At Startup Dunedin, we are big fans of the lean canvas and we have recently revamped it to be easier than ever! If you are already working on a solution or have an idea, you can complete one of these.
In this post we will explain what a lean canvas is, and give you an overview of each section, so you can get started. We understand that startup concepts and tools take some time to get comfortable with, and if you need any help clarifying things or talking through your own lean canvas you can book a free meeting with us for support.
What is a lean canvas?
A lean canvas can also be described as a business plan on a page. It’s visual, concise and easy to adapt - even better yet it only takes 15 minutes!
The lean canvas helps to put down all of your ideas and then focus on customer validation and the problem-solution fit. As you test and adapt your ideas, it takes seconds to update.
Business plans are great in some circumstances and sometimes need to be created too - e.g if you’re going for a business loan, discussing things with stakeholders, or someone has asked for one. A lean canvas is a great place to start and see which areas you may need to build out further.
So now that you know what a lean canvas is - you can check out our version of it here and download a copy for yourself!
Let’s break down each section.
Problem
What’s the problem you’re solving?
List out who has the problem.
Most of the time, this is where we recommend starting your journey. If you don’t yet have a solid understanding the problem, book a meeting with us and we can give you a copy of our problem discovery questions to help you get started.
First Customer
Describe your ideal first customer (check out our customer personas blog for help)
List out other potential first customers.
Existing solutions
How are your first customers currently trying to solve the problem? Remember that how they currently solve this problem counts as an existing solution - e.g. if your problem is “Drivers in Dunedin find it difficult to find a carpark”, the existing solution might not be a competing product, but that they “drive around the block a few more times”.
What do they not like about the current solution?
Solution needs
What does the solution need to include to solve the problem?
Solution ideas
How might you solve the problems listed above?
Why this solution?
Why would your first customers choose this over others?
What adjectives would they use to describe your solution?
Channels
How will your first customers find your product, service, or business? Or how will you find your customers?
How will they buy it?
This could be a one-off purchase, a subscription, etc.
Summary
Considering all of the above, what is your biggest uncertainty — the thing you are least confident about?
What experiment could you run to test it
Make a note of any Barriers you can think of that you will need to keep in mind
Make a note of any Risks you can think of that you will need to keep in mind
Next steps: what can you do this week to learn something important about your idea?
Now that I have my first canvas complete, what's next?
There are a range of next steps you could use - the best thing is to start testing parts of your idea. At Startup Dunedin we describe a startup as a series of small experiments until you find something that works and that people will pay for.
Check out our blog on assumption mapping or our TikTok on desirability testing!
Remember that regardless of what stage you are at, and even if you just thought of a problem you want to solve in the shower this morning, you can book a free chat (click here!) so that we can help you with your next steps.
You can also follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and of course, sign up for our weekly newsletter!