Business model canvas

It is fundamentally a template with 9 blocks that, according to Alexander Osterwalder, are the fundamental units that define a Business Model.

The idea is that it can be used as a one-pager to understand inter-dependencies, identify risks and, more importantly, make explicit the assumptions we have and that we need to validate.

The problem with the business canvas is that many people take it as a plan. Especially at the startup level (see: Startups are not scaled down versions of companies), this can be devastating.

The canvas is used as a roadmap of what a startup needs to execute in order to reach its next step. However, it's easy to forget that testing the Value proposition and doing Customer Discovery are the only things that initially matter.

Sure, if we don't know how to make money we'll be in trouble. But if we don't know who the customers are, how do we know how to reach them? And if we don't know where they are, how do we know who to partner with?