The Lean Canvas was developed by Ash Maurya who modified Alexander Osterwalder's business model canvas, which was intended for larger, more complex businesses seeking venture capital. We have added several "drill down" concepts to the Lean Canvas.

We like to describe the Lean Canvas as the "Swiss Army Knife (or MAGIC) Tool for Planning, Promoting and Growing your Business."

Whether you are struggling with a business plan, trying to improve your marketing and promotional efforts or diversifying your revenue streams, the Lean Canvas can magically make your efforts more successful.

The reason Lean Canvas is so useful is because it helps businesses avoid the typical business plan problem of too many Starts and re-starts as the plan encounters difficulties.

That's because Business Plan Templates tend to be LINEAR, but in reality Business Ideas tend to be ITERATIVE.

Doug Hall has done research to show that we need to provide the customer with:

Overt Benefits - from your Customers perspective; otherwise its just a feature

Real reasons for your customer to believe that you can provide the benefits you promise

Dramatic Difference - otherwise customer has no motivation to change to you

On the Lean Canvas these 3 go into the Unique Value Proposition and Unfair Advantage::

Unique Value Proposition:

   OVERT Benefits for your Customer [solving their BIG problem]

   Real Reasons for them to Believe [that you can provide the promised Benefit

Unfair Advantage:

   Dramatic Difference [between you and the competition]

If you can do ALL three at the same time for your customer, you can compete on Value 

OTHERWISE, you will be stuck competing on PRICE!!

Price is only ever an issue in the absence of value.