THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE

A FRAMEWORK FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE

TO DO TO BUILD AND GROW A SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESS – AND HAVE A LIFE AS WELL
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Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 2

 Contents
Foreword ........................................................................................ 3
About this guide ............................................................................. 5
Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method ....................................... 7
Part 2: The Purpose and The One Ques;on ................................... 13
This guide is formatted for on- Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets ....................................... 19
screen reading, but will print out
The Quick Assessment....................................................................... 21
just fine on letter or A4 size paper.
The Revenue Engine Worksheet........................................................ 24
The Revenue Engine Monitor ............................................................ 28
The Domino Sequence ...................................................................... 32

Part 4: Using the Tornado Method ................................................. 37

Thank you....................................................................................... 40
The Core Worksheets ..................................................................... 42

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method 3

 About this guide

Foreword

Neville Chamberlain and I met 20 years Use the Tornado Method to make sense of
ago and I’m happy to say he is as much a where you need to focus next, troubleshoot
geek now as he was when we first met. your business, deal with overwhelm… Heck,
use it to have a life. Because the way Neville
He’s never been your ordinary, average, run- explains it, you are where the tornado hits the
of-the-mill, techno-geek – a geek for the sake ground and can cause the most damage – so
of geeking – oh no, his geekiness is far from you need to take care of yourself so you can
ordinary. He’s extraordinary. take care of business.
Neville has a unique talent for being able to
simplify and codify complex systems in such a Neville’s Tornado Method should
way that you can immediately understand come with a cape and 8ghts.
how each part contributes to the whole. For
those of us who are entrepreneurs, business It doesn’t. But it should. Well, maybe not the
owners, and Captains of Industry, this insight ;ghts, but the cape for sure. In as long as it
is like being giged a Super Power because takes you to read this book you will gain
there are very few systems more complicated immediately usable and powerful insights into
and interdependent than business. how to take your business from zero to hero.
Here, at last, is a way of understanding not And what do I know, maybe ;ghts are your
only how business works, but how your thing. Who am I to suggest you don’t snap on
business can work beAer. And you don’t need some spandex and leap tall buildings with a
an MBA to understand it either. The concepts tornado emblazoned across your chest.
just make sense, and going from
Michael Dean Dargie | Make More Crea;ve
understanding to something you can put to
use right now is easy – and fast.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 4

 About this guide

How it all started

When I went truly “solo” as a consultant, I You don’t need an MBA or business educa;on
Now I was on my own, and I quickly
thought I knew quite a lot about building and to learn how to use the Tornado Method to
running a business.
got lost trying to do all the things I build and run your own business.
thought were necessary to build a
Ager all, I’d been in the frenzy of the dot-com If you do adopt the Tornado Method, you will
era as co-founder of an Internet incubator (as
business. find it easier to:
we called it then), did a very successful
I needed something to help me make sense of • deal with overwhelm,
company turnaround, ran a successful
all the things I had to do, but as hard as I • troubleshoot and fix problems,
bou;que consul;ng business (both mul;-
looked, there was nothing out there.
million dollar businesses) and done consul;ng • manage your business,
work for one of the biggest players in the So being the systems nerd I am, I started
Canadian oil and gas world. building my own.
• and, if you have a team, engage them so
you can have a truly high-performing
But I soon realized that while I did know a lot Since mid-2017, the Tornado Method has business.
about some parts of building and evolved to become a proven framework for
Ul;mately, if you can get all 11 elements in the
running a business, I had building and running a small business. I use it
three layers right, you will have not just a
previously always had a in my own business and with my clients. It’s
successful business—you will have a life as
team around me that been tested with literally hundreds of
well.
took care of all the businesses, from startups to growing, from
solopreneurs to teams of 20. And that’s something worth working for.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 5

 About this guide

What you will learn in this guide

The Tornado Method consists of 11 elements

in three layers. These are all the things you
need to get right to have a successful business
– and have a life.
There are six parts to this guide:

Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method

Learn what the 11 elements of the Tornado
Method are and how the three layers build
one on top of the other.

Part 2: The Purpose and the One QuesDon

Each element in the Tornado Method has a
Purpose and One Ques;on you can ask to
determine how well that element is doing.
Part 5: Where next How to use this guide
Part 3: Introducing the Core Worksheets
A liAle bit about where you can go for more I recommend you start by reading through
Learn how to use the core worksheets to informa;on and inspira;on. parts 1 through 4 – it shouldn't take more than
assess how well your business is doing, get 20 to 30 minutes.
brutal about what’s not working manage your Part 6: The Core Worksheets
business by the numbers. Then print out the worksheets in Part 6 and
Printable copies so you can get started right use the guidelines in part 3 to complete the
Part 4: Using the Tornado Method away. worksheets for your own business.
How you can use the Tornado Method to build There’s no heavy liging here, so grab a cup of
and grow your business – and deal with coffee (or tea, or a beer) and have fun!
overwhelm.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 6

PART 1:
INTRODUCING THE TORNADO METHOD

Where we introduce the three layers and 11 elements

 Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method

The Three Layers

Everything you need to do to build a

business fits into 11 elements. The
1
elements live in three layers.

1. Revenue Engine
The Revenue Engine is how your business makes
money. It consists of elements you’re already familiar
with, including marke;ng and sales. 2

The Revenue Engine is where you spend most of your ;me

working in the business – and where we experience most of
the problems.

2. Building Blocks 3
The Building Blocks are the design of your business. Well-
designed building blocks make it easier to market, sell and
deliver your stuff. This is where you’re working on the business.

3. GeRng Stuff Done The layers build one on top of the other. Your Revenue
Ul;mately, everything in your business falls on your shoulders. If Engine will only be successful if you support it with
you want to have a successful business, you have to maintain solid building blocks – and ultimately everything rests
high levels of energy, focus and produc;vity. on your shoulders.

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 Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method

The Revenue Engine

1 Marketing is the stuff we do 2 3 When someone expresses

Lead Nurturing starts when
to create awareness and an interest in our products
we can address a lead
attract leads to our business. or services, they move into
individually - for example,
At this stage, we can’t the Sales stage.
when we get an email
address people individually.
address or they contact us.
Your Revenue Engine is
Now we can start talking
where your business
about their specific needs.
makes money.

You market to make people

aware of you, nurture your
leads to build trust, sell your
stuff and then deliver the
goods.
And if you don’t want them to
feel like a transac;on, you
follow up to make sure they’re
happy.

4 Delivery is where we deliver

our products or services.
Some businesses will call 5 Following up with past clients is
this Operations. one of the best ways to get
repeat business - and where we
6 Finally, our Revenue Engine
make sure they’re happy with
is supported by our Back
what they got so we can ask for
Office. This is where we do
testimonials and referrals.
administrative tasks and
manage our money.
Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 9
 Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method

The Building Blocks

7 Your business model defines how your 8 Your brand defines what you look like -
business creates and captures value. A what makes you unique and memorable. A
well-defined and tested business model well-designed and executed brand will
means a better chance of success. make you memorable and is a key element
in successful marketing.

A Revenue Engine is not enough

for a successful business.

If all you needed for a successful business

was a well-running Revenue Engine, there
would be a lot more successful businesses
out there.
But as we know, many businesses struggle –
and most of the ;me we can trace the
problems back to the Building Blocks.

10 The three building blocks are supported 9 Your products and/or services. We call this
by your strategy (knowing where you a Product Ladder because offering
want to go), and your planning (what customers a choice (from small to large)
you need to do to get there) makes it easier for them to buy.

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 Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method

The Getting Stuff Done layer

11

One of the biggest problems

solopreneurs and small business owners
struggle with is overwhelm – there’s so
much to do, and you have a finite
amount of 8me and energy.

There’s only one element in the Gesng Stuff Done

layer – Team, Culture and Personal Effec;veness.
This is where the Tornado hits the ground (you) and
can cause the most damage. You need to be in peak
condi;on – physically and mentally – and maintain One of the best ways to maintain a high level
high levels of focus. of personal effectiveness is routine. It takes
And if you have a team, this is where team spirit practice and discipline to get it right, but the
and corporate culture can make all the difference pay-off is well worth the pain.
between struggle and success.

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 Part 1: Introducing the Tornado Method

The big picture

There are three key things you should take

from Part 1:

1. Everything you do in your business fits

into one of the 11 elements
This is one of the first keys to dealing with
overwhelm.
Rather than having to deal with a bunch of
things you need to do, you can assign each one
to the appropriate element in the Tornado
Method – and then you can priori;ze the next
element to work on.

2. Your Revenue Engine depends on your

Building Blocks
Each element in your Revenue Engine depends
on the elements in your Building Blocks layer
to perform well.
For example, your marke;ng is only going to
work if you have a well-defined and tested The name Tornado Method was inspired by the shape of the
business model, brand and product ladder. elements. The Revenue Engine is green because of the proverbial
color of money, Building Blocks are blue because this is (somewhat)
3. Everything rests on your shoulders blue-sky stuff, and the Getting Stuff Done layer is red because
You’re at the boAom of the tornado. Take care that’s where the tornado hits the ground – and causes the most
of yourself so you can take care of your pain.
business.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 12

PART 2:
THE PURPOSE AND THE ONE QUESTION

Where we introduce The Purpose and The One Question

and see how that helps us understand how well our
business is performing.
 Part 2: The Purpose and the One QuesGon

Introducing The Purpose and The One Question

You can’t build a successful business The Purpose In the process of working through this I gained
As I built my business it became blindingly one more piece of insight which led me to The
spending 8me on stuff that doesn’t One Ques;on.
clear that I had to be very careful where I
maJer.
spent my ;me.
The One QuesDon
If something didn’t contribute to moving the
I knew that as a solopreneur I didn’t have ;me
business forward, I had to stop doing it. Ager
for things like management reports – but I did
all, I s;ll wanted to have a life, so I just wasn’t
want something more specific than “a feeling”
willing to work 80 hours a week.
to judge if something was working or not.
But figuring out what really maAered was not
But working with clients made me realize that
that easy.
“our marke;ng is great because we get lots of
The Tornado Method helped me figure it out: views on Instagram” was not a true measure
of marke;ng success.
• Each element in the Tornado Method has a
purpose. So I turned the purpose of each element into a
ques;on – which measures how well each
• If something I’m doing in say, Marke;ng,
element is really performing.
doesn’t contribute to the purpose of
marke;ng, I had to stop doing it.

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 Part 2: The Purpose and the One QuesGon

The Purpose and The One Question: Revenue Engine

Marketing: The purpose of Marketing is to Lead Nurturing: The purpose of Lead Sales: This one’s easy: the purpose
attract leads to your business. That’s it - Nurturing is to qualify your leads and build of Sales (obviously) is to get them
everything you do in marketing is designed to trust, with the goal of getting them to to buy.
eventually get more leads. express an interest in your products or
The One Question: do enough of
services.
The One Question: Am I attracting enough them eventually buy?
of the right kinds of leads? (If you can The One Question: Are enough of them
answer yes, your marketing is working.) expressing an interest?

Back Office: The purpose of your Back Delivery: Usually no problems here – most Follow Up: No one likes feeling like a
Office is to run a slick business. No late of us are pretty good at what we do. But transaction (I got your money so now I
filings, admin up to date and all that jazz. it’s about more than just doing our stuff: don’t care any more). So the purpose of
the purpose of Delivery is to provide Follow Up is to make sure they don’t feel
The One Question: Is my admin up to date,
value, quality and a five-star experience. like a transaction.
and do I know where my money is?
The One Question: am I delivering The One Question: are they delighted,
flawlessly every time? and do they come back for more?

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 15

 Part 2: The Purpose and the One QuesGon

The Purpose and The One Question: Building Blocks

Business Model: The purpose of your Business Model is to Brand: The purpose of your brand is to make you
define how you create and capture value. You have a business memorable. And memorable means a) unique so we can b) be
model – whether you thought about it or not – and your recognized when we show up.
chances of success are better if you actually spent time
The One Question: am I memorable and do I show up
defining and testing it.
consistently?
The One Question: is my business model desirable (people
want what I’m offering), feasible (I can actually build it) and
viable (I can make money from it)?

Strategy and Planning: The purpose of Strategy and Product Ladder: The purpose of a Product Ladder is to
Planning is to know where you’re going and how you’re make it easy for customers to buy – usually by offering
going to get there. them a choice.

The One Question: Do I know where I’m going, and how The One Question: is it easy for them to buy?
I’m going to get there?

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 16

 Part 2: The Purpose and the One QuesGon

The Purpose and The One Question: Getting Stuff Done

Most solopreneurs and small business owners

know: I am the boJleneck in my business.

And you’re likely to remain the boAleneck un;l you’ve

become successful enough to build a team, or automate
and outsource.
Being the boAleneck is not all bad though – you just have
to be aware that for your business to succeed, you have to
get stuff done.
And if you want to have a life as well, you have to
Team, Culture and Personal Effectiveness: The
understand that “life” is just as important as “business” –
Purpose of Team, Culture and Personal Effectiveness is
and allocate your ;me accordingly.
to get stuff done – and still have a life.

The One Question: am I (and my team) getting the

right stuff done without losing what makes life
worth living?

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 17

 Part 2: The Purpose and the One QuesGon

The Tornado Method Top Level

So her
e yo u h
elemen ave it
t s of t – all 1
he Torn 1
Metho d a do
in the
togeth three l
er w ith ayers
Purpos each e
e an d lement
One Q ’s
uestion
.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 18

PART 3:
HOW TO USE THE CORE WORKSHEETS

Where we introduce the 4 core worksheets and show how

you can use them to build and grow your business
 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets

Introducing the Core Worksheets

The core worksheets will give you There are four core worksheets in the Tornado 4. The Domino Sequence
Method: The Domino Sequence is used to help
the tools you need to assess how
priori;ze where you need to focus next.
well your business is doing and focus 1. The Quick Assessment
on what maJers most. The Quick Assessment, as the name suggests, Before you start
gives you a quick overview of how your I recommend you print out the core
business is doing. Use this to decide where to worksheets in Part 6 so you can follow along
focus next. and apply the core worksheets to your
business.
2. The Revenue Engine Worksheet
The Revenue Engine Worksheet, also known as
the Brutally Honest Worksheet, will help you
understand what’s really working – and what’s
not.

3. The Revenue Engine Monitor

The Revenue Engine Monitor gives you
detailed metrics on how each element of the
Revenue Engine is working.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 20

THE QUICK ASSESSMENT

An at-a-glance overview of how your business

is doing, and where you need to focus next
 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Quick Assessment

About the Quick Assessment

The Quick Assessment gives you a 1. How is my business doing? 2. Where do I need to focus next?
quick overview of how well your First, it gives you an at-a-glance overview of Second, the Top-Level Assessment will help
how your business is doing overall without you determine where to focus next.
business is doing and where the “hot
gesng into too much detail.
spots” are. Each element depends on the elements in the
We can easily get overwhelmed by all the layers below it, and in the Revenue Engine, an
details we have to deal with when building a element depends on the elements preceding
business, and this overview helps us hide it.
There are two major reasons for doing a top-
some of the detail so we can get a clear idea of
level assessment:
where we need to focus.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 22

 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Quick Assessment

The Quick Assessment

The Quick Assessment uses a

simple red, yellow and green
indicator to show how well each
element in your business is
performing. Use a highlighter to
color in the indicator in each
element as follows:
• Green: This element is
performing well enough – at least for now.
• Yellow: This element needs work.
• Red: This element is performing so badly it’s
hur;ng my business.
It’s temp;ng to color most elements yellow or red,
because we know we can always do beAer. The trick
here is to:
• Find the elements that are good enough for now
– color these green. You can worry about them
later.
• Then find the elements that are truly hur;ng the
business and color them red.
The remaining elements are colored yellow.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 23

THE REVENUE ENGINE WORKSHEET

Where you get to be brutally honest

about what’s working – and what’s not
 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Revenue Engine Worksheet

About The Revenue Engine Worksheet

You can’t build a successful

business spending 8me on stuff
that doesn’t maJer.
Instagram posts In-depth articles Zoom meetings In-person delivery
The Revenue Engine worksheet is also LinkedIn posts Personal emails In-person meetings Weekly progress reports
known as the Brutally Honest Twitter Zoom meetings Detailed process description

Worksheet, because this is where you Event sponsorships In-person meetings Trial periods

get to be brutally honest about what Trade shows Coffee meetings

works and what doesn’t.

We use the Revenue Engine Worksheet
to separate out the stuff that’s really
working from stuff that needs to be
tested or improved – or even stopped
altogether.
Every ;me you decide to stop doing
something, you’re making a whole
bunch of ;me available to focus on stuff
that maAers.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 25

 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Revenue Engine Worksheet

Using the Revenue Engine Worksheet

Revenue Engine Stages

Categories

Working: things you’re doing

that are actually delivering on Instagram posts In-depth articles Zoom meetings In-person delivery

the purpose of the Revenue LinkedIn posts In-person meetings Weekly progress reports

Engine element and where you

can truthfully answer “yes” to
the One Question. Twitter Personal emails Detailed process description

Zoom meetings Trial periods

Test / Improve: things that In-person meetings

need to be tested or improved.

Radio Hand-written thank you notes

Ideas / Queue: things you can TV Unexpected gifts
do when you have time one day. 1-year anniversary checkin

Stopped: things you stopped

Event sponsorships Unqualified coffee meetings
doing because they don’t work
Trade shows
and you don’t want to waste more
time or money on them.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 26

 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Revenue Engine Worksheet

Putting the Revenue Engine Worksheet to work

The first step in dealing with

overwhelm is to stop doing
things that don’t work.

How to use the Revenue Engine

Worksheet
For each stage of the Revenue Engine:
• Make a list of all the things you’re Instagram posts In-depth articles Zoom meetings In-person delivery
doing. For example, in marke;ng you LinkedIn posts In-person meetings Weekly progress reports
may be doing Instagram and
LinkedIn posts, TwiAer, event
sponsorships and trade shows.
Twitter Personal emails Detailed process description
• For each of those things, be brutally Zoom meetings Trial periods
honest – is it really working, does it In-person meetings
need improvement or should you
stop doing it? Measure the item
against The Purpose and The One Radio Hand-written thank you notes

Ques8on. TV Unexpected gifts

1-year anniversary checkin

• Add the item to the appropriate
category.
Event sponsorships Unqualified coffee meetings
• If you decide you need to stop doing
Trade shows
it, then stop doing it.

Unqualified coffee meetings can be

a real time suck with little value.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 27

THE REVENUE ENGINE MONITOR

How your business is doing – by the numbers

 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: the Revenue Engine Monitor

About the Revenue Engine Monitor

If I do more of this… …I should get more of this

The Revenue Engine Monitor measures how well your

business is doing – by the numbers.
LinkedIn 1-on-1 outreaches 10 30
When you drill down into each element of your Revenue Engine, you LinkedIn posts 5 20

will discover that there are a small number of metrics that tell you
Leads generated 1 12
how well that element is doing.
For example, one of the most important metrics for Sales is the total
value of sales made. In Marke;ng, the most important metric is the Articles sent 1 16

number of leads generated (and, of course, the quality of those

leads).
Product / Service interest 0 8

Leading versus Lagging indicators

Most metrics are so-called “lagging” indicators – they tell you what Offers made 0 6
happened aSer it happened.
While this may be somewhat useful, it is even more useful to know Total sales $ 0 12,000
what you do that gives you beAer results. These are called leading Number of new clients 0 2
indicators.

Understanding the rela8onship between leading and

lagging indicators is the key to a successful business.

For example, if you know that more direct outreaches on LinkedIn

generates more leads, you can focus on direct outreaches (the leading
indicator) to get more leads (the lagging indicator).

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 29

 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: the Revenue Engine Monitor

How to use the Revenue Engine Monitor

How to use the Revenue Engine Monitor

You can print out the Revenue Engine Monitor in Part 5 or use this Google LinkedIn 1-on-1 outreaches 10 30
LinkedIn posts 5 20
sheet to customize your own.
By default, the Revenue Engine Monitor contains all the elements in the Leads generated 1 12
Revenue Engine plus Team, Culture and Personal Effec;veness. These are
the elements that have the most immediate impact on your business.
Articles sent 1 16
You can use these elements as they are, or customize what you’re going to
monitor.
Product / Service interest 0 8
1. Choose your indicators:
• Choose one or two key lagging indicators (metrics) that you want to Offers made 0 6
track and add them to the worksheet.
• Add leading indicators that, if you do these things, will improve your
Total sales $ 0 12,000
lagging indicators.
Number of new clients 0 2
• Track leading and lagging indicators on a weekly or monthly basis.
2. Validate the relaDonship between leading and lagging indicators
Experiment with your leading indicators to see if they affect your lagging
indicators. For example, if you double the number of LinkedIn posts, how
does that affect the number of leads generated?

3. Se_le on leading and lagging indicators with a proven cause-and-

effect relaDonship
Once you’ve figured out which leading indicators affect your lagging
indicators the best, s;ck with them – and do more of them.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 30

 In this
exampl
Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: the Revenue Engine Monitor both o e, we r
utreach ampe d
es an d up
Linke dI posts o
n. That n
Guidelines for Leading and Lagging indicators substan
tially m
resulte
ore lea
d in
we’re n ds, but
ot sure
really which
ma de t activity
he diff
erence
.

Some guidelines on choosing and using leading and lagging

indicators
LinkedIn 1-on-1 outreaches 10 30
You have to be a bit careful when you choose leading and lagging LinkedIn posts 5 20

indicators:
Leads generated 1 12
• You shouldn’t have to spend a lot of ;me to calculate a number.
Choose numbers that are readily available or provided by the
system you’re using (most systems will at least tell you how many Articles sent 1 16

views or clicks you get).

• Some;mes you won’t know if a leading indicator really affects its Product / Service interest 0 8
lagging counterpart. Try selec;ng those that most logically should
have a cause-and-effect rela;onship – then experiment to validate
the rela;onship. Offers made 0 6

• Experiment slowly. Rather than changing all the ac;vi;es tracked

by your leading indicators, change one or two at a ;me so you can Total sales $ 0 12,000
see what really affects the results (lagging indicators). Number of new clients 0 2

• Remember that what gets measured, maAers. In other words, if

you’re measuring the right stuff, your business will grow and
improve. But if you measure the wrong stuff, you will likely focus on
the wrong stuff and your business will suffer.
Choosing lagging indicators is rela;vely easy, because they relate
directly to the purpose of each element. It can take more ;me to
figure out which ac;vi;es (measured by leading indicators) really have
the effect you’re looking for.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 31

THE DOMINO SEQUENCE

How to figure out where the root cause of a problem

lies so you can fix stuff in the right order
 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Domino Sequence

About the Domino Sequence In t h i

proble
s exam
ple, w
m in S e dec
a i de d t
by fir le s can on hat a
st fixi ly be
an d th ng Ma fixe d
en fix r ke t ing pr
ing Le oblem
a d Nu s
rturin
All the elements in your business are related g.
Domino 1 Domino 2 Domino 3
When there is a problem in one of the elements in
your Revenue Engine, it can be caused by one or
more of the following:
• problems in the element itself,
• problems in the elements preceding the
trouble spot, or
• in one of the building blocks.
For example, if your Sales are lackluster:
The problem may be:
• in Sales itself,
• in Lead Nurturing (not qualifying leads well
enough) or in Marke;ng (aArac;ng the wrong
kinds of leads), or
• in one of your building blocks – for example
your Product Ladder may not be making it easy
enough for them to buy.

Fixing a problem in one element may require

fixing the elements it depends on The order in which you need to fix things to solve a
To fix a problem, you have to figure out: par8cular problem is called a Domino Sequence.
• which elements are contribu;ng to the
problem, and
• in which order to fix them.
Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 33
 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Domino Sequence Good enough for now

Needs work
Creating your Domino Sequence
Hurting the business
To create your Domino Sequence, start
by coloring in only the performance
indicators in the Revenue Engine

Here’s how to create your Domino

Sequence:
1. Find the trouble spot
• Color each of the performance indicators in the
Revenue Engine using green, yellow or red.
• Star;ng with Delivery and working leg, select
the element you need to fix – usually the first
red one.

2. Find contributors
• Look at any elements preceding the trouble spot
in the Revenue Engine. Are they delivering on
their purpose? If not, they may be contribu;ng
to the problem, so mark them so you will know
you need to fix them as well.
• Now look at your building blocks. Are any of
them contribu;ng to the problem? Mark those
as well. In the Revenue Engine, there is no right order 4. Draw arrows to show your sequence
in which to fix things. Ask yourself: Now draw arrows from the first thing you need
3. Find the right sequence If I fix this, will it have a knock-on effect to fix to the second, from the second to the
If there are problems in your Building Blocks, fix somewhere else? third, and so on.
them first. The Revenue Engine elements build on This will help you decide what to work on first. Then start working on the first in the sequence.
them, so un;l you’ve fixed your Building Blocks
you won’t see substan;al improvements in your
Revenue Engine.
Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 34
 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Domino Sequence

An example of a complex Domino Sequence

In this example,
the sequence sta
chang ing that m rts w ith the Bus
ay affect yo ur P iness Mo del, bec
r o ause
yo ur bran d, whic du ct La dder, which in tu
h – if yo u chang rn may affect
e it – w ill definit
ely affect yo ur
marketing.

An example of a complex Domino

Sequence
If your marke;ng is not genera;ng enough of
the right kinds of leads, your marke;ng itself
may be to blame.
But before you jump into fixing your
marke;ng, it’s a good idea to make sure your
brand is memorable and you’re showing up
consistently.
Also check that your business model is
targe;ng the right customer segments with
value proposi;ons they understand, and that
your Product Ladder is appropriate for this
market segment.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 35

 Part 3: How to use the Core Worksheets: The Domino Sequence

Common Domino Sequences

MarkeDng
Common Problems
Marke;ng problems are ogen caused by:
Here are some of the most common
problems we see – and the most common • Problems in marke;ng itself
contribu;ng causes. If you see similar • A weak brand and/or a brand not used
paAerns in your business, you can use these consistently.
examples to construct your Domino
Sequence. • An untested business model targe;ng the
wrong customer segments with a weak
value proposi;on.

Lead Nurturing Sales Delivery

Lead Nurturing problems are ogen Sales problems can be caused by: Delivery problems usually
caused by: originate in Delivery itself – look
• Problems in sales itself
at your processes, quality of
• Problems in Lead Nurturing itself • Lead nurturing moving deliverables and customer
• Marke;ng targe;ng the wrong insufficiently qualified or prepared leads into sales experience.
customer segments or presen;ng • Marke;ng targe;ng the wrong customer segments or
the wrong messages. presen;ng the wrong messages.
• A product ladder that makes it difficult to buy.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 36

PART 4:
USING THE TORNADO METHOD

Where we look at how the Tornado Method can help

you build your business and deal with overwhelm –
so you can have a business and a life
 Part 4: Using the Tornado Method

The core worksheets in practice

2 3
Use the core worksheets as a
regular check-in on how your
business is performing

Here’s how I use the core worksheets to check

how my business is performing – and to make
sure I’m focusing on the right stuff.
Regular reviews don’t take long, and the
progress you’re making will keep you The Revenue Engine Worksheet
mo;vated, energized and focused.
Get brutal about what’s working and what
not. Review quarterly.

1 4

The Revenue Engine Monitor

Track business performance by the numbers.
Update weekly or monthly.

The Top-Level Assessment The Domino Sequence

Get an overview of how your business is Make sure you’re working on stuff in the right
performing. Use monthly. order. Review monthly or as needed.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 38

 Part 4: Using the Tornado Method

How to deal with overwhelm

Overwhelm can be your biggest 1. Put everything in a bucket 3. PrioriDze the tasks in the most
Think of the 11 elements in the Tornado
important bucket
enemy
Method as buckets. Take everything you have Now that you know which bucket (element)
As a solopreneur or small business owner, to do and put it in the appropriate bucket. you need to work on first, priori;ze the tasks
everything rests on your shoulders. It’s easy to in that element.
You can do this electronically, with tools like
lose track of what you need to focus on, and Trello, a task manager or even just a text You will find this a lot easier to do because
when overwhelm sets in you will start spinning document. Post-It notes on the wall provide a there are rela;vely fewer tasks in each bucket.
your wheels. great visual overview.
4. Focus on compleDng the first task
Here’s how you can use the Tornado Method
2. PrioriDze the buckets, not the tasks Now focus on gesng that first, most
to deal with overwhelm.
Once you have all the tasks sorted into their important task done. Avoid the tempta;on to
appropriate buckets (the Tornado Method jump around to other tasks – this will just slow
elements), stand back and priori;ze the you down.
buckets. There are only 11 of them, and
deciding what needs to go first is a lot easier Rinse and repeat
than dealing with dozens or even hundreds of When you’ve completed the first task, go back
tasks. to step 1 and repeat the process. The second
The Domino Sequence is a great tool for and subsequent ;mes will be a lot faster than
priori;zing at the element level. the first.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 39

THANK YOU
 Thank you

The Tornado Method was born out of my own Your feedback is highly appreciated Good luck building your business
frustra;ons in building a business, and it’s If you have any comments or ques;ons on this I know it’s a tough road with many ups and
helped me – and many other solopreneurs and guide – or anything you want to ask about downs and no guarantee of success. But the
small business owners – build a beAer your own business – please email me. I really rewards are more than worth the effort – so
business faster. appreciate hearing from you, and you will hear good luck building your business!
I hope that this guide will help you do the back from me personally.
same. My email address is [email protected]

A workshop at the
ATB Entrepreneur
Centre in 2017. All
the participants
were startup
business owners.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tornado Method back to contents 41

THE CORE WORKSHEETS

Print out these worksheets and use the guidelines in Part 3

to apply the Tornado Method to your own business
 The Tornado Method at a glance

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 Quick Assessment ___________________________________________ _____________________
business date

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 Revenue Engine Worksheet ___________________________________________ _____________________
business date

Marketing Lead Nurturing Sales Delivery Follow Up

generate leads qualify & build trust get them to buy value, quality & experience not just a transaction

Am I generating enough of the Are enough of them expressing Do enough of them Am I delivering flawlessly Are they delighted, and do
right kinds of leads? an interest? eventually buy? every time? they come back for more?
Working
Test / Improve
Ideas / Queue
Stopped

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 Revenue Engine Monitor ___________________________________________ _____________________
business date

Category Metrics Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Leading

Marketing

Lagging

Leading
Lead Nurturing

Lagging

Leading

Sales

Lagging

Leading

Delivery

Lagging

Leading

Follow Up

Lagging

Admin & Leading

Money
Management Lagging

Team, Culture Leading

& Personal
Effectiveness Lagging

Build your own Revenue Engine Monitor using this Google Sheet as a starting point
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 Domino Sequence ___________________________________________ _____________________
business date

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