Business Model Canvas in English: the 9 blocks, examples, and template
The Business Model Canvas brings the entire business model onto one page, allowing the management team to see the connection between customers, value propositions, and economics. Here you get the nine blocks explained with Danish examples, a template, and a method that leads to strategic goals.
Published · Updated · 8 min read
In short
- BMC consists of nine blocks: customers, value propositions, channels, relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partners, and cost structure.
- Always fill in customers and value propositions first — the rest must support them.
- Create two versions: the model today and the model in three years. The difference is the strategy.
- The canvas only creates value when the blocks become goals, projects, and KPIs with owners.
What is the Business Model Canvas?
The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a simple overview of how a company creates, delivers, and captures value. The model consists of nine building blocks that together describe the business model on a single page — customers, value propositions, channels, relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partners, and cost structure.
The model was popularized by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur in the book Business Model Generation. Its strength lies in allowing the entire management team to see the connection between customer segments and economics on the same page — and quickly identify where the business model is not coherent.
BMC is not a strategy in itself. It describes how you make money today and only becomes strategic when you use it to decide what needs to change in the business model in the coming years.
The nine building blocks — with Danish examples
Fill in the blocks in the order customers → value propositions → the rest. The examples are typical for Danish SMEs with 10-250 employees.
1. Customer Segments
Customer Segments
Who do you create value for? Divide by need, not by industry code.
Examples: Municipal buyers, medium-sized manufacturing companies, master craftsmen with 5-20 employees, private end-customers.
2. Value Propositions
Value Propositions
What specific problem do you solve, and why are you better than the alternative?
Examples: Delivery within 24 hours, documented CO2 accounting for tenders, service in Danish with a dedicated contact person.
3. Channels
Channels
How do customers find you, and how is value delivered?
Examples: Own sales force, dealer network, webshop, public tender portals, industry association fairs.
4. Customer Relationships
Customer Relationships
How do you retain and develop customers?
Examples: Service agreements, annual customer meetings, onboarding processes, self-service, key account model.
5. Revenue Streams
Revenue Streams
What do customers pay for, and how is the price set?
Examples: Project sales, subscription, service agreements, spare parts, hourly rate, license per user.
6. Key Resources
Key Resources
What do you need to be able to deliver?
Examples: Skilled employees, production facilities, certifications, data, brand, liquidity.
7. Key Activities
Key Activities
Which activities are crucial for the model to work?
Examples: Production, project management, sales and bidding, development, quality assurance.
8. Key Partners
Key Partners
Who are you dependent on, and what do they gain from it?
Examples: Suppliers, subcontractors, software providers, distributors, knowledge institutions.
9. Cost Structure
Cost Structure
Where are the biggest costs, and are they fixed or variable?
Examples: Salaries, materials, transport, rent, IT licenses, marketing.
Template: BMC on one page
┌──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐ │ 8. PARTNERS │ 7. ACTIVITIES│ 2. VALUE │ 4. RELATION │ 1. CUSTOMER │ │ ├──────────────┤ PROPOSITION├──────────────┤ SEGMENTS │ │ │ 6. RESOURCES │ │ 3. CHANNELS │ │ ├──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┤ │ 9. COST STRUCTURE │ 5. REVENUE STREAMS │ └─────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The right side is about the market, the left side about delivery, and the bottom two blocks about economics. Write 3-5 points per block — no more.
How to fill out the canvas in six steps
1. Decide what the canvas covers
One business model per canvas. If you have both project sales and subscriptions, create two — otherwise, the blocks will contradict each other.
2. Start with the customers
Name 2-4 segments with real needs. If you can't describe what the segment wakes up and worries about, it's not a segment.
3. Formulate the value proposition per segment
Write it as the customer would say it. Avoid words like quality, flexibility, and professionalism — they say nothing about why the customer chooses you.
4. Fill in the delivery and economic blocks
Activities, resources, and partners must be able to support the value proposition. Quantify the three-four largest costs and revenue streams.
5. Test the coherence
Follow one line through: segment → value proposition → channel → revenue. If the line falls apart, you've found the most important strategic task.
6. Create a canvas for the future
Copy the canvas and describe the model in three years. The differences between the two versions are your strategic goals and projects.
Five typical mistakes
- The value proposition is a product list instead of a customer problem being solved.
- All customers are put into one segment, so the model cannot be used for prioritization.
- The blocks are filled with future ambitions but presented as current state.
- No numbers in revenues and costs, so the management team cannot see where the money comes from.
- The canvas hangs on the wall after the workshop but is never translated into goals, projects, and KPIs.
BMC vs. SWOT vs. PESTEL
The three models answer different questions. If you use them in sequence, you'll get the external environment, your own situation, and the business model in place.
| Model | Question it answers | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Business Model Canvas | How do we create and capture value? | To see if the business model is coherent — and what needs to change. |
| SWOT | Where are we strong and weak, and what comes from outside? | To consolidate analyses for prioritization before setting goals. |
| PESTEL | Which external forces are shifting our market? | To qualify opportunities and threats with facts rather than guesses. |
Template in PowerPoint vs. Plandura
| Area | Template / spreadsheet | Plandura |
|---|---|---|
| From canvas to action | The points remain as bullets without an owner. | Each point can be translated into a strategic goal, project, or risk with a named owner. |
| History | New file every year — development disappears. | Continuous editing with autosave, archive, and undo. |
| Coherence | BMC, SWOT, and goals are in three different files. | Analyses, goals, KPIs, projects, and reviews in the same data model. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Business Model Canvas?
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The Business Model Canvas is a model with nine blocks that describe a company's business model on one page: customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partners, and cost structure. The model is used to help the entire management team see how value is created, delivered, and paid for.
What does BMC mean?
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BMC is the common abbreviation for Business Model Canvas. In Danish, it is also called 'forretningsmodel-canvas' or simply 'forretningsmodellen på én side' (the business model on one page).
In what order do you fill in the blocks?
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Start with the customer segments, then the value proposition for each segment. Then fill in channels and relationships, followed by key activities, resources, and partners, and conclude with revenue streams and cost structure, so that the economics can be balanced against the rest.
What is the difference between Business Model Canvas and Lean Canvas?
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Lean Canvas is an adaptation aimed at startups. It replaces, among other things, key partners and key activities with problem, solution, and unfair advantage. For established SMEs with existing operations, the original Business Model Canvas typically provides the most useful picture.
How often should the business model be reviewed?
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Once a year as part of the strategy work, and additionally when something significant changes — a new major customer, a new legal requirement, a technology, or price pressure. The review itself typically takes two hours when the canvas already exists.
Can you work with the Business Model Canvas in Plandura?
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Yes. Plandura has a built-in Business Model Canvas under Strategic Analyses with autosave, archive, and undo. The points can be translated into strategic goals, KPIs, projects, and risks, so the business model becomes part of the execution instead of a standalone document.
Related guides
These guides are closely connected to business model canvas and are natural next steps in your strategy work.
- SWOT analysis: guide and templateStrengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — with TOWS to turn insight into action.
- PESTEL analysis: model and templateSix external factors that shape your market, with practical examples.
- Strategy process for SMEs in 6 stepsFrom analysis to an agreed strategy — without a six-month project.
- Strategy map: how to build itVisual cause and effect between goals, themes and results.
More strategy guides
Analysis and environment
Goals, KPIs and performance
Strategy process and planning
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