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The Business Model Canvas

Beginner Investing • 10 min

What this lesson is about

Nine blocks on one page that force you to say how a business actually makes money. This is the framework behind the course's capstone project.

Key termsBusiness, Model, CanvasBusiness, Canvas, Projectagree, with, each, other

3 parts · a quick check after each · then the quiz

Part 1 of 3

The, Business, Model, Canvas, was, created, by, Strategyzer., It, lays, out, an, entire, business, on, one, page, with, nine, connected, blocks., This, is, important, for, this, course., The, capstone, Business, Canvas, Project, relies, on, it., Plus,, there's, a, free-response, question, on, the, exam, linked, to, that, project.

Let’s, break, down, the, nine, blocks., Customer, segments:, who, you, serve,, defined, precisely., Value, proposition:, why, that, segment, picks, you., What, job, do, you, do, for, them?, Channels:, how, your, offer, gets, to, them,, from, awareness, to, purchase, and, after-sales., Customer, relationships:, the, type, of, ongoing, connection, you, maintain,, whether, it's, fully, self-service, or, dedicated, personal, support., Revenue, streams:, how, and, how, often, money, comes, in,, like, one-off, sales,, subscriptions,, licenses,, advertising,, or, commissions.

Where the money comes fromOne line at eighty per cent is the whole company and the whole risk.

Quick check

The Business Model Canvas represents a business as

Part 2 of 3

Now,, the, delivery, side., Key, resources:, the, essential, assets, you, need—people,, equipment,, intellectual, property,, and, capital., Key, activities:, what, your, business, must, excel, at, every, day., Key, partners:, who, supplies,, distributes,, or, handles, the, parts, you, don’t, want, to, do, yourself., Cost, structure:, what, it, all, costs,, divided, into, fixed, costs, (staying, the, same, regardless, of, output), and, variable, costs, (increasing, with, each, unit).

The, canvas’s, value, isn’t, just, in, its, structure., It’s, about, how, the, blocks, must, agree, with, each, other., A, premium, value, proposition, and, a, self-service, relationship, often, clash., A, subscription, revenue, stream, means, you, need, key, activities, focused, on, retention,, unlike, a, one-off, sale., If, a, big, cost, appears, nowhere, in, your, key, activities,, something’s, off.

Quick check

In the canvas, the value proposition block should state

Part 3 of 3

Insider, Angle:, Students, struggle, most, with, customer, segments,, which, hurts, everything, else., Terms, like, "everyone", or, "people, aged, 18-65", aren’t, effective, segments., They, create, a, value, proposition, so, generic, that, it, persuades, no, one., Plus,, they, lead, to, channels, that, are, too, broad, to, afford., A, useful, segment, is, narrow, enough, that, you, could, describe, one, specific, person, and, say, how, they’d, hear, about, you., Narrowing, the, segment, first, makes, the, other, eight, blocks, much, easier, to, fill, out., That’s, why, examiners, focus, on, this.
Try, This:, Pick, a, business, you, know, well, and, fill, in, two, blocks:, customer, segments, and, cost, structure., Then, check, if, the, biggest, item, in, the, cost, structure, clearly, serves, the, segment, you, identified., If, it, doesn’t,, you’ve, either, chosen, the, wrong, segment, or, found, something, worth, questioning.

Quick check

Costs that do not change with the level of output are classified in the cost structure as

Quiz

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