Difference between revisions of "Playbook"

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== The Bootstrap Community ==
+
[http://www.tinyurl TinyURL] to the playbook - http://tinyurl.com/yrlwsd
  
Core Beliefs
+
== Contributors ==
 +
*[http://community.bootstrapnetwork.com Bijoy]
 +
*[http://www.PerceptionLabs.com/ Jonathan McCoy]
 +
*[http://www.kevinkoym.com Kevin Koym]
 +
*[http://www.weblogsky.com Jon Lebkowsky]
 +
*[http://www.marcyhoen.com Marcy Hoen]
  
(from Bijoy – not just bootstrapping, about trust, community, growth, etc)
+
== The Bootstrap Community ==
  
Bootstrapping and the Bootstrap Stages
+
Bootstrap Network exists to activate and support bootstrappers to build successful ventures. It didn't start out this way, but we now understand that our role is to support the individual bootstrapper in their quest to become viable in the marketplace. We do so by creating a community of fellow-bootstrappers who can help each other. [[Image:yinyangcommcomm.jpg|left|thumb|300px]]
  
The Bootstrap Network introduces an innovative framework for building a venture for long-term success. While bootstrapping itself is timeless, the Bootstrap Community is about breaks principles of Bootstrapping down to simple stages:
+
This also means that we put community and commerce in their appropriate place (see the accompanying bootstrap logo). Selling to each other is NOT the primary activity within the community - community is about fellowship, support, help. Of course, bootstrappers do indeed work with each other, sometimes in trade and sometimes in transactions. Bootstrap itself is primarily a community and therefore many of our encouraged behaviors are for bootstrappers to adopt this mindset when interacting with Bootstrap and their fellow bootstrappers. Initiatives like [[Boot Karma]] are community-enhancing and also honor our need for support when our ventures are still in the [[Valley of Death]] stage. During this critical time, we are short on dollars and long on time.
* Ideation –
 
* Valley of Death
 
* Growth –
 
  
(from Bijoy)
+
Conversely, we are in FULL support of the marketplace and the entire objective is for all of us to create sustainable ventures that thrive by creating products and services that are valued by our customers in the marketplace. Bootstrappers focus on customers (not investors until early Growth). Every bootstrapper wants to emerge from the [[Valley of Death]], which means that what we create is valued by customers - who buy because they experience true value from what we do for them.
  
Goals of the Community
+
Please read the [http://www.bootstrapaustin.org/wiki/index.php/Welcome_to_Bootstrap_Austin_from_Bijoy_Goswami%2C_the_founder#History_and_Context History and Context] section to see how Bootstrap has evolved (circled around the yinyang!) to our unique integration of community and commerce.
  
(insert Goals of Bootstrap Community Slide here)
+
A new book, [http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-Decisions/dp/006135323X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214930877&sr=8-1 Predictably Irrational], explains this tension in terms of "social exchanges" versus "market exchanges.
  
Community Structure
+
== Bootstrap Stages ==
 +
The Bootstrap Stages are described in the [[Bootstrap Map]] and comprise: [[Matrix]], [[Preideation]], [[Ideation]], [[Valley of Death]], [[Growth]] and [[Rebootstrap]].
  
The bootstrap community is one of member contribution. The community has been structured to facilitate the improvement of the organization by making it easy for others to contribute – while at the same time advancing their own venture goals.
+
The Bootstrap Community is comprised of bootstrappers in Ideation, VoD and Growth. The Network offers services/education to schools and other learning institutions to bring bootstrapping to those in Preideation. We also offer services to communities, cities and large organizations to help them Bootstrap. These services are provided in collaboration with Bootstrap [[Collaborator]]s and are described in detail in the [[Bootstrap Services]] page.
  
(insert info from ‘levels of community Participation here)
+
== Bootstrap Principles==
 +
[[Bootstrap Principles]]
  
(insert short description of structure involving administrative and change of organization)
+
A deeper explanation and synthesis of the stages and principles of bootstrapping is available at the [http://www.bootstrapbootcamp.com Bootstrap Bootcamp]. (The Bootcamp is an example of a collaboration between the Bootstrap Network and Bootstrap [[Collaborator]], Joshua Shipsey of [http://www.commsim.com Communication Simulations])
  
Resources and Tools
+
== Goals of the Community ==
  
Within Community:
+
The primary goal of the Bootstrap community is to create an environment that helps each participant advance through the stages of their own venture by taking the right action at the right time. It's important to note that sometimes the right action is to move backwards through the stages, say from VoD to Ideation. 
* Bootstrap Wiki
 
* Yahoo Group Archives
 
* Bootstrap Blog
 
  
Suggested Reading:
+
[[Image:Boot_Community_Goals.PNG|right|thumb|500px]]
* Books..  
+
Simply stated Bootstrap Austin aims to help each venture:
* Websites..
+
# Gain the 'right' '''knowledge'''
 
+
# And make the 'right' '''connections'''
(expand)
+
# So that each venture can leverage their unique '''skills''' and '''resources'''
 
+
# In order to, '''''Take the right action at the right time'''''
== Community Roles ==
 
 
 
=== Definitions ===
 
 
 
'''Participant''' - Participants are members of the bootstrap community that take on a limited level of involvement.  A participant, while a bootstrapper, usually does not consider the Bootstrap Community to be one of the top 3 organizations that they participate in.  The goal of the typical participant is casual learning, and keeping their eyes open for beneficial activities throughout the group.
 
 
 
Requirements: 
 
* Must be a bootstrapper
 
Typical Participation: 
 
* Observation of Yahoo Group;
 
* Observation of Social Networking Community;
 
* Casual Learning
 
Community Systems: 
 
* Boostrap Social Network;
 
* Yahoo Groups
 
 
 
'''Active Participant''' - Active participants are bootstrappers who regularly participate in one or many activities within the Bootstrap Community.
 
 
 
Requirements: 
 
* Active commitment to help him/herself through venture phases;
 
* Commitment to interact with others towards the same goal of venture development.
 
Typical Participation: 
 
* Monthly Meetings;
 
* Participation in one or more Subgroup;
 
* Contributes to Yahoo Group;
 
* Posts Completed Profile on Bootstrap Social Network.
 
Community Systems: 
 
* Bootstrap Social Network;
 
* Yahoo Groups;
 
* Complimentary Currency (in Development)
 
 
 
'''Contributor''' - A contributor is a Bootstrapper who has come to understand the organization, has identified a generalized need of some subset of Bootstrappers, and is willing to contribute to the organization in order to provide some resource that fulfill this need.
 
 
 
Requirements: 
 
* Has been an Active Participant of the community for 3 months or more;
 
* Has completed the registration process for Contribution and, if necessary, new initiative creation.
 
Typical Participation: 
 
* Creation and/or management of a subgroup formed by Industry, by Venture Stage, or by Topic.
 
Community Systems: 
 
* Bootstrap Social Network;
 
* Yahoo Groups;
 
* Complimentary Currency (in Development)
 
 
 
 
 
'''Collaborator''' A collaborator is a Bootstrapper who has not only generalized a need of the community – but feels they have created a resource to fulfill this need as a product or service.  Collaborators use the members of the Bootstrap Community to get product validation, feedback and even customers.  Both the community and the Collaborator benefit from this arrangement, and if successful can lead to the a larger market release of the product as a new venture. 
 
 
 
Requirements: 
 
* Has been an Active Participant of the community for 3 months or more;
 
* Has completed the registration process for Collaboration;
 
Typical Participation: 
 
* Release and Rollout of Alpha/Beta product/service within community;
 
* Integration of Product/Service in one or more Bootstrap Initiative;
 
* Feedback activity with members of Bootstrap Community
 
Community Systems: 
 
* Bootstrap Social Network;
 
* Yahoo Groups;
 
* Complimentary Currency (in Development)
 
 
 
=== Participating ===
 
 
 
Becoming a participant within the group is predicated on the desire to contribute mutually to those in the organization. 
 
 
 
Policies:
 
* No Solicitation
 
* No attacking of community members
 
* No complaining about stuff – if its broken then contribute to fix it
 
 
 
Opportunities:  The Bootstrap Community is a constantly changing place that holds many different types of activities for its members.  The most current list of initiatives can be found here – (insert link to wiki)
 
* Learning:
 
** Models – Bootstrapping, MRE/5D framework
 
** Skills – Breakout sessions, topic specific subgroups
 
** Knowledge – Sharing knowledge, subgroups, archives
 
* Connection – Meeting others within the group:
 
** Meetings
 
** Bootstrap Connector
 
** Leveraging Bootstrap Social Network
 
*Contribution and Collaboration
 
 
 
(insert process to become an Active Participant)
 
 
 
=== Contribution ===
 
 
 
(insert process to become a contributor)
 
 
 
=== Collaboration ===
 
 
 
(insert process to become a contributor)
 
 
 
== ADMINISTRATION AND CHANGE ==
 
 
 
(This section to detail the process of tracking participation with the group – updates on roles, initiatives, etc)
 
 
 
(This section will also address, briefly, a mechanism for change in the organization specific to structure and community participation/contribution)
 
 
 
 
 
== COMMUNITY CHECKLIST ==
 
 
 
(this will be a stand-alone page which has easy to reference checklists for fulfilling the preocesses required to join community, actively participate, become a contributor, or collaborator)
 
 
 
Joining the Community
 
 
 
Becoming an Active Participant
 
 
 
Becoming a Contributor
 
 
 
Becoming a Collaborator
 
  
 +
It is this simple goal that drives the interaction between participants of the Bootstrap Community and the organization as a whole.  Building a business is about expending resources in order to take a venture to the next level.  Each bootstrapper is on a personal quest to use their own unique set of skills and resources to evolve their business in the most efficient and sustainable way possible.  The Bootstrap Community is here to present knowledge of entrepreneurship and facilitate empowering relationships that allow each entrepreneur to take the right action at the right time.
  
 +
As the Bootstrap Community itself matures, the community becomes a repository for information about building a venture.  It is a vast library where, amongst its members, archives and supporting tools, any bootstrapper can be pointed to information that is relevant to their current situation in their venture.  And, even better than this, when the group's information library is missing something, or perhaps lacks the latest and greatest information - each and every member is empowered to be able to contribute.
  
 +
[[Boot Board]]s are a key initiative for bootstrappers to move through the stages. Boards are organized by stage and comprise 5-7 bootstrappers meeting once a month for a year.
  
 +
== Community Structure ==
  
 +
The bootstrap community is one of member contribution.  The community has been structured to facilitate the improvement of the organization by making it easy for others to contribute – while at the same time advancing their own venture goals.
  
 +
[[Image:Boot_Community_Roles.PNG|left|thumb|500px]]
  
 +
The illustration shown of community participation within the bootstrap community is considered over time.  That is to say, it is kind of a snapshot of what participatory roles might look like at any given time or over any given period of time.
  
 +
The community assumes that participants will migrate between community roles as is appropriate for the entrepreneur, for their venture, and for the community.  This is important to note, because contributing to the Bootstrap Community does not need to be limited to playing a particular role over a defined period of time.  Rather, it is about the participant participating/contributing in a certain role, and then taking on contributions that are appropriate from that position.
  
 +
''[[Participant]]s'' can become ''[[Active Participant]]s'';  ''[[Active Participant]]s'' can become ''[[Contributor]]s'';  ''[[Contributor]]s'' can become ''[[Collaborator]]s''. In a sense the evolution of contribution for a member is a combination of the participant understanding their own needs, understanding the needs of the community, and being able to contribute based on where the set of these needs is common and relevant to what the participant has to offer.  Other way to state this is that both the participant and the community should benefit from each and every contribution in some way. 
  
 +
A member may also reduce their level of participation in the community (for example, moving from [[Contributor]] to [[Active Participant]]) according to their personal situation. Commitments made to Bootstrap should always support the bootstrapper and if these commitments become burdensome, the bootstrapper should reduce them (right action, right time). It is vital, however, that when this means changing a previously-agreed-to commitment to the community, that the bootstrapper pro actively communicates the change. This allows Bootstrap to find other members who might be able to fulfill the responsibilities of a particular community role.
  
 +
== Community Roles ==
  
 +
* [[Participant]] - observes community in order to understand it, learn casually, and identify resources that may be helpful in his/her particular venture.
 +
* [[Active Participant]] - after understanding the community and realizing some level of benefit, the Active Participant interacts with other Participants of the community in order to advance his/her own venture, and help other community participants advance their ventures. Examples: Participation in a sub-group like Bootstrap Ideation; active exchange of messages on the Yahoo Group; leverage the [[Bootstrap Karma]] system to trade services with another participant.
 +
* [[Contributor]] - after understanding the needs of many participants, the Contributor is able to generalize the need that several participants require in order to advance their venture to the next stage.  The Contributor then offers some contribution to the Community that is in line with their skills, interests, passion. In many cases a contributor offers their venture's product or service directly to the group. Contributors embark on the stages of bootstrapping with the community itself as the customer for their initiative. This creates a wonderful opportunity to learn the principles of bootstrapping within our environment. Contributors will earn prenegotiated BootKarma for the time spent organizing their initiative.
 +
* [[Collaborator]] - After acting as a contributor or active participant, a Collaborator is able to generalize the need of a set of Community Participants, and then offer a product or service in conjunction with the organization outside the bootstrap community.  The Collaborator is able to use this set of participants as a 'test customer' for the first version of their product or service, and then has the option to commercialize this product to a broader market. These will be "Bootstrap-branded" products or services. Offering a bootstrap-branded product/services does not in any way inhibit the participant from offering their own version of the product/service.
  
 +
In whole, the interaction between these various community roles creates a growing, thriving environment for all involved.  The Contributors and Collaborators create an environment that becomes increasingly relevant to the Participants - all while advancing their own goals.  The Active Participants benefit from both the interaction with other Participants, and also the services provided by Contributors and Collaborators.  Everyone benefits, and ventures of each participant evolve.
  
 +
== Administration and Change ==
  
 +
Participatory Roles within the community are tracked through Bootstrap Austin's use of OpenID in combination with the Bootkarma system.  The process to get a participatory role changed involves engaging an administrator of the Bootkarma system in order to get properly registered for the system.
  
 +
This manual will update from time to time with the changing needs of the community.  If you have a suggestion for a change or improvement to the community structure, please contact the initiative's contributors.
  
  
 
This initiative has come out of the [[Bootstrap Open Source]] Initiative.
 
This initiative has come out of the [[Bootstrap Open Source]] Initiative.

Latest revision as of 14:12, 27 October 2008

TinyURL to the playbook - http://tinyurl.com/yrlwsd

Contributors

The Bootstrap Community

Bootstrap Network exists to activate and support bootstrappers to build successful ventures. It didn't start out this way, but we now understand that our role is to support the individual bootstrapper in their quest to become viable in the marketplace. We do so by creating a community of fellow-bootstrappers who can help each other.
Yinyangcommcomm.jpg

This also means that we put community and commerce in their appropriate place (see the accompanying bootstrap logo). Selling to each other is NOT the primary activity within the community - community is about fellowship, support, help. Of course, bootstrappers do indeed work with each other, sometimes in trade and sometimes in transactions. Bootstrap itself is primarily a community and therefore many of our encouraged behaviors are for bootstrappers to adopt this mindset when interacting with Bootstrap and their fellow bootstrappers. Initiatives like Boot Karma are community-enhancing and also honor our need for support when our ventures are still in the Valley of Death stage. During this critical time, we are short on dollars and long on time.

Conversely, we are in FULL support of the marketplace and the entire objective is for all of us to create sustainable ventures that thrive by creating products and services that are valued by our customers in the marketplace. Bootstrappers focus on customers (not investors until early Growth). Every bootstrapper wants to emerge from the Valley of Death, which means that what we create is valued by customers - who buy because they experience true value from what we do for them.

Please read the History and Context section to see how Bootstrap has evolved (circled around the yinyang!) to our unique integration of community and commerce.

A new book, Predictably Irrational, explains this tension in terms of "social exchanges" versus "market exchanges.

Bootstrap Stages

The Bootstrap Stages are described in the Bootstrap Map and comprise: Matrix, Preideation, Ideation, Valley of Death, Growth and Rebootstrap.

The Bootstrap Community is comprised of bootstrappers in Ideation, VoD and Growth. The Network offers services/education to schools and other learning institutions to bring bootstrapping to those in Preideation. We also offer services to communities, cities and large organizations to help them Bootstrap. These services are provided in collaboration with Bootstrap Collaborators and are described in detail in the Bootstrap Services page.

Bootstrap Principles

Bootstrap Principles

A deeper explanation and synthesis of the stages and principles of bootstrapping is available at the Bootstrap Bootcamp. (The Bootcamp is an example of a collaboration between the Bootstrap Network and Bootstrap Collaborator, Joshua Shipsey of Communication Simulations)

Goals of the Community

The primary goal of the Bootstrap community is to create an environment that helps each participant advance through the stages of their own venture by taking the right action at the right time. It's important to note that sometimes the right action is to move backwards through the stages, say from VoD to Ideation.

Boot Community Goals.PNG

Simply stated Bootstrap Austin aims to help each venture:

  1. Gain the 'right' knowledge
  2. And make the 'right' connections
  3. So that each venture can leverage their unique skills and resources
  4. In order to, Take the right action at the right time

It is this simple goal that drives the interaction between participants of the Bootstrap Community and the organization as a whole. Building a business is about expending resources in order to take a venture to the next level. Each bootstrapper is on a personal quest to use their own unique set of skills and resources to evolve their business in the most efficient and sustainable way possible. The Bootstrap Community is here to present knowledge of entrepreneurship and facilitate empowering relationships that allow each entrepreneur to take the right action at the right time.

As the Bootstrap Community itself matures, the community becomes a repository for information about building a venture. It is a vast library where, amongst its members, archives and supporting tools, any bootstrapper can be pointed to information that is relevant to their current situation in their venture. And, even better than this, when the group's information library is missing something, or perhaps lacks the latest and greatest information - each and every member is empowered to be able to contribute.

Boot Boards are a key initiative for bootstrappers to move through the stages. Boards are organized by stage and comprise 5-7 bootstrappers meeting once a month for a year.

Community Structure

The bootstrap community is one of member contribution. The community has been structured to facilitate the improvement of the organization by making it easy for others to contribute – while at the same time advancing their own venture goals.

Boot Community Roles.PNG

The illustration shown of community participation within the bootstrap community is considered over time. That is to say, it is kind of a snapshot of what participatory roles might look like at any given time or over any given period of time.

The community assumes that participants will migrate between community roles as is appropriate for the entrepreneur, for their venture, and for the community. This is important to note, because contributing to the Bootstrap Community does not need to be limited to playing a particular role over a defined period of time. Rather, it is about the participant participating/contributing in a certain role, and then taking on contributions that are appropriate from that position.

Participants can become Active Participants; Active Participants can become Contributors; Contributors can become Collaborators. In a sense the evolution of contribution for a member is a combination of the participant understanding their own needs, understanding the needs of the community, and being able to contribute based on where the set of these needs is common and relevant to what the participant has to offer. Other way to state this is that both the participant and the community should benefit from each and every contribution in some way.

A member may also reduce their level of participation in the community (for example, moving from Contributor to Active Participant) according to their personal situation. Commitments made to Bootstrap should always support the bootstrapper and if these commitments become burdensome, the bootstrapper should reduce them (right action, right time). It is vital, however, that when this means changing a previously-agreed-to commitment to the community, that the bootstrapper pro actively communicates the change. This allows Bootstrap to find other members who might be able to fulfill the responsibilities of a particular community role.

Community Roles

  • Participant - observes community in order to understand it, learn casually, and identify resources that may be helpful in his/her particular venture.
  • Active Participant - after understanding the community and realizing some level of benefit, the Active Participant interacts with other Participants of the community in order to advance his/her own venture, and help other community participants advance their ventures. Examples: Participation in a sub-group like Bootstrap Ideation; active exchange of messages on the Yahoo Group; leverage the Bootstrap Karma system to trade services with another participant.
  • Contributor - after understanding the needs of many participants, the Contributor is able to generalize the need that several participants require in order to advance their venture to the next stage. The Contributor then offers some contribution to the Community that is in line with their skills, interests, passion. In many cases a contributor offers their venture's product or service directly to the group. Contributors embark on the stages of bootstrapping with the community itself as the customer for their initiative. This creates a wonderful opportunity to learn the principles of bootstrapping within our environment. Contributors will earn prenegotiated BootKarma for the time spent organizing their initiative.
  • Collaborator - After acting as a contributor or active participant, a Collaborator is able to generalize the need of a set of Community Participants, and then offer a product or service in conjunction with the organization outside the bootstrap community. The Collaborator is able to use this set of participants as a 'test customer' for the first version of their product or service, and then has the option to commercialize this product to a broader market. These will be "Bootstrap-branded" products or services. Offering a bootstrap-branded product/services does not in any way inhibit the participant from offering their own version of the product/service.

In whole, the interaction between these various community roles creates a growing, thriving environment for all involved. The Contributors and Collaborators create an environment that becomes increasingly relevant to the Participants - all while advancing their own goals. The Active Participants benefit from both the interaction with other Participants, and also the services provided by Contributors and Collaborators. Everyone benefits, and ventures of each participant evolve.

Administration and Change

Participatory Roles within the community are tracked through Bootstrap Austin's use of OpenID in combination with the Bootkarma system. The process to get a participatory role changed involves engaging an administrator of the Bootkarma system in order to get properly registered for the system.

This manual will update from time to time with the changing needs of the community. If you have a suggestion for a change or improvement to the community structure, please contact the initiative's contributors.


This initiative has come out of the Bootstrap Open Source Initiative.