More questions on Business Model Canvas. I like these but ...
a) use after mapping - blog.gardeviance.org/2014/08/busine…
b) they're a more advanced SWOT, there's no real context
c) No, you can't simplify mapping - medium.com/wardleymaps/ke… - it is as simple as it can be whilst remaining a map.
a) use after mapping - blog.gardeviance.org/2014/08/busine…
b) they're a more advanced SWOT, there's no real context
c) No, you can't simplify mapping - medium.com/wardleymaps/ke… - it is as simple as it can be whilst remaining a map.
however, that said ... business model canvas is vastly superior to what most people use in business, which to be honest is little more than gut feel. At least it forces you to ask some very basic questions.
For comparison ...
Mapping is a total novice looking at a chessboard, realising there is a game and a lifetime of study.
Business model canvas is asking the question "Do you want to play or eat?"
Normal business is trying to eat the pieces or jab someone else with them.
Mapping is a total novice looking at a chessboard, realising there is a game and a lifetime of study.
Business model canvas is asking the question "Do you want to play or eat?"
Normal business is trying to eat the pieces or jab someone else with them.
I have shelves full of business strategy books which are no more than outcome bias, secrets of success, meme copying, gut feel ... not an ounce of context nor strategy within them.
I had one of those conversations with a Chinese counterpart many years ago where they stated "We've learned everything we could about business strategy from the West" .... my response of "Not much then" was only eclipsed by the wryness of the smile.
If you're new to the field, accept it for what it is. Most business strategy is not a science, it's a house of smoke & mirrors with endless fountains of snake oil. Most aren't playing Chess or Checkers or Go or Poker, they're playing "blind sna
There are also no quick fixes to this, there are no magic 2x2s which will give you the answer, there's just a long hard slog in actually learning your craft ... that slog starts with the most basic of things, a map or at least a way of describing the context.
It doesn't have to be my maps you use, any map will do as long as it has context, position, anchor and consistency of movement. Then you can start navigating, exploring and learning.
Alas most things we call "maps" ... business process maps, mind maps, systems maps, value stream maps, digital roadmaps, strategy maps ... aren't actually maps.
Also, please don't tell me you've done "strategy for 20 years". I start counting from the day you started using maps (of any form). Most "20 year experts" haven't done a day of strategy, they've 20 years of gut feel, meme copying, secrets of success and alchemy.
Which is also why, if you're new to the field of business strategy then don't worry. You're not at a disadvantage except through authority bias.
If you want to know how poor the field is - take IBM. You're at the top of the hill with all the money, all the tanks, 100k troops, all the 2x2s and expensive consultants you can hire. At the bottom of the hill is Bezos with a sling. You lose and blame magic gods of disruption.
... or my other favourite, the magic god of execution. The strategy was right (i.e. the execs aren't at fault), it was just the execution (i.e. other people). Business strategy is just a joke of a field. Anyway, rant over.
