# Business Model Canvas > Business Model Canvas Builder - Skill: `ever-just/business-model-canvas` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ever-just/business-model-canvas` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ever-just/business-model-canvas/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: ever-just (https://skillmd.com/u/ever-just) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ever-just/business-model-canvas --- # Business Model Canvas Builder ## Overview How to build a comprehensive, analytically rigorous Business Model Canvas (BMC) for a company using structured intelligence data. Covers the 9 Osterwalder blocks, data requirements for each, formatting for markdown delivery, writing style enforcement, and the feedback loops that connect blocks into a coherent model narrative. Developed and validated on a full BMC for BROGAV Solutions LLC (data center equipment VAR, ~$4.5M revenue, June 2026). Three iterations: v1 (table dump, rejected), v2 (narrative but AI-sounding), v3 (cold_steel register, de-AI-ified, accepted). Use this skill when you need to: - Build a BMC from an existing intelligence dossier, competitive analysis, or research dataset - Translate raw company data into the 9-block Osterwalder framework - Produce a document that reads as analysis, not a spreadsheet --- ## Prerequisites Before starting a BMC, you need data across these categories. Map what you have vs. what's missing before writing anything. | BMC Block | Minimum Data Required | Ideal Data | |-----------|----------------------|------------| | Customer Segments | At least 1 named client, industry vertical, geographic scope | Full client registry with tiers, revenue concentration, ICP scoring | | Value Propositions | Company tagline/positioning, at least 1 testimonial | Competitive differentiation evidence, customer-validated claims | | Channels | Sales model (direct/channel/e-commerce), marketing presence | Channel attribution, conversion rates, event strategy | | Customer Relationships | Relationship model (founder-led, self-service, etc.) | Retention rate, NPS, CRM system, upsell strategy | | Revenue Streams | Total revenue (even estimated), primary revenue model | Stream-level breakdown, pricing data, recurring vs. one-time split | | Key Resources | Founder background, team size, certifications, facilities | Full roster with single-point-of-failure analysis, IP portfolio | | Key Activities | Core operations description | Activity-to-value-proposition mapping | | Key Partnerships | Supplier/manufacturer list | Partnership terms, dependency analysis, co-marketing evidence | | Cost Structure | Headcount, facility footprint | Actual P&L, COGS ratio, margin estimates | --- ## Process ### Phase 1: Data Audit (30 min) Read every available source file. For a dossier, this means every section. Map each data point to its BMC block. Build a coverage scorecard: ``` Block | Data Quality | Key Strength | Critical Gap Customer Segments | Moderate | 3,568 ICP prospects | Only 1 named client Value Propositions | Strong | Validated testimonial | No quantified ROI ... ``` Do not start writing until you know where your data is strong and where it's thin. The gaps shape the document as much as the findings. ### Phase 2: Fill Order (Right to Left) Fill blocks in Osterwalder's recommended order: Customer Segments first, then Value Propositions, then Channels/Relationships/Revenue, then Resources/Activities/Partnerships, then Cost Structure. This ensures customer-centricity. Each block should reference the blocks before it. ### Phase 3: Write **Structure:** Open with a plain-language summary ("How This Business Works") that explains the model in 4 paragraphs before any block detail. Then an ASCII canvas grid for visual reference. Then 9 detailed block sections. Close with "How the Model Reinforces Itself" (feedback loops) and "What the Canvas Reveals" (strategic implications). **Writing rules (validated through 3 iterations):** - Zero em dashes. Use periods, colons, semicolons, or restructured sentences. - No "not X, it's Y" patterns. State what it is, not what it isn't. - No monotonous bold-lead structure. Vary paragraph openings. - No symmetry padding (three-part lists for decoration). - No hedging unless genuine uncertainty. "BROGAV likely retains..." is fine if you show the math. "This seems to suggest..." is not. - Every claim needs a source or confidence marker. - Concrete nouns over abstractions. Strong verbs over adverbs. - Open with substance, not a hook. Close cleanly without summary. - For business intelligence documents, use `cold_steel` or `journalistic` register from the beautiful-prose skill, and `--preserve-formal` mode from de-ai-ify. ### Phase 4: Feedback Loops After writing all 9 blocks, write a section mapping how they reinforce each other. Name each loop and trace it across blocks. Example: ``` The referral loop: Celina's relationships (Key Resource) generate project deals (Revenue Stream) through referrals (Channel). She delivers fast (Value Proposition), the customer tells a peer (Customer Relationship), the peer becomes the next deal. ``` Always include at least one vulnerability loop showing where the model breaks. ### Phase 5: Strategic Synthesis Write 4-5 observations that emerge from the canvas as a whole. These should be things not visible from any single block. Examples: - "The model works at $5M. Whether it works at $15M is an open question." - "The product is commoditized. The differentiation is in who sells it." --- ## ASCII Canvas Grid Template ``` +---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | | | | | KEY PARTNERS | VALUE PROPOSITIONS | CUSTOMER | | | | RELATIONSHIPS | | [4-6 items] | [4-6 items] | [3-5 items] | | | | | +---------------------+ +---------------------+ | | | | | KEY ACTIVITIES | | CHANNELS | | | | | | [4-6 items] | | [4-6 items] | | | | | +---------------------+ +---------------------+ | | | | | KEY RESOURCES | | CUSTOMER SEGMENTS | | | | | | [4-6 items] | | [4-6 items] | | | | | +---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ +----------------------------------+------------------------------+ | | | | COST STRUCTURE | REVENUE STREAMS | | | | | [4-6 items] | [4-6 items] | | | | +----------------------------------+------------------------------+ ``` --- ## Anti-Patterns (What Failed) These were rejected in the BROGAV BMC iteration process: 1. **Table dumps with confidence tags.** Every section was a table with [Confirmed] / [Estimated] / [Assumed] tags. Read like a spreadsheet, not analysis. Fix: narrative prose with evidence woven in. 2. **Every paragraph opening with bold lead.** `**Speed is the lead differentiator.** In an industry where...` repeated 40 times. Robotic. Fix: vary paragraph openings. Start some with names, some with short sentences, some with context. 3. **Three-column overview tables.** Cramming all 9 blocks into a markdown table destroys readability. Fix: ASCII canvas grid for visual reference, then full prose sections. 4. **"Gaps" subsection after every block.** Repetitive structure. Fix: mention gaps inline where they matter to the analysis, not as a separate list. 5. **Restating the previous sentence.** "This is the highest-margin product. The margins on this product are the highest." Fix: say it once, move on. --- ## Quality Checklist Before delivering: - [ ] "How This Business Works" section explains the model to someone who knows nothing about the company - [ ] Canvas grid is present and readable - [ ] All 9 blocks have analytical prose, not just data lists - [ ] Feedback loops section connects at least 4 cross-block relationships - [ ] At least 1 vulnerability loop is identified - [ ] Strategic synthesis section has 4-5 observations not visible from single blocks - [ ] Zero em dashes in the document - [ ] No monotonous structural patterns - [ ] Every factual claim has an evidence basis (named source, testimonial, data point) - [ ] Confidence levels are stated for estimates, not hidden --- ## Companion Skills - `intelligence-dossier` -- provides the data structure this skill consumes - `beautiful-prose` -- writing style contract (use `cold_steel` or `journalistic` register) - `de-ai-ify` -- pattern removal (use `--preserve-formal` mode for business docs) - `client-discovery-osint` -- fills the Customer Segments block with real client data