Making a business model is organizing the fundamental ideas for business to operate with its purpose being to prepare for adversity. The document for organizing a business model is called the canvas.
Because different types of businesses exist, there are different canvas proposals. Therefore, the type of business determines the canvas to be used.
How to make a canvas for a business model?
- Identify your business type
- Analyze the different canvas proposals available
- Choose the canvas that is the most convenient
Let’s go to it:
Types of Businesses
The different types of businesses are segmented according to their economic activities (primary, secondary, and tertiary); legal form (individual or sole partnership, partnership, limited liability, corporation); or size (small, medium, large or Fortune 500).
Common examples of business types are:
- Individual
- Establishment
- Business
- Commercial
- Industrial
- Digital
- E-commerce
- Freemium
- Subscription
- Crowdfunding
- Donations
- Listing
- Advertising
Business Model Canvas Types
First, identify the type of business. Next, analyze the different types of canvases to choose the most convenient. Several canvases are used for different business models.
Let’s review some of the most common:
- Staehler
- Osterwalder & Pigneur
- Lean
Staehler Canvas
The first canvas was created by Peter Staehler; it proposes to establish an architecture of values so our offer brings the promised benefits to our clients.
It is usually implemented by companies with a team force, such as small and large companies.
Its structure is as follows:
- Architecture of Values
- Offer – What we offer
- Chain of Value – Steps to build values and define a chain of values
- Core Capacities – Core capacities we must dominate to make up for our offer
- Communication, Distribution & Channels – Sales channels, distribution and communication within ourselves and with our clients
- Partners – Key partners
- Value Proposition
- Clients – Our buyer persona and how we solve their problems
- Benefits For Our Clients – Benefits we will create for our clients and partners
- Income Structure
- Expenses Structure – Expenses we need to make
- Income Stream – Channels in which we will be generating income
- Team
- Members – Members that form the company
- Values – How we see ourselves and how we communicate within the company and with clients
Osterwalder & Pigneur Canvas
This proposal brought by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur in 2010 uses simpler language and focuses on improving how we perform as a company.
Like the Staehler canvas, it also can be used by small and large companies.
Its structure is as follows:
- Key Partners – Relationship built with buyers and suppliers
- Key Activities – Activities we need to execute to guarantee our value proposition
- Value Proposition – Solution we offer to our clients’ problems
- Client Relationship – Relationship we are looking to build according with our buyer personas
- Segmentation – Define our buyer personas
- Key Resources – What we need to invest to meet our customers’ needs
- Channels – Solutions we are going to use to find leads and sell them
- Expenses Scheme – Required expenses
- Income Scheme – Sources of income
Lean Canvas
The Lean Canvas comes from the Lean Startup business methodology and is an adaptation of the Osterwalder & Pigneur canvas proposed by Ash Maurya in 2010 specifically for startups.
The Lean Startup methodology adapts very well to entrepreneurship and innovation. It focuses on solving the problem of a specific market and is preferred by project managers for product administration circles. Unlike the other canvases, the Lean Canvas allows you to establish an advantage over your competition.
Its structure is as follows:
- Problem – Describe the problems of a specific market
- Current Solution – How this market is solving these problems currently
- Solution – How we solve those problems
- Value Proposition – What we offer that makes us different from our competition
- Advantage – Advantage we have over our competition
- Segmentation – Define who we are going to sell to
- First to Adapt – Our buyer persona
- Activities – Core activities within the company
- Sales Channels – Define tools and means we are going to use to get clients
- Expenses Scheme – Define expenses
- Income Scheme – Define income sources
