The document provides an overview of using the Business Model Canvas tool for developing a business venture. It includes templates of the Business Model Canvas with explanations of the different sections. The Canvas is presented as a tool to help structure customer development, map customer segments to value propositions, and think through key aspects of a business like partnerships, activities, resources and costs. The document emphasizes an iterative process of testing assumptions using the Canvas as the focal point. Copyright information is provided at the end of most pages.

1. Venture Design
Workshop:!
Business
Model Canvas!
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

2. (Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

3. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
PIVOTAL
ASSUMPTIONS Nascent
Test, revise,
test...
Validated- now
tactical
Validated- now
tactical
PRODUCT
N/A
MVP
Focus: efficiency,
extension
What would a
startup do??
ORG.
Founders
PARTNERS,
CHANNELS
Customer dev.
team
Full functional
organization
Scalable
organization
Probably too
soon
Probably too
soon
Yeah, maybe?
Yeah, definitely!
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

4. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Thinking through what you want the business to be for a
better idea of what you don’t know. "
"
Then use that to focus your discovery.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

5. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Organizational and focal point for managing your
assumptions- which are open, closed; inter-relationships. "
"
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

6. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Focal point for organizing incremental ‘growth hacking’
experiments.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

7. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Strategy management tool and jumping off point for new
‘intrapreneurial’ ventures and business model innovation.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

8. The Canvas is a
housekeeping tool.
"
It won’t hand you
the gold but it will
help you monitor
how things are
panning out.
ALEX COWAN"
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

9. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
User Stories
Test Cases
Learn
Experiment
Product & Promotion
Business Model
Canvas
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

10. VENTURE DESIGN STACK
Operational Stack
Who is the
buyer? User?
What problem(s)
are you solving?
Personas
Problem Scenarios
What’s the
business?
Positioning Statement,
Business Model
Canvas
What has to
happen?
Lean Startup-Style
Assumptions
What are we
building?
Why?
User Stories "
What economics
and requirement
for cash?
Lean Financial
Model
What’s the
operating
environment like?
Wireframes/
Prototypes
Five Forces Analysis
Presentation Stack
I need a compact
overview
I need to
communicate
[various items in
Ops Stack]
Pitch Deck
(coming soon)
Corp. Website
I’m going to a
bank, traditional
investor
Business Plan
I need to present
financial (tax,
financiers).
Income Statement,
Statement of Cash
Flows, Balance
Sheet
h"p://bit.ly/venstack
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

11. bit.ly/venstack
ALEX COWAN"
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

12. IT’S A PROCESS
Some techniques are more effective than others.
But they all require substantial, consistent exertion.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

13. THE CANVAS: 3 (STANDARD) PARTS
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
O ering
Customers
Infrastructure
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

14. SEGMENT TO VALPROP MAPPING
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

15. THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
Customer
Segments
Value
Propositions
(Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

16. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS VS. PERSONAS
Customer
Segments
g
≈
Personas
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

17. 1. List as many personas as you can- min. 3"
2. More time? Describe as much as you can the
items below. (5 min)
MARY THE MOM
About: Mary the mom. . . [Describe like your friend or the beginning
of a short story. What kind of shoes does she wear?]. . .
Thinks: . . .
Sees: . . .
Feels: . . .
Does: . . .
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

18. 1. Which are buyers? Users? Both? Note with
a ‘B’ and/or ‘U’ on the Post-It (2 min.)
2. Which have the most compelling need,
desire? Sort top to bottom (3 min.)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

19. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS + VALUE PROP’S
X
?
!
PROBLEM SCENARIO
ALTERNATIVE(S)
YOUR VALUE
PROPOSITIONS
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

20. 1. Brainstorm Problem Scenario-AlternativeValue Proposition Trios. (10 min.)
X
?
!
PROBLEM SCENARIO
ALTERNATIVE(S)
YOUR VALUE
PROPOSITIONS
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

21. 2. Rank Order Problem Scenario-AlternativeValue Proposition Trios. (3 min.)
X
?
!
PROBLEM SCENARIO
ALTERNATIVE(S)
YOUR VALUE
PROPOSITIONS
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

22. 1. Print out the Canvas "
2. List your prioritized personas (Customer
Segments) and Value Propositions"
3. Map your personas to your Value
Propositions "
(5 min)
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

23. RELATIONSHIPS & CHANNELS
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
O ering
Customers
Infrastructure
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

24. A ttention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

25. AIDA(OR) ON A STORYBOARD
Copyright 2012 Cowan Publishing

26. 1. Using the squares, create an AIDA(OR)
storyboard (15 min)"
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

27. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
Customer
Relationships
GETTING STARTED"
1. Bounce off your take on AIDA(OR) "
2. Decouple any concierge/hand-holding
actions you use for discovery from your
target steady state"
3. Variation by segment?"
4. How will you know if it’s working?
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

28. 1. Describe (generally) your target Customer
Relationship(s). Do they vary by Segment? (3
min)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

29. CHANNELS
Channels
GETTING STARTED"
1. Bounce off your take on AIDA(OR) "
2. Variation by segment?"
3. How will you know if it’s working?
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

30. 1. Describe (generally) your target Channels.
Do they vary by Segment? (3 min)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

31. REVENUE STREAMS
Don’t overcomplicate it."
"
When a plumber does
something, you pay them."
"
If a sink garbage disposal
lasts twice as long, you’d pay
more, right?
ALEX COWAN"
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

32. SEGMENT TO VALPROP TO REVENUE
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

33. 1. Map your venture accordingly (7 min)
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

34. THE CANVAS: INFRASTRUCTURE
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
O ering
Customers
Infrastructure
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

35. 3 BUSINESS MODEL TYPES
(Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
1. INFRASTRUCTURE-DRIVEN
(Customer
Segments)
2. CUSTOMER SCOPE-DRIVEN
(Channels)
(Key
Resources)
3. PRODUCT-DRIVEN
(Cost Structure)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

36. KEY RESOURCES
Key
Resources
GETTING STARTED"
1. Bounce off your business type"
2. What is particular to your business
model?"
3. How will you get it?
List Key Resources"
(5 min)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

37. KEY RESOURCES
Key
Activities
GETTING STARTED"
1. Bounce off your business type"
2. What is particular to your business
model?"
3. How will you do these things? Will
partners be involved? Should they be?
List Key Activities"
(5 min)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

38. KEY RESOURCES
Key
Partnerships
GETTING STARTED"
1. Bounce off your business type"
2. What is core to your business model?"
3. Are you comparatively good it at?"
4. Where will partners make the business
bigger and more effective?
List Key Partnerships"
(5 min)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

39. COST STRUCTURE
Minimize: Obviously."
"
Defer: MVP’s; don’t over
invest for the sake of creating
‘output’"
"
Link: To revenue as much as
possible (variable vs. fixed)."
"
ALEX COWAN"
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

40. PROFIT DRIVERS (EXAMPLE)
Tighter Proposition (website, pres., etc.)
Ease of Entry
Revenue
Drivers
Finite Deliverables
Increased Use of Channels
Upsell
Profit
Drivers
Finite Cost
Cost of Sales
Easy to See What's on Menu
Less Consultative Selling
Simplified Contracting
Intellectual Property Multipliers
Cost
Drivers
Cost of Delivery
Tighter Talent Definition
Simpler Training, Eval., Promotion
Engagement
Management
Standard Project Management
Comparable Post Mortems
Copyright 2012 Cowan Publishing

41. KEY RESOURCES
Cost
Structure
GETTING STARTED"
1. How do you minimize? Use of partners?
Off the shelf tech/components?"
2. How do you defer against customer
development milestones?"
3. How do you link to revenues?"
"
Which are fixed vs. variable? How do they
related to revenues?
List Cost Drivers"
(5 min)
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

42. COST STRUCTURE
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

43. 1. Map your venture accordingly (7 min)
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing

44. bit.ly/nicebmc
www.alexandercowan.com/speaking
www.alexandercowan.com/resources
www.alexandercowan.com/startup-sprints
@cowanSF
acowan@alexandercowan.com
Copyright 2013 Cowan Publishing