Business Model Canvas Template

The business model canvas or BMC is a visual template used to describe and organize the high-level strategic details needed to get a business or product onto the market. Designed by the economic theorist Alexander Osterwalder and the computer scientist Yves Pigneur in 2005, the template comes in the form of an intuitive one-page business plan summary consisting of the 9 key building blocks.

The business model canvas should include 9 sections, each outlining the most strategically important elements of a business roadmap. The sections are as follows:

• Customer Segments: What customer groups will be interested in your product or service?
• Key Partnerships: Who are your partners and suppliers that make your business model work?
• Key Activities: What activities do you need to take for the success of your business model?
• Revenue Streams: What ways are you going to drive revenue from?
• Value Propositions: Why will customers buy or use your product?
• Channels: How are you planning to deliver, promote, and sell your value propositions?
• Key Resources: What resources do you need for your business to compete?
• Customer Relationships: What customer communication channels are you planning to have?
• Cost Structure: What will drive business’ expenses? How are they related to revenue?

For your convenience, you can quickly map out your business plan by filling in all 9 boxes of the BMC template online. There are no strict rules on which component of the BMC to spell out first. You may start by describing key partners, activities, resources, and value propositions and then move on to identifying your customer base and communication channels. The expenses and revenue boxes can be filled at the final stage.