business plan vs business model canvas

Business Plan vs Business Model Canvas Explained

6 min. read

Updated July 29, 2024

It might be stating the obvious, but planning and preparation are keys to success in business.

After all, entrepreneurs put in hard work to develop their product, understand the market they plan to serve, assess their competitive landscape and funding needs, and much more.

Successful business owners also take time to document their strategies for guiding the growth of their companies. They use these strategies to take advantage of new opportunities and pivot away from threats.

Two common frameworks for documenting strategies – the business model canvas and the business plan – are also among the easiest to get confused.

Though they can complement each other, a business model canvas and a business plan are different in ways worth understanding for any entrepreneur who’s refining their business concept and strategy.

Let’s start by digging deeper into what a business model canvas is. 

• What is a business model canvas?

You may have heard the term “business model” before. Every company has one. 

Your business model is just a description of how your business will generate revenue. In other words, it’s a snapshot of the ways your business will be profitable.

Writing a business plan is one way of explaining a company’s business model. The business model canvas takes a different approach.

A business model canvas is a one-page template that explains your business model and provides an overview of your:

• Relationships with key partners
• Financial structure
• And more…

While the business model is a statement of fact, the business model canvas is a strategic process—a method for either documenting or determining your business model.

It’s meant to be quickly and easily updated as a business better understands what it needs to be successful over time. This makes it especially useful for startups and newer businesses that are still trying to determine their business model.

You can think of a business model canvas as a condensed, summarized, and simplified version of a business plan. It’s a great way to quickly document an idea and get started on the planning process.

The business plan is a way to expand on the ideas from the canvas and flesh out more details on strategy and implementation.

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Components of a Business Model Canvas

The simplest way to think about your business model canvas is to map it out visually. A business model canvas covers nine key areas:

• Value proposition : A company’s unique offering in the market and why it will be successful.
• Key activities: The actions that a company takes to achieve its value proposition.
• Customer segments : The types of people or businesses that are likely to want a company’s products or services.
• Channels : How a company reaches customers through marketing and distribution efforts.
• Customer relationships: How a company interacts with customers and maintains important relationships.
• Revenue streams: The ways in which a company makes money.
• Key resources: The assets such as property, equipment and staffing that a company needs to perform its key activities.
• Key partners: The relationships with suppliers, vendors, customers and other stakeholders a company must maintain in order to be successful.
• Cost structure: The major drivers of company expenses that will need to be tracked and managed.

[Want an even simpler alternative? Try downloading our free one-page plan template and start building your plan in less than 30 minutes.]

To get a better sense of how a business model canvas documents business strategy, consider a company like Netflix. The streaming company’s business model is based on generating subscription revenue through its content library and exclusive content.

If Netflix executives were to create a business model canvas, it would map out how the company leverages key resources, partnerships, and activities to achieve its value proposition and drive profitability. The business model is the destination.

The great thing about a business model canvas is that you can quickly document business ideas and see how a business might work at a high level. As you do more research, you’ll quickly refine your canvas until you have a business idea you think will work.

From there, you expand into a full business plan.

• What is a business plan?

If a business model canvas captures what a company looks like when it’s operating successfully, then a business plan is a more detailed version along with a company’s blueprint for getting there.

Think of your business plan as a process of laying out your goals and your strategies for achieving them.

The business plan is more detailed, and changes over time. It examines each aspect of your business, from operations to marketing and financials.

The plan often includes forward-looking forecasts of a company’s projected financial performance. These are always educated guesses. But these forecasts can also be used as a management tool for any growing business.

Comparing actual results to the forecast can be a valuable reality check, telling a business if they’re on track to meet their goals or if they need to adjust their plan.

Using an investor-approved business plan template is also a must for companies hoping to receive a bank loan , SBA loan , or other form of outside investment . Anyone putting up funds to help you grow will want to see you’ve done your homework.

So a business plan is how you not only prepare yourself, but also show your audience that you’re prepared.

Components of a business plan

While there are several different types of business plans meant for different uses, well-written plans will cover these common areas:

• Executive summary : A brief (1-2 pages) overview of your business.
• Products and services : Detailed descriptions of what you’re selling and how it fills a need in the market.
• Market analysis : Assessing the size of your market, and information about your customers such as demographics (age, income level) and psychographics (interests, values).
• Competitive analysis : Documenting existing businesses and solutions your target customers are finding in the market.
• Marketing and sales plan : Your strategies for positioning your product or service in the market, and developing a customer base.  
• Operations plan : Describing how you will run the business from day to day, including how you will manage inventory, equipment, and staff.
• Organization and management team: Detailing the legal structure of the business, as well as key members, their backgrounds and qualifications.
• Financial Plans : Business financials that measure a company’s performance and health, including profit & loss statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets. Effective financial plans also include forward-looking sales forecasts and expense budgets.

How a business plan and business model canvas inform business strategy

Avoid the trap of using the two terms interchangeably. As we’ve shown, the two have different focuses and purposes. 

The business model canvas (or our one-page plan template ) is a great starting point for mapping out your initial strategy. Both are easy to iterate on as you test ideas and determine what’s feasible.

Once you have a clearer sense of your idea, you can expand the canvas or one-page plan into a business plan that digs into details like your operations plan, marketing strategy, and financial forecast.

When you understand how – and when – to use each, you can speed up the entire planning process. That’s because the business model canvas lays out the foundation of your venture’s feasibility and potential, while the business plan provides a roadmap for getting there.

The work of business planning is about connecting the dots between the potential and the process.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

Table of Contents

• How both inform your strategy

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Business Plan vs. Business Model Canvas: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between Business Plan and Business Model Canvas is that a business plan is like a detailed story about your business, while a business model canvas is a simple visual chart.

Before we move to more differences, let’s first understand Business Plan and Business Model Canvas:

Major differences between Business Plan and Business Model Canvas

You can see other “differences between…” posts by clicking here .

If you have a related query, kindly feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Business Model Canvas: Explained with Examples

Got a new business idea, but don’t know how to put it to work? Want to improve your existing business model? Overwhelmed by writing your business plan? There is a one-page technique that can provide you the solution you are looking for, and that’s the business model canvas.

In this guide, you’ll have the Business Model Canvas explained, along with steps on how to create one. All business model canvas examples in the post can be edited online.

What is a Business Model Canvas

A business model is simply a plan describing how a business intends to make money. It explains who your customer base is and how you deliver value to them and the related details of financing. And the business model canvas lets you define these different components on a single page.   

The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management tool that lets you visualize and assess your business idea or concept. It’s a one-page document containing nine boxes that represent different fundamental elements of a business.  

The business model canvas beats the traditional business plan that spans across several pages, by offering a much easier way to understand the different core elements of a business.

The right side of the canvas focuses on the customer or the market (external factors that are not under your control) while the left side of the canvas focuses on the business (internal factors that are mostly under your control). In the middle, you get the value propositions that represent the exchange of value between your business and your customers.

The business model canvas was originally developed by Alex Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur and introduced in their book ‘ Business Model Generation ’ as a visual framework for planning, developing and testing the business model(s) of an organization.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Business Model Canvas

Why do you need a business model canvas? The answer is simple. The business model canvas offers several benefits for businesses and entrepreneurs. It is a valuable tool and provides a visual and structured approach to designing, analyzing, optimizing, and communicating your business model.

• The business model canvas provides a comprehensive overview of a business model’s essential aspects. The BMC provides a quick outline of the business model and is devoid of unnecessary details compared to the traditional business plan.
• The comprehensive overview also ensures that the team considers all required components of their business model and can identify gaps or areas for improvement.
• The BMC allows the team to have a holistic and shared understanding of the business model while enabling them to align and collaborate effectively.
• The visual nature of the business model canvas makes it easier to refer to and understand by anyone. The business model canvas combines all vital business model elements in a single, easy-to-understand canvas.
• The BMC can be considered a strategic analysis tool as it enables you to examine a business model’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges.
• It’s easier to edit and can be easily shared with employees and stakeholders.
• The BMC is a flexible and adaptable tool that can be updated and revised as the business evolves. Keep your business agile and responsive to market changes and customer needs.
• The business model canvas can be used by large corporations and startups with just a few employees.
• The business model canvas effectively facilitates discussions among team members, investors, partners, customers, and other stakeholders. It clarifies how different aspects of the business are related and ensures a shared understanding of the business model.
• You can use a BMC template to facilitate discussions and guide brainstorming brainstorming sessions to generate insights and ideas to refine the business model and make strategic decisions.
• The BMC is action-oriented, encouraging businesses to identify activities and initiatives to improve their business model to drive business growth.
• A business model canvas provides a structured approach for businesses to explore possibilities and experiment with new ideas. This encourages creativity and innovation, which in turn encourages team members to think outside the box.

How to Make a Business Model Canvas

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a business canvas model.

Step 1: Gather your team and the required material Bring a team or a group of people from your company together to collaborate. It is better to bring in a diverse group to cover all aspects.

While you can create a business model canvas with whiteboards, sticky notes, and markers, using an online platform like Creately will ensure that your work can be accessed from anywhere, anytime. Create a workspace in Creately and provide editing/reviewing permission to start.

Step 2: Set the context Clearly define the purpose and the scope of what you want to map out and visualize in the business model canvas. Narrow down the business or idea you want to analyze with the team and its context.

Step 3: Draw the canvas Divide the workspace into nine equal sections to represent the nine building blocks of the business model canvas.

Step 4: Identify the key building blocks Label each section as customer segment, value proposition, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, and cost structure.

Step 5: Fill in the canvas Work with your team to fill in each section of the canvas with relevant information. You can use data, keywords, diagrams, and more to represent ideas and concepts.

Step 6: Analyze and iterate Once your team has filled in the business model canvas, analyze the relationships to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges. Discuss improvements and make adjustments as necessary.

Step 7: Finalize Finalize and use the model as a visual reference to communicate and align your business model with stakeholders. You can also use the model to make informed and strategic decisions and guide your business.

What are the Key Building Blocks of the Business Model Canvas?

There are nine building blocks in the business model canvas and they are:

Customer Segments

Customer relationships, revenue streams, key activities, key resources, key partners, cost structure.

• Value Proposition

When filling out a Business Model Canvas, you will brainstorm and conduct research on each of these elements. The data you collect can be placed in each relevant section of the canvas. So have a business model canvas ready when you start the exercise.  

Let’s look into what the 9 components of the BMC are in more detail.

These are the groups of people or companies that you are trying to target and sell your product or service to.

Segmenting your customers based on similarities such as geographical area, gender, age, behaviors, interests, etc. gives you the opportunity to better serve their needs, specifically by customizing the solution you are providing them.

After a thorough analysis of your customer segments, you can determine who you should serve and ignore. Then create customer personas for each of the selected customer segments.

There are different customer segments a business model can target and they are;

• Mass market: A business model that focuses on mass markets doesn’t group its customers into segments. Instead, it focuses on the general population or a large group of people with similar needs. For example, a product like a phone.  
• Niche market: Here the focus is centered on a specific group of people with unique needs and traits. Here the value propositions, distribution channels, and customer relationships should be customized to meet their specific requirements. An example would be buyers of sports shoes.
• Segmented: Based on slightly different needs, there could be different groups within the main customer segment. Accordingly, you can create different value propositions, distribution channels, etc. to meet the different needs of these segments.
• Diversified: A diversified market segment includes customers with very different needs.
• Multi-sided markets: this includes interdependent customer segments. For example, a credit card company caters to both their credit card holders as well as merchants who accept those cards.

Use STP Model templates for segmenting your market and developing ideal marketing campaigns

Visualize, assess, and update your business model. Collaborate on brainstorming with your team on your next business model innovation.

In this section, you need to establish the type of relationship you will have with each of your customer segments or how you will interact with them throughout their journey with your company.

There are several types of customer relationships

• Personal assistance: you interact with the customer in person or by email, through phone call or other means.
• Dedicated personal assistance: you assign a dedicated customer representative to an individual customer.  
• Self-service: here you maintain no relationship with the customer, but provides what the customer needs to help themselves.
• Automated services: this includes automated processes or machinery that helps customers perform services themselves.
• Communities: these include online communities where customers can help each other solve their own problems with regard to the product or service.
• Co-creation: here the company allows the customer to get involved in the designing or development of the product. For example, YouTube has given its users the opportunity to create content for its audience.

You can understand the kind of relationship your customer has with your company through a customer journey map . It will help you identify the different stages your customers go through when interacting with your company. And it will help you make sense of how to acquire, retain and grow your customers.

This block is to describe how your company will communicate with and reach out to your customers. Channels are the touchpoints that let your customers connect with your company.

Channels play a role in raising awareness of your product or service among customers and delivering your value propositions to them. Channels can also be used to allow customers the avenue to buy products or services and offer post-purchase support.

There are two types of channels

• Owned channels: company website, social media sites, in-house sales, etc.
• Partner channels: partner-owned websites, wholesale distribution, retail, etc.

Revenues streams are the sources from which a company generates money by selling their product or service to the customers. And in this block, you should describe how you will earn revenue from your value propositions.  

A revenue stream can belong to one of the following revenue models,

• Transaction-based revenue: made from customers who make a one-time payment
• Recurring revenue: made from ongoing payments for continuing services or post-sale services

There are several ways you can generate revenue from

• Asset sales: by selling the rights of ownership for a product to a buyer
• Usage fee: by charging the customer for the use of its product or service
• Subscription fee: by charging the customer for using its product regularly and consistently
• Lending/ leasing/ renting: the customer pays to get exclusive rights to use an asset for a fixed period of time
• Licensing: customer pays to get permission to use the company’s intellectual property
• Brokerage fees: revenue generated by acting as an intermediary between two or more parties
• Advertising: by charging the customer to advertise a product, service or brand using company platforms

What are the activities/ tasks that need to be completed to fulfill your business purpose? In this section, you should list down all the key activities you need to do to make your business model work.

These key activities should focus on fulfilling its value proposition, reaching customer segments and maintaining customer relationships, and generating revenue.

There are 3 categories of key activities;

• Production: designing, manufacturing and delivering a product in significant quantities and/ or of superior quality.
• Problem-solving: finding new solutions to individual problems faced by customers.
• Platform/ network: Creating and maintaining platforms. For example, Microsoft provides a reliable operating system to support third-party software products.

This is where you list down which key resources or the main inputs you need to carry out your key activities in order to create your value proposition.

There are several types of key resources and they are

• Human (employees)
• Financial (cash, lines of credit, etc.)
• Intellectual (brand, patents, IP, copyright)
• Physical (equipment, inventory, buildings)

Key partners are the external companies or suppliers that will help you carry out your key activities. These partnerships are forged in oder to reduce risks and acquire resources.

Types of partnerships are

• Strategic alliance: partnership between non-competitors
• Coopetition: strategic partnership between partners
• Joint ventures: partners developing a new business
• Buyer-supplier relationships: ensure reliable supplies

In this block, you identify all the costs associated with operating your business model.

You’ll need to focus on evaluating the cost of creating and delivering your value propositions, creating revenue streams, and maintaining customer relationships. And this will be easier to do so once you have defined your key resources, activities, and partners.  

Businesses can either be cost-driven (focuses on minimizing costs whenever possible) and value-driven (focuses on providing maximum value to the customer).

Value Propositions

This is the building block that is at the heart of the business model canvas. And it represents your unique solution (product or service) for a problem faced by a customer segment, or that creates value for the customer segment.

A value proposition should be unique or should be different from that of your competitors. If you are offering a new product, it should be innovative and disruptive. And if you are offering a product that already exists in the market, it should stand out with new features and attributes.

Value propositions can be either quantitative (price and speed of service) or qualitative (customer experience or design).

What to Avoid When Creating a Business Model Canvas

One thing to remember when creating a business model canvas is that it is a concise and focused document. It is designed to capture key elements of a business model and, as such, should not include detailed information. Some of the items to avoid include,

• Detailed financial projections such as revenue forecasts, cost breakdowns, and financial ratios. Revenue streams and cost structure should be represented at a high level, providing an overview rather than detailed projections.
• Detailed operational processes such as standard operating procedures of a business. The BMC focuses on the strategic and conceptual aspects.
• Comprehensive marketing or sales strategies. The business model canvas does not provide space for comprehensive marketing or sales strategies. These should be included in marketing or sales plans, which allow you to expand into more details.
• Legal or regulatory details such as intellectual property, licensing agreements, or compliance requirements. As these require more detailed and specialized attention, they are better suited to be addressed in separate legal or regulatory documents.
• Long-term strategic goals or vision statements. While the canvas helps to align the business model with the overall strategy, it should focus on the immediate and tangible aspects.
• Irrelevant or unnecessary information that does not directly relate to the business model. Including extra or unnecessary information can clutter the BMC and make it less effective in communicating the core elements.

What Are Your Thoughts on the Business Model Canvas?

Once you have completed your business model canvas, you can share it with your organization and stakeholders and get their feedback as well. The business model canvas is a living document, therefore after completing it you need to revisit and ensure that it is relevant, updated and accurate.

What best practices do you follow when creating a business model canvas? Do share your tips with us in the comments section below.

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FAQs About the Business Model Canvas

How do i determine my value proposition, how can i build and maintain customer relationships, what should i consider when establishing partnerships in the business model canvas, how can the business model canvas help to analyze and optimize my business model, can i use the business model canvas for different types of businesses, how often should the business canvas model be updated or revised, how can i effectively communicate my business model to stakeholders using the business canvas model.

• Use clear and concise language
• Use visual-aids
• Customize for your audience
• Highlight key insights
• Be open to feedback and discussion

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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Business Model vs. Business Plan: Key Differences

A business model is your core framework for operating profitably and providing value to customers; a business plan outlines how you’ll execute your goals.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish,” wrote famed French author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. These words ring especially true in modern business planning. As an entrepreneur, planning is a skill that can help ensure your success.

Business models and business plans are both integral aspects of starting a business. But what are the similarities and differences between the two, and when is the right time to think about each for your company? Here’s a breakdown.

Business model vs. business plan: What’s the difference?

A business model is a company’s core framework for operating profitably and providing value to customers. They usually include the customer value proposition and pricing strategy. A business plan outlines your business goals and your strategies for achieving them.

The two documents have a few critical differences, namely their structure and application. But the topics they deal with—such as a company’s finances, goals, and operational framework—are largely the same.

Financial projections

• How they’re similar: Both business models and business plans provide an in-depth description for how a company will generate profits.
• How they’re different: A business plan includes financial performance details relevant to both internal and external stakeholders, such as investors, lenders, or potential business partners. Alternatively, a business model describes your value proposition —what product or service a business will offer and why customers should buy it—as well as the target market .

Operational details

• How they’re similar: Both business models and business plans include overarching information about how a company plans to operate, including components such as distribution channels and management structure.
• How they’re different: Business models explain the fundamental structure of a company, such as how it plans to create and deliver value to customers, while business plans get into the actionable details of how to achieve a company’s operational goals.
• How they’re similar: Business models and business plans are used to outline the goals, strategies, and operations of a business.
• How they’re different: A business plan generally incorporates a business model, explaining how the model should be implemented and executed to achieve the business's goals.

4 examples of business models

• Brick-and-mortar
• Direct to consumer
• Subscription

There are dozens of different templates that you, as a business owner, can draw from when building out your operation. Here are four examples of basic business models:

1. Brick-and-mortar

One of the most common retail business models, brick-and-mortar , includes a traditional physical storefront (or a pop-up shop ) selling either business to business (B2B), in the form of wholesale goods, or business-to-consumer (B2C). Although overhead such as rent is a consideration in this model, physical locations offer the competitive advantage of tapping in-person customers and building brand awareness through exposure.

2. Direct to consumer

Direct to consumer (D2C or DTC) is a retail model that allows your business to sell straight to customers, rather than going through a third-party retailer such as Amazon. There are numerous benefits to D2C, including higher profit margins because you don’t have an intermediary taking a cut. However, the main disadvantage of D2C is that you have to develop your own customer base without the help of an established platform.

3. Subscription

Projections indicate that the subscription ecommerce market has boomed in recent years and is set to hit nearly $900 billion in 2026. The subscription business model includes charging customers a recurring fee for a good or service—anything from home-delivery meal kits to media streaming. Subscription services are dependent on customer relationships and customer loyalty , but they can offer businesses a more predictable revenue stream.

4. Freemium

Under a so-called freemium model, consumers can access part of the business’s goods or services free of charge, but must pay to receive unlimited access to everything the company has to offer. Examples include many media organizations, such as The New York Times, which offers several free articles before requiring a subscription, or audio streaming service Spotify, which has a free version with ads, as well as a paid version without.

What's in a business plan?

A comprehensive business plan details many aspects of your company, including everything from marketing strategies to finances to the legal ownership structure. Here are a few key sections to include when writing your business plan.

• Executive summary . The executive summary includes your mission statement , an explanation of your core values and goals, a brief company history, and descriptions of the products or services you plan to provide to a potential or existing market.
• Organizational structure. Management hierarchy, as well as their roles and responsibilities, would be included in this section.
• Marketing and sales. How do you plan to market your offerings? Who is your target market? What is your pricing strategy and how does it compare to that of your competitors? How do you plan to acquire and retain customers? All these questions should be answered in this section.
• Expected financial performance. This includes projected revenue streams,  cash flow management , cost structure, expenses, and anticipated profitability. It typically covers from one to five years in the future.
• Business operations. This section covers everything about the day-to-day running of your business, including your storefront (if you have one), inventory management , supply chain, and production.

Business models vs. business plans FAQ

Which comes first, a business model or business plan.

A business model typically comes before a business plan . Business plans often include the business model, and then explain in detail how you plan to achieve the goals set out in a model.

How can a company test and validate its business model before creating a business plan?

Market research, financial modeling, and even seeking out expert advice or consulting are all ways to review and validate your operation’s business model before developing a business plan.

How often should a company review and update its business plan?

A business should be prepared to update its business plan dynamically, based on changes in the market, shifts within the operation, or new investment or opportunities. Many businesses update their plans annually

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Business Model vs Business Plan What’s the Difference?

Free Business Model Canvas Template

• January 2, 2024

Business plan, business model, strategies, financial forecasts, and whatnot!

Starting a business means encountering new terms every day, but not exactly knowing when to use what!

Two such terms are business plan and business model. People often use them interchangeably, and it’s okay if you do too. Today we’ll change that so you know which to use when.

In this article, we’ll conduct a thorough business plan vs. business model comparison to understand their meanings and know their purpose.

So, let’s kick-start this journey now.

What is a business model?

A business model is a mechanism that directs how you create, deliver, and attain value in the market; it’s the profit-generating plan of your company.

This involves identifying your value proposition, targeting specific customer segments, defining revenue streams, leveraging key resources, and forming strategic partnerships.

Simply put, it’s how you sell your product to make money.

Components of a business model

The essential elements of a business model are:

• Customer segments
• Value proposition
• Revenue streams
• Customer relationships
• Key activities
• Key resources
• Key partners
• Cost structure

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines your entire business operations. It covers everything from launching products and setting milestones to planning an exit strategy, detailing every step of your business journey. A business plan describes what a company does, its vision & goals, and its strategies.

Essentially, a business plan serves as a roadmap for how your business will operate, grow, and achieve success.

Components of a business plan

Here are the core components of a business plan:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Products and services
• Market analysis
• Customers analysis
• Competitors analysis
• Marketing and sales plan
• Operations plan
• Financial plan

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Four key differences: business model vs. business plan

Now that you know the exact meaning of a business model and business plan, it’s time to understand the difference.

Your business model focuses on optimizing the internal and external company operations to earn maximum profits. It explains your relationship with dealers, distributors, service partners, customers, and target audience.

Conversely, your business plan focuses on how you set business goals, create strategies, make predictions, and manage labor to sustain and scale your business. It also outlines your relationship with your customers, competitors, industry, and the market.

2. Benefits

Adopting the right business model(s) help you:.

Gain a competitive edge

Incorporating a unique business model amazes your audience and attracts them to be your first-time customers. It also provides you with a competitive edge over other businesses in your industry.

Ensure sustainability and scalability

A business model pushes an entrepreneur to have monthly update meetings and plan what the next month should exactly look like. Many businesses shut down due to poor financial management, which is why a business model is required.

From economic storms to unexpected difficulties, a business model ensures both sustainability and scalability.

Inspires trust in investors

Investors know the failure rate of small businesses, which is why incorporating a clear business model provides a sense of security. They will also know that you have a strategy and what your profitability expectations are for the upcoming years.

Writing a good business plan helps you:

Test the viability of your business idea

A business plan defines the target customers and their willingness to pay for your product or service. This way, your business idea will be validated, helping you decide whether to move forward with it or not.

Acquire funding

If you want funds from banks, investors, or other parties, then you’ll require proper financial details like goals, plans, and projections. A good business plan will help you impress investors.

Plan for exit

A business plan includes strategies and a timeline to accomplish any task, which helps in planning your business’s exit too. While handing over your business or closing it directly, meeting the financial goals is also important—which are very specific in the business plan.

Other advantages of writing an ideal business plan include:

• Identifying market gaps and threats
• Organizing and planning business processes
• Forecasting financial estimates and market trends
• Creating strategies to achieve objectives

While adopting a business model

First, consider the scalability of your business, then measure the value you offer. List down your competitors, segment your customers, see the market potential, and then choose a business model.

Here are other points to consider:

• Aim to receive validation from prospective customers
• Modify assumptions to match customer preferences
• Focus on the current financial position

While creating a business plan

Answer a few questions first, like where you think your business will be in 10–15 years, what’s your expected income, or what are your projections.

• Aim to find factual information through research
• Support assumptions through data from customer analysis
• Focus on the current and future financial position

Business models

A business model outlines how a company creates, delivers, and captures value. Understanding different types of business models can help identify the best approach for their businesses, ensuring growth. Some of the types of business models are:

• Subscription model
• Freemium model
• E-commerce model
• Advertising model
• Franchise model

Business plans

Each type of business plan serves a unique role, whether it’s for a startup looking to enter the market, an existing business planning for growth, or a company looking to improve its operational efficiency. Here is an overview of the most common types of business plans:

• Startup business plan
• Lean business plan
• Traditional business plan
• Internal business plan

The bottom line

There’s no standard answer for business plan vs. business model; the choice entirely depends on your business’s specific needs and objectives.

Additionally, planning is an ongoing process. You can’t create a business plan or a business model and rely on that for years to come!

So, to keep your business model and business plan updated, explore a business plan app like Upmetrics . It has a business model canvas template, sample business plans, and an AI assistant to help you plan as many times as you need.

Build your Business Plan Faster

with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i write a business plan without a business model.

No, a business plan is like a roadmap for your business—but it also needs direction. This direction comes from a business model. A business model explains how you’ll make money by defining its target market, value proposition, revenue streams, cost structure, and distribution channels. So, writing a business plan after making a business model is advisable.

Is my business model enough to secure funding?

Well, no! For funding an investor would want to know everything about your business like the management team, competitive landscape, industry analysis, financial projections, and more. So, having a business plan for funding is necessary.

When should I create a business model and business plan?

Create a business model and a business plan when you’re starting a new business or launching a new product or service. However, you need to create or alter both documents if there are any shifts in the current business operations.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Business Model Vs. Business Plan: When And How To Use Them

A business model is a holistic framework to design how a business might create and capture value. A business plan is a document explaining how a business might become viable. Where a business model is made to be tested, a business plan’s primary goal is to gain investments. 

Table of Contents

The key difference between a business model and a business plan

It is easy to confuse a business model with a business plan . Yet those tools have specific functions, in some cases similar, in most other cases completely different.

Indeed, while a business model is a framework to understand the way an organization works, a business plan is a document that helps to understand the future strategy of an organization and its expected performance in a three to five years time frame.

While in some cases, a business plan can also serve the purpose of better understanding your own business, and in some other cases, the business model can be comprised within the business plan .

Indeed, as an investor, I want to know exactly how your business works or how you think it will work in the future. Keeping a distinction between those tools is critical.

In particular, I want to focus on the critical difference from two perspectives:

• external (investors, stakeholders, and other parties)
• internal (owners, top management, shareholders)

External:  business plan or business model?

If you’re looking for a tool whose aim is to show how attractive your business is, a business plan is the most suited for that.

Indeed, suppose you want to attract investors and grow your business via external resources.

In that case, a detailed business plan is the most effective way to allow those investors to understand the several parts of your business.

Also, the business plan is a way to show where you see the business in the future. Indeed, one key ingredient of a business plan is a set of projections for three-five years.

While investors will also want to know what kind of business model you want to build (depending on whether or not your business model will be scalable will make or break the interests of investors).

The primary tool to show where your business will be in the future and to address the kind of resources needed to get there is the business plan. In short, for external subjects to know about your business and invest in it, the business plan is the best tool.

Internal: business plan or business model?

Among the tools to leverage on to understand your business, a business model is one of the most effective.

Indeed, the business model is a framework (usually a one-page) that allows you to understand how your business works from several perspectives.

Depending on what kind of business you’re trying to build or where you want to steer your organization, you might want to look at a few tools, such as:

• FourWeekMBA Busines Model 
• Business Model Canvas
• Blitzscaling Business Model Innovation Canvas
• Value Proposition Canvas
• Lean Startup Canvas

Each of those tools will help you to build a different kind of business.

For instance, in a start-up phase, the business model canvas and the lean startup canvas are the most suited.

In a phase of scale-up, the lean startup is better suited than the business model canvas.

Instead, if you’re trying to blitzscale your business , the Blitzscaling Canvas will be your best companion.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a way to understand better your business in the present or how to design a business model that can help you grow, the business model frameworks are the most suited to the business plan .

In some cases, though, a business plan might also work for that purpose, especially a one-page business plan.

Key takeaway and resources

A business plan is a tool that is most suited to shot external stakeholders where your business is headed and why they should finance or invest in its future.

The business model instead, is a framework that helps you assess how your business works from several angles and the kind of actions you can take in the now.

Below you can find an example on how to build a one-page business plan as well:

Key Highlights:

• Business Model vs. Business Plan: A business model is a comprehensive framework for creating and capturing value in a business, while a business plan is a document that outlines how a business can become viable. The primary goal of a business plan is often to secure investments.
• Key Difference: The main distinction between a business model and a business plan lies in their functions. A business model explains how an organization operates, while a business plan focuses on the future strategy and expected performance over three to five years.
• External Perspective: For external stakeholders like investors and partners, a detailed business plan is essential. It helps them understand various aspects of the business and provides projections for the future. Investors also want to know about the scalability of the business model.
• Internal Perspective: When looking to understand the current state of your business or design a business model, tools like the Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup Canvas, and others are more effective. These tools offer insights into how the business operates and can guide decision-making.
• Choosing the Right Tool: The choice between a business model and a business plan depends on your goals and the stage of your business. For startups, the Lean Startup Canvas and Business Model Canvas are useful. In a scale-up phase, Lean Startup tools might be more suitable, and for rapid growth , the Blitzscaling Canvas can be valuable.
• Key Takeaway: A business plan is best suited for presenting your business to external stakeholders and securing financing, while a business model is a framework for understanding your business from multiple angles and making informed decisions in the present.
• Resources: Various tools, such as the Business Model Canvas and Lean Startup Canvas, can help you analyze and improve your business model. A one-page business plan can also be effective in clarifying your business’s core problem, target customers, and distribution channels .

Case Studies

Case Study 1: Nike – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• Nike utilizes its business model to create, deliver, and capture value. It focuses on the core components of a business’s operations and revenue generation.
• When considering external stakeholders like investors, Nike might develop a detailed business plan to showcase its future strategies and financial projections.

Case Study 2: Coca-Cola – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• Coca-Cola employs digital marketing channels like social media and email marketing to better communicate its products and engage with consumers.
• Coca-Cola may use a business model framework to understand how it creates and delivers value through marketing , while a business plan could be used to outline future marketing strategies and financial goals.

Case Study 3: Amazon – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• Amazon uses technology not only for its e-commerce platform but also integrates customer feedback into its product design, enhancing its business model .
• In the process of attracting investors or lenders, Amazon might create a comprehensive business plan to demonstrate its long-term growth strategy , financial viability, and risk mitigation.

Case Study 4: Tesla – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• Tesla leverages technology to shape its electric vehicles, constantly improving features and performance based on user feedback and data collected from their vehicles.
• Tesla could use a business model to understand how it delivers value through innovation and customer feedback. Simultaneously, a business plan might outline its future growth strategies and financial projections.

Case Study 5: Airbnb – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• Airbnb operates a two-sided platform that connects hosts and travelers, creating interactions that generate value for both parties.
• To secure investments for expansion or growth , Airbnb may develop a business plan that outlines its financial outlook, expansion strategies, and risk management, while its business model emphasizes how interactions drive its value.

Case Study 6: Uber – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• Uber’s platform connects riders and drivers, creating a multi-sided marketplace driven by network effects .
• Uber could use a business model to understand the dynamics of its marketplace. When seeking investors or funding, it might present a comprehensive business plan highlighting its growth potential, financial projections, and strategies to address market challenges.

Case Study 7: Apple – Business Ecosystem vs. Business Plan

• Apple’s App Store has evolved into a thriving business ecosystem that benefits both the company and app developers.
• While the business ecosystem concept is central to Apple’s strategy , the company may use a business plan to outline its future ecosystem development, financial projections, and governance design for potential investors.

Case Study 8: Ethereum – Business Ecosystem vs. Business Plan

• Ethereum’s blockchain platform facilitates the creation of decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts within a larger business ecosystem .
• Ethereum might use a business model to understand how its ecosystem creates and captures value. For attracting investors or funding, a business plan could illustrate its growth strategies, financial outlook, and governance design.

Key Difference – Business Model vs. Business Plan

• A business model is a strategic framework for understanding how a business creates, delivers, and captures value. It focuses on the core components of a business’s operations and revenue generation.
• A business plan is a comprehensive document outlining a company’s goals, strategies, financial projections, and operational details, often used for fundraising and as a roadmap for the business.

Choosing the Right Tool

• The choice between a business model and a business plan depends on the goals and stage of the business. While a business model helps understand the present and guide innovation , a business plan is primarily for external stakeholders, showcasing future strategies and financial projections.

Connected Business Frameworks

Business Engineering

Tech Business Model Template

Web3 Business Model Template

Asymmetric Business Models

Business Competition

Technological Modeling

Transitional Business Models

Minimum Viable Audience

Business Scaling

Market Expansion Theory

Speed-Reversibility

Asymmetric Betting

Growth Matrix

Revenue Streams Matrix

Revenue Modeling

Pricing Strategies

Cynefin Framework

SWOT Analysis

Personal SWOT Analysis

Pareto Analysis

Failure Mode And Effects Analysis

Blindspot Analysis

Comparable Company Analysis

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Agile Business Analysis

SOAR Analysis

STEEPLE Analysis

Pestel Analysis

DESTEP Analysis

Paired Comparison Analysis

Related Strategy Concepts:  Go-To-Market Strategy ,  Marketing Strategy ,  Business Models ,  Tech Business Models ,  Jobs-To-Be Done ,  Design Thinking ,  Lean Startup Canvas ,  Value Chain ,  Value Proposition Canvas ,  Balanced Scorecard ,  Business Model Canvas ,  SWOT Analysis ,  Growth Hacking ,  Bundling ,  Unbundling ,  Bootstrapping ,  Venture Capital ,  Porter’s Five Forces ,  Porter’s Generic Strategies ,  Porter’s Five Forces ,  PESTEL Analysis ,  SWOT ,  Porter’s Diamond Model ,  Ansoff ,  Technology Adoption Curve ,  TOWS ,  SOAR ,  Balanced Scorecard ,  OKR ,  Agile Methodology ,  Value Proposition ,  VTDF

Main Free Guides:

• Business Models
• Business Strategy
• Business Development
• Digital Business Models
• Distribution Channels
• Marketing Strategy
• Platform Business Models
• Tech Business Model

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About The Author

Gennaro Cuofano

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Business Model Vs Business Plan: What’s The Difference

Sculpting success in the realm of commerce hinges on two critical blueprints:  the business model and the business plan . As if peering through a dual-lens, one unveils the anatomy of value creation, while the other charts a course for achieving it. This isn’t about mere documents; it’s the lifeblood of strategic foresight and operational vision.

Here’s the crux: although they waltz together in strategic symbiosis, these entities each spin a unique narrative of your venture’s voyage. One sketches the architecture of your enterprise, laying bare the revenue streams and value proposition.

The other, a meticulous roadmap, presents meticulous market analysis, financial projections, and the operational plan set to navigate the turbulent tides of commerce.

By journey’s end, you’ll not just differentiate between the two but harness their combined power.

Delve into concepts like competitive advantage, customer segmentation, and scalability. Decode the mesmerizing narrative behind a robust strategic planning foundation. Sales forecasting, funding requirements, investor pitch decks.

The differences between business model vs business plan

The business model is the foundation of a company, while the business plan is the structure. So, a business model is the main idea of the business together with the description of how it is working.

The business plan goes into detail to show how this idea could work. A business model can also be considered the mechanism that a company has to generate profits. At the same time, the business plan also does its part in being the way a company can present its strategy. It is also used to show the financial performance that is expected for the near future.

Comparing how business models and business plans work to help you in different ways is important. A business model can help you be sure that the company is making money. It helps to identify services that customers value. It also shows the reciprocation of funds for the activity that a business renders to its customers.

Any business can have different ways of generating income, but the goals of the business model should aim to simplify the money process. It does this by focusing on the large income generators.

So, we now understood that a basic business model is a gateway to show how an organization is functioning. A business plan is a document that shows the strategy of an organization together with the expected performance details.

We can find the details of a company when we check its business plan. What it does is offer more info about the business model. It does this by explaining the teams needed to meet the demand of the business model. It explains the equipment needed, as well as resources that need to be obtained to start creating. Explaining the marketing goals, and how the business is going to attract and retain more customers over the competition , will be part of the model.

Another interesting thing when it comes to comparing business models and business plans is that they cannot function without each other. Just remember this, the business model is going to be the center of the business plan.

Business plan

When comparing using a business model versus a business plan, we also need to understand each one better to draw some final conclusions. One of the first goals of a company could be to define its business model.

The business plan is going to be the detailed part that includes all the information and steps like Mayple’s marketing plan template, organization, products or services, sales plan, business proposal for investors , and so on. Some useful questions that you can use when developing your business plan are:

• What do we have now?
• What do we want to have in the future?
• What do we need in order to be there?

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Business Model Vs. Business Plan: What’s the Difference?

There’s a big misconception about the whole business model vs. business plan debate because both terms have been wrongly used. Today, we’ll look into what they’re really for and why they’re needed for the business.

Strategy has always been a building block of business. In the ever-competitive and highly volatile industry, you have to come up with a sustainable advantage over your competitors. Few lucky entrepreneurs successfully start on the right foot, but luck often runs out while keeping a great momentum. This is where a solid business strategy comes to play.

You can’t just launch your startup without establishing where it’s heading. You need a business strategy to identify which direction you’ll operate towards. This is why a business plan and a business model are essential factors in a company’s success. But because they seemingly have a similar purpose, they’re mistakenly used interchangeably. The truth is, one cannot exist without the other.

To truly understand the difference between a business model vs. a business plan, we’ll need to define what they are and what they’re used for. 

What is a Business Model?

A business model is the company’s rationale and plans for making a profit. It explains how a company delivers value to its customers at a specific cost. A business model would include details about the company’s products and services, its target market, and all expenses related to the operations and production.

Why is it necessary?

It’s considered a roadmap for a business to achieve its financial goal in a given period. It maps out how you can sustain the value you deliver to your customers. Entrepreneurs use it as a tool to study, test, and estimate cost and revenue streams.

They can make quick hypothetical changes to the business model to determine how a financial decision can impact their long-term operations . This allows business owners to anticipate and adapt to trends and challenges in their industry.  

Consequently, a strong business model also helps attract investors, recruit talent, and motivate employees. The management and staff are often motivated by how well a company adheres to the business model.  

Types of Business Model

When it comes to different kinds of business models, there are several options for a company. For example, a software company might go with a subscription model because it’s easier to sell their product through a license subscription. On the other hand, retail companies might go for the accessories model because it’s more straightforward.

In determining which type of business model to use, companies choose the style that best suits their operations and industry. A growing method is using a combination of business models to create a hybrid system for the business.

The following are some of the most widely used types of business models:

• Subscription
• Transactional
• Retail sales

Creating a Business Model

Now that we’ve established what a business model is, it’s time to learn how to create one for your startup. Your business model has to answer all the critical questions about your business.

Here are the key components you must include in your business model:

• Key Objectives
• Target Market
• Product Value
• Product Pricing
• Required Funding
• Growth Opportunity

Keep in mind, the business model has to be updated regularly to fit your goals. All companies undergo a stage of maturity that directly affects the business model it follows. 

For early-stage startups, the business model would ideally be simple and straightforward. Most business owners would even opt for a flat organization where staff could communicate their concerns directly to the owner. This, of course, will change as the company expands.

Now that we’ve learned what a business model is, it’s time to move on to the next part of the business model vs. business plan discussion. So, let’s discuss what is a business plan.

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a written document that details a company’s goals and its strategies to achieve them . It’s considered the “blueprint of the business” because it summarizes all the essential aspects of the company such as finance, marketing, and operations.

It serves as a reference for the company owner and the management in making major business decisions. It can also be presented to investors when the owner is raising capital. It’s beneficial for startups who have no proven track record since a business plan can pitch its full potential.     

A business plan is not only helpful to a business in its early stage, but it also helps it pivot during unforeseen circumstances. In a volatile industry, a company needs to adapt quickly and efficiently. Hence, update the goals and methods should accordingly.

Creating a Business Plan

So, what should a business plan include?

Business plans vary according to industry, but there is a general format for writing a business plan. You can expand or shorten this template based on long-term goals.  

• Executive Summary
• Business Description
• Market Analysis
• Product Development
• Marketing Strategies
• Operations and Management
• Financial Plans

You can choose from a wide selection of business plan templates when it comes to the actual writing. Remember to keep it concise and avoid jargon in the content. You will present your business plans to investors and stakeholders; hence, they need to get a clear idea of it in one reading.

Business Model vs. Business Plan: How to Use Them 

At this point, we’ve established that both a business model and a business plan are essential to success. However, both can only take your business so far. How well you execute and follow them is a whole other story. It’s challenging to start a startup , let alone maintain it.

If you want to avoid common startup mistakes , you need to build your business on a strong foundation. Hire the best people, invest in reliable tools, and sign up for mentoring.

Speaking of mentors, Full Scale founders Matt DeCoursey and Matt Watson are incredibly passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed. They’ve created Full Scale to assist startup owners in launching and managing their companies.

Full Scale is an offshore software development company that offers a wide array of services for startups. We offer the best talent and resources needed to begin your entrepreneurial journey.

We have seasoned project managers, marketing specialists, and technology experts at your service. We’ll take care of all the hassles out of your daily operations so you can focus on your core competencies.

Want to learn more about Full Scale? Get your FREE consultation today!

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Business Model Canvas: The Definitive Guide and Examples

Before 2004, entrepreneurs suffered from prolonged and cumbersome business plans. Alexander Osterwalder facilitated the creation of a business model by introducing the Business Model Canvas (BMC) .

By definition, it’s a visual template that illustrates various objects of a business model . Osterwalder’s original canvas includes nine elements, which we will have explained below in the article. They represent vital aspects of business survival.

What to Begin With?

Once you decided to use the Business Model Canvas approach, you need to prepare the essentials:

• Decide on the team members involved.
• Allocate time
• Prepare the tools.

The necessary tools depend on how you decide to brainstorm:

• Offline. Download a PDF Business Model Canvas template, and take several colored markers, sticky notes, and anything else you may need. For example, if you are brainstorming in a big team, a board is a must for enhanced convenience.
• Online. Choose the platform where you will work with a template. It can be Google Docs, Omnigraffle, or the Stratygizer web app.

Why Choose Business Model Canvas?

What makes The Business Model Canvas stand out in an array of approaches to business model creation? Its 1-page nature drives the following advantages:

• Focus – With all the data presented on a single page, business owners don’t spread themselves too thin. They formulate key elements and eliminate unnecessary ones.
• Density – It’s much better to read one dense piece of paper than look through a 30-page report.
• Flexibility – The canvas is easy to customize; therefore, you can fill out several templates, compare them, and choose the best one.

About the Nine Business Model Canvas Elements

Let’s elaborate on what is behind the nine Business Model Canvas blocks:

1. Customer Segment

Daily operations highly depend on customers and their behavioral patterns. That’s why customer segmentation is a must when creating a business model.

In this block, you need to describe the buyer persona. The description includes the following:

• Demographics (age, gender, etc.)
• Professional status
• Motivation and goals
• Shopping preferences

This is a basic list of points. You can add specific parameters. For example, software developers may identify the preferred device type. Already-established brands can also introduce visitors’ tiers that differentiate people according to their level of connection with a brand.

Read an in-depth article about customer segments here .

2. Value Proposition

A value proposition is a brief description of your product and its ultimate value for a client. In other words, write down in a Business Model Canvas why consumers should buy your goods or services. Ideally, it solves a problem or drives additional value for an end-client.

Keep in mind that the wording should be precise and short. Don’t describe your value proposition in several sentences. Limit it to a single but eloquent phrase. Here is a good example from Maps.me : “Fast, detailed, and entirely offline maps with turn-by-turn navigation – trusted by over 140 million travelers worldwide.”

Read an in-depth article about value proposition here.

3. Distribution Channels

Osterwalder, together with Pigneur, described five phases of channel development.

• Awareness includes channels that establish the initial contact with the target audience and develop the connection. It usually involves marketing channels.
• Evaluation implies allowing potential buyers to try your goods and see the value. Popular channels are free samples, reviews, and case studies.
• Purchase is about when and by what means customers can buy your product. The channels vary significantly depending on the prevalence of online or offline communication.
• Delivery describes how an end consumer receives a product.
• After-sales is usually limited to customer support that provides after-sales service and resolves problems.

Read an in-depth article about distribution channels here.

4. Customer Relationship

A customer relationship strategy determines how your target audience interacts with your brand. You can choose from five types of customer relationships in terms of the Business Model Canvas:

• Personal assistance is a traditional approach where a customer interacts with a personal assistant when contacting your brand. It implies a high level of personal care and deep, meaningful relationships.
• Self-service is the opposite of personal assistance: a brand doesn’t directly communicate with a consumer – instead, the consumer can understand the product via guides and FAQs.
• Automated service involves AI-based suggestions and bots that can provide basic assistance. This type is more engaging than self-service.
• Communities are spaces developed by a brand itself to help the audience understand the product better. A good example is Oracle, which practices the approach.
• Co-creation implies educating the customers via user-generated content.

Read an in-depth article about customer relationships here.

5. Revenue Streams

The next block of the Business Model Canvas is about determining where your revenue comes from. Here, you should consider the buyer’s persona to identify what the target audience is ready to pay for.

There can be several methods of monetization:

• Direct sales : Implies selling your service or product for a fee. It’s common for the majority of industries.
• Advertising : It’s relevant for such niches as blogging or IT platforms. The revenue comes from advertisers who want to reach your audience.
• Freemium : This applies to services only. Some features are free, while premium ones are paid for.
• Subscription : It’s similar to a fee-based monetization. The only difference is that a consumer pays for getting access to the service for a limited time, not forever.

Read an in-depth article about revenue streams here.

6. Key Resources

In the Business Model Canvas, key resources are divided into four categories. Here are they explained:

• Tangible – Any physical resources, from real estate to equipment. The stocks also fall in the category.
• Intangible – Intellectual property like patents, copyrights, licenses, and customer knowledge
• Human – Your employees that make the business run
• Financial – All the finance, regardless of whether it’s an obligation or not. It includes cash, bank loans, grants or donations, and other finances.

Read an in-depth article about key resources here.

7. Key Activities

Key activities included in a canvas are the business activities vital for work. They vary from industry to industry. Some design this block by uniting the activities into one out of three categories:

• Problem-solving

For example, software developers fall in the first category as they design new products, while an IT company with its own taxi service is attributed to the third category.

Read an in-depth article about key activities here.

8. Key Partners

Key partners are parties like suppliers who are vital to flawless business operations. In other words, a company can’t survive without them. There are four categories to include in the Business Model Canvas:

• Supplier – A partner who supplies you with raw materials or finished goods
• Non-competitors – Companies you team up with to leverage their resources: for example, you can source goods from several suppliers
• Joint ventures – Partners who help you fill the gap: enter a new market or reach a new niche. The result of a joint venture is enhanced mutual profitability.
• Coopetition – Partnership between two competitors, which may take place as a merger to market a new product

Read an in-depth article about key partners here.

9. Cost Structure

All the mentioned above blocks of the Business Model Canvas aren’t implemented for free. Startups and enterprises spend money on production and accompanying services. To set realistic revenue goals, a company needs to estimate the costs first.

The costs vary depending on the industry. For example, some businesses have to cover R&D expenditures, together with production and post-service. Others, however, exclude this debit from the template.

Read an in-depth article about cost structure here.

Applications and Analysis

Once the Business Model Canvas is ready, you need to analyze it. For this, you should assess the canvas in terms of three points:

• Is it logical and coherent? Are there are misaligned blocks? If yes, address the issue.
• What can be improved? If you find any mediocre blocks, devote more time to improve them.
• Are there any other ideas to consider? Maybe you can add something to the existing template or design a new one?
• Does my team agree with the canvas? If not, reconsider the arguable moments. To prove your point of view, rely on data and facts.
• Have I taken into account a long-term competitive advantage? If no, address the point. You need to consider the market and competitors when building a business plan.

What to Do After?

After you have examined the canvas, you can integrate it into your daily routine. Here is how it can be utilized:

• Track the changes. Any company evolves with time. A plan helps to make sure that changes don’t contravene core principles.
• Onboard top-management. The model communicates who you are and how you live. Instead of describing everything on your own, you can let new hires read everything.
• Guide the brainstorming. Every time you have a meeting where a team is generating ideas, place the canvas in front. It will help to reject unfit ideas.

Besides, you can use the same technique in other areas. For example, if you have several customers, you can describe an approach to them with the help of the BMS.

Some Tips for Beginners

If you have never created the Business Model Canvas before, comprehending all the above-mentioned data may be hard. Here are five tips that will help to navigate across the template easier:

• Prefer teamwork: It’s better to brainstorm side by side with reliable and competent team members rather than alone. You reduce the risk of designing the canvas from one perspective.
• Work on a whiteboard: The more space you have, the better. It allows the whole team to have a good look at the template and facilitates the process.
• Stock up on stationery: Colored markers and stickers will help you to group the ideas when brainstorming. Otherwise, you risk ending up with an incoherent Business Model Canvas.
• Devote enough time: Don’t allocate half an hour or schedule an important meeting right after the brainstorming. You will need a minimum of one hour for a draft.
• Determine the sequence of blocks to fill in: It’s advisable to start with customer segmentation or value proposition. After that, you can determine the sequence as it’s convenient for you.

Software for Business Model Canvas

If you prefer digital solutions to traditional paper and markers, you can opt for software to create the Business Model Canvas. There are many useful tools on the web. These three, however, are the best:

• Canvanizer. The tool is free, simple, and shareable. It allows collaborative brainstorming in Google Docs. Later, the canvas can be exported to an image or other formats.
• Strategyzer. The free software is more advanced with deep analytics and enhanced user experience. For example, the tool can assess the financial viability of a business idea. It also offers additional modes: for example, a dashboard for Lean Startup development.
• CNVS. The software with a simple interface is easy-to-understand. It allows building not only the BMC but also a Lean and Feature Canvas.

What Are the Benefits of the BMC?

Businesses of all scopes choose the Business Model Canvas approach because of four core benefits:

• Enhanced Visibility. Since the canvas involves visual presentation, it facilitates data comprehension. The team has all the information in front of their eyes; therefore, the analysis and decision-making are much easier.
• Customization. You can change some blocks of the canvas in no time if they don’t match with others. It won’t take several hours to retype and reprint a 40-page report.
• Focus on Value. Typically, the value of the product is at the core. It means that all the other blocks are designed with the end-benefit in mind.
• A Single Message. A team gets a clear message of the operation. The Business Model Canvas eliminates risks of failure because of misunderstandings.

What Does the Business Model Canvas Lack?

Although the Business Model Canvas is a popular and recognizable approach, many critics revolve around it. In particular, some executives criticize the model because of the lack of:

• Competitors
• Market analysis
• Brand mission
• Key priorities

While it may bother some people, in reality, there is nothing wrong. The nature of the BMC doesn’t imply focusing on these aspects. Its ultimate objective is to facilitate the process of crafting business models. And the template includes the core blocks only. After all, the market and competitors’ external outcomes aren’t shaping the company’s inner structure.

Why Should Already-Established Companies Implement the Business Model Canvas?

Traditionally, the canvas approach is the prerogative of startups. But it can also be useful for already-established enterprises. The BMC covers the following tasks: Helps to identify gaps in the model and discover new opportunities.

• Allows comparing your model to competitors to identify competitive advantages
• Enhances a presentation of a company to potential investors
• Allows examining and testing new business models
• It helps to unite the model and eliminate misunderstandings in a team
• Allows recreating the company from scratch

As can be seen, the Business Model Canvas helps to effectively analyze the whole company or particular project, map out possible changes or gaps, and address them.

Real Examples of the Business Model Canvas

Examples help executives to grasp the basics of the BMC better. Here are two examples of canvases from different industries:

Airbnb is a provider of affordable accommodation around the globe. Its canvas may look like this:

• Customer segments – budget tourists, unconventional travelers, locals seeking extra income
• Value proposition – easy and fast booking, huge offer, competitive prices, local lifestyle
• Distribution channels – social media, travel bloggers, word-of-mouth
• Customer relationships – self-service with customer support
• Revenue streams – a fee system, affiliate marketing
• Key resources – a community of both landlords and guests, platform, IT-specialists
• Key activities – user research, customer support, maintenance
• Key partners – tourists and travelers, hosts, investors, payments providers, insurance companies
• Cost structure – marketing, platform maintenance

LinkedIn is a professional social network.

• Customer segments – HR, professionals seeking employment, marketing specialists
• Value proposition – building a professional network of contact, sourcing potential employees, blogging.
• Distribution channels – app stores, website
• Customer relationships – self-service, customer support
• Revenue streams – freemium, marketing, and hiring solutions
• Key resources – platform, IT-specialists, user-generated content
• Key activities – platform maintenance
• Key partners – users, SlideShare
• Cost structure – marketing, maintenance

The Business Model Canvas is one of the numerous approaches to business modeling. For more than fifteen years of existence, it has proved its worth in the corporate community. Despite some critics, the method is effective and illustrates the business plan precisely. Moreover, thanks to its visual feature, it’s easy to comprehend and assess.

Download a Business Model Canvas Template

Download our free tools below to create your own Business Model Canvas right now.

BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS TEMPLATE PDF

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BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS TEMPLATE GOOGLE SLIDES

You may also be interested in the Value Proposition Canvas template , a complementary tool to the Business Model Canvas.

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A Better Way to Think About Your Business Model

• Alexander Osterwalder

How Nespresso used a simple business model canvas to change face of the coffee industry.

The business model canvas — as opposed to the traditional, intricate business plan — helps organizations conduct structured, tangible, and strategic conversations around new businesses or existing ones. Leading global companies like GE, P&G, and Nestlé use the canvas to manage strategy or create new growth engines, while start-ups use it in their search for the right business model. The canvas’s main objective is to help companies move beyond product-centric thinking and towards business model thinking.

• Alexander Osterwalder is cofounder of Strategyzer.com , a company that builds practical tools for business strategy and innovation. Together with Yves Pigneur, he invented the Business Model Canvas and co-authored the international bestsellers  Business Model Generation  and  Value Proposition Design .

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A complete Guide on Business Model vs Business Plan

• August 19, 2020
• Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Funding

Introduction

Business Model and Business plan are interrelated to each other. Lets see a brief difference between business model vs business plan. Business Model acts as a centre for the business plan .

A business model is a framework used to design and depicts how a business might create and capture value. The business plan is a document explaining how a business might become profitable.

A business model is made to be tested while a business plan’s primary goal is to gain investments. If I talk about stages, designing a business model comes first, then we create a plan.

This plan describes strategies involved to build the business and match the plan with the business model.

In this blog, I will start with the difference then some key considerations involving why we should opt, how to write, and some examples of business models and business plans.

We would also be covering components of the business model that can be used while designing a business model canvas. The business model canvas is a tool which helps you to understand a business model in a clear and structured way.

What are the main differences between the business model and the business plan?

Most entrepreneurs start with a strong vision to work on a perfect ideal plan. Instead of chasing an ideal plan, begin with a written description. This description should include who you are, what your ideas are, and why you are in that particular business.

Let’s take an example: If you are selling jewellery online, e-commerce is your business model. Your business plan is to sell jewellery.

Business Plans can be long and time-consuming. So, we need to format the plan properly. A business plan is a document containing detailed future projections such as tactics, goals to cover.

Business Models are structured proposals of a business containing an outline that is easy and less time-consuming. A one-page business model explains how an organization is working with the main idea.

This makes a business model fast, concise, and portable. I will discuss the critical difference from two perspectives:

• External resources including stakeholders, investors, and other parties
• Internal resources including top management, owners, and shareholders

External Resources: Business model vs Business Plan?

If you want to attract investors and grow your business through external resources, a detailed plan is needed. This allows investors to understand the several parts of your business.

If I talk about the main ingredient of a business plan is a set of projections for three-five years. The interests of investors depend on whether your business model is scalable or not.

While investors will also want to know what kind of business model you want to build. The main idea is to show your business future projections and to address the kind of resources needed to get there through a business plan.

So, for external subjects to know about your business and invest in it, the business plan is the best tool.

Internal Resources: Business plan vs Business model?

To understand your business, a business model is one of the most effective. For instance, in a start-up phase, the business model canvas and the lean startup canvas are the most suited.

Each of those tools will help you to build a different kind of business. If you want to understand or design a business model that can help you grow, the business model frameworks are the most suited, vs business plan.

According to   Alan Gleeson , who is the General Manager of Palo Alto Software, Ltd recently answered the difference between business model & business plan in a guest post on TechCrunch : –

“It is worth clarifying the business model vs business plan. A business plan details the business opportunity in a document whereas a business model represents a one-page visual representation or a simple verbal description”.

So if you are a technology-based startup who is looking to raise venture capital, then your business plan should focus on the Venture Capital with a PowerPoint slide deck and an executive summary.

However, if you are a coffee shop looking for a modest investment then the information should include a simple business plan.

Modern business planning is agile, flexible, concise, and more about goal setting than bound physical documents.

This planning process brings numerous benefits for the entrepreneur, such as an ability to look at the operations, to ensure internal focus and cash flow management.

• Business Model Canvas vs Business Plan

Business Model Canvas and Business Plans are useful for an organization to grow. It depends on which stage of the project your company is working in.

Let us discuss the difference between the two and when they should be prepared for the growth of the business.

Business Model Canvas and Business Plan serve a very different purpose. If you are still checking and testing out different ways to roll out your business, BMC is the right place to start.

But, if you are looking for a loan from a bank or an investment for your business, a BMC is inadequate. Rather you should have a business plan. Business Model Canvas helps you, the founder, to figure out the business model and design it accordingly.

Business Plan is for an external stakeholder to analyze your business. The Business Model Canvas functions as a guide. It helps in quick communication between the owners of the business and its stakeholders.

So, let’s take an example of a startup business to understand it clearly. In the startup world, everything is highly changeable. Your business model or target audience can be changed in a month after you started.

And, can you imagine, you spent 3-5 weeks to write a full Business Plan & now you need to rewrite it again because some of the core points have changed? So, for a Startup business model canvas is highly preferred.

If you’re working on a project for more than one year and you’re thinking of asking for funding to an investor, you should work hard to write a great business plan, including an investor pitch.

• Business Model
• Purpose of Business Model

Business Models are necessary for the smooth functioning of every organization. They help in maintaining a close relationship with the customer.

Business Models focus on customer feedback that includes the problems and needs of the customers once the product or service is distributed to them.

How to write a Business Model?

A good Business Model describes the marketing, operations, and distribution strategies of a company. It also includes the analysis of the organizational structure and amending them to sustain a competitive edge.

1. Operational Outline- Design a pictorial view of business operations on a flip chart with circles and labels.

Define the interrelation between them to promote sales, distribute products, target customers, and revenue generation for your team as shown below.

2. Formatting Business Model – Format your business model on a template. You can include the details about different types of customers and how your products and services are valuable to them.

Prepare the total cost incurred for production, employees, and material. Further, prepare a  list of suppliers and partners involved in your business.

3. Operational Business Model – Adopt the “Bricks and Mortar” Business Model to attract local customers who want to choose the products and services provided by your store.

If the customers are from different geographical regions, then target the audience through the Internet. Also, plan to utilize company resources and maintain business profits. Focus on getting new customers and potential risks or threats to the business.

4. Additional Add up Values – Recognize the different methods for serving your customers with products and services. Maintain customer relations based on various segments and target potential customers.

Business Model Example

Let us discuss the different Business Model Examples in different segments.

1. Advertising- Advertising model includes content creation and displaying it in the visual form of advertisement to the readers and viewers. Examples are YouTube, New York Times.

2. Affiliate- Affiliate model uses links embedded in the content through the internet. Examples are TopTenReviews.com, TheWireCutter.com.

3. Brokerage- Brokerage models are mainly used by real estate agencies that involve brokerage transaction fees levied either to the buyer or seller or both by the brokers. Examples are century 21, Orbitz.

4. Crowd sourcing- A large number of people are contributing content for your site in exchange for access to other content. Examples are YouTube, Dell.

5. Freemium- Freemium provides free primary services and charges for premium services. Examples are LinkedIn, Mail chimp.

6. Franchise- Franchise is selling a methodology for starting and running a business. Examples are McDonald’s, Allstate.

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Components of business model  canvas.

There are different components and elements of a business model. These are known as the main building blocks of a business which provides information regarding customers, finance, infrastructure & offers related to business.

1. Customer Segments- It defines the customer according to the segment based on the products and services offered to them.

2. Value Propositions- These add up the value to the products and services offered to the customer based on their performance, brand status, design, costing, accessibility, and newness.

3. Distribution Channels – They act as a medium between the customer and the organization. A quick, easy, and the most efficient channel is always for the distribution of products and services.

4. Customer Relationships- It helps in maintaining customer relationships according to segments to achieve financial success and stability.

5. Revenue Streams – This strategy provides a way in which a company can engage its customers to buy its products and services.

6. Key Resources- Key resources such as human, financial, intellectual, and physical provide value to the customers.

7. Key Activities – Relevant Key activities are necessary for every business as they help in maintaining revenue streams to make an efficient business model.

8. Partnerships- Partnerships with high-quality suppliers and partners reduce the risks to maintain efficient and streamlined operations.

9. Cost Structure – Cost structure is the total cost that will be incurred for the establishment of a particular business.

Business Model Canvas  

Business Model Canvas is a pictorial representation that provides a brief idea about your proposed business. They also include a visualizing description of business models and their values.

Business Model Canvas comprises all business components such as customer segments, value proposition, revenue streams, channels, Customer relationships, Key resources and activities, Partners, and Structure of Cost.

Business Plan

Purpose of the business plan.

The main purpose of a business plan is to focus on achieving business goals, secure outside financing, mapping growth, and including the right talent for the organization.

It acts as a blueprint for expanding and running a business in the right direction at every step. It also prepares for the future with clarity about the goals and achievements.

Every company should adopt a business plan as it acts as a decision-making tool by formatting the business goals and its intended audience.

How to write a business plan?  

Business Plan provides a road map for the growth and success of every business. It also helps to find investors and business partners. It  includes some components as

1. Executive Summary- It is the brief of the business plan that includes mission and statement, primary information, products and services, location, and employees.

2. Company Description- This includes detailed information about a company such as customers, business problems, nature of products, and services catered.

3. Market Analysis- It helps in understanding the target market, its trends, the potential for growth in the existing market.

4. Organization and Management- This depicts the organizational chart with vision and mission regarding the department and functioning of the company.

5. Marketing and Sales- Marketing involves different marketing strategies required in the business while the sales are responsible for covering the return on investments.

6. Funding Requests- Funding requests can be online or in a substantial manner.

7. Appendix and Glossary- Every business should provide appendix and glossary for the supporting documents and references to the data.

• Business Plan Examples

Let us discuss some business plan examples in the different sections of the business.

• Construction and Engineering
• Travel and Transport sector
• Hotels and Hospitality
• Children’s Education
• Computers and the Internet
• Consulting, Health, and Beauty
• Food and Farming, Medical and Healthcare
• Personal Services, Non-Profit Organizations
• Manufacturing and Online business.

For instance, let us consider a business plan for the Manufacturing sector. The manufacturing is mainly adopted by the companies who want to start new manufacturing, production, or fabrication business.

This plan helps in knowing the business profile and description, detailed investor information, risk factors involved. It also includes products, and services to be used, market research, sales and marketing strategies, operations, and financial analysis.

Types of Business Plan  

There are various business plans adopted by organizations depending on their nature of business.

1. Startup Business Plan- It is for the enterprises that want to start their business. This mainly includes market evaluations, products and services provided, financial analysis, and projected management team.

2. Internal Business Plan- These plans describe the operational costs and profitability, the company’s actual position, marketing, hiring, and technical costs.

3. Strategic Business Plan- This plan includes the company’s goals in the form of implementation schedule, objectives, and critical success factors and how to achieve them.

4. Feasibility Business Plan- It consists of the description of products and services, required capital, and target demographics.

5. Operations Business Plan- They are part of internal plans that include the company’s main operations with employee responsibilities.

6. Growth Business Plan- This plan provides an in-depth description of the proposed growth plan and investment for its potential investors.

So, the difference between a Business Model and a Business Plan is that they are both parts of an effective Strategic Planning process. A business model is all about VALUE!

What value are you creating, whom are you creating this value for, how are you delivering this value to said target?A great business plan is contingent on RESOURCES – time, infrastructure, manpower, technology, competences & capital.

They both help a business to grow. Using the right one means that your company can have a clearer process and better products and services.

As I said above, the business model is like a destination, and the planning is how you will reach your destination. So, let me add that the planning I recommend isn’t just a map or a route; it’s a GPS, real-time traffic and weather information.

And in that analogy, the business model is the destination. Hence, having an effective Strategic Plan is a powerful business advantage that dramatically increases the odds of success.

Alcor private equity and Venture capital firm  also empowers founders and businesses to grow their companies at all stages.

• Business model canvas
• Business Model Examples
• Business Model vs Business Plan
• business plan
• Components of Business Model
• Difference between business model and business plan
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• How to Write a Business Model?
• How to write a business Plan?
• Pre-screening
• Purpose of Business Plan
• Risk Assessment
• Types of Business Plans
• Venture Capital Funding
• What is a Business Model Canvas
• What is a Business Plan

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Business Plan vs Business Model Canvas

• Paul Foster
• April 29, 2013

Why do most business owners create a business plan?   The vast majority reluctantly prepare one as a requirement to get financing.

Is a business plan a good management tool?   I don’t think so.

I will agree that preparing a business plan can help a business owner think strategically about their business. A business plan will also provide some structure as it requires a business owner to document their current assumptions and guesses about the future of their business.

Compared to ‘doing nothing’, the business plan process is valuable.  But I think the Business Model Canvas developed by Alexander Osterwalder is an option worthy of consideration for existing small business owners. The Business Model Canvas was developed to be used in conjunction with the Lean Startup methods that are described very well in Steve Blank’s Harvard Business Review article I mentioned last week.

Here are the reasons why I think the Business Model Canvas is a better fit for existing small business owners rather than a business plan:

1)     It’s more visual – Most business owners I know think visually. Planning their strategy seems to work better moving sticky notes around a wall than writing out a ten page document.

2)     It’s more dynamic – The business plan is a static document, but the business model canvas evolves as the business owner experiences the world around them.

3)     It’s about actions as well as thinking – The activity of ‘validating’ the static guesses is more about actions and experiences than just thinking. While thinking is important, I find the following statement to be more applicable: “You can’t think your way into a new way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of thinking.” The experiential learning obtained from ‘getting out of the building’ and validating assumptions is key.

4)     It’s about key activities more than results – A business plan usually includes a projected income statement.  Income Statements report the results after the activity of business takes place.  Business owners need to focus on activities in order to get better results.

Since the Business Model Canvas is not a common tool in the business owners’ toolbox, you probably haven’t seen one in action.  It’s a pretty good guess that your business plan hasn’t seen much action lately either!  My guess is that a more visual, more dynamic, more action focused and more activity driven tool would be valuable to business owners.

In true Lean Startup fashion, as of today, I am accepting that my above statement is just a guess or hypothesis only in my mind. Now should I write that statement down into my business plan and file it away or should I go out and validate my hypothesis with some real small business owner customers?

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Business Model Canvas Explained: Definition, Pros, Cons, and Building Blocks

So, here's the thing. We all know that we need structure to work effectively, but where do we start with so many options available? One tool worth considering is the Business Model Canvas (BMC) . Used effectively, it can give solid structure to your planning. 

In this article we will examine how the model works and a few ways to use it effectively. Then, we will describe its best practices and some recommendations on getting started. Finally, we will explore possible alternatives. 

Ready to get to know all about the BMC? Let's begin.

The Business Model Canvas, explained

The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management tool that helps businesses visualize and analyze their business models. It consists of 9 fundamental building blocks that describe the core aspects of a company's value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances (more on that later, we promise). 

By using it, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of their overall business model , identify areas for improvement, and develop new strategies for growth. One of the key benefits of the BMC format is that it's very visual. Used adequately, it allows organizations to create a display of their business model in alignment with strategic business objectives and the overall value proposition.

The nine BMC building blocks were initially presented in 2005 by Alexander Osterwalder. They were based on his Ph.D. work on business model ontology, supervised by Yves Pigneur. Since its release, the authors have developed other related tools, such as the Culture Map and the Value Proposition Canvas, which have helped the BMC tool to evolve and added value to it.

Business Model Canvas examples

Some examples of the BMC include:

• Strategy planning
• Business planning
• Business modeling

Lean Canvas vs. Business Model Canvas

Both the Lean and Business Model Canvas enable you to capture your entire model on a single page. The primary difference between them is that the Lean Canvas focuses mainly on solving a particular problem. The Business Canvas Model, on the other hand, is more sales orientated and usually focuses on selling products or services. 

Advantages and disadvantages of the Business Model Canvas

Even though the BMC offers a series of features in order to effectively visualize and analyze your organization's business model, there are also some possible drawbacks to be aware of – and avoid. 

To start on the right note, the benefits of the Business Model Canvas include:

• A clear and comprehensive business model overview in a single visual format. This makes it easier to understand, articulate, and communicate.
• Strong collaboration and breaking down silos. Using the BMC approach incentives people to work as one team, as it involves all stakeholders, and enables them to actively participate in developing, improving, and refining the business model.
• Colleagues constantly progressing with feedback (to borrow from an ITIL principle). The BMC approach allows for a fast and efficient testing of different business model configurations, speeding up the innovation process and reducing the time to market.
• A structured and systematic approach to analyzing and designing business models, which helps identify areas for improvement and innovation.
• A flexible approach that enables innovation instead of limiting it. The framework can be adapted to different types of businesses, industries, and customer groups.

However, if you choose to work with this management tool, you need to consider its potential disadvantages :

• Using the BMC approach effectively can be challenging without prior knowledge of business modeling concepts and terminology. You will need to put the work in and do some pre-reading to get the most out of it.
• Because it's so visual, it may oversimplify the complexity of a business model, making it more challenging to articulate some of the aspects of the organization's operations and performance. This makes it unsuitable for highly-specialized or complex businesses.
• Because it's a framework rather than a prescriptive standard that must be strictly adhered to, it doesn't provide detailed guidance on implementing or executing the business model, which can lead to difficulties in translating the canvas into action.
• It can rely on assumptions and hypotheses, which may not always be accurate or relevant for real-world situations.

The 9 building blocks of a Business Canvas Model

The Business Model Canvas is organized in nine  building blocks that represent a business model's key elements. These building blocks are:

• Value Proposition - The unique value the business provides to its customers and how it differentiates itself from competitors. In other words, it’s what sets your business apart, what makes it special, and what value it brings.
• Customer Segments - The different groups of customers the business targets with its products or services. This building block looks at your most important customers.
• Customer Relationships - The business' relationships with its customers and how it interacts with them. This is a fundamental building block as not only does it help you build and maintain a relationship, it also enables you to map out the cost and deliverables needed to continue to improve that relationship.
• Channels - T he different channels that the business uses to reach and interact with customers, including physical and digital channels.
• Key Partnerships - The relationships and collaborations that the business has with its suppliers, vendors, and other external partners.
• Key Activities - The key activities that the business must perform to deliver its value proposition and operate successfully. This building block helps you to define your most mission-critical actions and prioritize them accordingly.
• Key Resources - The key resources the business requires to operate, including human resources, physical assets, and intellectual property. This can also include relationships, distribution channels, and virtual assets.
• Revenue Streams - The different sources of revenue that the business generates from its customers, including one-time sales, recurring revenue, and other revenue streams. This building block also helps determine how each stream contributes to the business profit.
• Cost Structure - The various costs that the business incurs to operate, including fixed costs, variable costs, and other expenses. It also helps you identify your most expensive assets and activities to make effective financial plans for the future.

How to build a Business Model Canvas in 14 steps

The Business Model Canvas is flexible – no one size fits all. But for our money, there are 14 steps to effectively build it.

Step 1: Define the purpose 

The first step is to define the purpose of the Business Model Canvas. Where are you now, and where do you want to be? What do you hope to achieve? Who is the target audience? Have you double-checked to ensure what you want to achieve is in line with the strategic objectives of the rest of the business?

Step 2: Identify the nine building blocks

Identify the nine building blocks of the BMC, review each in relation to your business, and understand their purpose.

Step 3: Define the Value Proposition

What will add value? Start by defining the unique value that your business offers to customers. This will be the foundation of your canvas.

Step 4: Identify your Customer Segments 

Define the different groups of customers your business targets and their specific needs and preferences so you can focus and direct your efforts accordingly.

Step 5: Define Customer Relationships 

Identify your business' relationships with its customers and how it interacts with them. You can also use this step to identify your most important relationships so you can focus more effort on maintaining and improving them.

Step 6: Determine the Channels

Identify your business's channels to reach and interact with its customers, including physical and digital channels. From a service desk perspective, this could be offering a tier 0 channel with self-service or AI-enabled support capabilities before providing tier 1 and level 2 channels which offer a more people-centric user experience .

Step 7: Define Key Partnerships

Identify your business's relationships and collaborations with its suppliers, vendors, and other external partners. Remember, it's not just relationships with customers and stakeholders that matter, your suppliers are part of your team, so manage those relationships appropriately.

Step 8: Identify Key Activities

Define the key activities that your business must perform to deliver its value proposition and operate successfully.

Step 9: Determine Key Resources

Identify the key resources that your business requires to operate, including people, knowledge and wisdom, financial assets, and IT assets.

Step 10: Determine Revenue Streams 

Identify the different sources of revenue that your business generates from its customers. If you have a finance team,  work with them to identify current revenue streams and plan for future ones.

Step 11: Determine Cost Structure

Work with your finance team to identify the various costs that your business incurs to operate, CAPEX, and OPEX costs. 

Step 12: Build the Canvas

Once you have defined all of the building blocks, you can start creating the canvas to visualize what you are planning to accomplish.

Step 13: Review and refine

The BMC isn't a one-and-done approach. Review your model and seek feedback from your stakeholders to correct the course when needed.

Step 14: Keep going! 

In the words of Walt Disney, "Keep moving forward." Build and refine your model over time to reflect current and future activities more accurately. 

How to complete a Business Model Canvas

No one likes a blank page, do they? The difficult part is always getting started, but I promise, if you follow these steps, you'll be off to a great start: 

• Start with the Value Proposition - Before you do anything else, fill in the Value Proposition block in the center of the canvas. This should describe the unique value that your business provides to customers and how it differentiates itself from competitors. Focus on getting this point right because value is everything in terms of the BMC.
• Add in your enablers - This will include your key activities, customer segments, relationships (both customer and supplier relationships) assets, key activities, and channels.
• Add in your financials - Put in your revenue dreams and your cost models to make your BCM more transparent and ensure there are no hidden costs.
• Progress iteratively with feedback - Once you have filled in all the building blocks, review your canvas, iterate, and redefine  as needed. Seek input from stakeholders and make adjustments.
• Give the gift of clarity - Remember, this is a visual model, so don't get too stuck on the details or use too much jargon. The effect you're looking for is clear, concise, and visual.
• Relationships matter - We are talking about the relationship between each building block, so ensure they are correctly represented in your diagram.

Six alternatives to the Business Model Canvas

While the Business Model Canvas is a popular tool for developing and communicating a business model, other options are available too. Some alternatives include:

• Lean Canvas - This tool is similar to the BMC but focuses on startups and small businesses. It includes fewer blocks and focuses on validating hypotheses and testing assumptions quickly.
• SWOT Analysis - This tool helps to identify a business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This can be a valuable tool for assessing the current state of a company and identifying areas for improvement.
• Business Model Innovation - This involves developing a new business model that is different from the traditional one used in the industry. It can be done through creative thinking, exploring new technologies, or adopting a new approach to customer relationships.
• Blue Ocean Strategy - This framework helps businesses to create new markets and uncontested market space. It involves identifying and focusing on areas of innovation that competitors have not explored.
• Value Proposition Canvas - This tool helps businesses to define and communicate their value proposition to customers. It focuses on the customer's needs, desired outcomes, challenges, and how the company can better meet those needs than its competitors.

Key takeaways

The Business Model Canvas or BMC is a strategic management tool that helps businesses visualize, design, and analyze their business models. Some of its common applications include business planning, value propositions, and modeling.

If you want to give it a shot to plan your organization’s strategy, make sure that you have your BCM template ready with the nine key elements that need to be completed. And don’t forget to follow through our six tips on how to get started!

  Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make a good business model canvas .

To make a good Business Model Canvas, clearly define the unique value proposition of your business and ensure that the key building blocks of the canvas (such as channels, revenue streams, and cost structure) are aligned with the overall strategic objectives of the business. Review and improve the canvas as needed to continue improving and aligning with business needs.

What are the four types of business models? 

The four types of business models are product, service, platform, and sub-subscription-based.

What are the three sections of the Business Model Canvas? 

Value Propositions, enablers, and financial planning.

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How to Build a Product Roadmap Based on a Business Model Canvas

Could you list all of the key building blocks you need to develop, manage, maintain, market, and sell a product on a single sheet of paper? With the business model canvas, you can! Using the business model canvas approach is a great way to force yourself to focus on the most strategically important elements of your product. As the name suggests, the typical use case for this tool is to outline the fundamental building blocks of a business, but it also can work really well for a product.

Today we’ll show you how the business model canvas works and how you can use it to come up with a high-level product strategy.

What is a Business Model Canvas?

As you can see from the sample example below (thanks, Strategyzer.com), a business model canvas is a one-page summary describing the high-level strategic details needed to get a business (or product) successfully to market.

The categories or buckets contained in a canvas can be customized. But most will look similar to the one here—covering such key areas as:

• The product’s value propositions (what it does and promises)
• Customer segments (who it’s for)
• Key activities (the steps the team must complete to make it successful)
• Key resources (what personnel, tools, and budget the team will have access to)
• Channels (how the organization will market and sell it)
• Customer relationships (how the team will support and work with its customer base)
• Key partners (how third parties will fit into the plan)
• Cost structure (what it costs to build the product as well as how to sell and support it)
• Revenue streams (how the product will make money)

If you think about it, that’s a fairly comprehensive set of building blocks you’ll need to think through for your product before you begin developing it. There will certainly be additional factors that’ll affect your strategy, but if you can fill in these high-level details—which, as you can see, should fit comfortably on a single page—you’ll have a useful strategic guide for developing your product roadmap.

Why Should I Use a Business Model Canvas to Develop a Product Roadmap?

Okay, but why? What’s the benefit of building a business model canvas (or the, even more, stripped-down variation, the lean canvas) to guide my product roadmap ?

There are plenty of reasons. But simply put, you can think of a business model canvas as a mission statement for your product roadmap. It’s a handy reference you can refer to, to make sure your roadmap always reflects all the strategic elements needed for your product’s success.

Tweet This: “Think of a business model canvas as a mission statement for your product roadmap.”

Our co-founder Jim Semick has a couple of great short videos explaining the business model canvas concept, which you can check out in the player below.

As Jim explains, here are a few of the benefits of using a business model canvas to think through product strategies:

1. You can use a business model canvas to roadmap quickly.

You can use this canvas approach in just a few hours (and as Jim says, you can even do it with sticky-notes).

This way, rather than trying to write out every detail about your product plan beforehand, you can just document the highlights—and then you can get rolling translating the canvas into your product roadmap.

2. A business model canvas will be more agile.

One problem with the old structure of documenting a business model—the traditional business plan—was that it was almost always inaccurate as soon as the author finished drafting it.

These meaty plans included detailed cost estimates, revenue projections going years into the future, and long-term plans for growing the staff. How could any of that remain accurate for long?

In product terms, you can think of the business plan as resembling an MRD (Market Requirements Document). It’s long, detailed, and probably mostly untrue by the time it’s done.

But because you can put a canvas together so quickly, it will much more accurately reflect your strategic thinking and your company’s current reality. And if things change, it’ll be easier than a long and detailed plan to adjust. This brings us to Jim’s third benefit…

3. Business model canvas roadmaps allow you to pivot as needed.

If you build a business model canvas to guide your business roadmap , and something happens that forces you to re-prioritize or pivot your product , it will be a lot easier to update this short, high-level document than it would be if you had some monster MRD or business plan to tear apart and edit.

With a one-page business model canvas acting as the strategic undergirding for your roadmap, you’ll always be able to quickly spot any items or plans that need updating whenever priorities change or new realities demand that you adjust your approach.

How Can I Use A Business Model Canvas to Guide My Product Roadmap?

The alexa example.

Let’s talk through a hypothetical example, using Amazon’s Echo device (“Alexa”) as our guide.

Imagine that as they were talking through what belonged in the “Revenue Streams” bucket of the business model canvas, Amazon’s Echo team came up with three sources of revenue to start with:

1) Selling Echo devices.

2) Using the device to sell other stuff as customers ask it to connect to the Amazon marketplace. (“Alexa, please add laundry detergent pods to my shopping cart.”)

3) Licensing Echo’s proprietary speech-recognition technology to other businesses.

Now, if the Echo product team put these on their business model canvas, they’d know that they need to make room for budget, time, and resources on their product roadmap for all of these revenue streams.

Another Hypothetical Example of the Business Model Canvas: Channels

Or think about the Channels bucket in the business model canvas. If your team was building out a canvas, maybe you’d have several ideas for reaching customers:

1) The in-house sales team. 2) Affiliate partners. 3) Word-of-mouth advertising from users.

It’s easy to write. But how are you going to translate that “word-of-mouth” strategy into an actual plan?

Maybe you’ll need to budget time and resources for developing things right into your product that make it easier for users to share their experiences with friends, such as a handy tool to help them tweet about it. Maybe you’ll even want to include an “Invite a friend” feature that lets users easier send a trial license to friends, or a couponing feature that offers some reward to a user who brings in two more users.

The point is, your business model canvas can serve as a great strategic reminder of the things you’ve determined are important enough to make it onto your product roadmap .

So you can always look back and see immediately—it’s just one page, after all—if you’re still working on all of the essential elements of your product, or if you’ve inadvertently strayed from them and gotten lost in the wrong details.

That’s why we’re big proponents of the business model canvas approach to guiding your product roadmap .

Do you have an opinion about using the business model canvas approach for developing and documenting your product’s strategy? Feel free to share them in the comments section.

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ORGANIZING4INNOVATION

Business plan, case, model, or canvas?

While related, business plans, business cases, business models, and business model canvases are very different things that serve different purposes. What to use when?

Let me first explain what is what.

A business plan

A business plan is a detailed description of how you plan to start and grow your business. Typically it is a plan for a time period of 1 to 3 years. It details what the organization plans to do. That is, what the cost structure will be, the expected revenues, and how you will go about the execution. As you can imagine, writing such a plan requires a lot of data. Data often does not exist when the service is novel or when you are just starting the innovation journey for a new offering. Nevertheless, most investors ask for a business model before they are willing to invest in a start-up. For some useful dos and don’ts, including templates, go here .

A business case

A business case explains why it is worth exploring an opportunity. It is the justification for a proposed project. Making the case why spending money figuring out how to address a problem or going after an opportunity makes sense. This terminology is more used in project management than entrepreneurship. In sum, it explains why the organization should fund the adventure. Our hands-on approach will help you create a business case for your project in just a few weeks. More than you want to know about writing a business case can be found here .

A Business model

A business model explains how a new service or company is going to generate revenues and serve its customers. There are various standard models, such as a fee-for-service, razor-blade, or subscription models, see here for nine commonly used models .  Combinations of these models are of course possible too. Please beware that the business model is not cast in stone. It takes most start-ups about two years, to figure out which business model works best for them.

A business model canvas

A business model canvas is an abbreviated one-page overview that provides a snapshot picture of a start-up. It sketches who the start-up targets as clients. What the benefits are of the provided solution. How customers will be reached etc. All these topics are subject to change in the early phases of a start-up. Therefore, the canvas is meant as a snapshot. A picture that requires periodic if not constant updating. More on the business model canvas, including templates, can be found on Strategyzer.com .

Throwing business plans out of the window?

In the entrepreneurship community, business plans are no longer in vogue, because most start-ups lack the data to write an accurate and truthful plan. Instead, entrepreneurs are now using the business model canvas, especially in the early stages of their start-up. The canvas is part of the lean start-up methodology . Following this methodology, a start-up is a series of experiments to collect data and figure out what actually works. The business model canvas helps to ensure these experiments are aligned. It also ensures all the necessary components that will be needed to run the business are being addressed.

What about organizations, should they abandon the business plan too?

Not so fast I would say. Companies have a huge advantage over start-ups. They have experience. Many of the innovation projects a company undertakes are variations on a theme. If that is the case for your project, new product, or new service, you should dig up the data on these previous projects and undertakings. Those experiences provide useful information that will help you plan the future and write your business plan. After all, if the data is there, you should use it to learn valuable lessons from the past. Stand on the shoulders of giants if you can!

However, if the project entails venturing into novel territory, then it will be a waste of time to write a business plan. You will lack the data necessary to make meaningful projections about the future.

The business model canvas is most suited to address changes and uncertainties, however, it does not provide sufficient information to get approval for your project.

While helpful at the start, the business model canvas or variations made for organizations alone will be insufficient. Most organizations require you to create a business case, as a justification, before an investment can be made in your innovation project.

Planning for the future

In sum, whether it is a case, plan or canvas, all these templates enable teams to plan for the future. They describe why it is worth the time and effort to explore an opportunity, how (new) clients will be served, and what it will take to get there. The more data you have, the more elaborate and detailed you can – and should- make your plans. If you have data from similar experiences in the past - or if you have sufficient data on your present endeavor - that you can use to extrapolate and project the future, write a business plan. A plan that not only justifies your project but also provides targets for the execution.

If you don’t have such data, start with a light version. Use the business model canvas to start collecting necessary data. If you wonder how, consider signing up for one of our support plans .

A final note

Whether you ask - or are asked- to create a canvas, write a case, or draft a business plan, you need the knowledge and tools to do so. While not overly complex, there are dos and don'ts that can save your project or business from failure. Many professionals - physicians, lawyers, and engineers - are trained to practice your trade, not in the business aspects of your profession. Creating a business case provides an excellent opportunity to get engaged in the business side of your organization.

Getting your project set up properly will save you a lot of time and money down the road, in the execution of your project.

Creating a business case can be a challenge if you have to Google your way through on your own. I have seen many innovators wasting a lot of their valuable time trying to figure out what template to use, what information to add, and where to find the relevant data. Consider signing up for one of our support plans,   if you want to get results 3x faster and with a 5x higher chance of success.

Related blogs:

• Prioritizing in uncertain times
• Business Model Innovation
• How to differentiate between good and superior business case proposals?
• It takes more than a business case to get your innovation project approved

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• Product Management

Business Model Canvas Explained – a One-Page Business Plan

Earlier, we blogged about the lean canvas* – a startup-friendly idea validation tool . Now, we want to pay tribute to the solution that underlies it – the business model canvas**. So, let’s talk about a sort of a business plan that you can scale in a one-page table.

Here is a short intro to the business model canvas framework. It is the brainchild of Alexander Osterwalder. He offered it as an alternative to the business plan, which he considered a time-waster. The idea was to single out the crucial components of a company that are required to make money. Thus, you get nine sections on the canvas to fill in with relevant data.

Hard to believe, but this document can replace pages of analytics and formulas. And that’s just one of the advantages if we compare business model canvas vs. business plan . What else does this tool have to offer?

Why entrepreneurs love business model canvas

Time-efficient and flexible.

Time is one of the most precious assets in the business world. And Osterwalder’s tool helps you use it efficiently. All the elements of business model canvas are easy-to-understand of what to be filled in. We do not promise you will have a handle on it within 20 minutes or less. But within a few hours, you’ll get an aggregated break up of what you need to generate revenue. Moreover, once it is done, you can and most likely will update the canvas over time. Business plans won’t grant you such flexibility.

Risk-identifying

The canvas provides you with input data to identify risks at an early stage. You can measure most of the bottlenecks to build a high-performance growth strategy. This is not a guarantee to avoid failure. But you’ll know your weak points and be able to pivot if needed.

Value-centered

Of all the business model canvas elements, Value Propositions are pivotal. It tells you why your business exists and what value it delivers. We can say that the entire business model canvas is built around this section. As a result, you get a wide scope of jobs to be done and versatile supporting inputs. You won’t find any irrelevant data on the canvas. The graphical design beacons essential information required to grow your business.

Self-intuitive

The tool is very intuitive. Some users don’t even need the business model canvas explained to start working with it. Indeed, you don’t have to be a genius to get the hang of it. Moreover, the canvas is built using a common language. This makes it easy-to-understand by both internal and external stakeholders.

By the way, we are hiring. Check out our job openings.

How to get started with the business model canvas?

Now, it’s time to shift from product-centric thinking towards business model ideation. We’ll explain how to fill in the components of business model canvas step by step. So, try out the flow yourself using this editable template by Mural . Also, you can download the canvas from Strategyzer .

In our video, we used Uber to explain the lean canvas . Let’s pick this company here as well to display real-life examples.

Customer Segments

Alexander recommends you to start with this section. Try to figure out who is the most important customer you’re delivering value to. The Persona method can help you create an imaginary representation of user categories. As an outcome, you’ll get a list of segments or Personas.

Feel free to spend much time on Customer Segments. Similarly to a lean methodology perspective, this section, together with Value Propositions, calls the shots of the entire canvas. For Uber, we have two categories of users – drivers and passengers. In this case, you may build two separate canvases per each one.

Answer to : Who do you deliver the value to?

Domain knowledge required :

• Market dimensions

Value Propositions

Each Persona has a set of problems or needs that your product/service can solve. And that’s what you need to specify in the Value Propositions section. For this, we advise you to make use of the Jobs To Be Done framework.

Answer to : What problems and needs can you solve with your product?

• Jobs To Be Done

A channel means a communication unit that entrepreneurs use to reach customer segments. If you’re selling your products via a website – that’s one of your channels business model canvas. Other solutions that draw customers’ attention to your products are also channels. These may include search engines and tools, social media, and even word of mouth marketing .

Answer to : Which are the optimum channels to reach your customer segments?

• Market behavior

Customer Relationships

This section defines how you interact with customers. It goes beyond the sale-and-purchase interplay via the Channels. Business model canvas Customer Relationships involve post-sales liaison and feedback. If you use a call center or a chatbot to interact with users, mention them here.

Answer to : Which type of interaction suits best to each customer segment and how much do they cost?

Revenue Streams

Revenue Streams list the ways you use to get money for your product. They mostly derive from mapping Customer Segments to Value Propositions. For example, Uber passengers pay for their ride with a bank card. Uber gets revenue in the form of a ride commission. Other ways that generate money within your product are also revenue streams. These may include different billable add-ons, subscriptions, premium accounts, etc.

Answer to : What exactly do your customers pay for?

• Jobs to be done

Key Activities

Now, the tough part begins. Key Activities cover all the things you need to accomplish to make your business work. For digital products, this involves ongoing product evolution and marketing. These activities, in turn, include recruiting, advertising, etc. If you deliver specific services, this may cover things that refine your propositions. When doing Key Activities business model canvas, take into account other sections you’ve already filled in.

Answer to : What do you need to implement for your business to deliver value to your customers?

Key Resources

Key Resources are the assets you need to run your business at full force. In other words, this is what you can’t do without. Uber rests on a sophisticated technological platform. Also, it requires drivers to complement its value proposition. Services-oriented businesses mostly rely on their staff and expertise.

Answer to : What resources can’t your business propositions do without?

Key Activities:

Key Partners

Now, let’s take a look towards external things that can contribute to your business. Key Partners is the section for this. Here, you need to define all the external stakeholders. We advise you to map them to Key Activities and Key Resources if any. For Uber example, investors can contribute to developing tech platform. Recruiting partners can help with hiring drivers. And so on.

Answer to : Which external stakeholders can contribute to your business?

Key Activities & Resources

Cost Structure

It’s time to strike a balance:) Actually, Cost Structure should tell you what you spend money for. Also, you need to specify prospective costs if your business is growing. This section covers costs for hardware purchases, software development, rental services, and so on.

Answer to : What are you paying for and which costs are most important in your business model?

That’s it. Once you have it done, the next step ahead is business model canvas analysis. You have a broad picture of things in your business and can discover bottlenecks. Also, make sure to share it with stakeholders to refine the content. The canvas is a flexible document, so you should not feel obligated to stick to the first version.

Why entrepreneurs hate business model canvas

A coin always has two opposite sides, unless you’re using Harvey Dent’s lucky coin:) It means that the business model canvas is not a one-size-fits-all tool. And here are some reasons why you may want to abandon it.

• Learning needed You’ve read this business model canvas review and learned the basics on how to fill it in. Some enthusiasts prefer to skip this step and get at working with the canvas right away. If you use it in the wrong context, it may be misleading for your analysis.
• Iterative planning The canvas requires an iterative approach to working with it. It means you have to update it regularly according to the business flow. Using the canvas for linear planning won’t let you experience business model canvas benefits to the full.
• Not full picture The canvas lacks important business facets like existing alternatives, regulatory environment, and others. Planning without them can be a dead-end road. In this regard, the lean canvas offers you broader horizons. So, it’s essential to understand the purpose of the business model canvas. It can be a great augmentation to other business analytical tools you use.
• Too simple Simplicity is not always a benefit. As a rather easy-to-use tool, the business model canvas cannot dive deep in analytics. Generally, it is an actionable communicative tool to get a general overview of the business flow. But, you should not rely on it as a full-fledged analytical tool.

A solid alternative to the Business Model Canvas

It’s clear that the Business Model Canvas has its limitations, even when it’s combined with the Value Proposition Canvas tool. Since neither allows you to delve deep into the context of your product idea, it’s likely that you will need to make use of another tool in order to achieve this.

We recommend using BRIDGeS, an all-in-one tool for flexible idea generation , validation, and selection. When compared directly to the Business Model Canvas, BRIDGeS bears several key advantages, including the fact that it’s versatile, easy to use, and allows for deep context understanding. The framework also gives you the opportunity to analyze a Subject from all angles in order to discover new insights or approaches. By the end of the process, you won’t just have a general overview of the problem you are trying to solve — you’ll have a firm idea of how to move forward with your business/product idea.

To get a better understanding of how BRIDGeS compares to the Business Model Canvas, check out the Uber Case Study.

Not sure if you should try the Business Model Canvas?

We would not pressure you to go with Osterwalder’s canvas. It is a specific tool and not every business can benefit from it. If, however, you’d like to give it a shot, we do advise you to start with the value proposition canvas*** . It’s derived from the business model canvas components – Value Propositions and Customer Segments. At the same time, it lets you understand the value of your product/service from the customer’s standpoint.

If you are a startup founder, BRIDGeS or the Lean Canvas is what you need from the outset. Check out how Amazon, Google, and other big names could have taken advantage of the lean canvas tool earlier. As an all-in-one tool, BRIDGeS can also be beneficial for nailing down your product idea during the early stages of your startup journey. Apart from that, it probably won’t be until your business is up and running that you’ll understand if other discovery tools are a better fit or whether the Business Model Canvas is the way to go.

* Lean Canvas was designed by Ash Maurya, based on the Business Model Canvas designed by Alex Osterwalder, Strategyzer.com , licensed under CC BY SA 3.0.

** Business Model Canvas is designed by Alex Osterwalder, Strategyzer.com , licensed under CC BY SA 3.0.

*** Value Proposition Canvas is designed by Alex Osterwalder,  Strategyzer.com .

Kris Taylor

• July 2, 2013

Business Plan vs Business Model Canvas: A Shift We Can All Learn From

Launching a Business

The Old Model :  Create a business plan of at least 25 pages.  Fill it with tidy market research. Put in detailed plans – all the way down to 3 years of proforma financials. Find an investor. Build the product or service – the more features the better. Hire marketing and sales. Then go into the market and sell, baby, sell. Cross fingers. Hope for the best.

The New Model: Sketch your preliminary ideas on a business model canvas , capturing your initial hypotheses about 9 key business elements. Put them on post it notes and be prepared to change them. Test them by getting out of the building and in front of your target market. Be curious. Listen hard. Learn fast and either validate, improve, or toss out your initial hypothesis. Update the canvas with your new insights. Repeat, over and over again, as needed to get to the point where your hypotheses hold together and your customers concur. Start with the leanest version of your product (minimal viable product). Sell some, listen, improve.  Once you finally have a model that works – then and only then – build the company around it.

Clearly there is much more involved in either approach – but I think you get the idea. Two different approaches, two different philosophies, two different outcomes.

The motivation for creating a business plan is to think things through thoroughly so as to execute well and avoid some of the risks associated with new ventures. The paradox is that this planning, while it avoids early failure, promotes ultimate failure. It likely contributes to the 50% failure rate of new ventures. By the time you have planned, secured funding, produced, marketing and sold – much time, money and energy is invested. Most likely, the market has shifted. You’ve hedged a big bet that you are right. Sometimes you are, and sometimes not so much.

The business model canvas approach feels uncertain and risky. It’s hard to risk failing early with an idea and then sticking with it through multiple iterations. Even more so when you are emotionally invested in it – you cringe when others don’t see the possibility that you do. Yet learning what works and what doesn’t early means that you no longer invest precious resources into what doesn’t work – and sooner rather than later. You instead divert (or pivot) into what does. If you listen and observe, you begin to craft a product or service that resonates – and ultimately sells. You shape a business model that works, that is resilient and has longevity – and are much more poised for long term success.

What applies to start-up businesses has great parallels to each of us. While we want to create a foolproof, locked down plan for our lives and our careers, that approach is fraught with peril. While we may want to avoid failure, trying some things out on a small scale (some of which will fail) can be both informative and freeing. We learn from them – we discover what works and what does not. We also learn that we can survive failure, dust ourselves off and begin anew. When we are adaptable, rather than getting locked into a plan conceived many years ago, we can find fresh opportunities. And as with start-ups, perhaps the biggest long term failure is being wedded to a plan that no longer works for us.

More to explore

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How To Do Hybrid Well

Is Managing Today a Set-Up for Failure?

What I Got Wrong About Being Right

One response.

Fail fast! This has been on my mind a lot lately. Too often I overthink an approach, unwilling to be embarrassed in front of customers or prospects. I think this reduces the number of home runs, or– at minimum– delays them substantially.

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