The Business Model Canvas is a one page overview that lays out both what you do (or want to do), and how you go about doing it; enabling structured conversations around management and strategy by laying out the crucial activities and challenges involved with your initiative and how they relate to each other. This visual format, first introduced by Osterwalder and Pigneur, is useful for both existing and new organisations and businesses. Existing programmes can develop new initiatives and identify opportunities while becoming more efficient by illustrating potential trade-offs and aligning activities. New programmes can use it to plan and work out how to make their offering real.
The individual elements prompt thoughts within the separate activities or resources, while the capability to have the complete overview encourages fresh perspectives and ideas about how those pieces fit together. This structure also helps to keep group discussions more focused and bring everyone onto the same page.
Latest User Experience
Steven Asei-Dantoni
Unicef
User Rating: 5
Good morning, during my time as a social innovation manager at UNICEF Nicaragua, I used the business model canvas to make important choices. This tool helped us to open the conversation and see more clearly. It really helped us to define a unique value proposition. I worked with a group of kids with absolutely no business experience nor background and it worked. It is intuitive and efficient. I actually mention it on my internship report, and in the case study that you can find on : http://www.sadantoni.com/business-model/ .
Thank you!
Steven Asei Dantoni
@sadantoni
Denise
ProsPets
User Rating: 5
I do like the lay-out.
Unfortunately the description of “What do you do” in the top figure is the same as the description of “Who will help you”.
Development Impact and You
DIY Toolkit
User Rating: 5
Thank you for letting us know Denise! Fortunately the error was only on the image, not the actual pdf download, but we’ve now updated the image so that is correct too.
Sam Daines
International Baccalaureate
User Rating: 5
If you like this tool, you should *definitely* see the Value Proposition Canvas from the same people.
Remi
Business Model Forecast
User Rating: 5
The Busines Model Canvas is a really good tool to help entrepreneurs building the global vision of their business. Its simplicity helps to focuse on the big picture. It lacks though of some dynamic to test financial consequences. I can recommend to do some quick financial forecast with this free ans easy tool to test and improve a business model : http://www.businessmodelforecast.com/
Javed Iqbal
NDI
User Rating: 5
That’s awesome.
Lauren
User Rating: 4
This is a great organizing tool to use before and/or during board meetings to reflect on performance and plan ahead for sustainability and effectiveness.
Kenraphs
Consulting
User Rating: 4
A good tool
Charles Fancis
Clean All Concepts
User Rating: 5
Very innovative.Well structured for business success.
Carol Hajdu
Miller Career and Transition Center
User Rating: 5
Is there an iPad app made by your organization, or that you would recommend? I’d like my students to create and present their Osterwalder and Pigneur business model canvases using ipads.
Development Impact and You
User Rating: 5
Hi Carol, we’re currently developing online interactive versions of all the tools in partnership with Canvanizer. They’re not quite ready yet but the Business Model Canvas is already available on their website and should be usable on iPad: http://canvanizer.com. Hope that is helpful!
Deivis Daza
JUAN BOSCO CORPORATION
User Rating: 2
It has been a great experience that help us to be more confident working for.
Sha Nigar
The Association of People with Disability
User Rating: 5
The Business Model Canvas is a really good tool to help NGO,s building the global vision of their reach to the cause of disability sector. It helps to focus on the big picture. It consists of all the plans that is required to run a project successfully
fouzia
Education, Awareness and Community Health
User Rating: 3
While working at grass root level in our Country, i was looking how we can improve our work now i learn that” both what you do (or want to do), and how you go about doing it; enabling structured conversations around management and strategy by laying out the crucial activities and challenges involved with your initiative and how they relate to each other.
fouzia
Education, Awareness and Community Health
User Rating: 3
While working at grass root level in our Country, i was looking how we can improve our work now i learnt that by watching this video
Said Ahmed Mohamed
Bulay Development Organization(BUDO)
User Rating: 1
well presentation with understandable
Suliaman Turay
Social Development International (SODEIT)
User Rating: 4
Very enriching and motivational to remap business mission especially for cost management and revenue maximization
Kamal Pariyar
ADWAN
User Rating: 5
First of big thanks to Nesta UK. The Busines Model Canvas is a really good tool to help entrepreneurs building the clear vision of the business. Its simplicity helps to focuse on the big picture. It lacks though of some dynamic to test financial consequences.
Soo May Cheng
Step by Step Learning Centre
User Rating: 4
Hello,
I am a volunteer at a school for children with special needs and physically challenges, in Arusha, Tanzania, called Step by Step Learning Centre. My colleagues and I used the Business Model Canvas to map out an approach to developing and launching several income-generating projects aimed at providing job opportunities for the students as they grew in the school.
Although most of the colleagues did not have a secondary or college education, and some spoke very little English, we were able to answer the simple questions on the Canvas in a matter-of-fact manner. We were able to articulate and agree on “What we do” as a starting point, and worked around the chart to finishing up with a financial model that looked feasible. Certainly, it took awhile to get everybody to see the “big picture” that the Canvas required, before the details could be plugged into the various boxes that made sense.
The Canvas was helpful in helping the whole team to focus on the same ideas, to identify individuals who could take up responsibility for various parts of the work to be undertaken, in targeting specific customer segments through appropriate channels, and in developing a budget for resources needed in expectation of measurable returns. Now, with the Canvas as a visual guide for the team, the challenge of putting the business plan into action would be less daunting.
Kind regards,
Soo
Eyuel
User Rating: 4
Hi i am from Ethiopia . i just saw your business canvas model template and i am fascinated, i need to ask you to send me the business canvas model with an example of business idea, with all questions on that template filled. i need to create my own but i need explanations thank you.