lean-canvas

What this skill does

# Lean Canvas

> Document your business model on one page and systematically de-risk it. Master Ash Maurya's adaptation of Business Model Canvas optimized for startups and uncertainty.

## When to Use This Skill

- **Starting a new venture** to articulate and test your business model
- **Preparing for customer discovery** to document hypotheses to validate
- **Pivoting decisions** to compare alternative business models
- **Investor conversations** to communicate your model concisely
- **Team alignment** to get everyone on the same page
- **Comparing opportunities** to evaluate multiple ideas systematically

## Methodology Foundation

| Aspect | Details |
|--------|---------|
| **Source** | Ash Maurya - "Running Lean" (2012), adapted from Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas |
| **Core Principle** | "Document your Plan A, identify the riskiest parts, and systematically test them." |
| **Why This Matters** | A business plan is a 60-page guess. A Lean Canvas is a 1-page hypothesis you can test in weeks, not months. It replaces planning with learning. |


## What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide |
|-------------|------------|
| Structures production workflow | Final creative direction |
| Suggests technical approaches | Equipment and tool choices |
| Creates templates and checklists | Quality standards |
| Identifies best practices | Brand/voice decisions |
| Generates script outlines | Final script approval |

## What This Skill Does

1. **Creates one-page business models** - 9 boxes that capture your entire model
2. **Identifies riskiest assumptions** - Highlights what could kill your business
3. **Prioritizes validation experiments** - Focuses on highest-risk unknowns first
4. **Enables rapid pivots** - Easy to update as you learn
5. **Facilitates communication** - Share your model in 5 minutes
6. **Tracks evolution** - Version control your business model thinking

## How to Use

### Create a Lean Canvas for a New Idea
```
Create a Lean Canvas for this business idea: [description]
Fill out all 9 boxes and identify the top 3 riskiest assumptions.
```

### Compare Two Business Models
```
I'm deciding between two approaches:
Option A: [description]
Option B: [description]

Create Lean Canvases for both and compare them on risk and potential.
```

### Identify What to Validate First
```
Here's my Lean Canvas: [paste canvas]
What are the riskiest assumptions? Design experiments to test them.
```

## Instructions

When creating or analyzing Lean Canvases, follow this systematic approach:

### Step 1: Understand the 9 Boxes

```
## Lean Canvas Structure

┌──────────────────┬──────────────────┬──────────────────┐
│                  │                  │                  │
│  2. PROBLEM      │  4. SOLUTION     │ 3. UNIQUE VALUE  │
│  (Top 3)         │  (Top 3 features)│    PROPOSITION   │
│                  │                  │                  │
│                  │                  │ High-level       │
│                  ├──────────────────┤ concept          │
│                  │                  │                  │
│ Existing         │  8. KEY METRICS  │                  │
│ Alternatives     │  (Pirates:       │                  │
│                  │   AARRR)         │                  │
│                  │                  │                  │
├──────────────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│                  │                  │                  │
│  9. UNFAIR       │  5. CHANNELS     │ 1. CUSTOMER      │
│     ADVANTAGE    │  (Path to        │    SEGMENTS      │
│  (Can't be       │   customers)     │  (Target users)  │
│   copied)        │                  │                  │
│                  │                  │ Early Adopters   │
│                  │                  │                  │
├──────────────────┴──────────────────┴──────────────────┤
│  7. COST STRUCTURE           │  6. REVENUE STREAMS     │
│  (Fixed + Variable)          │  (Pricing model)        │
└──────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘
```

**Key Difference from Business Model Canvas:**
- Replaces Partners/Resources/Activities with Problem/Solution/Key Metrics
- Adds Unfair Advantage
- Focuses on RISK and LEARNING, not operational planning

---

### Step 2: Fill Out Each Box (In Order)

**Recommended Order:** Customer Segments → Problem → Unique Value Proposition → Solution → Channels → Revenue → Cost → Key Metrics → Unfair Advantage

```
## Box-by-Box Guide

### 1. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
**Question:** Who are you creating value for?

Target customers:
- [Primary segment]
- [Secondary segment if any]

Early Adopters (most important):
- [Specific description of first customers]
- Why they'll buy first: [reason]

Tips:
- Be specific (not "businesses" but "SaaS companies 10-50 employees")
- Identify early adopters who feel the pain most acutely
- If you can't describe them, you can't find them

---

### 2. PROBLEM
**Question:** What problems are you solving?

Top 3 Problems:
1. [Most critical problem]
2. [Second problem]
3. [Third problem]

Existing Alternatives (how they solve it today):
- [Alternative 1]
- [Alternative 2]

Tips:
- List problems from the CUSTOMER's perspective
- If existing alternatives work well, your problem isn't painful enough
- Every problem should be something you've validated (or will validate first)

---

### 3. UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION
**Question:** Why should customers choose you?

Single clear message:
"[We help] [customer segment] [achieve outcome] [unlike alternatives]
[because unique differentiator]."

High-level concept (analogy):
"X for Y" or "Like X but for Y"
Example: "Uber for dog walkers"

Tips:
- Focus on the END BENEFIT, not features
- Make it different, not just better
- Test: Can you say this in 10 seconds?

---

### 4. SOLUTION
**Question:** What are you building?

Top 3 Features (that solve top 3 problems):
1. [Feature → Problem 1]
2. [Feature → Problem 2]
3. [Feature → Problem 3]

Tips:
- Match each solution to a problem
- Keep it minimal - MVP thinking
- This box should be the LAST one you fill with certainty

---

### 5. CHANNELS
**Question:** How will you reach customers?

Path to Customers:
- Awareness: [How they learn about you]
- Acquisition: [How they start using]
- Retention: [How they keep using]

Specific channels:
- [Channel 1: e.g., Content marketing]
- [Channel 2: e.g., Direct sales]
- [Channel 3: e.g., Partnerships]

Tips:
- Start with channels that don't scale (do things that don't scale)
- Match channels to where early adopters spend time
- Free channels first, paid channels when you have product-market fit

---

### 6. REVENUE STREAMS
**Question:** How will you make money?

Pricing Model:
- [ ] One-time purchase
- [ ] Subscription
- [ ] Freemium
- [ ] Transaction fee
- [ ] Advertising
- [ ] Other: ___________

Price Point:
- [Price]: [Justification]

Revenue Formula:
- [Customers] × [Price] × [Frequency] = [Revenue]

Tips:
- Price on value, not cost
- Test pricing early (it's a feature)
- If you can't charge, you don't have a business

---

### 7. COST STRUCTURE
**Question:** What are your costs?

Fixed Costs (monthly):
- [Cost 1]: $___
- [Cost 2]: $___
- Total Fixed: $___

Variable Costs (per customer):
- [Cost per customer]: $___

Customer Acquisition Cost (target):
- CAC: $___

Break-even:
- Need ___ customers at $___ to break even

Tips:
- Keep fixed costs minimal early
- Know your unit economics before scaling
- CAC must be < LTV (lifetime value)

---

### 8. KEY METRICS
**Question:** How will you measure success?

Pirate Metrics (AARRR):
- Acquisition: [How many sign up?]
- Activation: [How many have "aha" moment?]
- Retention: [How many come back?]
- Revenue: [How many pay?]
- Referral: [How many refer others?]

One Metric That Matters (right now):
- [Single metric]: [Target]

Tips:
- Focus on ONE metric at a time
- Vanity metrics (signups, page views) lie
- Measure behavior, not opinions

---

### 9. UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
**Question:** What makes you defensible?

Can'