Why creating a personal version of the Business Model Canvas could transform the way you achieve goals
We all face this problem: too much to do, too little time, too many ideas. We search for ways we can become healthier, smarter, stronger. The answer might not rest in a specialist’s book, but rather through your own critical thinking with a Personal Model Canvas.
The Business Model Canvas is an ontology that is essentially a template of getting the business logic into a documented source so that different members of the organization can get on the same page with the objectives and strategies.
By applying this methodology to our personal lives, we ensure we are looking at our objectives holistically. It captures our motivations and desires, but also how the community we connect with is getting something they need too. It might seem strange that if we are attempting something such as weight loss for ourselves we consider our family, but collective efforts can be much stronger than solo-ventures.
How does a Personal Model Canvas differ from the Business Model Canvas?
The core template is the same, but the questions are adjusted for personal objectives. Items such as defining the mission switch from an organizational context to what values and long term purpose you find as an individual. “Start with Why” – these principles are famous in business. We know from books such as “Drive” that we are not motivated by money but my purpose. It stands to reason that if you want to accomplish any goal, you will be more likely to achieve it if you connect it to a bigger purpose.
Free Template for Personal Model Canvas
I have created a free template for anyone wanting to try this model out. It has three core objectives:
- Ensure your goals are considered holistically, from purpose to the results you are trying to reach.
- Uncovering assumptions that are underlying your ideas.
- Prioritizing experiments that will give you more information on your ideas before you make large investments of building your idea/goal out.
The template addresses the first two points directly. For the third item, the template shows what items should be prioritized but it does not list some of the top experiments you can use for testing the ideas (read more below).
Here is the Google template – please give me feedback on Linkedin!
How to Run Personal Experiments
Once you identify your top hypothesis to test out, you must plan your experiments. Experiments can include:
- Interviews
- Surveys
- Observations
- Prototypes
There are plenty of resources online for how to run these, but they can be low in cost and short. The point is, challenge your assumptions. ESPECIALLY the ones that are critical to your business and you have gut feelings on, not actual data.
If this is a part of a larger project, check out my blog post on setting up personal sprints. If you are interested in having someone facilitate a Business Model Canvas workshop, contact me about consulting.
Happy testing!