Business Model Design Playbook, Step by Step for 2027

Design a new business model, or rethink one under strain, by mapping it on one canvas, testing its riskiest assumptions cheaply and deciding on evidence whether to persevere, pivot or stop.

Who it's for

Managers, founders, consultants and project leads who need to design a new business model or rethink one that is under strain, whether for a new venture or an organisation that already trades. Each play runs as a two- to three-hour workshop or a week of short sessions with four to eight people, including someone who can approve a change.

What you'll learn

• Map your model on the Business Model Canvas by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur, with every note marked as fact or assumption
• Profile one customer segment's jobs, pains and gains, check it in five short conversations and design a value map that fits, using the Value Proposition Canvas (Osterwalder and colleagues)
• Generate alternative models from recurring patterns such as unbundling, the long tail, multi-sided platforms, freemium and open models, and from new ways of earning revenue
• Work out contribution, customer acquisition cost, lifetime value and payback for each model, and find the lever that moves the result most
• Sort assumptions into desirability, feasibility and viability on the Assumptions Map from Testing Business Ideas by David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder, and choose the three to test first
• Run cheap tests with Test Cards and Learning Cards, set pass lines in advance and climb the evidence stairs towards a minimum viable product, as popularised by Eric Ries
• Decide to persevere, pivot or stop with rules agreed in advance, name the type of pivot using Ries's categories and draw version 2 of your canvas

What's inside

• 49 pages, 8 plays
• Every play sets out its objective, when to use it and when not to, the time, people and materials it needs, numbered steps, a diagram, a ready-to-use template, an illustrative example from a fictional UK organisation and common mistakes to avoid
• One template per play: Business Model Canvas with Prompt Questions, Customer Profile, Value Map and Fit Check, Pattern Explorer, Unit Economics Sheet, Assumptions Map, Test Card and Learning Card, and Evidence Review and Pivot Decision Sheet
• A closing action plan, Your Six-Week Business Model Sprint, with a one-page checklist that runs all eight plays in six weeks
• PDF in A4 format — read on screen or print
• Instant download after purchase

Contents

1. Map Your Business Model on One Canvas
2. Profile the Customer You Serve
3. Design a Value Map That Fits
4. Explore Alternative Model Patterns
5. Check the Unit Economics
6. Map Your Riskiest Assumptions
7. Run Cheap, Fast Experiments
8. Decide: Persevere, Pivot or Stop

Part of The Business Library

This playbook is one of the 55 ebooks in The Business Library, available together for £109 (worth £1,437 if bought separately: the total of the individual prices of the included titles in our store). It is also included in The Ultimate Business Bundle, which adds 8 checklists and toolkits and 10 workbooks — all 73 products for £147.