Worksheet 27: Ecosystem Mapping

See Your Business as an Interconnected Living System

Purpose of This Worksheet:
Your business doesn't exist in isolation. Like a tree in a forest, it's part of a wider ecosystem — made up of people, platforms, resources, influences, and relationships. This worksheet helps you map those connections so you can identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities to cultivate resilience and growth.

Use this worksheet to:

  • Visualize who and what supports your business

  • Spot potential pollinators, partnerships, and friction points

  • Strengthen connections that nourish your growth

Instructions (Step-by-Step):

Step 1: Start With Your Business Tree

🟩 Prompt:
Draw your tree in the center of a blank page. You can keep it simple — trunk, roots, branches, and sun above.

Label these parts with short notes (e.g. “Roots = SOPs,” “Branches = offers,” “Sun = purpose”).

✎ Use the space provided or recreate it larger on a separate sheet.

🖼️ [Insert blank diagram frame or instruction: “Draw or print your tree here.”]

Step 2: Add Your Ecosystem Layers

🟩 Prompt:
Now, draw concentric circles or clusters around your tree representing these categories:

A. People

  • Clients / ideal audience

  • Collaborators / contractors

  • Mentors or coaches

  • Community or peer networks

B. Platforms & Tools

  • Website, email platform, social media

  • Scheduling / payment tools

  • Custom resources (e.g. Business Tree Model)

C. Sources of Capital / Rain

  • Current revenue sources

  • Potential or ambient sources (grants, savings, partnerships)

D. Pollinators & Butterflies

  • Word-of-mouth champions

  • Referral partners

  • Aligned organisations

  • Industry platforms

E. Environmental Influences

  • Industry shifts

  • Personal health / life rhythms

  • Current events or policies

✎ Sketch these as branches, clouds, circles, or however feels intuitive.

Step 3: Annotate Strengths and Gaps

🟩 Prompt:
Now take a marker or different colour and note:

✔ Strong, reliable connections
🔄 Emerging or evolving ones
⚠️ Gaps or areas for improvement

✎ Add symbols or notes around your map to indicate what’s working well and what needs attention.

Step 4: Reflect on Resilience

🟩 Ask yourself:

  • Which areas feel robust and nourishing?

  • Where is there too much reliance on one channel or person?

  • What new pollinators or partnerships might support this system?

  • What relationships or tools need tending?

✎ Jot down key insights or actions to explore:
[Blank space]

Step 5: Plan a Small Action to Strengthen the Ecosystem

✎ What’s one action you’ll take in the next 7 days to support a healthier ecosystem?
(e.g. reach out to a past collaborator, join a peer circle, revisit an underused tool)

✎ One action: [Blank space]
✎ Date: [Blank space]