Lean Canvas
Map your entire business model on one page.
The Lean Canvas, developed by Ash Maurya from Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas, is designed for founders who need to stress-test a business idea fast. It forces you to articulate the problem, the customer, and the model before you build anything. Most founders discover at least one dangerous assumption they hadn't noticed. Fill it in pencil — it will change.
How to run this
- Start with Problem + Customer Segments. If you can't name a real person with a real pain, stop here.
- Fill UVP last — most people write it first. It's actually the hardest box to fill well.
- Flag every assumption you can't yet prove with a circle. Those are your experiment list.
- Timebox to 20 minutes for a first draft. Speed reveals where you're guessing.
- Revisit every two weeks. A changed canvas means you're learning.
Lean Canvas
Ash Maurya · Running Lean (2012) · based on Osterwalder's BMCWhat are they currently doing instead?
Not the full product — the minimum.
"The only [X] that [Y] for [Z]."
Write it for a distracted stranger.
Leave blank if you don't know yet — most people can't answer this on day one.
Early adopters first — who would pay before it's perfect?
Activation? Retention? Revenue? What are you measuring this week?
Free: SEO, content, word of mouth.
Paid: ads, sales, partnerships.
Customer acquisition cost · hosting · people · tools
Price point · lifetime value · one-time vs recurring
Starting with Solution. Most founders fill in the solution box first because it's what excites them. Force yourself to nail Problem and Customer Segments first — everything else depends on those two being right.
Problem: "Finance managers at 20–50 person firms spend 4–6 hours per month reconciling expense reports manually." Not: "People waste time on admin." Specific beats vague every time.
A canvas is a hypothesis, not a plan. Once you've filled it in, your only job is to test the riskiest assumption as cheaply as possible. The next tool is Rapid Experiment.
Try it interactively with WAiDE
WAiDE will guide you through the Lean Canvas in about 20 minutes — asking the questions that expose your assumptions and filling the canvas as you go. You'll leave with a completed canvas and a session report.