The document provides information about the Business Model Canvas template and how it can be used for customer development and venture design. It discusses key elements of the canvas like customer segments, value propositions, and channels. It also discusses how design thinking techniques like personas and storyboarding can be applied with the canvas to develop value propositions for specific customer segments. The canvas is presented as a tool that can help structure the customer development process and manage assumptions through experimentation and learning.

1. (Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Workshop:!
Business
Model
Canvas
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

2. (Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

3. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
PIVOTAL
ASSUMPTIONS Nascent
Test, revise,
test...
Validated- now
tactical
Validated- now
tactical
PRODUCT
N/A
MVP
Focus: efficiency,
extension
What would a
startup do??
ORG.
Founders
PARTNERS,
CHANNELS
Customer dev.
team
Full functional
organization
Scalable
organization
Probably too
soon
Probably too
soon
Yeah, maybe?
Yeah, definitely!
Personas
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

4. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Thinking through what you want the business to be for a
better idea of what you don’t know. !
"
Then use that to focus your discovery.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

5. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Focal point for managing your assumptions- which are
open? closed? what are their inter-relationships?!
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

6. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Focal point for organizing incremental ‘growth hacking’
experiments.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

7. CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT & THE CANVAS
MVP
Product-Market
Fit(?)
Scale
Strategy management tool and jumping off point for new
‘intrapreneurial’ ventures and business model innovation.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

8. The Canvas is a housekeeping tool. !
"
It won’t hand you the gold but it will
help you monitor how things are
panning out.
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

9. IT’S A PROCESS
Some techniques are more effective than others.
But they all require substantial, consistent exertion.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

10. VENTURE DESIGN
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

11. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Learn
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
Experiment
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

12. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
Business Model
Canvas
Learn
Experiment
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

13. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
Business Model
Canvas
Learn
Experiment
User Stories &
Test Cases
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

14. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
Business Model
Canvas
Learn
Experiment
User Stories &
Test Cases
Product &
Promotion
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

15. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
Business Model
Canvas
Learn
Experiment
User Stories &
Test Cases
Product &
Promotion
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

16. THE CANVAS: 3 PARTS
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
O ering
Customers
Infrastructure
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

17. SEGMENT TO VALUE PROPOSITION MAPPING
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

18. THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
Customer
Segments
Value
Propositions
(Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

19. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS VS. PERSONAS
Customer
Segments
g
≈
Personas
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

20. REALLY GETTING CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
(Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

21. DESIGN THINKING
Empathy
Creativity
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

22. DESIGN THINKING- APPLICATIONS
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

23. DESIGN THINKING- APPLICATIONS
1
2
Urinate as they go
3
Edges preferred
4
Speedy
5
Empathy
Entry
PB > cheese
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

24. DESIGN THINKING- APPLICATIONS
Check & Repair
1
UV Validation
2
Relevant Placement
3
A Better Mouse Trap
4
Powered by Better Bait
5
Creativity
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

25. DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS
Personas
Problem Scenarios
Alternatives
Your Value Propositions
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

26. DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

27. DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

28. DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS
PROBLEM SCENARIO
X
ALTERNATIVE(S)
?
YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS
!
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

29. YOUR PRODUCT HYPOTHESIS
A certain PERSONA exists…
… and they have a certain
PROBLEMS(S) …
X
… where they’re currently using
certain ALTERNATIVE(S) …
?
… and I have a VALUE
PROPOSITION that’s better
enough than the alternatives to
cause the persona to act
(purchase, use, etc.).
!
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

30. ENABLE QUIZ: PROBLEM SCENARIOS
PERSONA
Helen the HR Manager
Frank the Functional Manager
“It’s hard for me to screen on
technical skill sets and I end up
sending Frank unqualified
recruits.”
“I have limited time and I don’t
want to be a jerk. It’s hard to
screen for all the relevant
technical skill sets.”
ALTERNATIVE(S)
- Call references"
- Take their word for it
- A few probing questions"
- Take their word for it
VALUE
PROPOSITIONS
New ability for meaningful
screening of technical
candidates, increasing % of
successful hires and lowering
Frank’s workload on recruiting.
Less time doing interviews, and
better hires sooner.
X
PROBLEM
SCENARIO
?
!
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

31. STORYBOARDING A PROBLEM SCENARIO
BEFORE
AFTER
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

32. EXERCISE- PERSONA CREATION
1. List at least 3 personas (5 min)
Mary the Working Mom
Susan the Stay-at-Home Mom
Douglas the Dad
Nathan the Nanny
…
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

33. EXERCISE- PERSONA CREATION
1. Which are buyers? Users? Both? Note with a ‘B’ and/or ‘U’ on
the Post-It
2. Which have the most compelling need, desire? Sort top to
bottom
(4 min.)
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

34. EXERCISE- VALUE PROPOSITIONS
X
1. Brainstorm Problem
Scenario-Alternative-Value
PROBLEM SCENARIO Proposition Trios.
(7 min.)
?
ALTERNATIVE(S)
!
YOUR VALUE
PROPOSITIONS
Problem: Mary would like to be more
structured and consistent in her use of
allowances to teach the link between work
and financial rewards.
Alternative: Track the completion of chores,
homework, etc. manually using paper, boards,
notes on her phone.
Value Proposition: Use our app to easily and
consistently implement best practices tailored
to your situation.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

35. EXERCISE- MAPPING PERSONAS, VALUE PROP’S
1. Print out the Canvas !
2. List your prioritized personas
(Customer Segments) and
Value Propositions!
3. Map your personas to your
Value Propositions !
(3 min)
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Persona_1
Persona_2
Persona_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

36. EXERCISE: PEER PRESENTATIONS (2 MIN/EACH)
As
Presenter
PERSONAS & VALUE PROPOSITIONS!
1) Who is/are the top persona(s)?"
2) What’s cool about the value prop.?
As
Audience
- Focus on the process; avoid editorial"
- Ask a lot of questions"
- Think about it like an investor
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

37. REALLY GETTING CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
(Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Key
Resources)
(Cost Structure)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
(Channels)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

38. Attention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
How do they first
find out that you,
your proposition
exist? "
How do you break
through the noise
floor?
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

39. Attention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
What is it that
engages them with
your proposition?
How will you
connect?
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

40. Attention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
Are you connecting
with an important
problem scenario?
Is your VP better
enough than the
alternative?
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

41. Attention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
What is absolute
minimum set of
actions required by
the customer to
have you deliver on
their problem?
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

42. Attention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
How do they
become a regular,
habitual user? How
will you know if
that’s happening?
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

43. Attention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
O nboarding
R etention
How do you
deepen their
involvement?
Investment? How
do you get them
talking about it?
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

44. STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

45. EXERCISE: AIDA STORYBOARD (10 MIN)
Using the
squares, create
a 6-panel
AIDA(OR)
storyboard
(10 min)!
guideline: !
1 panel/item
(A, I, D…)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

46. EXERCISE- CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
Customer
Relationships
GETTING STARTED!
1. Bounce off your take on AIDA(OR) "
2. Decouple any concierge/hand-holding actions you use for discovery
from your target steady state"
3. Variation by segment?"
4. How will you know if it’s working?
EXAMPLES!
‘dedicated personal service’ (onsite? offsite?)
‘personal service’
‘phone support’
‘web/email based tickets’"
‘web self-help and forums’
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

47. EXERCISE- CHANNELS
Channels
GETTING STARTED!
1. Bounce off your take on AIDA(OR) "
2. Variation by segment?"
3. How will you know if it’s working?
EXAMPLES!
SALES"
hand sales (direct or indirect?)"
retail"
web"
phone"
delivery"
PROMOTION"
personal (direct vs. indirect?)"
specialty media"
television"
radio"
AdWords + SEO"
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

48. EXERCISE: PEER PRESENTATIONS (2 MIN/EACH)
As
Presenter
RELATIONSHIPS & CHANNELS!
1) What’s the AIDAOR journey?"
2) How do the Relationships & Channels
work for that?
As
Audience
- Focus on the process; avoid editorial"
- Ask a lot of questions"
- Think about it like an investor
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

49. REVENUE STREAMS
Don’t overcomplicate it.!
"
When a plumber does
something, you pay them.!
"
If a sink garbage disposal lasts
twice as long, you’d pay more,
right?
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

50. EXERCISE: SEGMENT TO VALPROP TO REVENUE
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
(4 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

51. THE CANVAS: 3 PARTS
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
O ering
Customers
Infrastructure
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

52. THE CANVAS: 3 PARTS
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
O ering
Customers
Infrastructure
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

53. 3 BUSINESS MODEL TYPES
(Key
Partners)
(Key
Activities)
(Value
(Customer
Propositions) Relationships)
(Customer
Segments)
1. INFRASTRUCTURE-DRIVEN
2. CUSTOMER SCOPE-DRIVEN
(Channels)
(Key
Resources)
3. PRODUCT-DRIVEN
(Cost Structure)
(Revenue Streams)
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

54. EXERCISE- KEY RESOURCES
Key
Resources
GETTING STARTED!
1. Bounce off your business type"
2. What is particular, strategic to your business model?"
3. How will you get it?
EXAMPLES!
‘proprietary software’"
‘expertise in [exotic technology]’"
‘channel or partner relationships’"
‘track record in [relevant topic]’"
‘investment in infrastructure’"
‘rapid prototyping and validation methodologies’
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

55. EXERCISE- KEY ACTIVITIES
Key
Activities
GETTING STARTED!
1. Bounce off your business type"
2. What is particular, strategic to your business model?"
3. How will you do these things?"
4. Will partners be involved? Should they be?
EXAMPLES!
‘software product development’"
‘industry participation’"
‘direct sales’"
‘growth marketing online’ [SEO, web analytics..]"
‘process design and iteration’"
‘supplier management’, ‘supply chain management’
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

56. EXERCISE- KEY PARTNERSHIPS
Key
Partnerships
GETTING STARTED!
1. Bounce off your business type"
2. What is particular, strategic to your business model?"
3. Are you comparatively good at it?"
4. Where will partners make the business bigger and more effective?
EXAMPLES!
‘direct sales partners’"
‘content creators’"
‘retail or distribution’"
‘creative agency’"
‘subcontractors’"
‘referral network’
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

57. COST STRUCTURE
Minimize: Obviously.!
"
Defer: MVP’s; don’t over invest
for the sake of creating ‘output’!
"
Link: To revenue as much as
possible (variable vs. fixed).!
"
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

58. PROFIT DRIVERS: EXAMPLE
Tighter Proposition (website, pres., etc.)
Ease of Entry
Revenue
Drivers
Finite Deliverables
Increased Use of Channels
Upsell
Profit
Drivers
Finite Cost
Cost of Sales
Easy to See What's on Menu
Less Consultative Selling
Simplified Contracting
Intellectual Property Multipliers
Cost
Drivers
Cost of Delivery
Tighter Talent Definition
Simpler Training, Eval., Promotion
Engagement
Management
Standard Project Management
Comparable Post Mortems
ALEX COWAN!
AlexanderCowan.com"
@cowanSF
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

59. COST STRUCTURE
Cost
Structure
GETTING STARTED!
1. How do you minimize? Use of partners? Off the shelf tech/
components?"
2. How do you defer against customer development milestones?"
3. How do you link to revenues?"
4. Which are fixed vs. variable? How do they related to revenues?
EXAMPLES!
‘fixed cost product development’"
‘fixed cost infrastructure investment’"
‘variable cost marketing or commissions’"
‘variable cost customer onboarding and support’"
‘variable cost inputs’
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

60. EXERCISE: COST STRUCTURE & LINKAGES
Partner_1
Partner_2
Partner_3
Activity_1
Activity_2
Activity_3
Proposition_1
Proposition_2
Proposition_3
Relationship_1
Relationship_2
Relationship_3
Resource_1
Resource_2
Resource_3
Cost_1
Cost_2
Cost_3
The templates here are made available on the same CC license terms as the original canvas.
Segment_1
Segment_2
Segment_3
Channel_1
Channel_2
Channel_3
Revenue_1
Revenue_2
Revenue_3
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
(5 min)
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

61. EXERCISE: PEER PRESENTATIONS (2 MIN/EACH)
As
Presenter
RELATIONSHIPS & CHANNELS!
1) What’s your business type
(infrastructure, scope, product)?"
2) What are the major cost drivers and
linkages? How do they tie to revenue?"
3) How do the key activities, resources,
and partnerships help that?
As
Audience
- Focus on the process; avoid editorial"
- Ask a lot of questions"
- Think about it like an investor
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

62. VENTURE DESIGN
Hypothesize
Lean StartupStyle Assumptions
Business Model
Canvas
Learn
Experiment
User Stories &
Test Cases
Product &
Promotion
Foundation in
Design Thinking
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing

63. www.alexandercowan.com/sarta-business-model-canvas
www.alexandercowan.com/venture-design
www.alexandercowan.com/startup-sprints
@cowanSF
acowan@alexandercowan.com
Copyright 2014 Cowan Publishing