Business Plan Canvas

Set up for success with strategic planning frameworks, including Lean Canvas, SWOT Analysis, Pirate Funnel, and more.

Create a Business Plan with a Lean Canvas

Lean canvas is a one-page business plan template created by Ash Maurya. It’s designed to create a snapshot of your business idea, distill the essence of your product or service, and break it down into key parts. Check out a completed example and then try filling out the blank lean canvas for your own business on the page after that.

Business plans take too long to write, are seldom updated, and almost never read by others but documenting your hypotheses is key.

SWOT Analysis

FIND YOUR COMPETITIVE POSITION WITH A SWOT ANALYSIS

A SWOT analysis maps out your company’s path towards your goals by identifying strengths and weaknesses (internal attributes) and opportunities and threats (external conditions). Uncover your company's competitive position with these guiding questions. Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own SWOT analysis.

  • Internal attributes

    Strengths

    What advantages does your company have? What do you do better than anyone else? What are your unique selling points?

  • Internal attributes

    Weaknesses

    What areas can you improve on? What does your company lack? What things do your competitors do better than you?

  • External attributes

    Opportunities

    What changes in technology, policies, and social patterns can be a growth opportunity for the company?

  • External attributes

    Threats

    What are the obstacles to your company’s growth? Who are your competitors? What changing factors can threaten your company's position?

Pirate Funnel

Visualize Your Company's Weak Points with a Pirate Funnel

The Pirate Funnel is a customer-lifecycle framework by Dave McClure that shows what you need to focus on to optimize your marketing funnel. It is called a Pirate Funnel because the first letters spell out AAARRR for Awareness, Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, and Revenue. Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own pirate metrics.

  • Awareness

    How will you introduce your company to your potential customers? Examples: impressions, click-through rate, visits, and social media metrics.

  • Acquisition

    Where are your potential customers coming from? What channel is driving the most valuable traffic for your company? Examples: new leads, email subscribers, resource downloads, support and sales chats.

  • Activation

    How will your potential customers try your product or service for the first time? How will you make them realize the true value of your product or service? Examples: new trial signups, product sales, activation after app download.

  • Retention

    How many of your customers are you retaining? Why are you losing others? Examples: customer acquisition rate and customer churn rate.

  • Revenue

    How can you increase revenue? What’s your monetization plan? Examples: customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value.

  • Referral

    How can you turn your customers into advocates? What’s your systematic process to generate referrals consistently? Examples: Net Promoter Score, referrals, and social shares.

4Ps of Marketing

Position Your Product or Service with the 4Ps of Marketing

PRODUCT
  • Brand
  • Features
  • Packaging

Product refers to the good or service you are offering to customers. What needs does this product fulfil? What frustrations does it address? What makes it compelling to customers such that they will believe they need to have it?

PRICE 
  • Price
  • Discounts
  • Bundling deals
  • Credit terms

Price is what customers pay for a product or service and it takes into account the cost of production. What is the value of the product or service to customers? Are there established price points for this product or service in the market? How will this price compare with competitors?

PROMOTION 
  • Ads 
  • PR
  • Social Media
  • Search engine
  • Video

Promotion is how you will get the word out about your product or service to your target customers. It includes advertising, public relations, and promotional strategies.

PLACE
  • Stores 
  • Website 
  • Online Marketplace

Place refers to how and where your customers will look to see your product or service. It also considers how you will deliver the product or service to them. Will it be in a physical store or online? What will be the distribution channels?

Marketing Funnel

Know the Stages of the Customer Journey with a Marketing Funnel


A Marketing Funnel maps your company’s marketing activities at each stage of the customer journey. It starts with making your target audience aware of your solution, then guiding them through an evaluation process and finally leading them to make a purchase. The goal is to create a system, which is measurable at every level of the journey. Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own marketing funnel.

TOFU (Top of the Funnel)
  • Social media post and ads
  • Email marketing
  • Promotional video
  • Press Release

Activities that facilitate awareness. Make your target audience aware of the problem you’re addressing and how you’re solving it

MOFU (Middle of the Funnel)
  • Discounts
  • Exclusive offers
  • Free trial
  • Event

Activities that facilitate evaluation. Convert those who are aware into leads

BOFU (Bottom of the Funnel)
  • Demo
  • Feedback
  • Success stories
  • Comparison sheets

Activities that facilitate awareness. Make your target audience aware of the problem you’re addressing and how you’re solving it

How many of the P's do you utilize for your brand?

There may be new methods made possible with these types of technological advancements, but old concepts still ring true.

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