Business Model — Lean Canvas & Unit Economics
Answer "how does this make money, and does the math survive contact with reality?" Two artifacts: the Lean Canvas (the whole model on one page) and the unit economics workbook (per-customer math + scenarios). All arithmetic shown, every input sourced or flagged as assumption.
Shared conventions (venture suite)
- Workspace: locate
ventures/ in the current working directory (ask once and create if missing). All outputs go to ventures/<slug>/<NN-module>/.
- Templates are read-only. Files under a skill's
references/ live inside the installed plugin and are shared by every venture. Never write to them. "Fill template X" always means: copy it into ventures/<slug>/<NN-module>/ under a dated name and fill the copy.
- Read
VENTURE.md first. When done: update its Status table and append key findings to "Key facts & numbers" (format: - [module, YYYY-MM-DD] finding (source, confidence)).
- Language: converse in the user's language. Write formal deliverables (reports, canvases, battlecards) in the
report_language set in VENTURE.md. Persian reports keep standard English business terms as-is (TAM, SAM, SOM, CAC, LTV, GTM, churn, retention...).
- Research integrity: cite every external claim (source + date). Mark every estimate with confidence (high/med/low). Never fabricate numbers — write "no data found" instead.
- Chain: end by updating VENTURE.md and suggesting the logical next module.
Workflow
1. Gather inputs — reuse before asking
Mine the workspace first: pricing & competitor price range (03-competitors, 05-gtm), market size & segment (02-market), willingness-to-pay evidence (01-discovery), churn/retention (04-pmf). Then ask the user only for what's missing: actual costs, current price, real CAC if any spend happened, capacity constraints (service businesses). Label every input: measured / sourced / assumption.
2. Lean Canvas
Copy references/lean-canvas.md to 06-model/lean-canvas-YYYY-MM-DD.md and fill the copy — pull problem/segment from discovery, UVP from positioning if GTM ran, revenue/cost lines from this module's math. Canvas cells cite their source module. Unknowns stay visibly TBD (a canvas full of guesses presented as facts is worse than gaps).
3. Unit economics — the heart
Follow references/unit-economics-guide.md formulas. Compute per business type: ARPU, gross margin, CAC (per channel where possible), LTV (use a churn-based method, show it), LTV:CAC, CAC payback months, contribution margin per unit, break-even (customers and months).
- Show every formula inline with its inputs:
LTV = 40 × 0.7 / 0.05 = $560 — re-derivable by the reader.
- Scenario table — mandatory: pessimistic / base / optimistic, varying the 2–3 weakest assumptions (usually churn, CAC, price). State which scenario the venture survives.
- Sensitivity line: the one variable that moves the result most → that's the number to validate next in the real world.
4. Projection (18 months, simple)
Monthly table: new customers (from GTM channel targets if set; otherwise a stated growth assumption), churned, active, MRR/revenue, costs (fixed + variable), net, cumulative cash. State the cash low-point and month of break-even — or "does not break even in 18mo under base case", plainly. Currency: local + hard-currency column when inflation is material (e.g. Iran — note inflation assumption explicitly).
For non-trivial math, write and run a small Python script in 06-model/ (so re-runs with new inputs are one command) and include its output table in the report.
5. Verdict & close
06-model/business-model-YYYY-MM-DD.md ends with: does the model work? (LTV:CAC ≥ 3 and payback ≤ 12mo as healthy defaults — adjust per type), what must be true for base case, the kill number ("if churn > X%, this never works"). Update VENTURE.md (status, key facts: LTV:CAC, payback, break-even month, kill number; new assumptions → riskiest list). Suggest next: weak economics from price → /venture:gtm pricing section; from churn → /venture:pmf; healthy → /venture:review or execute.
Quality bar
- An assumption presented as a fact is the cardinal sin here — label and confidence-rate every input.
- Optimistic defaults are banned: early-stage churn is high, CAC rises with scale, conversion is worse than hoped. Base case must feel slightly uncomfortable.
- If the model only works in the optimistic scenario, the verdict is "doesn't work yet" — say it.
1---2name: model3description: This skill should be used when the user asks about business models, unit economics, lean canvas, pricing math, CAC/LTV, break-even, or financial projections — e.g. "build a lean canvas", "calculate unit economics", "does the math work", "CAC LTV payback", "revenue projection", "مدل کسبوکار", "اقتصاد واحد", "بیزینس مدل", "حساب کن این بیزینس میصرفه یا نه", "پیشبینی درآمد". Produces a lean canvas, unit economics workbook, and scenario projections in the venture workspace.4---56# Business Model — Lean Canvas & Unit Economics78Answer "how does this make money, and does the math survive contact with reality?" Two artifacts: the **Lean Canvas** (the whole model on one page) and the **unit economics workbook** (per-customer math + scenarios). All arithmetic shown, every input sourced or flagged as assumption.910## Shared conventions (venture suite)1112- **Workspace:** locate `ventures/` in the current working directory (ask once and create if missing). All outputs go to `ventures/<slug>/<NN-module>/`.13- **Templates are read-only.** Files under a skill's `references/` live inside the installed plugin and are shared by every venture. Never write to them. "Fill template X" always means: copy it into `ventures/<slug>/<NN-module>/` under a dated name and fill the copy.14- **Read `VENTURE.md` first.** When done: update its Status table and append key findings to "Key facts & numbers" (format: `- [module, YYYY-MM-DD] finding (source, confidence)`).15- **Language:** converse in the user's language. Write formal deliverables (reports, canvases, battlecards) in the `report_language` set in VENTURE.md. Persian reports keep standard English business terms as-is (TAM, SAM, SOM, CAC, LTV, GTM, churn, retention...).16- **Research integrity:** cite every external claim (source + date). Mark every estimate with confidence (high/med/low). Never fabricate numbers — write "no data found" instead.17- **Chain:** end by updating VENTURE.md and suggesting the logical next module.1819## Workflow2021### 1. Gather inputs — reuse before asking2223Mine the workspace first: pricing & competitor price range (03-competitors, 05-gtm), market size & segment (02-market), willingness-to-pay evidence (01-discovery), churn/retention (04-pmf). Then ask the user only for what's missing: actual costs, current price, real CAC if any spend happened, capacity constraints (service businesses). Label every input: `measured / sourced / assumption`.2425### 2. Lean Canvas2627Copy `references/lean-canvas.md` to `06-model/lean-canvas-YYYY-MM-DD.md` and fill the copy — pull problem/segment from discovery, UVP from positioning if GTM ran, revenue/cost lines from this module's math. Canvas cells cite their source module. Unknowns stay visibly `TBD` (a canvas full of guesses presented as facts is worse than gaps).2829### 3. Unit economics — the heart3031Follow `references/unit-economics-guide.md` formulas. Compute per business type: ARPU, gross margin, CAC (per channel where possible), LTV (use a churn-based method, show it), **LTV:CAC**, **CAC payback months**, contribution margin per unit, break-even (customers and months). 3233- Show every formula inline with its inputs: `LTV = 40 × 0.7 / 0.05 = $560` — re-derivable by the reader.34- **Scenario table — mandatory:** pessimistic / base / optimistic, varying the 2–3 weakest assumptions (usually churn, CAC, price). State which scenario the venture survives.35- **Sensitivity line:** the one variable that moves the result most → that's the number to validate next in the real world.3637### 4. Projection (18 months, simple)3839Monthly table: new customers (from GTM channel targets if set; otherwise a stated growth assumption), churned, active, MRR/revenue, costs (fixed + variable), net, cumulative cash. State the cash low-point and month of break-even — or "does not break even in 18mo under base case", plainly. Currency: local + hard-currency column when inflation is material (e.g. Iran — note inflation assumption explicitly).4041For non-trivial math, write and run a small Python script in `06-model/` (so re-runs with new inputs are one command) and include its output table in the report.4243### 5. Verdict & close4445`06-model/business-model-YYYY-MM-DD.md` ends with: **does the model work?** (LTV:CAC ≥ 3 and payback ≤ 12mo as healthy defaults — adjust per type), what must be true for base case, the kill number ("if churn > X%, this never works"). Update VENTURE.md (status, key facts: LTV:CAC, payback, break-even month, kill number; new assumptions → riskiest list). Suggest next: weak economics from price → `/venture:gtm` pricing section; from churn → `/venture:pmf`; healthy → `/venture:review` or execute.4647## Quality bar4849- An assumption presented as a fact is the cardinal sin here — label and confidence-rate every input.50- Optimistic defaults are banned: early-stage churn is high, CAC rises with scale, conversion is worse than hoped. Base case must feel slightly uncomfortable.51- If the model only works in the optimistic scenario, the verdict is "doesn't work yet" — say it.
heyparsadev