Business Model Canvas

Who this is for

Founders who have worked through the business model and need the one-page version for a cofounder, an advisor, or an investor conversation.

What you'll actually decide

How the nine blocks actually connect for your business — which is where the gaps show. A canvas is most useful for the boxes you can't fill in.

What first-time founders get wrong here

Filling every box so the page looks complete. An honest blank is information; a plausible-sounding filler sentence hides exactly the thing the exercise was supposed to surface.

The first 10 questions

This is where the conversation starts. Each answer shapes what gets asked next.

1. 01What is the business, and what stage is it at?
2. 02Have you already worked through a Business Model document, or is this your first time structuring this?
3. 03Key partners: who do you rely on — suppliers, distributors, platform providers, investors?
4. 04Key activities: what critical things must the company do to deliver the value proposition?
5. 05Key resources: what physical, intellectual, human, or financial assets are essential?
6. 06Value propositions: what value do you deliver to each customer segment?
7. 07Customer relationships: how do you acquire, retain, and grow customers?
8. 08Channels: through which channels do your customer segments want to be reached?
9. 09Customer segments: for whom are you creating value — list all distinct groups.
10. 10Cost structure: what are the most important costs to operate this model?

+ 3 more questions across discovery, validation, and the creative brief — each one adapting to what you've already said.

Related business planning project types

• Which Idea Do I Pursue?Choose which of your ideas deserves the next year of your life — founder fit, reachable customers, and honest excitement, compared side by side.
• Quit Your Job or Nights-and-Weekends?Decide whether to go all-in on your startup or build it nights-and-weekends — what the leap actually costs, what staying actually costs, and what would have to be true either way.
• Solo or Cofounder?Decide whether to build alone or bring on a cofounder — what you actually need, what half your company costs, and what the right plan looks like either way.