What is a Business Model Canvas?

A Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a one-page strategic tool that maps how a business creates, delivers and captures value. The BMC model was developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur and is one of the most widely used business frameworks in the world. It is sometimes called the business canvas model, the BMC canvas or simply the canvas. The business model canvas covers 9 building blocks: Key Partners, Key Activities, Key Resources, Value Proposition, Customer Relationships, Channels, Customer Segments, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams. Most consultants and founders use it in workshops to align teams on strategy quickly.

A BMC model is a common shorthand for the Business Model Canvas. BMC stands for Business Model Canvas, a one-page strategic framework developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur. The BMC model organises a business into 9 interconnected blocks and is widely taught in business schools, used by startup accelerators and applied in strategy workshops worldwide. mybmctool lets you build a BMC model online for free, with no download needed.

What are the 9 building blocks of the Business Model Canvas?

The 9 blocks of the Business Model Canvas are: (1) Key Partners, the external suppliers and collaborators your model depends on; (2) Key Activities, what your business must actually do to deliver value; (3) Key Resources, the assets you need to operate; (4) Value Proposition, the specific problem you solve for customers; (5) Customer Relationships, how you interact and stay in contact; (6) Channels, how you reach and deliver to customers; (7) Customer Segments, the groups of people you serve; (8) Cost Structure, your main costs to run the model; (9) Revenue Streams, how you earn money.

What is Key Partners in the Business Model Canvas?

The Key Partners definition in the Business Model Canvas is the block covering the external suppliers and collaborators your business model depends on. Key partners in the BMC are the people, organisations and companies you rely on to make your model work, but do not employ directly. The four main key partnership types are strategic alliances between non-competitors, coopetition (partnerships with direct competitors on shared goals), joint ventures and buyer-supplier relationships. When filling in Key Partners on your business model canvas, list only the partners your model genuinely cannot function without.

What are Key Activities in the Business Model Canvas?

Key Activities are the things a business must do to deliver its Value Proposition. In the business model canvas, Key Activities fall into production work (building and shipping a product), problem-solving work (consulting or custom services) and platform or network work (running a marketplace or software platform). What counts as a Key Activity depends entirely on your model. A SaaS company codes and maintains its product. A consultancy delivers workshops and client advice. Focus on the 2 to 4 things your business model genuinely cannot stop doing.

What are the 9 building blocks of the Business Model Canvas?

The 9 building blocks of the Business Model Canvas are: Key Partners (external suppliers and collaborators your model depends on), Key Activities (what your business must do to deliver value), Key Resources (the assets you need to operate), Value Proposition (the specific problem you solve), Customer Relationships (how you interact with customers), Channels (how you reach and deliver to customers), Customer Segments (the groups you serve), Cost Structure (your main operating costs) and Revenue Streams (how you earn money).

What does BMC stand for?

BMC stands for Business Model Canvas. The BMC model is a one-page strategic framework developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur that organises a business into 9 interconnected blocks. It is sometimes called the bmc canvas, the business canvas model or simply the canvas. mybmctool lets you build and share a BMC model online for free.

How do I fill in a Business Model Canvas?

Start with the Value Proposition block: write down the specific problem you solve and for whom. Then fill in Customer Segments (who you serve) and Channels (how you reach them). Work outward to Key Activities, Key Resources and Key Partners on the left side, and Customer Relationships and Revenue Streams on the right. Finish with Cost Structure at the bottom. With mybmctool you can fill in the canvas manually, paste a website link and let the AI map it across all 9 blocks, or upload a photo of a whiteboard canvas.

Is mybmctool available in English?

Yes. mybmctool is fully available in English. The tool also supports Dutch, German, French and Spanish. The interface, the AI features and all 9 Business Model Canvas blocks work in English from the start. No language settings needed. mybmctool is used by consultants and founders in the UK, US, Australia and across Europe.

Is mybmctool free to use?

Yes. mybmctool is free for up to 3 canvases. No credit card needed to start. Pro and Team plans give you AI features, unlimited canvases and tools like an investor readiness score and pitch deck generator.

Can I share my Business Model Canvas with clients?

Yes. Every canvas gets a shareable link. Add a password if needed. Clients open the link directly without creating an account.

What AI features does mybmctool have?

Pro and Team users can paste a website URL to fill the canvas automatically, upload photos of whiteboards or documents and use voice input. The AI sorts everything across the 9 blocks of the Business Model Canvas.

Key Resources: what assets power your model?

Key Resources are the most important assets a business needs to create and deliver its value proposition, reach markets, maintain relationships and earn revenue.

Every business model requires resources. The question is: which ones are truly critical? That answer is different for every organisation.

Four Types of Key Resources

Physical Resources

Manufacturing plants, machinery, vehicles, buildings and distribution networks. Capital-intensive businesses like logistics companies and retailers depend heavily on these.

Intellectual Resources

Brands, proprietary knowledge, patents and customer databases. Hard to build and hard to copy, which makes them often the most valuable.

A software company's codebase. A consulting firm's methodology. A publisher's content library.

Human Resources

People with specialised skills or knowledge. Critical in knowledge-intensive industries.

A research company lives and dies by its scientists. A creative agency by its designers. This is the category clients most often underestimate.

Financial Resources

Cash and credit lines. Needed to fund operations or invest in growth. Particularly important in businesses with long sales cycles or high upfront costs.

What Makes a Resource Truly "Key"

Not all resources are key resources. A key resource:

Enables the core value proposition
Is difficult to replace or replicate quickly
Would cause real harm to the business if lost

If losing it would not hurt much, it is not key.

How to Protect Your Key Resources

Intellectual resources: patents, trademarks and employment contracts
Human resources: retention strategies and succession planning
Physical resources: maintenance, insurance and redundancy
Financial resources: cash reserves and credit facilities

The most dangerous vulnerabilities in a business model are often in this block. A key person who leaves. A patent that expires. A supplier relationship that breaks unexpectedly.

Questions to Explore with Clients

What single resource, if lost tomorrow, would most threaten your ability to serve customers?
Which of your resources are truly proprietary, hard for competitors to replicate?
How dependent are you on specific individuals? What happens if they leave?
Are there underutilised resources you could turn into an additional revenue stream?

Key Resources: what assets power your model?

Four Types of Key Resources

Physical Resources

Intellectual Resources

Human Resources

Financial Resources

What Makes a Resource Truly "Key"

How to Protect Your Key Resources

Questions to Explore with Clients

More articles

What is the Business Model Canvas?

Revenue Streams: how does your business earn?

Key Activities: what does your business actually do?