key partners in business plan

• Key Partners in Business Model Canvas

Featured in:

© Entrepreneurial Insights based on the concept of Alex Osterwalder

In this section, you will learn about the next building block in the Business Model Canvas which is Key Partners (or Key Partnerships) that an entrepreneur needs to have to perform its key activities and ultimately provide its value proposition to its customer segment.

We will look at 1) key partnerships , 2) types of partners , 3) motivation behind partnerships , 4) key partners and value propositions , and 5) case studies .

KEY PARTNERSHIPS

A business partnership is when two commercial entities form an alliance, which may either be a really loose relationship where both entities retain their independence and are at liberty to form more partnerships or an exclusive contract which limits the two companies to only that one relationship.

The following factors are very important to keep in mind when forming partnerships:

• Right Partnership Agreements: Whether your partnership is with a business or an individual, it is important for all the relevant parties to have clear partnership agreements drafted along with legal counsel.
• Defining Expectations: Many times new businesses fail to establish their expectations from the outset leading to much confusion and conflict later. An entrepreneur needs to ensure that he has shared his expectations openly with his partner and vice versa from the beginning.
• Impact on your clients: When forming a partnership, it is important to evaluate your value proposition and your key resources and make sure your partner is filling any gaps in either. This can only be done by also evaluating how the partnership will translate to the customer.
• Win-Win situation: For a partnership to be healthy and sustainable, there need to be visible gains on both ends.
• Selecting partnerships: Some partnerships may seem lucrative in theory but fail to get off the ground practically. In addition, changes in the business context may also make some business partnerships irrelevant. In such cases, it is important to end these partnerships quickly to avoid further wastage of resources.

This building block refers to the network of suppliers and partners that make the business model effective. The reasons for a company opting for a partnership are myriad, but healthy partnerships are instrumental in making a business success or a failure. A company can optimize its resource utilization, create new resource streams or mitigate risks behind major business decisions by taking on a partner before starting a new course of action. It is important to note here that your organization maybe partnering with a number of organizations for various reasons, but not all their relationships will be key to your business.

Partnerships can change over the course of a business’ lifecycle. The types of partnerships that may be a necessity during year 1 of a start-up will differ significantly from the nature of the required partnership in year 3.

Key Questions

When evaluating the various key partnerships that your business requires, it is fruitful to analyze the nature of the partnership based on the following key questions;

• Which partnerships are critical to our business?
• Who are our critical suppliers?
• Which of our suppliers and partners are sourcing our key resources?
• What type of partnerships would suit our needs?
• What is the best cluster/ supply chain where I should be located?

[slideshare id=41589722&doc=businessmodelcanvas-swlisbon14-141115053427-conversion-gate02]

TYPES OF PARTNERS

Partners and partnerships can be categorized into four different types;

• Strategic alliances: These types of alliances are between non-competitors. So if you are working through different channels, like a news agency can supply news to both online and offline channels.
• Co-opetition: There can also be strategic partnerships between partners. Such a partnership will help spread the risk both companies may take. It may also help when both partners are trying to do something new; additionally it could mean a confirmed supply stream. For example, there is a need for earth metals in mobile phones. So securing the supply of rare earth metals could be the reason for competitors to form a strategic partnership.
• Joint-Ventures: Another thing could be to develop a joint venture in a new business. Both partners could have a mutual interest in developing new business, possibly due to the emergence of a new market or access to a new geographic area. Both organizations will only opt for such an option if they both provide some inputs into the business. Hence, a Dutch company that specializes in producing cheese might choose to go into a joint venture with milk producing local company to start making cheese in the new region.
• Buyer-Supplier Relationships: These are the most common type of partnerships which assures that you have a reliable source of supplies coming in and for your supplier this means they have a steady confirmed buyer for their product.

MOTIVATIONS BEHIND PARTNERSHIPS

Partnerships are a tricky business involving a lot of negotiation and an element of trust. There can be a number of reasons why organizations would make the decision to take on a key partner rather than doing things themselves or taking on a partner but not considering them as key to the success or failure of their business. Primarily, one of the three kinds of motivations can be attributed when a business chooses to enter a partnership.

Optimization and economy of scale

Most organizations are heavily focused on the bottom-line. And many focus on cost-cutting or smart spending through optimizing the allocation of either their resources or activities. This is the most common motivation for people to enter into partnerships of different types.

When you are looking for efficiency in your company or optimizing your productions chains, key partners can help you achieve this goal. It is unrealistic to think, as an entrepreneur that you have the resources in place to conduct all your key activities in-house. Most partnerships give organizations the ability to share their infrastructures or outsource some activities to more cost-effective options.

Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota joined hands to create a small, cheap car for the masses that they tried to sell for 5000-6000 euros. These cars looked almost the same except for the chassis and a few internal and external details.

Reduction of risk and uncertainty

If you have a good relationship with a key partner, you reduce the inherent risk that comes with doing your own business. You also guarantee supply to your business rather than being dependent on suppliers who aren’t key partners and would therefore not give precedence to your business over others.

Many competitors may form strategic partnerships to share the risk of bringing something new into the market while still competing in various aspects in the industry. A classic example of this is the advent of blu-ray technology which was developed in collaboration by some of the world’s premier consumer electronics and computer technology firms. The development of this technology was expensive and several competitors had to get together and decide that they would all be selling their products based on blu-ray technology; hence they needed to collaborate to make blu-ray technology more mainstream. The group joined hands to bring the technology to the mass market but still competes on the basis of their various blu-ray based gadgets in the consumer market.

Acquisition of particular resources and activities

If there are certain things that you don’t have in-house and which would require a heavy investment of time, money or both, a key partner who already has these processes and the infrastructure developed would come in extremely handy.

Business models can be extensive maps of the myriad activities that a business needs to perform or the endless resources required to perform these activities successfully. However, it is rare for a new company to have the resources or capabilities in place to fulfill the mandate set down by the business model. Hence, many new companies are beginning their journeys by forming partnerships that give them access to the required resources or processes that they require, but are unable to own yet. Hence, many mobile operators partner with IT companies to develop the operating system their handsets require rather than bearing the heavy investment such an endeavor would require if done in-house. This also gives the IT company a steady source of revenue as well as the advantage of publicity if the mobile manufacturer’s brand is well recognized. Bicycle companies do not manufacture their bicycle accessories. Instead, they get into selective partnerships with bicycle parts manufacturers who customize the parts like the color or size of the bicycle seat according to the preferences of the manufacturer.

Heineken is one of the most popular producers and suppliers of beers in the world, and it is especially well-known in the Netherlands, where they have created very strong relationships with bar owners. In fact, Heineken frequently invests in new bars by providing not only equipment for free but also investing in the décor of the bar. In return, the bar provides Heineken beer exclusively. Hence, Heineken gets a repeat customer for their beer while the bar owner can minimize the cost of setting up the business. Conversely, however, the bar owner is limited to selling just Heineken, which means that if Heineken increases the prices of its beers, the bar owner has no choice but to abide by the new prices.

KEY PARTNERS AND VALUE PROPOSITIONS

For fast moving consumer goods, availability is key to the success of the company and a major value proposition. For supermarkets and retail chains, distribution partners are key if you want to provide your fast moving consumer goods to the market. Your advantage is that your products will be available to everyone, but the supermarket will drive down your price and resultantly your margins significantly.

Technologies are advancing at a very high rate that increases their risk factor is well. However, if the technology forms a significant value proposition for your business, then you can take on a partner to share the risk and cost associated with the technology in question.

Focus on where you are creating value but consider that the rest can be outsourced if needed. The activities that are adding value to your value proposition must be outsourced very carefully because they are the ones that are key partnerships for your business.

Starbucks has established several key partnerships worldwide such as with coffee growers worldwide to grow eco and farmer friendly coffee beans. This key partnership is a typical buyer-supplier relationship, motivated by a need to acquire key resources. Another key partnership is with specialized coffee machine makers who make specialized coffee makers for Starbucks. Again this helps Starbucks mitigate cost because it does not have to invest in infrastructure, R&D, and manpower to create these coffee machines in-house. Instead, it is much more cost effective to partner with an organization that already holds expertise in this area and has the infrastructure in place already to cater to Starbucks’ needs. Conversely, Starbucks provides them with a steady buyer for their product as well as the added boost that the Starbucks brand holds for the coffee machine manufacturer.

A Comparative Analysis of Facebook’s and Google’s Partner Networks

Though Facebook has a number of partners in its network, it isn’t entirely dependent on any of these partners. Most of Facebook’s partners provide valuable content for its users so Facebook partners with content providers such as Netflix, Washington Post, Hulu, etc. to provide movies, articles, music and other forms of content to its subscriber base.

Conversely , Google has Google Network members who are content companies that partner with Google to provide content on for its search engine. It provides Advertisers access to these content companies web pages through the Google AdSense program and in return shares revenues from the said program with the relevant companies, leading to a mutually beneficial partnership. Additionally Google also partners with Distribution companies to attract traffic to its websites. However, these are a group of Distributors and Google does not leave itself dependent on any one distributor.

Comments are closed.

Related posts

Best Practices for Improving Employee’s Job Satisfaction Quickly

Employees who are unhappy with their work contribute to an atmosphere that could bring down the …

Datameer | Interview with its Founder & CEO – Stefan Groschupf

In San Francisco, we meet founder and CEO of Datameer, Stefan Groschupf. He shares his story of …

Big Data: How to Manage Hadoop

In the era of Big Data, IT managers need robust and scalable solutions that allow them to process, …

408,000 + job opportunities

Not yet a member? Sign Up

join cleverism

Find your dream job. Get on promotion fasstrack and increase tour lifetime salary.

Post your jobs & get access to millions of ambitious, well-educated talents that are going the extra mile.

First name*

Company name*

Company Website*

E-mail (work)*

Login or Register

Password reset instructions will be sent to your E-mail.

• Business Ideas
• Super Guides
• Innovation Report
• Canvas Examples
• Presentations
• Spreadsheets
• Discounted Bundles
• Search for:

No products in the cart.

Return to shop

Key Partners

The penultimate component – Key Partners – deals with the network of partners that put the Business Model into operation. A partnership is when two business entities form a kind of relationship .

This relationship can be of greater freedom when each side of the alliance can form new partnerships, or of exclusivity, limited to a single partnership and no other concomitant relationship.

Partnerships are developed for a variety of reasons, from optimizing your Business Models, reducing the risk, or acquiring resources. They have become a fundamental part of the other components. Let me, therefore, show you a little more about the Key Partners.

Types of Key Partners

• Strategic alliances : they happen between companies that are not competitors, in an agreement that benefits both sides.
• Co-opetition : happens between competing companies. It helps to divide the risk that both are taking by trying to do something new in the market and can also guarantee some supply that both of them need, to name a few.
• Joint-Ventures : the focus here is to develop a new business, due to the birth of a new market or access to a new area, geographically speaking.
• Buyer-Supplier Relationship: it is the most common type of partnership and aims to ensure reliable supplies. One side gets a quality supplier and the other, a confirmed and recurring buyer.

Motivations for partnerships

Although fairly common, partnerships are not simple. They involve a lot of negotiation and, above that, confidence. However, there are several motivations that encourage the development of Key Partners. In general, they can be divided into three large umbrellas:

Optimization and economy of scale

It is virtually impossible for a company to have all the resources and be able to run alone all the activities on which its business depends. That’s why there are optimization and economy of scale partnerships: to reduce costs, through outsourcing and infrastructure sharing.

Reduction of risk and uncertainty

In a competitive environment that is susceptible to change, it is critical to reducing risk – and partnerships may be capable of doing so. This happens even among competitors, who can come together to create something new and/or protect themselves from the uncertainties of the market.

This was the case, for example, with the development of Blu-Ray technology when a strategic partnership between some of the world’s leading electronics and computer companies was created to share the risk of bringing such advent to the market.

Acquisition of particular resources and activities

Sometimes the company – especially a new business – needs resources, knowledge, and/or licenses, which require high investments of time and/or money. Therefore, it ends up forming a partnership with another organization that already has the processes, information, or structures consolidated for it.

Many new companies choose to start their operations by forming partnerships that give them access to the resources or processes they need, but which they are not yet able to own.

Observations when selecting Key Partners

When evaluating the various Key Partners that your business can avail of, check each one of them based on the following key issues:

• Which partners are essential to our business?
• Who are our main suppliers?
• Which of our suppliers and partners are acquiring our key resources?
• What kind of partner would meet our needs?
• What is the supply chain where I should be located?

Having defined the Key Partners your business requires, then look at the following factors so that these partnerships are developed in a sustainable and beneficial manner:

• Correct and Sustainable Partnership Agreements : It does not matter if your Key Partner will be another company or an individual. It is important that the agreements are clear and offer benefits to both parties. It is important that to do so, they should be prepared together with legal counsel.
• Defined Expectations: To achieve the type of agreement above, it is essential that each entrepreneur openly share his or her expectations for the partnership that is to be formed, in order to avoid conflicts later on.
• Impact on your customers: The larger goal, in having a Key Partner, is to fill a gap in the Value Proposition or Key Resources . Also, evaluate how this partnership will be seen by your Customer Segments .
• Selecting and Suspending Partnerships: Some Key Partners seem interesting and profitable at first, but end up not being successful. If a partnership becomes harmful or even irrelevant, close it as soon as possible.

The Key Partners block refers, in summary, to the network of suppliers and partners that make your business model not only viable but efficient. The reasons for choosing a partner are numerous, and some of them are essential for the success – or failure – of your business.

You can optimize the use of resources, create supply streams, and reduce risk by taking on a partner, especially if you are starting a new business or even venturing into new applications.

However, although your organization may make several successful partnerships with many other entrepreneurs and for numerous reasons, it is important to remember that not all relationships are positive for your business. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate in advance and carefully before signing any agreements.

And, as it happens in virtually all previous seven blocks, Key Partners can change throughout a company’s life cycle and market variations. Always keep an eye on the Business Model, reviewing it and updating it whenever you need it.

TAKE ME TO THE NEXT BLOCK -> COST STRUCTURE

Who is Daniel Pereira ?

I love understanding strategy and innovation using the business model canvas tool so much that I decided to share my analysis by creating a website focused on this topic.

More About Me

RECEIVE OUR UPDATES

Username or email address  *

Password  *

Remember me Log in

Lost your password?

• Scroll to top

•   / Sign Up
• HOW WE HELP CLIENTS
• schedule your conversation

Key Partners Building Block of the Business Model Canvas

Published: 19 July, 2023

Social Share:

Business Models

Table of Contents

Introduction to Key Partners Building Block in BMC

In an interconnected world, leveraging relationships with ecosystem partners has become increasingly important because it allows you to focus on your relative strengths. Think about the four different types of partnerships, including strategic alliances between non-competitors, coopetition (strategic partnerships between competitors), joint ventures to develop new businesses, and buyer-supplier relationships to assure reliable supplies.

Key Partners are essential relationships that a company has with other entities, like suppliers, manufacturers, or advisors. These partnerships provide vital support, helping the business model to function effectively in areas where it would be inefficient to handle everything on its own. Introducing our Extended Business Model Canvas – a powerful tool that takes your business planning to the next level. This innovative framework goes beyond the traditional canvas by incorporating crucial elements such as Key Partners, Business Drivers, customers, the team, and the Unfair Advantage. Unlock the full potential of your business and download the model now to take the first step towards achieving your goals and thriving in today’s dynamic market landscape.

Download the Complete eXtended Business Model package, including instructions for putting it to work for you today.

The UNITE Business Model Canvas

Key partners in business model canvas.

Key Partners is one of the building blocks of the Business Model Canvas and plays a crucial role in the success of a business. Once you understand your Value Chains, Key Resources , and Key Partners , it should be relatively easy to identify the key cost drivers and potential Opportunity Spaces for innovation. For any Business Model, managing costs is critical, but some Business Models are designed entirely around low-cost structures, such as “no-frills” airlines. What role do costs play in your Business Model? Are you seeking to simply optimize them, or could they play a more differentiating role?

Key Partners Examples

Apple company:.

• Type of Partnership: Buyer-Supplier Relationship
• Description: Apple relies on OEMs like Foxconn, which employs over 200,000 workers in Shenzen, China, to manufacture its products.
• Type of Partnership: Strategic Alliances
• Description: When Apple opened the iTunes Store, it formed strategic alliances with app developers and record companies to offer a wide range of apps and music to its customers.

Airbnb Company:

• Description: Airbnb collaborates with insurance providers, investors, and payment processors to ensure smooth transactions and provide insurance coverage for hosts and guests.
• Type of Partnership: Joint Ventures
• Description: Airbnb engaged in a joint venture with Tesla Motors to install charging stations at select hosts’ homes along the West Coast, promoting eco-friendly travel options for guests.
• Description: Airbnb forms strategic alliances with companies to sponsor events, expanding its brand visibility and attracting more potential hosts and guests.
• Type of Partnership: Not specified
• Description: Airbnb involved freelance photographers to improve the quality of property listings and increase hosts’ retention.

E-commerce Platform:

• Key Partners: Logistics Companies, Social Media Platforms, Payment Gateways
• Type of Partnership: Buyer-Supplier Relationship (with logistics and payment partners) and Strategic Alliances (with social media platforms)
• Description: An e-commerce platform collaborates with logistics companies and payment gateways to handle product delivery and transactions efficiently. Additionally, it forms strategic alliances with social media platforms to boost brand exposure and attract customers through advertising and promotions.

Ride-Sharing Service:

• Key Partners: Car Manufacturers for Fleet Partnerships, Mobile App Development Companies, Insurance Providers
• Type of Partnership: Buyer-Supplier Relationship (with car manufacturers and insurance providers) and Strategic Alliances (with app development companies)
• Description: A ride-sharing service forms fleet partnerships with car manufacturers to expand its vehicle fleet. It collaborates with mobile app development companies to enhance its app’s features and user experience. Additionally, it collaborates with insurance providers to offer insurance coverage for drivers and passengers.

Health-Tech Startup:

• Key Partners: Medical Equipment Suppliers, Healthcare Institutions for Research Collaborations, Mobile Health App Developers
• Type of Partnership: Buyer-Supplier Relationship (with medical equipment suppliers) and Strategic Alliances (with healthcare institutions and app developers)
• Description: A health-tech startup collaborates with medical equipment suppliers to source necessary devices for its healthcare solutions. It forms strategic alliances with healthcare institutions to conduct research and trials. Additionally, it partners with mobile health app developers to integrate health tracking features into its platform.

Key Partners’ main types

Key partnerships can be classified in four ways, with each arrangement having its own advantages and disadvantages.

Importantly, no matter the flavor of partnership, these agreements result in the creation of key partners for both business entities and therefore must be managed, cultivated, and regularly reviewed for their place in each company’s business model.

1. Strategic Alliances Partnerships:

• In strategic alliances, both companies agree to undertake a project that is mutually beneficial while remaining independent. This type of partnership is helpful in a competitive environment, as both companies share liability exposure. Examples include franchising, licensing, and affiliate marketing.

2. Coopetition Partnerships:

• Description: Coopetition partnerships involve rival companies forming a strategic partnership to achieve mutual benefits. This collaboration can lead to positive outcomes for both entities. An example is the cooperation between Pfizer and BioNTech to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.

3. Joint-Ventures Relationships:

• In joint ventures, two independent companies agree to work together on a specific project and share particular resources. This type of partnership is focused on a single joint project, distinguishing it from other partnerships. Joint ventures may cause conflicts between entities, and some experts advise caution with this type of key partnership.

4. Buyer-Supplier Relationships:

• Description: Buyer-supplier relationships involve commercial agreements for the purchase and supply of goods or services. These relationships are essential for businesses to deliver on their value proposition effectively. Buyers and suppliers are among the most critical key partners for a business. Maintaining productive buyer-supplier relationships is crucial for a company’s success, no matter which end of your company works is one of a business’s most important key activities.

Why do we Need Strategic Partnerships?

In a competitive environment characterized by the need for the reduction of risk and uncertainty, strategic partnerships offer the opportunity to build relationships and reduce costs. They reduce risk by diffusing exposure to changing business environments across the two companies.

Many times, strategic partnerships form a powerful building block of a business model by making key resources available at a manageable cost. Partners perform valuable services that would otherwise distract from our main value propositions.

The right partners perform important functions and help us complete our key activities and our customers’ Jobs to Be Done.

How do you Choose Your Key Partners?

Key partners are an important section of the business model canvas and business models as a whole. You should consider cultivating your key partnerships as one of your business’s key activities , which we’ve discussed elsewhere on the Digital Leadership website.

There can be no set rules for choosing your key partners. So much will depend on the specifics of your value proposition, their value proposition, and the overall business model of both companies. We thought about the factors behind successful key partnerships , however, and we think we’ve identified some common characteristics to keep in mind when choosing a key partner. Unlock the full potential of your business partnerships with The Unite Value Proposition Canvas Model, a comprehensive framework designed to help you identify and leverage successful key partnerships. By aligning your value proposition with that of your potential partners and understanding the overall business models of both companies, you can make informed decisions to create mutually beneficial relationships. You can download it now.

Examples and Types of Effective Functional Level Strategy for Business Support

A key objective of any business strategy is to improve operational efficiencies...

The Three Levels of Strategy: Corporate Strategy, Business Strategy, and Functional Strategy

Understanding the intricate levels of strategy is crucial for any organization aiming...

Register For Your FREE 
Innovation WorkShop Seat Now!

Learn how to overcome the 90% failure rate in innovation from a master innovator and best-selling author.

Expert tactics to boost your innovation odds.

Insights on capturing customer needs for innovation.

Tools that turn your ideas into triumphs.

First name *

Last name *

Professional E-mail *

I want to be kept up-to-date and accept the privacy statement *

By signing up, you agree to receive news and accept the privacy statement (mandatory)

Verify your e-mail address now by entering the 6-digit code we’ve just sent to your inbox

Don't receive Code? Resend code

Last one step

Help us better understand our innovation Show members

Country * Please Select Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin (Dahomey) Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Brunswick and Lüneburg Bulgaria Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Central American Federation Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Free State Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Grand Duchy of Tuscany Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nassau Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papal States Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Piedmont-Sardinia Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Congo Republic of Korea (South Korea) Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Schaumburg-Lippe Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Württemberg Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Industry * Please Select Automotive, mobilty & transport Financial Services Chemical & agriculture Construction & Real Estate Consulting Education Energy Banking, insurance & FS FMCG Food Gov / Public Industry Health & lifestyle Logistics, Aero & Shipping Media & Entertainment Natural resources & mining Pharma & Biotech Retail & trade Tech & E-Commerce Telco Tourism design Information technology & services Management consulting Retail Pharmaceuticals International trade & development Professional training & coaching luxury goods & jewelry Automotive Insurance Mechanical or industrial engineering Company Size * XS - 1-10 S - 10-100 M - 100-1000 L - 1000-5000 XL - > 5000

Seniority * Please Select Junior Consultant Senior Consultant Manager Senior Manager Director VP SVP Partner CXO Board Member

Areas of interest * Innovation Digital Transformation Culture & Organization IT Strategy & Bus. Alignment Customer Experience

Discover the largest library of innovation & transformation tools on the entire Internet!

LOG IN VIA E-MAIL

Forgot password?

New to Digital Leadership? Create your account

Thanks, We’ve Received Your Updated Details

Learn how to overcome the 90% failure rate in innovation from a master innovator & bestselling author!

Your e-mail address: * Your first name: *

One Last Step..

Help us better understand the UNITE community

Free guide to improve your innovation success rate*

Our 35-page comprehensive innovation guide covers the key areas why innovation fails. While it cannot cover all the solutions (that would take books to fill), it provides you with a convenient starting point for your analysis and provides further resources and links to the corresponding UNITE models, ultimately allowing you to work towards a doubling and tripling your chances of success.

Get access to the UNITE Models now!

Discover the largest library of innovation & transformation tools on the internet!

Choose Your Password *

Confirm Your Password *

Already have an account? Log in

Country * Please Select Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin (Dahomey) Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Brunswick and Lüneburg Bhutan Bulgaria Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Central American Federation Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Free State Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Grand Duchy of Tuscany Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nassau Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papal States Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Piedmont-Sardinia Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Congo Republic of Korea (South Korea) Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Schaumburg-Lippe Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland State of Palestine Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United States United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Württemberg Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Industry * Please Select Automotive, mobilty & transport Financial Services Chemical & agriculture Construction & Real Estate Consulting Education Energy Banking, insurance & FS FMCG Food Gov / Public Industry Health & lifestyle Logistics, Aero & Shipping Media & Entertainment Natural resources & mining Pharma & Biotech Retail & trade Tech & E-Commerce Telco Tourism design Information technology & services Management consulting Retail Pharmaceuticals International trade & development Professional training & coaching luxury goods & jewelry Automotive Insurance Mechanical or industrial engineering Company Size * XS - 1-10 S - 10-100 M - 100-1000 L - 1000-5000 XL - > 5000

Editable UNITE models (PowerPoint) included

Most of our models and canvases are designed to be applied! 


To help you personalize them to your exact business requirements, you can download fully editable versions of the UNITE models available (PowerPoint format)!

They are straightforward to work with, and you can directly incorporate them into your presentations as you need…thus saving countless hours of replication!

PS: did you know that you are also getting hi-res print-ready versions for your workshops?

Monthly live webinars

Each month we host our exclusive, invitation-only webinar series where one of our industry-leading experts updates our members on the latest news, progress and concepts around business strategy, innovation and digital transformation, as well as other related topics. 



You will receive the book in PDF and EPUB formats, ideal for your computer, Kindle, Tablet or other eReading device.

Bi-weekly live group Q&A sessions

These sessions are your opportunity to bring any questions or challenges you’re facing and receive expert guidance on the spot. 


Come and be a part of engaging discussions where your unique concerns are heard and addressed.

1x personal coaching session / month

If you are occasionally looking for a sparring partner or you need limited support, then this option will be ideal for you. Coaching sessions are 1-2 hours where we can discuss any challenge or opportunity you are currently facing.

If you need a few more hours outside of this provision, then these could be billed transparently.

Unlimited video call support! – it’s like always making the right decision!

We believe support shouldn’t be limited. Because we typically find that the occasional hour just doesn’t cut it – particularly if you and your team are in the midst of a large and complex project.

Your time with Stefan is therefore unlimited (fair usage applies) – in his function as coach and sparring partner. That does mean that you will still have to do the work – we cannot take that off you, unless you hire us as consultants. But you will get valuable strategic insight and direction to make sure you are always focusing your efforts where they will lead to the best results.

One personal coaching session / month 
+ unlimited support via e-mail & WhatsApp

We believe support shouldn’t be limited. If you generally know what you are doing but want a sparring partner to frequently raise questions to, this is the perfect choice!

In addition to your monthly 1-1 live coaching sessions with Stefan, you will also get unlimited support from him via email and WhatsApp messaging (fair usage applies). This not only allows you to get valuable strategic direction in your calls, but also gives you instant access to expert help as you work through your plans each month.



The fact that support is text-based means that we can speed up our responses to you while keeping the overall cost of support down.

Welcome gift of our book 
 “How to Create Innovation” 
 (digital + physical editions)*

As a welcome gift, you will receive the both the digital and physical version of our book “How to Create Innovation”, which covers numerous relevant resources and provides additional deep dives into our UNITE models and concepts.


The print version will be shipped out to you on sign-up. The digital version will be emailed to you, and comes in PDF and EPUB formats, ideal for your computer, Kindle, Tablet or other eReading device.

1x major workshop or 2x smaller workshops / month

1x major or 2x smaller workshops based on the UNITE models.

• Topics covered: almost any challenge under the header of #strategy, #innovation or #transformation, leveraging the UNITE models.
• Hands-On Learning: solve your challenges while learning the practical application of the UNITE models and walk away with concrete plans and tools to take your next steps.
• Industry thought leadership: facilitated by Stefan, the founder of Digital Leadership and the main author of the UNITE models, ensuring top-tier guidance and knowledge sharing.
• Collaborative approach: engage in interactive sessions that foster collaboration, idea exchange, and real-time problem-solving among peers and industry leaders.
• Continuous Improvement: Regular workshops ensure ongoing development in your organization staying ahead of industry trends and customer needs.

Access all of our UNITE models, 
 (incl. editable & print versions)

All of our Professional plans offer full access to the following:

• 6x UNITE model package downloads are included per month, if you need something in addition to these however, please let us know!
• Hi-res, print-ready versions you can use in your workshops
• Fully editable PowerPoint versions where applicable – personalize to your needs.
• Exclusive access to our vault of never-before-published strategic materials. We have much more to share – a lot of our concepts have never been published!

Exclusive access to our private UNITE community (upcoming)

We are currently in the process of launching our brand new community., we are designing our community to specifically help you:.

• Get answers to questions (“How do I …”)
• Share leading practices & knowledge
• Jointly develop new models
• Network amongst a highly qualified group of peers

Please, select the reason

Cancelling your plan will deactivate your plan after the current billing period ends. You will not be charged further, but also won’t be able to access [exclusive features/services].

• Cost-related issues
• Unsatisfied with the service
• Features I need are missing
• Switching to a different service
• Other (Please specify)

Book Your Initial Blueprint Session Now

Simply fill out the below form and book in a time for our initial session that works for you. This initial session is free, no strings attached, and is where we can discuss your Blueprint needs more in-depth before moving forward.

Stefan F. Dieffenbacher

Founder of digital leadership.

Adam D. Wisniewski

Partner for it strategy & business alignment.

Get in touch with Digital Leadership

Speak to our team today to find the best solution for your business to grow and scale.

We are here to support you across the entire lifecycle in all topics related to #digital, #innovation, #transformation and #marketing!

Stefan F. Dieffenbacher Founder of Digital Leadership

Contact Us!

Contact form, contact details, book a call.

Title, first name & last name * Email address * Phone number Please let us know how we can best support you! *

By clicking “Send”, I agree to Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Let’s have a conversation!

“Please be invited to reach out! We are happy to help and look forward to a first meeting!”

+41 (0) 44 562 42 24

[email protected]

Schedule Your Call With Our Team

Find a time on our calender that best suits you !

Founder and CEO of Digital Leadership

SCHEDULE YOUR INITIAL CALL

A Quick Survey!

What is the main challenge you're currently facing in your business?

You Want To Drive Change?

Let’s find the best solution for your business to grow and scale sustainably!

Let’s kick start it!

We will uncover your current business situation and goals and provide you with a bespoke solution that helps you drastically grow your business working with us.

Stefan F. Dieffenbacher, M.B.A.

Feedback about our consulting that we are proud of

Read the reviews and make sure that this is not a waste of time, but a super effective tool.

You want to drive change?

Schedule your free business assessment call with our founder.

On this call, we will uncover your current business situation and goals and talk about how to drive change and solve your need.

Choose the meeting type that applies to your needs and schedule a time to meet with someone from our team. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

Schedule Your Free Business Assessment

Schedule Your Free Business Assessment Call With Adam D. Wisniewski

Welcome to our scheduling page.

Let’s Design your Customer Experience Blueprint !

In a uniquely designed 60 or 90 minute session* , we will …

• > identify where to start with near-certainty
• > define what approach it takes to create success in your organization

Based on the Blueprinting session, you will receive a tailored blueprint that aligns with your objectives, vision and goals, ensuring that your initiative is a success from start to finish.

In this session, you will be working together with Patrick Zimmermann, Associate Partner for Customer Experience

Let’s Design your Culture & Org-Change Blueprint !

In this session, you will be working together with Dr. Andreas Rein, Partner at Digital Leadership for Culture & Org Change

Let’s Design your Innovation Blueprint !

In this session, you will be working together with Sascha Martini, Partner at Digital Leadership for Innovation and Digital Transformation

Let’s Design your Transformation Blueprint !

In this session, you will be working together with Stefan F. Dieffenbacher, Founder of Digital Leadership Stefan is a global thought leader in the innovation space

Let’s Design your IT Strategy & Business Alignment Blueprint !

In this session, you will be working together with Adam D. Wisniewski, Partner for IT Strategy & Business Alignment

Patrick Zimmermann

Sascha Martini

Dr. Andreas Rein

Write a personalized review! Log in

Create Review

Key Partnerships: Business Model Canvas Explained

The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management tool that allows businesses to visualize, design, and innovate their business models . One of the key components of this model is 'Key Partnerships', which refers to the network of suppliers and partners that make the business model work. This article will delve into the intricacies of Key Partnerships, exploring its importance, types, benefits, and how to identify and manage these partnerships effectively.

Key Partnerships are crucial for any business , regardless of its size or industry. They provide resources and activities that the company cannot provide on its own, thereby allowing the company to focus on its core competencies. In this context, partnerships can range from strategic alliances between non-competitors, joint ventures to develop new businesses, or buyer-supplier relationships to assure reliable supplies.

Understanding Key Partnerships

Key Partnerships in the Business Model Canvas refer to the relationships that your company has established with other businesses, government bodies, non-consumer entities, or even individuals, to create value for your customers. These partnerships are formed to optimize operations, reduce risks, or acquire resources.

Key Partnerships are not just about outsourcing or purchasing services. They are about leveraging the strengths of others to improve your business model. They can help a company extend its reach, improve its product or service, reduce costs, and mitigate risks.

Types of Key Partnerships

There are four main types of partnerships that a company can form: strategic alliances (with non-competitors), competition-based alliances (with competitors), joint ventures, and buyer-supplier relationships. Each type serves a different purpose and comes with its own set of advantages and challenges.

Strategic alliances with non-competitors allow companies to share resources and capabilities without directly competing with each other. Competition-based alliances, on the other hand, involve companies in the same industry working together to achieve a common goal. Joint ventures are formed when two or more companies decide to undertake a specific project or business activity together. Lastly, buyer-supplier relationships ensure a reliable supply of essential resources.

Importance of Key Partnerships

Key Partnerships are crucial for several reasons . They allow a company to focus on its core competencies while relying on partners for other resources or activities. This can lead to cost savings and increased efficiency. Partnerships also allow companies to access new markets, technologies, and expertise, fostering innovation and growth.

Furthermore, partnerships can help mitigate risks. By partnering with other companies, a business can share the risks associated with a particular project or activity. This can be particularly beneficial in uncertain or volatile markets.

Identifying Key Partnerships

Identifying potential partners is a crucial step in the process of forming Key Partnerships. This involves understanding your company's needs and goals, as well as the resources and capabilities of potential partners. It's important to consider both the short-term and long-term implications of a partnership.

Some questions to ask when identifying potential partners include: What resources or activities do we need that we cannot provide ourselves? What are our strategic goals, and how can a partner help us achieve them? What are the potential benefits and risks of partnering with this company?

Assessing Potential Partners

Once potential partners have been identified, the next step is to assess their suitability . This involves evaluating their resources, capabilities, reputation, and financial stability. It's also important to consider the potential partner's strategic goals and how they align with your own.

When assessing potential partners, it's important to conduct thorough due diligence. This includes reviewing financial statements, conducting interviews, and seeking advice from industry experts. It's also important to consider the potential partner's cultural fit, as this can significantly impact the success of the partnership.

Establishing and Managing Partnerships

Establishing and managing partnerships requires careful planning and ongoing management. This involves setting clear expectations, establishing communication channels , and regularly reviewing and adjusting the partnership as necessary.

It's important to establish a formal agreement that outlines the terms of the partnership, including the roles and responsibilities of each party, the allocation of resources, and the handling of any disputes. Regular communication is also crucial to ensure that the partnership is functioning effectively and that any issues are addressed promptly.

Benefits of Key Partnerships

Key Partnerships offer numerous benefits to businesses. They can provide access to new markets, technologies, and expertise , fostering innovation and growth. They can also lead to cost savings and increased efficiency by allowing companies to focus on their core competencies.

Furthermore, partnerships can help mitigate risks. By sharing the risks associated with a particular project or activity, companies can operate in uncertain or volatile markets with greater confidence. They can also increase their competitive advantage by leveraging the strengths of their partners.

Challenges of Key Partnerships

While partnerships offer numerous benefits, they also come with their own set of challenges. These can include differences in culture, goals, and management styles , which can lead to conflicts and misunderstandings. There's also the risk of becoming overly dependent on a partner, which can leave a company vulnerable if the partnership ends.

Despite these challenges, with careful planning and management, Key Partnerships can provide significant benefits to businesses. They can enhance a company's capabilities, extend its reach, and provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

In conclusion, Key Partnerships are a critical component of the Business Model Canvas. They provide companies with the resources and capabilities they need to create value for their customers. By forming strategic alliances, joint ventures, and buyer-supplier relationships, companies can enhance their business models, foster innovation, and achieve their strategic goals.

However, forming and managing partnerships requires careful planning and management. It's important to identify and assess potential partners carefully, establish clear expectations, and regularly review and adjust the partnership as necessary. With the right approach, Key Partnerships can provide significant benefits to businesses, including access to new markets, cost savings, and increased competitive advantage.

Whenever you are ready - here are a couple of ways how I can help you grow your business:

1. ​ Business Free Training Design Sprint ​ . Join Over 2,000 founders, creators and innovators in our FREE 7-day crash course on growth design. 7 emails delivered to your inbox giving you a flavour of the strategic planning, business growth systems and methods we use.

2. ​ Builder OS - Online Course - If you're looking to grow your business, I share expertise, methods and step-by-step blueprints on finding growth opportunities, building lean offers and acquiring customers.

3. Venture Builder Newsletter ​ - Sign up for the newsletter to receive 1 weekly email with practical tips on finding profitable niches, creating irresistible offers and traffic generating systems.out your business.

Helping designers and strategists turn their boldest ideas into market-leading ventures through Business, Design and Growth.

Whenever you are ready - here is how I can help:

1. ​ Newsletter ​ . Join over 2.000 founders, creators and innovators and get access to the business builder framework.

2. ​ Business Builder OS - Masterclass on finding growth opportunities, building lean offers and acquiring customers - driven by A.I.

3. Builder Toolkit - 30 ideas on how to grow your revenue.

Find, build and grow new ventures, better and faster.

©2024 Untaylored. All Rights Reserved.

Profitable Business Models > Business Model Canvas

The Business Model Canvas Explained: Key Partners

• by  Joanne Moyo
• January 20, 2022

No man is an island; the same goes for your business. They are other companies, 3rd parties, and people that you will need to achieve your value proposition and your key activities .

It’s impossible for you to internally source everything you need for your business.

So a crucial question to ask here is ‘who can I rely on if my business cannot achieve the value proposition alone?’ An example of this is if you run a local grocery store, you may need a local baker to supply fresh bread to your store.

Key partnerships can either be in the form of an open relationship where both partners retain their independence and are free to form more partnerships. Or it can be an exclusive contract that limits the two companies to only that one relationship.

So in this segment, it’s essential to list the activities , resources , and channels you need to outsource to deliver your value proposition to your customer segments . This will give you an indication of the partners you’ll need to make your business model work.

Let’s look at Spotify . Spotify’s key activity and value proposition are giving users access to music. However, the company doesn’t produce its own music, so key partners for Spotify would be record labels and artists who own the rights to the music.

Why are Key Partners Important? 

Healthy partnerships are crucial in making a business successful. Still, they can be tricky and involve a lot of negotiation and an element of trust. There are several reasons why a company might opt for a partnership. It’s important to mention that your business can form several partnerships for various reasons. Still, not all will be key to your business.

Partnerships are essential for the following reasons:

• Optimization and economy of scale

Partnerships enable your business to optimize its resource utilization. Some organizations go into alliances to increase their bottom line. In contrast, others are motivated by the cost-cutting benefits of partnering.

It’s unrealistic to think that your business will have all the resources in place to conduct all your key activities in-house. Partnerships will give you the ability to share infrastructures or outsource some activities to more cost-effective options.

Tesla , for instance, signed a production contract in 2005 with Lotus to produce complete car shells. This partnership was crucial for developing Tesla’s first car, the Roadster. The company had tried and failed to secure suppliers of materials such as airbags, door handles and latches, seatbelts, and other components that made up the shell of a sports car.

Tesla didn’t have enough money, so securing these suppliers was a challenge. Additionally, most suppliers saw their idea as too risky and likely to fail, so they were not keen on partnering with Tesla. Thankfully, Lotus, a UK-based car manufacturer, had a good relationship with some suppliers and managed to secure these essential components on behalf of Tesla Motors.

Just keep in mind that partnerships can change throughout your business’ lifecycle. The types of partnerships that may be key during your first year may not be the ones you’ll need once your business is established.

• Reduction of risk and uncertainty

A good partnership may help you reduce the inherent risk of doing your own business. For example, you can guarantee the supply of some critical resources to your business rather than depending on suppliers who aren’t key partners. Usually, the latter suppliers may not give precedence to your business because there is no exclusive partnership agreement.

Some competitors may form strategic partnerships to share the risk of bringing something new into the market while still competing in various aspects of the industry. A great example of this is the development of blu-ray technology. This was a collaboration by some of the world’s biggest consumer electronics and computer technology firms, including Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, and Hitachi Sharp, Samsung Electronics, and Sony.

Developing this technology was costly, and these competitors had to work together to make blu-ray technology more mainstream.

•  Acquisition of activities and new resources

Sometimes having a key partner will help you attain new resources or conduct key activities that are hard to source in-house. This might be due to the resources or activity requiring a heavy investment of time, money, or both. Negotiating a partnership with a company that already possesses the things you lack can come in handy.

For example, in 1984, Toyota and General Motors entered into a joint venture called the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. The purpose of the partnership was to re-launch the General Motor plant in Fremont, California, and strengthen Toyota’s position. Under the joint venture, the plant would manufacture cars for both brands.

The partnership also benefited General Motors, struggling to sell high-quality and fuel-efficient small cars. They could now access the Toyota Production System and penetrate the small car market.

Additionally, the factory would give Toyota a manufacturing base in North America, thereby avoiding the tariffs on imported vehicles. Moreover, General Motors would prove valuable in navigating the American labor environment, particularly relations with the United Auto Workers union.

Types of Partnerships

Partnerships come in different forms. They can be strategic alliances, joint ventures, or buyer-seller. Your partnership could have to do with anything necessary for your business to run, such as capital, manufacturing, service, or supplies.

• Strategic alliances: These types of partnerships are between non-competitors. For example, Uber’s partnership with Spotify allows Uber riders to easily stream their Spotify playlists whenever they take a ride. This makes the Uber experience feel more personalized and encourages Uber riders to subscribe to Spotify Premium to get more control.
• Co-opetition: This type of partnership helps to spread the risk between both parties. It may also assist when both partners are trying to introduce something new. For instance, Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iPad) established an agreement in 2007 to allow the distribution of Amazon e-books through an iPad – Kindle App.
• Joint-Ventures: Joint Ventures help both partners who might have a mutual interest in developing new business. Think back to our Toyota and General Motors example. 
• Buyer-Supplier Relationships: These are the most popular type of partnerships and ensure that your business has a reliable source of supplies. This means they have a reliable buyer for their product for the supplier.

How to Create Good Key Partnerships

There are several factors you should keep in mind when forming partnerships:

• Right Partnership Agreements: Regardless of who you partner with, all relevant parties must have clear partnership agreements drafted along with legal counsel.
• Defining Expectations: To avoid future conflict, it’s best to establish expectations from the onset.
• Impact on your customer segment : When forming a partnership, it is crucial to consider your value proposition and key resources . Partners may fill up a gap for every BMC segment, with the most important being possible access to new clients. For example, Netflix partnered with Apple by launching an app on Apple’s iPad. This gave the access to new customers and also helped with the user experience. 
• Win-Win situation: Healthy and sustainable partnerships need to have visible gains on both ends.

Lastly, some partnerships may seem beneficial on paper but fail to get off the ground practically. Additionally, changes in the business model may also make some business partnerships irrelevant.

When analyzing the various key partnerships that your business requires, it is imperative to evaluate the nature of the alliance based on the following key questions;

• Which partnerships are critical to our business?
• Who can you trust to help you achieve the value proposition?
• What can’t you offer that a partner can?
• What type of partnerships would suit our needs?
• Who has easy access to your customer segment ?
• Who could decrease your effort in building customer relationships ?
• What key resources are in hands of other companies that are not your direct competition?
• What partnerships could lower your in-house costs?
• What activities are not crucial to your business model and could be outsourced to third parties?
• Are there already existing channels that you could use in exchange of your resources or effort?

It all boils down to identifying what is in your capabilities and what isn’t. There’s nothing wrong with outsourcing some of your channels , activities , or resources , as long as you don’t put at too much risk your business model if the partnership breaks.

Most Popular

Netflix’s Business Model Canvas Evolution (2021)

McDonald’s: Business Model Canvas, its evolution and company’s history

18 Must-Read Business Books

Check how Amazon’s main focus allowed the company to thrive. Amazon’s Business Model Canvas and how it changed from the very beginning.

• Business books reviews (27)
• Business Ideas (8)
• Business Model Canvas (9)
• Business models of large companies (26)

Business Tools

Download Free Business Model Canvas Template in Word / docx / PDF / SVG format

Inspire yourself with Business Ideas Generator

Get INSPIRING stories and TIPS on making your business model PROFITABLE!

• Recently trending business ideas
• Inspiring business models
• Examples of profitable businesses from all over the world

2 Responses

Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that make the most significant changes. Thanks for sharing!

Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m definitely pleased I discovered it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!

Related Posts

Twitter: Becoming The World’s Fastest Information Hub

Today, Twitter is one of the most recognizable and influential social media platforms on the planet. As of February 2022, Twitter is valued at $27.48

The Business Model Canvas Explained: Cost Structure

The last (but not least) segment on the Business Model Canvas is the cost structures. In this segment, you must ask yourself, how much will

No man is an island; the same goes for your business. They are other companies, 3rd parties, and people that you will need to achieve

The Business Model Canvas Explained: Key Resources

On the Business Model Canvas, the Key Resources segment refers to the supplies, assets, and materials required to deliver your value proposition to your customer

Privacy Overview

Determine key business partners with 8 questions

The canvas business model was created by the Swiss Alexander Osterwalder to facilitate the strategic planning of new businesses in a fast, agile and integrated way , with the aid of canvas with 9 fields to fill.

Because they’re all nearby and being filled up in a short space of time and a group, the goal is for each response to be viewed broadly, making it easier to perceive the interpolations between each field.

Thus, the result is much more complete and meets the complexities inherent in planning business.

The 9 fields that must be filled in are the following:

• Key partners
• Key activities
• Value offering
• Key features
• Customer relationship
• Customer segments

In this post, we are going to understand better how to answer the 8 questions regarding the definition of the key partners in a business model canvas.

See also: Lean Business Model Canvas: For Every Type of Organization

8 questions to define the key partners in a business model canvas

A business needs to develop partnerships so that it can function properly.

Whether it’s suppliers, non-profits, unions, associations and even clients, you need to understand how these partnerships will help your business succeed.

See the following 8 questions and explanations on how to answer them:

1- Who are our key partners?

Who are the entities or people who will contribute to the success of your business, but who are neither employees nor suppliers?

For example: large universities often develop research in partnership with industries, which store these surveys to be able to use them in business.

2- Who are our key suppliers?

There are suppliers that can be easily replaced, usually those that produce commodities. But other extremely specialized features and services that your business needs come from key suppliers.

You have to find out who they are to strengthen the relationship.

For example: among the key suppliers of a jewelry store are the big producers of hard to find and replace gemstones.

3- What key resources do we get from partners?

In the first example we gave, this is clear: universities get capital to invest in research, And companies get the information and insights from the academic research they need.

4- What key activities do the partners carry out?

Again, our initial example helps to understand this: the high-quality professional service provided by universities, their professors, and students, is the activity that companies receive.

In the case of jewelry, the extraction, selection, and stoning of the gems are the activity the partner performs.

5 – What can motivate these partnerships?

Now the question is more strategic. See that partnership, in the case of universities, is a mutual process of collaboration , in which both key partners in a business model have a benefit, there is a reciprocity that motivates this partnership.

But, in the case of the supply of precious stones, this doesn’t occur, the relationship is merely commercial. Is it possible to find a way to strengthen this partnership?

If the jewelry store created a jewelry line with the name of one of the mines where they extract the stones, would this create a common brand between the two companies?

The next 3 questions go in this direction. Now that we know who the partners are and what they provide, how can we improve this relationship?

Have a look:

6- How do you achieve optimization and savings with key partners?

Creating a unique partnership with a smaller precious stones supplier, ensuring the purchase of all your production, with special prices for the jewelry, and determining quality standards that correspond exactly to what the jeweler needs, can be a beneficial idea for both key partners in a business model.

7- How do you reduce risks and uncertainties?

The previous example also goes down this path, especially for the stone supplier.

8- How do you access certain resources and activities?

Imagine that the university needs a certain expensive device to analyze certain materials and conduct their research.

It will need to find the right company, which has enough resources to purchase the equipment and maintain it. This company should also have an interest in this field of research.

See more: How to Organize a Small Business Using the Canvas Model

So, after defining the key partners in a business model, and responding to the other 8 fields in this table, model your processes with HEFLO , an intuitive, free for process modeling and cloud-based BPMN tool .

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post Comment

• Business Management
• Process Automation
• Process Documentation
• Process Improvement
• Process Mapping
• Process Modeling
• Process Optimization