The Simple Business Model Canvas is an easy-to-use tool for exploring, testing, and communicating a business idea. It focuses on the key elements needed to understand whether an idea solves a real problem, creates value, and can become sustainable over time.
Unlike traditional business planning tools, this canvas encourages you to focus on customers, problems, solutions, and assumptions before diving into detailed planning.
Whether you’re starting a business, developing a project, launching a product, or exploring a new opportunity, this canvas helps you organise your thinking on a single page.
How to use it
Start with the Problem / Need and Customer Segments to identify who you want to help and what challenge they face.
Define your Value Proposition and Solution to explain how you will solve that problem.
Explore Existing Alternatives and your Unfair Advantage to understand your competitive position.
Identify your Early Adopters and Channels to determine who will try your solution first and how you will reach them.
Define Key Metrics to measure progress and success.
Complete the Cost Structure and Revenue Streams to understand how the idea can be sustained financially.
Use the High Level Concept section to summarise your idea in a simple, memorable way.
Workshop suggestion
Time: 45–90 minutes
Introduce the canvas and its sections (5–10 min).
Participants complete the canvas individually or in small teams using sticky notes (20–40 min).
Review assumptions, gaps, and opportunities (10–20 min).
Share ideas, gather feedback, and refine the canvas (10–20 min).
For innovation workshops, participants can present their completed canvases and receive feedback from peers or mentors.
Who is it for?
Entrepreneurs and start-ups
Small business owners
Students and educators
Innovation teams
Consultants and facilitators
Non-profits and social enterprises
Anyone developing a new idea, product, service, or project
No previous business planning experience is required.
By the end of the exercise, you will have:
✓ A clear understanding of the problem you want to solve
✓ A defined customer group and value proposition
✓ An overview of competitors, alternatives, and differentiators
✓ A clearer path to customer acquisition and growth
✓ Key assumptions to test and validate
✓ A simple business model that can be refined over time
The completed canvas can be used to guide discussions, test ideas, prepare pitches, support planning, and build a stronger foundation for future business development.
