Define a business strategy for your start-up
A good and individual business idea alone is not enough. Only with the right business strategy do you know which steps you need to take to be successful. Alexander Osterwalder's canvas model for developing innovative business models helps with this.
Business Model Canvas
The management tool is based on nine text blocks that must be edited individually to describe the entire business model. For better visualization, draw the blocks on a poster, as shown in the figure below.
Then use post-its to attach the ideas to the appropriate canvas. For a detailed explanation of this management model, we recommend the book "Business Model Generation" by Alexander Osterwalder.
Customer segments
The most important question is: “Who is my target group? By this we mean (preferably paying) customers, users, subscribers - in short: all people or organizations who see value in your product or service. Only when you have clearly defined your target group can you develop your business model further.
Questions you should ask yourself:
«For whom do I create value with my offering? Who are my most important customers?»
What should be in this field:
A list of personas (groups of users with certain characteristics and usage behavior) or customer segments. Ideally sorted by priority.
Value proposition
In the second step, a value proposition is assigned to each customer segment. This must be tailored precisely to the needs of the customer segment.
Questions you should ask yourself:
«Für welches Problem wollen diese Kunden eine Lösung? Welchen Nutzen/Mehrwert biete ich dem Kunden? Welche Kundenbedürfnisse möchte ich befriedigen? Welche Kombination von Produkten und Dienstleistungen biete ich den Zielgruppen an?»
What should be in this field:
Value propositions (prioritized) that are linked to the corresponding personas or customer segments.
Channels
Now determine which sales and communication channels you want to use to get in touch with your customers in order to offer them the added value mentioned above.
Questions you should ask yourself:
«Which channels do I use to reach my customers? Which channels work best? How can different channels work together to bring the customer to me?»
What should be in this field:
A list of the most important channels that are linked to the personas or customer segments. You should make additional comments on how and when these channels become relevant for users (keyword “customer journey”).
Customer relations
The fourth segment focuses on the type of relationship you want to maintain with your customers.
Questions you should ask yourself:
"What kind of relationship do I have with my customers? What do I do to build, maintain and expand the relationship? Does the form of customer relationship fit my business model?"
What should be in this field:
Description of customer relationships; differences between customers must be identified separately.
Revenue sources
Answer the question of how you want to generate revenue. Pricing strategies are required here.
Questions you should ask yourself:
"How much would my customers pay for the benefits I offer them? Are there comparable products/services? What are the revenue streams there? How much does each source of revenue contribute to total revenue?"
What should be in this field:
A list of revenue sources that are ideally linked to the personas, segments or value propositions.
Key resources
In this field you indicate which resources and infrastructure you need in order to be able to offer your product or service.
Questions you should ask yourself:
"On which resources is my value proposition significantly based? What key resources do I need to fulfill the customer benefit? What resources do my sales channels and customer relationships need? Sources of revenue?"
What should be in this field:
A list of key resources that are tied to your value proposition.
Key activities
With key activities, you should think of all the central activities that are necessary to be able to offer your product or service.
Questions you should ask yourself:
"What activities do I need to carry out to fulfill the customer benefit? Which activities are necessary for the sales channels, which for the customer relationships?"
What should be in this field:
A list of key activities that are linked to your value propositions. These are also linked to the key resources.
Key partners
Do you have to rely on resources from external providers? Or do you outsource certain activities? Enter your cooperation partners here.
Questions you should ask yourself:
«Who are my most important partners, who are my most important suppliers? For which key resources/key activities am I dependent on partners?»
What should be in this field:
A list of key partners. The reference to the key activities must be indicated.
Cost structure
Finally, consider the financial planning for your startup.
Questions you should ask yourself:
"What cost structure results from the planning? Which key resources or key activities are the cost drivers?"
What should be in this field:
Value propositions (sorted by priority) that are linked to the corresponding personas.
Do you need help?
We understand that many prospective company founders want to make sure they don't overlook anything when setting up a company. So don't hesitate to contact us before you set up your company.