What it is

The Lean Canvas is a business plan. A very simple, very fluid business plan. We leverage the canvas as a way of checking an entrepreneurs assumptions and strategy for building their business. We use it as a way of quickly discussing all the aspects of a new business, knowing that many of our hypotheses will be wrong. We focus on the Problem, Customer Segments, and Channels section of the canvas (more on that below).

We have found that the workshop runs best when the client fills in the canvas on their own before the Kickoff Workshop. And then we review it together as a group.

Reasons and Scenarios to Use it

New business or product. Productizing an existing piece of software. Product and business in growth phase (we may focus on different parts of the canvas in this scenario).

No need to use this for an internal application where customer acquisition is not a challenge.

How to do it

1. Send the Lean Canvas template to the client a week before the Product Discovery kick off.
2. Make sure they have completed the Lean Canvas before hand.
3. During the workshop, focus on Problem, Customer Segments, and Channels. The reason we start with those 3 are that typically the entrepreneur hasn't clearly defined the problem enough. Which leads to a more generic customer segment and acquisition strategy. We drill in there to find the specifics.
4. Circulate updated Lean Canvas from the workshop.

Time required

Prework. 1-2 hour workshop with client to go over.

Sample Template

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qaL7gOo3IAzkI-...

Other Helpful Links

https://leanstack.com/LeanCanvas.pdf

https://blog.leanstack.com/why-lean-canvas-vs-busi...

Other Canvases

Lean UX: https://medium.com/@jboogie/the-lean-ux-canvas-d4d...