Canvas
Business Model Canvas: Five Questions Before the Model Gets Complicated
The canvas is not a form to complete. It is a clarification tool when target group, value proposition or revenue logic are not stable yet.
The Business Model Canvas is often treated as a template too early. The fields get filled, but the logic stays unclear. Use it as a conversation tool instead.
1. Who Has the Problem First?
A target group is not “SMEs”, “parents” or “students”. A good first segment is narrow enough to reach, understand and test.
Ask:
- Who feels the problem often?
- Who already uses a workaround?
- Who can decide or influence a purchase?
- Who would be a credible first pilot customer?
2. Which Situation Gets Better?
Value is not abstract. It appears in a specific situation.
Weak: “We improve communication.”
Stronger: “Program teams can see which venture assumptions are still open before coaching sessions.”
3. How Do You Reach First Users?
Channels are not a wish list. They must fit the target group and decision path.
Ask whether access comes through partners, programs, pilots, direct sales or existing communities.
4. Who Pays for What?
Separate users from buyers. In education, health and B2B2C products, this is often decisive.
Clarify whether payment is per user, team, location, license, transaction or program.
5. Which Assumption Would Break the Model?
Every model has a critical assumption. Do not hide it. End the canvas with the next test, not with a full-looking template.