What is a Lean Canvas?
Lean Canvas is a pocket business plan that allows you architect your business basing on its key assumptions. It is adapted from Business Model Canvas and focuses Lean Startups. It replaces extensive business plans with a one page business model.
Business plans take lots of time to write, are seldom updated, and almost never read by others.
Lean Canvas addresses this with a 1-page business model that takes under 20 minutes to create.
Why Use Lean vs Business Model Canvas?
The Lean Canvas is simpler, but less complete than the Business Model Canvas. Whereas the Business Model Canvas aims to provide a complete business model, which can be used for testing and search in lean startups, the Lean Canvas is more focused on being a summary with “simple” business models.
| Element | Business Model Canvas | Lean Canvas |
| Audience | New and existing businesses | Startup businesses |
| Focus | Customers, Investors, Entrepreneurs, Consultants, Advisors | Entrepreneurs purely |
| Customers | Emphasis on customer segments, channels and customer relationships | Startups have no known or tested products to sell |
| Approach | Infrastructure, nature, sources of financing and anticipated revenue streams | First problem, then a proposed solution, channels, costs and the anticipated revenue streams |
| Competition | Focus on quantitative and qualitative value proposition | Assesses whether business has unfair advantage |
| Application | Fosters understanding, creativity, discussion and constructive analysis | Problem-solution oriented approach which enables the entrepreneur to develop step-by-step |
Download the Template
There are many templates of the Lean Canvas available online. While using them on a daily basis I found that most get very blurry when you scale them to a usable size and look ugly when you need to convince someone of your business idea.
The vector graphic template you can download here for free scales to whatever size you want to have a good workshop or discussion with your stakeholders.
Use the Lean Canvas Template to architect and communicate your ideas with the team, your boss or investors.
Thanks for sharing the lean canvas. We are using it on a daily basis.
Thanks