Free Business Model Canvas Template: Fill It In Online, With an Example

How to fill in this business model canvas template

The Business Model Canvas fits on one page, but the order matters. The blocks in this business model canvas template are numbered in the order that works best: customer first, operations next, costs last.

1. Type your business name

   Done

   It shows up at the top of the PDF. If you run several business lines, make one canvas for each.

2. Start with customer segments and the value proposition

   Done

   They're blocks 1 and 2. If those aren't specific, nothing else on the canvas holds up.

3. Write short points, 2 to 4 per block

   Done

   Press Enter to add one. Click any point to edit it, and use the × to remove it.

4. Print it or hand it to AI

   Done

   “Print or save as PDF” lays it out on one landscape page. “Copy AI prompt” sets up a tough review of your model for ChatGPT or Gemini.

The 9 blocks, with a business model canvas example

This is the example that loads in the template: Hollis Candle Co., a three-person online soy candle shop. Here's how each block reads:

Block	What goes in it	Example
1. Customer segments	Who you create value for	Gift shoppers, 25 to 44, who care about clean ingredients
2. Value propositions	Why they pick you	Hand-poured soy candles with no synthetic dyes
3. Channels	How they find and buy from you	Shopify store, Instagram and TikTok Shop
4. Customer relationships	The kind of service they expect	Handwritten thank-you notes and a scent club
5. Revenue streams	What they pay for, and how	Online sales with a $42 average order
6. Key resources	What you can't do without	Signature scent recipes and a small workshop
7. Key activities	What you do every week	Pouring in small batches and shooting content
8. Key partners	Who helps you	Wax and fragrance oil suppliers, shipping carrier
9. Cost structure	What weighs the most	Wax, jars, shipping, ads and payroll

The acid test is to read it out loud as one sentence: “We sell this value proposition to this segment, through this channel, and get paid like this.” Wherever it sounds off, that's your homework.

Customer segments in the canvas: 5 types with examples

Block 1 asks who you create value for, and Business Model Generation names five kinds of customer segments:

Type	What it is	Example
Mass market	One broad group with similar needs	A supermarket chain
Niche market	A small, very specific group	Vegan skincare for eczema-prone skin
Segmented	Groups with small differences in need	A bank with separate offers for students and retirees
Diversified	Unrelated groups with opposite needs	Amazon selling books and cloud services
Multi-sided platform	Groups that need each other	A booking site with hotels and travelers

To choose yours, count how many different customers you have to win over. With one, you’re mass market or niche. With two who need each other, you’re a platform, and each side deserves its own canvas. If you can’t decide between segments, give each a color and see which one pays first.

Revenue streams: types of business models and examples

Block 5 answers how you get paid, and the book by Osterwalder and Pigneur lists seven revenue streams. Each one is the engine of a different type of business model:

• Asset sale: they pay and keep it. An online candle shop.
• Usage fee: they pay for what they use. Parking by the hour.
• Subscription: they pay for ongoing access. A monthly sample box.
• Lending, renting or leasing: they pay to use something without owning it. A camera rental.
• Licensing: they pay to use your intellectual property. A typeface.
• Brokerage fee: you charge for connecting two sides. A real estate agent.
• Advertising: you charge whoever wants your audience. A blog with sponsors.

Many businesses mix two or three. Write each stream on its own line with its price and frequency, such as “subscription, $15 a month,” so you can compare which one weighs most. Then check that every stream fits the value proposition in block 2.

Where the Business Model Canvas comes from

Alexander Osterwalder proposed the canvas in 2005, and it took off with the book Business Model Generation (2010), which he wrote with Yves Pigneur. Strategyzer publishes it under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license, which lets you use and adapt it as long as you credit the source. This template is based on it and says so right in the tool. To look at the world outside your business, pair it with a PESTLE analysis; to decide which products to push, with the BCG matrix.

Frequently asked questions about the Business Model Canvas

01

What is a business model canvas?

It's a one-page template that describes how a business works in 9 blocks: who you sell to, what you offer them, how you reach them, how you make money and what it takes to deliver. It lets you see the whole business at a glance, spot what doesn't fit and argue about it as a team without a 40-page plan. It works just as well for a new idea as for a business that already sells.

02

What are the 9 elements of a business model canvas?

The 9 building blocks are customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships and revenue streams on the customer side; key resources, key activities and key partners on the operations side; and cost structure at the bottom. Fill them in roughly in that order: start with who the customer is and what you promise them, and finish with what it all costs you.

03

What's the difference between Lean Canvas and Business Model Canvas?

Lean Canvas is Ash Maurya's adaptation for startups still looking for their customer. It keeps five blocks of the original and swaps four: key partners, key activities, key resources and customer relationships make way for problem, solution, key metrics and unfair advantage. If your business already sells and you want to see how it works, use the Business Model Canvas. If you're still validating an idea, Lean Canvas forces you to nail the problem first.

04

Is there a Business Model Canvas template for Word or PowerPoint?

You don't need one. Fill it in here, hit “Copy as text” and paste it into Word, Google Docs or your slide notes: it comes out sorted by block, one bullet per point. If you want the canvas with its classic layout, use “Print or save as PDF,” which puts it on a single landscape page, ready to drop into a deck as an image or hand out at a meeting.

05

What book is the Business Model Canvas from?

It comes from Business Model Generation, by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur, published by Wiley in 2010 and written with input from hundreds of practitioners. Osterwalder first proposed the canvas in 2005, building on his PhD research at the University of Lausanne. The book is still the best place to go deeper: it walks through each block with examples and covers business model patterns like freemium and the long tail.