Business Model Canvas

Design, visualize, and test your business model on a single page to accelerate commercialization success

The Nine Building Blocks of Business Success

The Business Model Canvas provides a shared language for describing, visualizing, assessing, and changing business models. It describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value.

Key Partners

Key Activities

Key Resources

Value Propositions

Customer Relationships

Channels

Customer Segments

Cost Structure

Revenue Streams

Key Partners

Key Questions:

  • Who are our key partners?
  • Who are our key suppliers?
  • Which key resources are we acquiring from partners?
  • Which key activities do partners perform?

Examples:

Strategic alliancesJoint venturesSupplier relationshipsLicensing agreements

Key Activities

Key Questions:

  • What key activities do our value propositions require?
  • Our distribution channels?
  • Customer relationships?
  • Revenue streams?

Examples:

ProductionProblem solvingPlatform/network maintenanceSupply chain management

Key Resources

Key Questions:

  • What key resources do our value propositions require?
  • Our distribution channels?
  • Customer relationships?
  • Revenue streams?

Examples:

Physical assetsIntellectual propertyHuman resourcesFinancial resources

Value Propositions

Key Questions:

  • What value do we deliver to the customer?
  • Which customer problems are we solving?
  • What bundles of products and services are we offering?
  • Which customer needs are we satisfying?

Examples:

PerformanceCustomizationCost reductionRisk reductionAccessibilityConvenience

Customer Relationships

Key Questions:

  • What type of relationship does each customer segment expect?
  • Which ones have we established?
  • How are they integrated with the rest of our business model?
  • How costly are they?

Examples:

Personal assistanceSelf-serviceAutomated servicesCommunitiesCo-creation

Channels

Key Questions:

  • Through which channels do our customer segments want to be reached?
  • How are we reaching them now?
  • How are our channels integrated?
  • Which ones work best?

Examples:

Sales forceWeb salesOwn storesPartner storesWholesaler

Customer Segments

Key Questions:

  • For whom are we creating value?
  • Who are our most important customers?
  • What are their demographics?
  • What are their behaviors and needs?

Examples:

Mass marketNiche marketSegmentedDiversifiedMulti-sided platform

Cost Structure

Key Questions:

  • What are the most important costs in our business model?
  • Which key resources are most expensive?
  • Which key activities are most expensive?

Examples:

Fixed costsVariable costsEconomies of scaleEconomies of scope

Revenue Streams

Key Questions:

  • For what value are our customers really willing to pay?
  • For what do they currently pay?
  • How are they currently paying?
  • How would they prefer to pay?

Examples:

Asset saleUsage feeSubscriptionLicensingBrokerage feesAdvertising

How to Build Your Business Model Canvas

Follow this systematic approach to design and validate your business model

1

Start with Customer

Begin by defining your customer segments and value propositions - who you serve and what you offer

2

Map Delivery

Define how you reach customers through channels and what relationships you maintain

3

Define Operations

Identify key resources, activities, and partnerships needed to deliver your value proposition

4

Validate Finances

Ensure revenue streams exceed costs and the model is financially sustainable

Supercharge Your Canvas with Commercify AI

Our AI-powered platform transforms the static canvas into a dynamic, data-driven business model optimization tool

Market Validation

Validate each canvas element with real market data and competitive intelligence

AI Suggestions

Get AI-powered recommendations for improving each building block

Financial Modeling

Automatically generate financial projections based on your canvas inputs

Scenario Testing

Test multiple business model variations and compare their potential

Why Use the Business Model Canvas?

Visual Clarity

See your entire business model on one page, making it easy to understand and communicate

Strategic Focus

Focus on what matters most - how you create, deliver, and capture value

Rapid Iteration

Quickly test and pivot your business model based on market feedback

Team Alignment

Align your entire team around a shared understanding of the business

Innovation Tool

Systematically explore new business model innovations and opportunities

Risk Reduction

Identify and address business model weaknesses before they become problems

Ready to Design Your Winning Business Model?

Use Commercify's AI-enhanced Business Model Canvas to create, validate, and optimize your path to market success.