business-model-canvas

Business Model Canvas

Design and analyze business models using Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas and Lean Canvas. Creates structured 9-block canvases for business model innovation, startup validation, and strategic planning.

What is a Business Model Canvas?

A Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic management template for developing new or documenting existing business models. It's a visual chart describing a firm's value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances.

The 9 Building Blocks

Business Model Canvas Blocks

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│ Key Partners    │ Key Activities  │ Value           │ Customer        │ Customer        │
│                 │                 │ Propositions    │ Relationships   │ Segments        │
│ Who helps us?   │ What do we do?  │                 │                 │                 │
│                 │                 │ What value do   │ How do we       │ Who do we       │
│                 ├─────────────────┤ we deliver?     │ interact?       │ serve?          │
│                 │ Key Resources   │                 │                 │                 │
│                 │                 │                 ├─────────────────┤                 │
│                 │ What do we      │                 │ Channels        │                 │
│                 │ need?           │                 │                 │                 │
│                 │                 │                 │ How do we       │                 │
│                 │                 │                 │ reach them?     │                 │
├─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┤
│ Cost Structure                                      │ Revenue Streams                   │
│ What does it cost?                                  │ How do we earn?                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────┘

Block Definitions

Workflow

Phase 1: Preparation

Step 1: Define Context

## Canvas Context

**Organization:** [Company / Product / Initiative]
**Purpose:** [New business / Innovation / Documentation / Pivot]
**Scope:** [Entire business / Product line / Service]
**Date:** [ISO date]
**Facilitator:** canvas-facilitator

Step 2: Gather Inputs

Before filling the canvas:

• Existing business plans, strategy documents
• Customer research, personas
• Competitive analysis
• Financial data (if documenting existing model)

Phase 2: Fill the Canvas (Right to Left)

Start with Customer Segments (demand side), then move to Value Proposition and infrastructure (supply side).

Step 1: Customer Segments

## Customer Segments

| Segment | Description | Size | Priority |
|---------|-------------|------|----------|
| [Name] | [Who are they? Demographics, needs] | [Market size] | Primary/​Secondary |

**Questions to answer:**
- For whom are we creating value?
- Who are our most important customers?
- What are their jobs-to-be-done?

Segment Types

Step 2: Value Propositions

## Value Propositions

| Segment | Value Proposition | Type | Differentiation |
|---------|-------------------|------|-----------------|
| [Segment] | [What value delivered?] | [Type] | [Why us over competitors?] |

**Questions to answer:**
- What value do we deliver to each segment?
- Which customer problems are we solving?
- What bundles of products/​services do we offer?

Value Proposition Types

Step 3: Channels

## Channels

| Phase | Channel | Type | Effectiveness |
|-------|---------|------|---------------|
| Awareness | [How do customers learn about us?] | Own/​Partner | High/​Med/​Low |
| Evaluation | [How do they evaluate?] | Own/​Partner | High/​Med/​Low |
| Purchase | [How do they buy?] | Own/​Partner | High/​Med/​Low |
| Delivery | [How do we deliver?] | Own/​Partner | High/​Med/​Low |
| After Sales | [How do we support?] | Own/​Partner | High/​Med/​Low |

Step 4: Customer Relationships

## Customer Relationships

| Segment | Relationship Type | Purpose | Cost |
|---------|-------------------|---------|------|
| [Segment] | [Type] | Acquisition/​Retention/​Upselling | High/​Med/​Low |

Relationship Types

Step 5: Revenue Streams

## Revenue Streams

| Segment | Revenue Type | Pricing Model | % of Revenue |
|---------|--------------|---------------|--------------|
| [Segment] | [Type] | Fixed/​Dynamic | [Percentage] |

Revenue Types

Step 6: Key Resources

## Key Resources

| Resource | Category | Source | Strategic Importance |
|----------|----------|--------|---------------------|
| [Resource] | Physical/​IP/​Human/​Financial | Own/​Lease/​Partner | Critical/​Important/​Supporting |

Step 7: Key Activities

## Key Activities

| Activity | Category | Importance | Insource/​Outsource |
|----------|----------|------------|-------------------|
| [Activity] | Production/​Problem Solving/​Platform | Critical/​Important | Insource/​Outsource |

Step 8: Key Partnerships

## Key Partnerships

| Partner | Type | Motivation | Resources Provided |
|---------|------|------------|-------------------|
| [Partner] | Strategic Alliance/​Coopetition/​JV/​Supplier | Optimization/​Risk/​Acquisition | [What they provide] |

Partnership Motivations

• Optimization and Economy of Scale - Reduce costs
• Reduction of Risk and Uncertainty - Share risk
• Acquisition of Resources and Activities - Gain capabilities

Step 9: Cost Structure

## Cost Structure

| Cost Category | Type | Driver | % of Total |
|---------------|------|--------|------------|
| [Cost] | Fixed/​Variable | [What drives it] | [Percentage] |

**Cost Focus:** ☐ Cost-Driven ☐ Value-Driven

Phase 3: Analysis and Validation

Step 1: Check Coherence

Step 2: Identify Risks

## Business Model Risks

| Block | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|-------|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Block] | [Risk description] | H/​M/​L | H/​M/​L | [Action] |

Lean Canvas (Alternative)

For startups and early-stage ventures, use Lean Canvas which replaces some blocks:

Lean Canvas Template

## Lean Canvas: [Product/​Startup]

**Date:** [ISO date]
**Iteration:** [1, 2, 3...]

### Problem (Top 3)
1. [Most critical problem]
2. [Second problem]
3. [Third problem]

**Existing Alternatives:** [How do customers solve this today?]

### Customer Segments
**Early Adopters:** [Who will use first?]

### Unique Value Proposition
**Single, clear message:** [One sentence that explains why you're different and worth attention]

**High-Level Concept:** [X for Y analogy, e.g., "Uber for dog walking"]

### Solution (Top 3 Features)
1. [Feature addressing Problem 1]
2. [Feature addressing Problem 2]
3. [Feature addressing Problem 3]

### Channels
[Path to customers - how will you reach early adopters?]

### Revenue Streams
[Revenue model, pricing, lifetime value]

### Cost Structure
[Customer acquisition costs, hosting, people, etc.]

### Key Metrics
[The numbers that tell you how you're doing]

### Unfair Advantage
[Something that cannot easily be copied or bought]

Output Formats

Narrative Summary

## Business Model Summary: [Organization]

**Date:** [ISO date]
**Analyst:** canvas-analyst
**Type:** Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas

### Executive Summary
[2-3 sentence summary of the business model]

### Customer Focus
- **Primary Segment:** [Description]
- **Value Delivered:** [Core value proposition]
- **Channels:** [Primary channels]

### Value Creation
- **Key Activities:** [Core activities]
- **Key Resources:** [Critical resources]
- **Key Partners:** [Strategic partners]

### Financial Model
- **Revenue Model:** [How money is made]
- **Cost Structure:** [Major cost drivers]
- **Unit Economics:** [Key metrics]

### Risks and Opportunities
| Type | Description | Priority |
|------|-------------|----------|
| Risk | [Top risk] | High |
| Opportunity | [Top opportunity] | High |

### Recommendations
1. [Priority recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]

Structured Data (YAML)

business_model_canvas:
  version: "1.0"
  date: "2025-01-15"
  organization: "Acme Corp"
  analyst: "canvas-analyst"
  type: "business_model_canvas"  # or "lean_canvas"

  customer_segments:
    - name: "SMB Owners"
      description: "Small business owners seeking efficiency"
      size: "5M in target market"
      priority: primary
      jobs_to_be_done:
        - "Manage invoicing"
        - "Track expenses"

  value_propositions:
    - segment: "SMB Owners"
      proposition: "Automated bookkeeping that saves 10 hours/​week"
      type: convenience
      differentiation: "AI-powered categorization"

  channels:
    - phase: awareness
      channel: "Content marketing"
      type: own
      effectiveness: high
    - phase: purchase
      channel: "Website"
      type: own
      effectiveness: high

  customer_relationships:
    - segment: "SMB Owners"
      type: self_service
      purpose: retention
      cost: low

  revenue_streams:
    - segment: "SMB Owners"
      type: subscription
      pricing: "fixed"
      amount: "$29/​month"
      percentage: 85

  key_resources:
    - name: "AI/​ML Platform"
      category: intellectual
      source: own
      importance: critical

  key_activities:
    - activity: "Platform development"
      category: production
      importance: critical
      insource: true

  key_partnerships:
    - partner: "Accounting Firms"
      type: strategic_alliance
      motivation: acquisition
      provides: "Referrals, expertise"

  cost_structure:
    focus: value_driven
    costs:
      - category: "Engineering"
        type: fixed
        percentage: 40
      - category: "Cloud hosting"
        type: variable
        percentage: 15

  validation:
    value_customer_fit: true
    channel_segment_fit: true
    revenue_cost_balance: true

Mermaid Diagram

flowchart TB
    subgraph Partners["Key Partners"]
        P1[Partner 1]
        P2[Partner 2]
    end

    subgraph Activities["Key Activities"]
        A1[Activity 1]
        A2[Activity 2]
    end

    subgraph Resources["Key Resources"]
        R1[Resource 1]
        R2[Resource 2]
    end

    subgraph VP["Value Propositions"]
        V1[Value 1]
        V2[Value 2]
    end

    subgraph CR["Customer Relationships"]
        CR1[Relationship 1]
    end

    subgraph CH["Channels"]
        CH1[Channel 1]
        CH2[Channel 2]
    end

    subgraph CS["Customer Segments"]
        CS1[Segment 1]
        CS2[Segment 2]
    end

    Partners --> Activities
    Resources --> VP
    Activities --> VP
    VP --> CR
    VP --> CH
    CR --> CS
    CH --> CS

    subgraph Costs["Cost Structure"]
        C1[Cost 1]
        C2[Cost 2]
    end

    subgraph Revenue["Revenue Streams"]
        Rev1[Revenue 1]
        Rev2[Revenue 2]
    end

When to Use

Integration

Upstream

• stakeholder-analysis - Identify customer segments
• swot-pestle-analysis - Environmental context
• journey-mapping - Customer experience insights

Downstream

• Requirements - Feature requirements from value propositions
• Financial modeling - Revenue and cost projections
• Roadmaps - Initiative prioritization

Related Skills

• stakeholder-analysis - Customer and partner analysis
• swot-pestle-analysis - Strategic context
• value-stream-mapping - Operational efficiency
• capability-mapping - Organizational capabilities
• decision-analysis - Business model decisions

Interactive Workflow

Arguments

• <business-description>: Description of the business, startup, or initiative to model

• --mode: Canvas type (default: bmc)

  • bmc: Full Business Model Canvas (~8K tokens)
  • lean: Lean Canvas for startups (~6K tokens)
  • quick: Rapid single-pass canvas (~3K tokens)

• --output: Output format (default: both)

  • yaml: Structured YAML for downstream processing
  • mermaid: Mermaid diagram visualization
  • both: Both formats

• --dir: Output directory (default: docs/​analysis/)

Step 1: Parse Arguments

Extract business description, mode, and output format from arguments.

If no description provided, ask the user: "What business, product, or initiative would you like to create a canvas for?"

Default mode is bmc. Default output is both.

Step 2: Load Business Model Canvas Skill

Invoke the business-analysis:business-model-canvas skill to access:

• 9-block canvas structure
• Block definitions and examples
• Value proposition types
• Revenue model patterns
• Lean Canvas adaptations

Step 3: Execute Based on Mode

BMC Mode (Full Business Model Canvas)

Work through all 9 blocks interactively (right-to-left order):

Demand Side (Start Here):

1. Customer Segments: Who are the most important customers?

   • Segment types: Mass market, Niche, Segmented, Diversified, Multi-sided

2. Value Propositions: What value do we deliver to each segment?

   • Value types: Newness, Performance, Customization, Price, Convenience

3. Channels: How do we reach and deliver to customers?

   • Phases: Awareness, Evaluation, Purchase, Delivery, After-sales

4. Customer Relationships: How do we interact with each segment?

   • Types: Personal, Dedicated, Self-service, Automated, Communities

5. Revenue Streams: How does each segment pay?

   • Models: Asset sale, Usage fee, Subscription, Licensing, Advertising

Supply Side:

1. Key Resources: What do we need to deliver value?

   • Types: Physical, Intellectual, Human, Financial

2. Key Activities: What must we do well?

   • Types: Production, Problem Solving, Platform/​Network

3. Key Partnerships: Who helps us?

   • Types: Strategic alliances, Coopetition, Joint ventures, Suppliers

4. Cost Structure: What are major costs?

   • Focus: Cost-driven vs Value-driven

After filling all blocks, validate coherence:

• Does value proposition address segment needs?
• Do channels reach segments effectively?
• Do revenues exceed costs?

Lean Mode (Startup Canvas)

Adapted blocks for early-stage ventures:

1. Problem (replaces Key Partners): Top 3 problems to solve
2. Solution (replaces Key Activities): Top 3 features
3. Key Metrics (replaces Key Resources): Numbers that matter
4. Unfair Advantage (replaces Customer Relationships): Cannot be copied

Shared blocks: Customer Segments, Value Proposition, Channels, Revenue Streams, Cost Structure

Focus on problem-solution fit and early adopters.

Quick Mode (Rapid Fill)

Single-pass canvas completion:

1. Start with value proposition and customer segment
2. Infer other blocks from context
3. Skip detailed breakdowns
4. Generate minimal viable canvas
5. Mark assumptions for later validation

Step 4: Generate Output Artifacts

YAML Output

business_model_canvas:
  version: "1.0"
  organization: "[Business Name]"
  date: "[ISO Date]"
  type: "business_model_canvas"  # or "lean_canvas"
  analyst: "canvas-facilitator"

  customer_segments:
    - name: "[Segment Name]"
      description: "[Who are they?]"
      size: "[Market size estimate]"
      priority: primary  # or secondary

  value_propositions:
    - segment: "[Segment Name]"
      proposition: "[Value delivered]"
      type: convenience  # newness, performance, customization, price, etc.
      differentiation: "[Why us?]"

  channels:
    - phase: awareness
      channel: "[Channel name]"
      type: own  # or partner
      effectiveness: high

  customer_relationships:
    - segment: "[Segment Name]"
      type: self_service
      purpose: retention  # acquisition, retention, upselling

  revenue_streams:
    - segment: "[Segment Name]"
      type: subscription
      pricing: fixed  # or dynamic
      percentage: 80

  key_resources:
    - name: "[Resource]"
      category: intellectual  # physical, intellectual, human, financial
      source: own
      importance: critical

  key_activities:
    - activity: "[Activity]"
      category: production  # production, problem_solving, platform
      importance: critical

  key_partnerships:
    - partner: "[Partner Name]"
      type: strategic_alliance
      motivation: acquisition  # optimization, risk_reduction, acquisition
      provides: "[What they provide]"

  cost_structure:
    focus: value_driven  # cost_driven or value_driven
    costs:
      - category: "[Cost category]"
        type: fixed  # fixed or variable
        percentage: 40

  validation:
    value_customer_fit: true
    channel_segment_fit: true
    revenue_cost_balance: true

Mermaid Output

flowchart TB
    subgraph Partners["Key Partners"]
        P1[Partner 1]
    end

    subgraph Activities["Key Activities"]
        A1[Activity 1]
    end

    subgraph Resources["Key Resources"]
        R1[Resource 1]
    end

    subgraph VP["Value Propositions"]
        V1[Value 1]
    end

    subgraph CR["Customer Relationships"]
        CR1[Relationship 1]
    end

    subgraph CH["Channels"]
        CH1[Channel 1]
    end

    subgraph CS["Customer Segments"]
        CS1[Segment 1]
    end

    Partners --> Activities
    Resources --> VP
    Activities --> VP
    VP --> CR
    VP --> CH
    CR --> CS
    CH --> CS

    subgraph Costs["Cost Structure"]
        C1[Cost 1]
    end

    subgraph Revenue["Revenue Streams"]
        Rev1[Revenue 1]
    end

Summary Report

## Business Model Canvas: [Organization]

**Date:** [ISO Date]
**Type:** Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas

### Executive Summary

[2-3 sentence summary of the business model]

### Customer Focus

- **Primary Segment:** [Description]
- **Value Delivered:** [Core value proposition]
- **Channels:** [Primary channels]

### Value Creation

- **Key Activities:** [Core activities]
- **Key Resources:** [Critical resources]
- **Key Partners:** [Strategic partners]

### Financial Model

- **Revenue Model:** [How money is made]
- **Cost Structure:** [Major cost drivers]
- **Unit Economics:** [Key metrics]

### Risks and Assumptions

| Block | Assumption | Risk Level |
|-------|------------|------------|
| [Block] | [Assumption] | High/​Med/​Low |

### Recommendations

1. [Validate assumption X]
2. [Explore channel Y]
3. [Consider partnership Z]

Step 5: Save Results

Save outputs based on format flag:

YAML file:

• docs/​analysis/​business-model-canvas.yaml

Mermaid diagram:

• docs/​analysis/​business-model-canvas.md

Use --dir to specify a custom output directory.

Step 6: Suggest Follow-Up Actions

After completing canvas:

## Suggested Next Steps

1. **Strategic Context**: Use `/​ba:swot-analysis` to understand environmental factors
2. **Value Stream**: Use `/​ba:value-stream` to optimize value delivery
3. **Stakeholder Mapping**: Use `/​ba:stakeholder-analyze` to identify key relationships
4. **Validation Planning**: Test riskiest assumptions with customers

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release