaders
& Contributors
Core Devt. Team
+ First Explorers
TBD +
α+Canvas
published in short
book
Core Devt. Team
Content Leaders
via Webinar etc.
β
2
Core Devt. Team
Content Leaders
& Contributors
Crowd-Funding
Collaborators
TBD
AU + Learning
Map
Delivered
to Users via
Pre-α
Toolkit
Version
0
Phase
AU +
SSBMGroup
teams
Co-Created
By
AU + First
ExplorersUsers
Thesis +
Working DocsFormat
…various
>v1.0
4+
Co-op Members
…and beyond
+ App etc.
Self-Published
Book
v1.0
3
Core Devt. Team
Content Leaders
& Contributors
Book Readers
Core Devt. TeamCore Devt. Team
has sufficienthas sufficient
learning tolearning to
developdevelop ββ-Toolkit?-Toolkit?
Core Devt. Team hasCore Devt. Team has
sufficient learning tosufficient learning to
develop toolkit v1.0?develop toolkit v1.0?
Phase
Completed
When
Core Devt. TeamCore Devt. Team
committed to proceedcommitted to proceed
based on detailed plans –based on detailed plans –
Feb 2014Feb 2014

111.
111
Toolkit Current State Assessment: Jan 2016
Conceptual
Chapter Conceptual Content
Assessment of Current Completeness
Against Requirements for Minimal Viability
Explanation for
Core-Development Team
& First Explorers
(α-Toolkit)
Explanation for
Collaborators
(β-Toolkit)
Explanation for Target
Audience via Book
(Toolkit v1.0)
1. Introduction 75% 40% 20%
2. Visual Design
Tool
90%
(v2 canvas released)
50% 20%
3. Design Principles 30% 20% 10%
4. Methods 60% 40% 10%
5. Case Studies and
Patterns
70%[1]
20% 10%
– Companion
Website
40%[2]
25%[3]
0%
– Visual Design 50% 30% 0%
– Story Design 75% 30% 15%
[1]
The α-Toolkit will include relatively little information concerning patterns and cases studies. The experience the Core Development
Team gains using α-Toolkit the will provides the patterns and cases for the β-Toolkit.
[2]
Assume we clean-up the existing wiki and make everyone aware of the various sources of information on line included in the learning map
- youTube, SlideShare, etc.
[3]
Assuming we leverage the existing wiki, bringing this content into the crowd-funded collaboration platform (see Crowd-Funding and
Collaboration Platform Requirements document): http://wiki.SSBMG.com

112.
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Help bring Flourishing Business
Innovation to the World!
 Become a “First Explorer”
– Enables commercial use of the new Canvas now
40 organizations & individuals around the globe have joined so far
 Join the quest
– Crowd-funded collaborative book project
Working Title: Flourishing Business Innovation
– 12 International co-authors identified
– Crowd-funding in 2016-17
Individuals and Organizations
Backers also get immediate commercial rights to use new Canvas
Everyone else will have to wait for the book
– Self Publish 2016-17
Canvas released under a Creative Commons License free for commercial use
 Connect to like-minded colleagues
– Linkedin and Facebook
540+ Members from around the globe
@FlourishingBiz #
FlourishingBiz
inquiry@FlourishingBusiness.org www.FlourishingBusiness.org

113.
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Join 550+ colleagues: http://forum.SSBMG.com
Monthly presentations – virtual & F2F
www.facebook.com/StronglySustainableBusinessModels @StronglySustain
#SSBMG
info@SSBMG.com
www.SSBMG.com
Learn More
– ~3 minute Audio/Visual Overview
about.SSBMG.com
• Focus Areas
– wiki.ssbmg.com/home/streams
• Videos
– youTube.com/ssBusinessModelTV
• Learning Map
– wiki.SSBMG.com/home/learning-map
– Includes case studies
• Blogs
– blog.SSBMG.com
Strongly Sustainable
Business Model Resources

114.
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Copyright
• All images used under applicable creative
commons licences – see notes on each page
© Antony Upward / Edward James Consulting Ltd.,
2016. Some rights reserved.
– Permissions available at www.EdwardJames.biz
/Permissions
– This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License

115.
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