The Business Model Canvas tool , created by Alexander Osterwalder, defines and communicates business models in a clear and visual way. The Lean Canvas tool , created by Ash Maurya , is a derivative of the Business Model Canvas, focused on startups and companies that are just starting out, dividing it between problem, value proposition and solution.
Both tools can be used to structure and validate business models, both for new projects and to improve existing businesses, contributing to the product-market fit process , for example.
These tools help organize questions and hypotheses related to the business, facilitating decision-making and communication with stakeholders and investors.
Do you want to understand the difference between Business Model Canvas and Lean Canvas in practice, as well as learn step by step how to use each of them?
Continue reading this article and check it out!
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Business Model Canvas
The Business Model Canvas (BMC) consists of nine fields that must be filled in with descriptions or improvement hypotheses in the different key dimensions of a business . It is divided into four main parts: central part, right quadrants, left quadrants and bottom part.
BMC
Step by step
We suggest you complete the tool in this order:
Value Proposition: Fill in the customer needs and problems that are being served and/or resolved.
Market segment: Tell us who all the people and organizations are that you are creating value for.
Channels: Describe the touchpoints through which you interact with customers and deliver value to them.
Customer Relationships: Highlight the types of relationships you establish with your customers.
Key Activities: Inform which activities are essential for value delivery to happen.
Key Resources: Describe the infrastructure needed to create, deliver, and capture value.
Key Partnerships: Inform who are the key partners that can help you leverage your business model.
Cost Structure: Identify the main business costs, resources and activities and how much they demand financially.
Revenue Streams: Report how and through which pricing mechanisms your business model is capturing value.
Lean Canvas
The Lean Canvas is a derivative of the BMC, adapted for startups and early-stage companies, focusing on the specific needs of this type of business.
Lean Canvas
Step by step
The Lean Canvas fields are:
Problem : List the top three problems your product or service solves.
Customer Segment: Define who your target customers are.
Value Proposition: Describe the unique benefit your product offers to customers.
Solution: Indicate how your product or service solves the problems listed.
Channels: Describe how you will reach your customers.
Cost Structure: Identify the main costs of the business.
Revenue Sources: Report how the business generates revenue.
Key Metrics: List the performance indicators you will track.
Unfair Advantage: Define what differentiates your product from competitors and cannot be easily copied.
Using the Business Model Canvas and Lean Canvas helps to structure and validate business models in an efficient and visual way.
These tools help you organize your ideas, identify opportunities for improvement, and communicate your business model clearly and effectively, both for new projects and existing businesses.
We hope that, based on this content, you have understood the difference between the Business Model Canvas and the Lean Canvas and can apply these tools in your daily life. For more practical frameworks like these, how about joining the Tera community?
Tera students have access to the full class content, which is part of the Introduction to Product Discovery course , focused on developing skills for Digital Product Leadership .
Download the program and see how Tera helps you advance further in your career.
