I spend a lot of time in Global SE talking about business models. I often argue with students and clients alike that the best way to understand and troubleshoot an organization is to construct its business model and ask “what if” questions. A business model simply tells you how your organization creates value. Below is a visual representation of a business model.
From Wikipedia
Many people, especially those in the non-for-profit community think business models are not for them. Saul Kaplan in a Harvard Business Review Blog argues that: “if an organization has a viable way to create, deliver, and capture value, it has a business model. It doesn’t matter whether an organization is in the public or private sector. It doesn’t matter if it’s a non-profit or a for-profit enterprise. All organizations have a business model. Non-profit corporations may not be providing a financial return to investors or owners, but they still capture value to finance activities with contributions, grants, and service revenue. Social enterprises may be mission-driven, focused on delivering social impact versus a financial return on investment, but they still need a sustainable model to scale. Government agencies are financed by taxes, fees, and service revenue, but are still accountable to deliver citizen value at scale.” Read more here.
Professor,
Could you please upload a larger picture of the business canvas. Even after enlarging the image, we cannot really read the text.
Thank you!