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What Is a Business Model?
Understanding business models, evaluating successful business models, how to create a business model.
- Business Model FAQs
The Bottom Line
Learn to understand a company's profit-making plan
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Katrina Ávila Munichiello is an experienced editor, writer, fact-checker, and proofreader with more than fourteen years of experience working with print and online publications.
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Investopedia / Laura Porter
The term business model refers to a company's plan for making a profit . It identifies the products or services the business plans to sell, its identified target market , and any anticipated expenses . Business models are important for both new and established businesses. They help new, developing companies attract investment, recruit talent, and motivate management and staff.
Established businesses should regularly update their business model or they'll fail to anticipate trends and challenges ahead. Business models also help investors evaluate companies that interest them and employees understand the future of a company they may aspire to join.
Key Takeaways
- A business model is a company's core strategy for profitably doing business.
- Models generally include information like products or services the business plans to sell, target markets, and any anticipated expenses.
- There are dozens of types of business models including retailers, manufacturers, fee-for-service, or freemium providers.
- The two levers of a business model are pricing and costs.
- When evaluating a business model as an investor, consider whether the product being offer matches a true need in the market.
Business Model
A business model is a high-level plan for profitably operating a business in a specific marketplace. A primary component of the business model is the value proposition . This is a description of the goods or services that a company offers and why they are desirable to customers or clients, ideally stated in a way that differentiates the product or service from its competitors.
A new enterprise's business model should also cover projected startup costs and financing sources, the target customer base for the business, marketing strategy , a review of the competition, and projections of revenues and expenses. The plan may also define opportunities in which the business can partner with other established companies. For example, the business model for an advertising business may identify benefits from an arrangement for referrals to and from a printing company.
Successful businesses have business models that allow them to fulfill client needs at a competitive price and a sustainable cost. Over time, many businesses revise their business models from time to time to reflect changing business environments and market demands .
When evaluating a company as a possible investment, the investor should find out exactly how it makes its money. This means looking through the company's business model. Admittedly, the business model may not tell you everything about a company's prospects. But the investor who understands the business model can make better sense of the financial data.
A common mistake many companies make when they create their business models is to underestimate the costs of funding the business until it becomes profitable. Counting costs to the introduction of a product is not enough. A company has to keep the business running until its revenues exceed its expenses.
One way analysts and investors evaluate the success of a business model is by looking at the company's gross profit . Gross profit is a company's total revenue minus the cost of goods sold (COGS). Comparing a company's gross profit to that of its main competitor or its industry sheds light on the efficiency and effectiveness of its business model. Gross profit alone can be misleading, however. Analysts also want to see cash flow or net income . That is gross profit minus operating expenses and is an indication of just how much real profit the business is generating.
The two primary levers of a company's business model are pricing and costs. A company can raise prices, and it can find inventory at reduced costs. Both actions increase gross profit. Many analysts consider gross profit to be more important in evaluating a business plan. A good gross profit suggests a sound business plan. If expenses are out of control, the management team could be at fault, and the problems are correctable. As this suggests, many analysts believe that companies that run on the best business models can run themselves.
When evaluating a company as a possible investment, find out exactly how it makes its money (not just what it sells but how it sells it). That's the company's business model.
Types of Business Models
There are as many types of business models as there are types of business. For instance, direct sales, franchising , advertising-based, and brick-and-mortar stores are all examples of traditional business models. There are hybrid models as well, such as businesses that combine internet retail with brick-and-mortar stores or with sporting organizations like the NBA .
Below are some common types of business models; note that the examples given may fall into multiple categories.
One of the more common business models most people interact with regularly is the retailer model. A retailer is the last entity along a supply chain. They often buy finished goods from manufacturers or distributors and interface directly with customers.
Example: Costco Wholesale
Manufacturer
A manufacturer is responsible for sourcing raw materials and producing finished products by leveraging internal labor, machinery, and equipment. A manufacturer may make custom goods or highly replicated, mass produced products. A manufacturer can also sell goods to distributors, retailers, or directly to customers.
Example: Ford Motor Company
Fee-for-Service
Instead of selling products, fee-for-service business models are centered around labor and providing services. A fee-for-service business model may charge by an hourly rate or a fixed cost for a specific agreement. Fee-for-service companies are often specialized, offering insight that may not be common knowledge or may require specific training.
Example: DLA Piper LLP
Subscription
Subscription-based business models strive to attract clients in the hopes of luring them into long-time, loyal patrons. This is done by offering a product that requires ongoing payment, usually in return for a fixed duration of benefit. Though largely offered by digital companies for access to software, subscription business models are also popular for physical goods such as monthly reoccurring agriculture/produce subscription box deliveries.
Example: Spotify
Freemium business models attract customers by introducing them to basic, limited-scope products. Then, with the client using their service, the company attempts to convert them to a more premium, advance product that requires payment. Although a customer may theoretically stay on freemium forever, a company tries to show the benefit of what becoming an upgraded member can hold.
Example: LinkedIn/LinkedIn Premium
Some companies can reside within multiple business model types at the same time for the same product. For example, Spotify (a subscription-based model) also offers free version and a premium version.
If a company is concerned about the cost of attracting a single customer, it may attempt to bundle products to sell multiple goods to a single client. Bundling capitalizes on existing customers by attempting to sell them different products. This can be incentivized by offering pricing discounts for buying multiple products.
Example: AT&T
Marketplace
Marketplaces are somewhat straight-forward: in exchange for hosting a platform for business to be conducted, the marketplace receives compensation. Although transactions could occur without a marketplace, this business models attempts to make transacting easier, safer, and faster.
Example: eBay
Affiliate business models are based on marketing and the broad reach of a specific entity or person's platform. Companies pay an entity to promote a good, and that entity often receives compensation in exchange for their promotion. That compensation may be a fixed payment, a percentage of sales derived from their promotion, or both.
Example: social media influencers such as Lele Pons, Zach King, or Chiara Ferragni.
Razor Blade
Aptly named after the product that invented the model, this business model aims to sell a durable product below cost to then generate high-margin sales of a disposable component of that product. Also referred to as the "razor and blade model", razor blade companies may give away expensive blade handles with the premise that consumers need to continually buy razor blades in the long run.
Example: HP (printers and ink)
"Tying" is an illegal razor blade model strategy that requires the purchase of an unrelated good prior to being able to buy a different (and often required) good. For example, imagine Gillette released a line of lotion and required all customers to buy three bottles before they were allowed to purchase disposable razor blades.
Reverse Razor Blade
Instead of relying on high-margin companion products, a reverse razor blade business model tries to sell a high-margin product upfront. Then, to use the product, low or free companion products are provided. This model aims to promote that upfront sale, as further use of the product is not highly profitable.
Example: Apple (iPhones + applications)
The franchise business model leverages existing business plans to expand and reproduce a company at a different location. Often food, hardware, or fitness companies, franchisers work with incoming franchisees to finance the business, promote the new location, and oversee operations. In return, the franchisor receives a percentage of earnings from the franchisee.
Example: Domino's Pizza
Pay-As-You-Go
Instead of charging a fixed fee, some companies may implement a pay-as-you-go business model where the amount charged depends on how much of the product or service was used. The company may charge a fixed fee for offering the service in addition to an amount that changes each month based on what was consumed.
Example: Utility companies
A brokerage business model connects buyers and sellers without directly selling a good themselves. Brokerage companies often receive a percentage of the amount paid when a deal is finalized. Most common in real estate, brokers are also prominent in construction/development or freight.
Example: ReMax
There is no "one size fits all" when making a business model. Different professionals may suggest taking different steps when creating a business and planning your business model. Here are some broad steps one can take to create their plan:
- Identify your audience. Most business model plans will start with either defining the problem or identifying your audience and target market . A strong business model will understand who you are trying to target so you can craft your product, messaging, and approach to connecting with that audience.
- Define the problem. In addition to understanding your audience, you must know what problem you are trying to solve. A hardware company sells products for home repairs. A restaurant feeds the community. Without a problem or a need, your business may struggle to find its footing if there isn't a demand for your services or products.
- Understand your offerings. With your audience and problem in mind, consider what you are able to offer. What products are you interested in selling, and how does your expertise match that product? In this stage of the business model, the product is tweaked to adapt to what the market needs and what you're able to provide.
- Document your needs. With your product selected, consider the hurdles your company will face. This includes product-specific challenges as well as operational difficulties. Make sure to document each of these needs to assess whether you are ready to launch in the future.
- Find key partners. Most businesses will leverage other partners in driving company success. For example, a wedding planner may forge relationships with venues, caterers, florists, and tailors to enhance their offering. For manufacturers, consider who will provide your materials and how critical your relationship with that provider will be.
- Set monetization solutions. Until now, we haven't talked about how your company will make money. A business model isn't complete until it identifies how it will make money. This includes selecting the strategy or strategies above in determining your business model type. This might have been a type you had in mind but after reviewing your clients needs, a different type might now make more sense.
- Test your model. When your full plan is in place, perform test surveys or soft launches. Ask how people would feel paying your prices for your services. Offer discounts to new customers in exchange for reviews and feedback. You can always adjust your business model, but you should always consider leveraging direct feedback from the market when doing so.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, consider what competing companies are doing and how you can position yourself in the market. You may be able to easily spot gaps in the business model of others.
Criticism of Business Models
Joan Magretta, the former editor of the Harvard Business Review, suggests there are two critical factors in sizing up business models. When business models don't work, she states, it's because the story doesn't make sense and/or the numbers just don't add up to profits. The airline industry is a good place to look to find a business model that stopped making sense. It includes companies that have suffered heavy losses and even bankruptcy .
For years, major carriers such as American Airlines, Delta, and Continental built their businesses around a hub-and-spoke structure , in which all flights were routed through a handful of major airports. By ensuring that most seats were filled most of the time, the business model produced big profits.
However, a competing business model arose that made the strength of the major carriers a burden. Carriers like Southwest and JetBlue shuttled planes between smaller airports at a lower cost. They avoided some of the operational inefficiencies of the hub-and-spoke model while forcing labor costs down. That allowed them to cut prices, increasing demand for short flights between cities.
As these newer competitors drew more customers away, the old carriers were left to support their large, extended networks with fewer passengers. The problem became even worse when traffic fell sharply following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 . To fill seats, these airlines had to offer more discounts at even deeper levels. The hub-and-spoke business model no longer made sense.
Example of Business Models
Consider the vast portfolio of Microsoft. Over the past several decades, the company has expanded its product line across digital services, software, gaming, and more. Various business models, all within Microsoft, include but are not limited to:
- Productivity and Business Processes: Microsoft offers subscriptions to Office products and LinkedIn. These subscriptions may be based off product usage (i.e. the amount of data being uploaded to SharePoint).
- Intelligent Cloud: Microsoft offers server products and cloud services for a subscription. This also provide services and consulting.
- More Personal Computing: Microsoft sells physically manufactured products such as Surface, PC components, and Xbox hardware. Residual Xbox sales include content, services, subscriptions, royalties, and advertising revenue.
A business model is a strategic plan of how a company will make money. The model describes the way a business will take its product, offer it to the market, and drive sales. A business model determines what products make sense for a company to sell, how it wants to promote its products, what type of people it should try to cater to, and what revenue streams it may expect.
What Is an Example of a Business Model?
Best Buy, Target, and Walmart are some of the largest examples of retail companies. These companies acquire goods from manufacturers or distributors to sell directly to the public. Retailers interface with their clients and sell goods, though retails may or may not make the actual goods they sell.
What Are the Main Types of Business Models?
Retailers and manufacturers are among the primary types of business models. Manufacturers product their own goods and may or may not sell them directly to the public. Meanwhile, retails buy goods to later resell to the public.
How Do I Build a Business Model?
There are many steps to building a business model, and there is no single consistent process among business experts. In general, a business model should identify your customers, understand the problem you are trying to solve, select a business model type to determine how your clients will buy your product, and determine the ways your company will make money. It is also important to periodically review your business model; once you've launched, feel free to evaluate your plan and adjust your target audience, product line, or pricing as needed.
A company isn't just an entity that sells goods. It's an ecosystem that must have a plan in plan on who to sell to, what to sell, what to charge, and what value it is creating. A business model describes what an organization does to systematically create long-term value for its customers. After building a business model, a company should have stronger direction on how it wants to operate and what its financial future appears to be.
Harvard Business Review. " Why Business Models Matter ."
Bureau of Transportation Statistics. " Airline Travel Since 9/11 ."
Microsoft. " Annual Report 2021 ."
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What Is a Business Model?
- Andrea Ovans

A history, from Drucker to Christensen.
A look through HBR’s archives shows that business thinkers use the concept of a “business model” in many different ways, potentially skewing the definition. Many people believe Peter Drucker defined the term in a 1994 article as “assumptions about what a company gets paid for,” but that article never mentions the term business model. Instead, Drucker’s theory of the business was a set of assumptions about what a business will and won’t do, closer to Michael Porter’s definition of strategy. Businesses make assumptions about who their customers and competitors are, as well as about technology and their own strengths and weaknesses. Joan Magretta carries the idea of assumptions into her focus on business modeling, which encompasses the activities associated with both making and selling something. Alex Osterwalder also builds on Drucker’s concept of assumptions in his “business model canvas,” a way of organizing assumptions so you can compare business models. Introducing a better business model into an existing market is the definition of a disruptive innovation, as written about by Clay Christensen. Rita McGrath offers that your business model is failing when innovations yield smaller and smaller improvements. You can innovate a new model by altering the mix of products and services, postponing decisions, changing the people who make the decisions, or changing incentives in the value chain. Finally, Mark Johnson provides a list of nineteen types of business models and the organizations that use them.
In The New, New Thing , Michael Lewis refers to the phrase business model as “a term of art.” And like art itself, it’s one of those things many people feel they can recognize when they see it (especially a particularly clever or terrible one) but can’t quite define.
That’s less surprising than it seems because how people define the term really depends on how they’re using it.
Lewis, for example, offers up the simplest of definitions — “All it really meant was how you planned to make money” — to make a simple point about the dot.com bubble, obvious now, but fairly prescient when he was writing at its height, in the fall of 1999. The term, he says dismissively, was “central to the Internet boom; it glorified all manner of half-baked plans … The “business model” for Microsoft, for instance, was to sell software for 120 bucks a pop that cost fifty cents to manufacture … The business model of most Internet companies was to attract huge crowds of people to a Web site, and then sell others the chance to advertise products to the crowds. It was still not clear that the model made sense.” Well, maybe not then.
A look through HBR’s archives shows the many ways business thinkers use the concept and how that can skew the definitions. Lewis himself echoes many people’s impression of how Peter Drucker defined the term — “assumptions about what a company gets paid for” — which is part of Drucker’s “theory of the business.”
That’s a concept Drucker introduced in a 1994 HBR article that in fact never mentions the term business model. Drucker’s theory of the business was a set of assumptions about what a business will and won’t do, closer to Michael Porter’s definition of strategy . In addition to what a company is paid for, “these assumptions are about markets. They are about identifying customers and competitors, their values and behavior. They are about technology and its dynamics, about a company’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Drucker is more interested in the assumptions than the money here because he’s introduced the theory of the business concept to explain how smart companies fail to keep up with changing market conditions by failing to make those assumptions explicit.
Citing as a sterling example one of the most strategically nimble companies of all time — IBM — he explains that sooner or later, some assumption you have about what’s critical to your company will turn out to be no longer true. In IBM’s case, having made the shift from tabulating machine company to hardware leaser to a vendor of mainframe, minicomputer, and even PC hardware, Big Blue finally runs adrift on its assumption that it’s essentially in the hardware business, Drucker says (though subsequent history shows that IBM manages eventually to free itself even of that assumption and make money through services for quite some time).

Read more about
How to Design a Winning Business Model
Joan Magretta, too, cites Drucker when she defines what a business model is in “ Why Business Models Matter ,” partly as a corrective to Lewis. Writing in 2002, the depths of the dot.com bust, she says that business models are “at heart, stories — stories that explain how enterprises work. A good business model answers Peter Drucker’s age-old questions, ‘Who is the customer? And what does the customer value?’ It also answers the fundamental questions every manager must ask: How do we make money in this business? What is the underlying economic logic that explains how we can deliver value to customers at an appropriate cost?”
Magretta, like Drucker, is focused more on the assumptions than on the money, pointing out that the term business model first came into widespread use with the advent of the personal computer and the spreadsheet, which let various components be tested and, well, modeled. Before that, successful business models “were created more by accident than by design or foresight, and became clear only after the fact. By enabling companies to tie their marketplace insights much more tightly to the resulting economics — to link their assumptions about how people would behave to the numbers of a pro forma P&L — spreadsheets made it possible to model businesses before they were launched.”
Since her focus is on business modeling, she finds it useful to further define a business model in terms of the value chain. A business model, she says, has two parts: “Part one includes all the activities associated with making something: designing it, purchasing raw materials, manufacturing, and so on. Part two includes all the activities associated with selling something: finding and reaching customers, transacting a sale, distributing the product, or delivering the service. A new business model may turn on designing a new product for an unmet need or on a process innovation. That is it may be new in either end.”
Firmly in the “a business model is really a set of assumptions or hypotheses” camp is Alex Osterwalder, who has developed what is arguably the most comprehensive template on which to construct those hypotheses. His nine-part “ business model canvas ” is essentially an organized way to lay out your assumptions about not only the key resources and key activities of your value chain, but also your value proposition, customer relationships, channels, customer segments, cost structures, and revenue streams — to see if you’ve missed anything important and to compare your model to others.
Once you begin to compare one model with another, you’re entering the realms of strategy, with which business models are often confused. In “Why Business Models Matter,” Magretta goes back to first principles to make a simple and useful distinction, pointing out that a business model is a description of how your business runs, but a competitive strategy explains how you will do better than your rivals. That could be by offering a better business model — but it can also be by offering the same business model to a different market.
Introducing a better business model into an existing market is the definition of a disruptive innovation. To help strategists understand how that works Clay Christensen presented a particular take on the matter in “ In Reinventing Your Business Model ” designed to make it easier to work out how a new entrant’s business model might disrupt yours. This approach begins by focusing on the customer value proposition — what Christensen calls the customer’s “job-to-be-done.” It then identifies those aspects of the profit formula, the processes, and the resources that make the rival offering not only better, but harder to copy or respond to — a different distribution system, perhaps (the iTunes store); or faster inventory turns (Kmart); or maybe a different manufacturing approach (steel minimills).
Many writers have suggested signs that could indicate that your current business model is running out of gas. The first symptom, Rita McGrath says in “ When Your Business Model is In Trouble ,” is when innovations to your current offerings create smaller and smaller improvements (and Christensen would agree). You should also be worried, she says, when your own people have trouble thinking up new improvements at all or your customers are increasingly finding new alternatives.
Knowing you need one and creating one are, of course, two vastly different things. Any number of articles focus more specifically on ways managers can get beyond their current business model to conceive of a new one. In “ Four Paths to Business Model Innovation ,” Karan Giotra and Serguei Netessine look at ways to think about creating a new model by altering your current business model in four broad categories: by changing the mix of products or services, postponing decisions, changing the people who make the decisions, and changing incentives in the value chain.
In “ How to Design a Winning Business Model ,” Ramon Cassadesus-Masanell and Joan Ricart focus on the choices managers must make when determining the processes needed to deliver the offering, dividing them broadly into policy choices (such as using union or nonunion workers; locating plants in rural areas, encouraging employees to fly coach class), asset choices (manufacturing plants, satellite communication systems); and governance choices (who has the rights to make the other two categories of decisions).
If all of this has left your head swimming, then Mark Johnson, who went on in his book Seizing the White Space to fill in the details of the idea presented in “Reinventing Your Business Model,” offers up perhaps the most useful starting point — this list of analogies, adapted from that book:
Can’t Think of a New Business Model?
Try adapting one of these basic forms.
Source: Seizing the White Space, by Marc Johnson

- AO Andrea Ovans is a former senior editor at Harvard Business Review.
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Business Models: Types, Examples and How to Design One

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What is a business model?
- What product or service a company will sell.
- How it intends to market that product or service.
- What kind of expenses the company will face.
- How the company expects to turn a profit.
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Types of business models and examples
1. retailer model, 2. manufacturer model, 3. fee-for-service model, 4. subscription model, 5. bundling model, 6. product-as-a-service model, 7. leasing model, 8. franchise model, 9. distribution model, 10. freemium model, 11. advertising or affiliate marketing model, 12. razor blades model, how to design a business model.
- How will you make money? Outline one or several revenue streams, which are the different ways your company plans to generate earnings.
- What are your key metrics? Having a profitable business is great, but it usually doesn’t happen right away. You’ll want to identify other ways your company will measure its success, like how much it costs to acquire a customer or how many repeat customers you'll have.
- Who’s your target customer? Your product or service should solve a specific problem for a specific group of consumers. Your business model should consider how big your potential customer base is.
- How will your product or service benefit those customers? Your business model should have a clear value proposition, which is what makes it uniquely attractive to customers. Ideally, your value proposition should be specialized enough that competitors can’t easily copy it.
- What expenses will you have? Make a list of the fixed and variable expenses your business requires to function, and then figure out what prices you need to charge so your revenue will exceed those costs. Keep in mind the costs associated with the physical, financial, and intellectual assets of your company.
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- Product management
- Business planning
How to build a business model
Creating a successful business model is essential, whether you are starting a new venture, expanding into a new market, or changing your go-to-market strategy . You can use a business model to capture fundamental assumptions and decisions about the opportunity ahead, setting your direction for success.
Jump ahead to explore the following:
What is a business model?
Business model vs. business plan
Business model examples
How companies use business models
How to create a business model
Business model canvas and template
How to validate your business model.
Business model tools
Build a business model in Aha! Roadmaps. Sign up for a free 30-day trial .
What is a business model.
A business model is a framework for how a company will create value. Business models distill the potential of a business down to its essence. A business model answers fundamental questions about the problem you are going to solve, how you will solve it, and the growth opportunity within a given market.
Business models and business plans are both important tools that help you create and refine your strategy . Many times you will use both when pursuing a new business initiative, but they each serve a different purpose.
A business model is the foundation for your company and products. It captures the main idea of how your business will generate revenue. A business plan goes into greater detail — it is a document that explains how you will make the business model work. Your business plan will likely include your company's goals, the resources and methods you will use to achieve those goals, and even your expected timelines and financial performance. Together, your business model and business plan describe the intended value of your product and how you plan to deliver this value to your customers.
What are some business model examples?
There are many types of business models. Each one varies considerably based on the type of organization and offering. For example, a manufacturing company will have a very different model than an advertising agency. Even within a specific industry, business models vary. Here are some common types of business models used by technology companies:
Freemium business model: A basic product is provided for free but you charge for additional services or features.
Free trial business model: Customers can experience the full product for free for a limited amount of time.
Licensing business model: Technology or innovations are monetized by licensing them to other companies.
Open-source business model: Your product is free but you generate revenue through other means such as crowdsourcing.
Subscription business model: Customers pay a recurring fee to access your product or service.
Most businesses end up using a combination of business models to reach their customers and grow over time.
What is the best business model?
There are numerous business model examples to choose from, and the optimal business model will vary for each company — depending on the industry you are in and the problem you are trying to solve for your customers.
Some types of business models are more popular and work better for certain industries than others. For example, Software as a Service (SaaS) companies often use subscription and freemium business models. This makes software more accessible to customers while providing valuable recurring revenue for the business. On the other hand, many social media platforms use hidden revenue business models to make money through advertising. By providing full access to the platform for free, these companies attract more users. In turn, this creates a more valuable audience for advertisers.
It is also worth considering the types of business models your competitors use. Say that your competitor uses a subscription business model with no free options. If you offer a freemium model, you may be able to attract new customers (including some of your competitor's customers) who prefer to try a product for free before purchasing. In this example, choosing a different business model from your competition could give your company an advantage.
Ultimately, the best business model for your company depends on what is right for your product and your customers. But whether you use a business model example template or invent a new one, building out a business model takes significant research, planning, and analysis.
How do companies use business models?
Companies across every industry and at all stages of maturity use business plans and models. Some rely on lengthy processes and build complicated models, while others move quickly to articulate the basics. Having the discipline to work through this planning tool forces internal alignment.
For established enterprises, a business model is often a living framework that is reviewed and adapted every year based on changes with customers, employees, and the market. For companies launching new products and services or entering new markets, a business model can help get them off to the right start and ensure that early product and marketing decisions are tied back to the business strategy .
How do you create a new business model?
A business model should answer important questions about your business and set out a strong vision for the business. The key components of a business model should include relating to your target customers, the market, organization strengths and challenges, essential elements of the product, and how it will be sold. Establishing this foundation guides the next planning tool — your product roadmap .
Building your business model requires researching and defining a few core components. Here is a list of the essentials to include when you create a business model:
Many people associate business models with lengthy documents that describe a company’s problem, opportunity, and solution in the context of a two-to-five-year forecast for costs, growth, and revenue.
But business models do not need to be a long document. A concise, visual document is an effective way to distill the key elements of your strategy and ensure everyone understands the high-level approach.
Below are two types of business model example layouts you can use to succinctly and objectively assess what is possible and what challenges could arise for your business:
Aha! business model canvas
Articulate the foundation of your product or service in a flexible canvas-style format with the Aha! business model canvas. This type of business model developed by Aha! is the most complete template available. It is based on the Aha! team's 20+ years of experience building breakthrough products and software companies. The focus is on capturing key elements like why the solution is worth buying (messaging), pain points of the buyers (customer challenges), and ways you will grow the business (growth opportunities). You can drag and drop each component into a custom layout.

Lean canvas
Similar to the business model canvas, this model takes a problem-focused approach to create an actionable business plan. First created by Ash Mauraya, it is most commonly used by startups and entrepreneurs to document their business assumptions. The focus is on creating a fast, concise, and effective single-page business model. It documents nine elements, including customer segments, channels used to reach customers, and the ways you plan to make money. All of the elements can be found here in our free, downloadable template .

Creating a business model is an important exercise, but a model is essentially a hypothesis — you need to test your model to prove that it will actually provide value for your customers. Here are some steps you can take to validate your business model:
1. Make your business model accessible and collaborative.
Customers, stakeholders, and team members are all valuable sources of feedback for improving your business model — so make it easy to update and share your model. You can use a cloud-based business model canvas or strategy tool to encourage and facilitate collaboration.
2. Build out other strategic models.
Extend your strategic thinking to other types of models. How will you take your product to market and reach target customers? Who are your competitors ? What opportunities and threats exist for your business? Use a variety of modeling tools to anticipate the different market challenges that your idea may face and identify any gaps in your business model.
3. Turn your model into achievable goals and initiatives.
Think about what it will mean for your business model to be successful. Is it an annual revenue target? A desired number of users? Set time-bound, measurable goals and determine the initiatives, or themes of work, that will get you there. These will be important proof points for external stakeholders, such as investors or partners.
4. Plan how and when you will deliver your business idea.
At this stage, you will translate your business goals into actual product or service features. You may not have a fully fledged offering at the start of the validation process, but you should determine what you need to deliver and then start testing your business model. You could create a demo or beta version of your product and offer it to a select group of users, for example.
5. Get feedback from customers and stakeholders.
Now is the most important step for validating your business model. Send out surveys, conduct interviews, and crowdsource feedback to understand customer preferences and needs. Was your hypothesis correct? Does your business model solve a problem the way you thought it would? This feedback will help you determine which aspects of your business model to adjust.
6. Refine and repeat.
With these new insights, return to your business model template and make refinements. You can also repeat the steps of the validation process above to continue iterating on your business model.
What are some business model tools?
A wide variety of tools are available to help you quickly build and share your business model. The Aha! business model canvas includes the most popular templates, including the two examples above. Aha! also lets you create your own custom business model, using the simple drag-and-drop interface. Access the business model builder for free during a 30-day trial . Or you can download these free Excel and PowerPoint business model templates .
Crafting a business model is part of establishing a meaningful business strategy. It requires deep thought about the core assumptions surrounding how a company or product is going to generate value and how the team will work towards achieving its goals.
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A business model is a company's core strategy for profitably doing business. Models generally include information like products or services the business plans to sell, target markets, and...
The business model of most Internet companies was to attract huge crowds of people to a Web site, and then sell others the chance to advertise products to the crowds. It was still not clear that...
By definition, a business model describes the logic of how a company creates, delivers, and capture value. There are three key components within a business model: creating value, delivering value, and capturing value. This shows that the business model doesn’t revolve around money. It revolves around value.
A business model is a key component of building a successful business. It can allow you to explore different ideas for selling services and products, implementing effective operations and developing strategies for future growth. A business model is essential for new companies.
A business model is a framework for how a company will create value. Business models distill the potential of a business down to its essence. A business model answers fundamental questions about the problem you are going to solve, how you will solve it, and the growth opportunity within a given market.