The Business Model Canvas: More examples, tools and techniques

Back in 2012 we posted a quick video describing the business model canvas (BMC). In the last 3+ years there has been a lot of material posted online that explains the value of this extremely useful tool. We now use this canvas during our on-boarding exercise for every new customer to understand their  business model currently and where the business wants to evolve to. This exploration and documentation greatly helps us address real business challenges with the cloud tools we have at our disposal. Here is a selection of the most useful BMC tools we have found.

  1. Google Docs BMC template – a great way to collaborate online remotely with your team to collaborate on the canvas.
  2. A video describing the BMC for Gore Fabrics, makers of GoreTex.

 

 

3. A really fun, animated playlist of short videos explaining why the business model is important to today's business. It takes you through the why & how and gives you examples of the power of iterating the model.

4. A set of videos describing real world business models from companies like LEGO, Nintendo, Tesla, Disney and Amazon using the BMC. These videos really give you a good taste of how flexible and powerful the business model canvas is.

Updated March 20, 2017:

5. A 1:31 video describing the theater of the BMC – excellent way to describe this to people with little experience in business:

 6. 14 more examples on using the BMC including a terrific article on the various ways the BMC can be used. VERY helpful!

Finally a longer 45+ minute talk by the creator of the BMC, Alexander Osterwalder given at Google back in February 2011.

 

 

About the author

Alex is a pioneer in using the cloud to meet the needs of small and medium sized business (SMBs) and membership-based organizations. He has a BSc in computer science from the University of Michigan and has worked as a product manager at two Internet startups. Alex is a father of 2 and plays the trumpet for fun. He is the founder and the president of the University of Michigan Alumni Club of Toronto.