What Startup Founders Get Wrong About Competition
When asked about competition, startup founders typically fall into two camps.
A Lean Canvas is NOT Enough to Replace a Business Plan
Let me know if this sounds familiar… Say you have a promising new idea. To get the green light to move forward, you are often asked to write an elaborate 30-page business plan, complete with a 5-ye...
Business Models vs Business Plans
**Most people hate writing business plans.**
It’s Time to Fire the Business Plan for Good
Have you ever written a Business Plan? Did you enjoy the process?
Reorder your Chain of Beliefs with a leaner Lean Canvas
Sketching an idea on a [Lean Canvas](/tools/lean-canvas) is akin to stacking a chain of beliefs. Later links rely on earlier links, and cracks in your early links have a ripple effect. This is why ...
Stop Wasting Time on Unviable Business Ideas
Too many entrepreneurs prematurely rush to launch their product, join an incubator/accelerator, or hit the pitching circuit only to realize months (or years) later that they were chasing too small ...
The Myth of the Perfect Plan A
Most entrepreneurs start with a strong initial vision and a Plan A for realizing that vision. Unfortunately, most Plan A's don't work.
Traction is the One Metric to Rule Them All
Walk into any investor’s office with the beginnings of a hockey-stick curve, and you’ll create a Pavlovian response where they’ll sit you down and try to understand your business model.
What is a Lean Canvas?
A Lean Canvas is a 1-page [business modeling](https://www.leanfoundry.com/topics/business-modeling) tool that helps you deconstruct an idea into key assumptions or beliefs.
What is the Right Fill Order for a Lean Canvas?
A question I get a lot is: **Why isn’t the Lean Canvas laid out more logically?** Anyone that has attempted to fill one can relate. You must jump around from box to box in seemingly random order.
When and How to Set Pricing for Your Product
Pricing is one of the riskiest assumptions on the Lean Canvas (Revenue Stream).
Why and How to Model a Non-profit on the Lean Canvas
Several variations of the lean and business model canvases are now floating around for non-profits and social ventures. However, the lean canvas is still the best way for a non-profit to understand...
Your Product is NOT “The Product”
Entrepreneurs are typically more passionate about their solution than any other part of the business model, which, left unchecked, can become a problem. While building a product is what you do best...
Crafting Attention-Worthy Unique Value Propositions
The first battle for any product is getting noticed by customers.
What is the Right Sizing for Early Adopters?
It’s easy to see the perils of going too broad with a new product: When you try to market to everyone, you reach no one. This is why the customer segment box on the Lean Canvas is further broken in...
How to Formulate Your Unfair Advantage Strategy with a Lean Canvas
Communicating defensibility against copycats and competition is critical when pitching your [business model](https://www.leanfoundry.com/topics/business-modeling) to investors and key stakeholders.
How to Use Business Model Patterns to Formulate a Starting Validation Strategy
Patterns are everywhere. We use patterns in architecture, design, software, chess, and cooking.
Traction is the Goal. Everything Else is Distraction.
What is the one thing that both investors and entrepreneurs care about? It’s growth or traction.
Why Lean Canvas versus Business Model Canvas
I often get asked why I created a different adaptation from the original Business Model Canvas by Alex Osterwalder. Lately, this question has bubbled up in frequency which is why I decided to take ...