Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers (The Strategyzer series)

I read the book to have a big picture of business models. I am not expert to tell detailed review, but generally very well structured book.

Great work and strategy. I have used for many clients, and purchased extra copies to share. Simple concept with lots of visual examples for modeling.

Nice to have under your arms when you deal with business matters

This book is getting buzz in the startup community these days. I read through it a week or so ago, and it is a useful addition to the entrepreneur's library.The book has five major sections. In the first, the authors introduce their notion of a business model canvas broken down into nine constituent parts. Some of these parts are obvious things that anyone trying to think about a business model would examine such as customer segments, value proposition, channels, customer relationships and revenue streams. The canvas adds in the other pieces (key resources, key activities, key partnerships and cost structure) and adds an organizational overlay that lends itself to analysis. The second major section takes a look at five different business models and fits them into the canvas. The third section, called "Design," describes various techniques such as visual thinking, ideation and prototyping, "that can help you design better and more innovative business models." The Strategy section then takes the earlier concepts and combines them with other strategic approaches such as SWOT analysis and Blue Ocean strategies in order to determine where opportunities for improving models may lie. In the final major section, "Process," the authors lay out a roadmap for running a business model design initiative.Note that much of the book relies heavily on concepts and work originated by others. This is actually a great strength since it pulls together a lot of different theories and presents them in an easily digested form. The writing is accessible, and it may be that many of the concepts are more easily absorbed here than in the original source materials (all of which are conveniently referenced in case you want to explore further).The notion of the canvas is new, and it does have an organizational elegance about it that is appealing. One of the points in the first section is that the first five constituent parts of a business model are all about value, whereas the final four are all about efficiency. This makes it easy to see why it made sense for Amazon to unbundle its businesses into an e-commerce line and an IT infrastructure management line.Aside from a few styling miscues (tiny white print on a black background on some of the pages, really), the major complaint about the book from me -- and many others -- is that it lacks depth. Most of the case studies are short and the answers are dished up without consideration of the iterations that must have been required to get there. This book is trying to present a generalized way of looking at business models -- and I would say that it succeeds very well at that task -- but nothing beats seeing the concepts applied in real time rather than in retrospect. For people that are interested in seeing the canvas in action, I highly recommend reading about the Lean Launchpad project at Stanford on Steve Blank's blog. Think about it as an advanced class after you read the book in the introductory class.

Your business model defines how you compete. It is the manifestation of your corporate strategy and the basis for your profitability. Given its importance, its surprising business models are not better understood. Business Model Generation seeks to address this point providing a comprehensive and engaging approach to understanding and creating business models.This is perhaps the most innovative book on business design to come around in a long time. The book is the work of Alexander Osterwalder and more than 470 collaborators and contributors. It provides a graphically engaging, spirited look at business models, their creation and application in business.This is the first book built by mass collaboration based on the participation and contribution of multiple people giving the book a level of practicality that is welcome in subject that can easily become academic. The book is organized into six sections that correspond to the processes involved in generating a business model. The sections include:Canvas - which discusses the basics of the business model template and its nine building blocksPatterns - applies the model to understand different business models and companies that exemplify the business models.Design - the techniques used to develop the nine building blocks within the business model which include: customer insights, ideation, visual thinking, prototyping, storytelling and scenarios.Process - concentrating on applying these techniques to creating a business modelOutlook - a view on the future of business models.The book is highly recommended for people who want to learn more about business models, its related techniques and wants to put them into practice. The book's approach, its layout and treatment of the subject are refreshing and helpful.StrengthsThe book offers a comprehensive view of business models. The five sections talk you through the activities involved in creating a business model including multiple techniques.Osterwalder's model for business models is clear and provides an effective structure for understanding your business and how it fits with your value proposition, strategy and products.Placing the models in action to explain companies like Apple, the newspaper industry, and the insurance industry among others. Applying the model builds you understanding of model's context andCovers advanced techniques including ideation, visual thinking, story telling that help you expand your toolkit.The illustrations and use of photography creates an engaging read that draws the reader into material and keep them engaged.ChallengesThere is litle that is fundamentally new in this book, other than its presentation, construction and style. That is not to say that the book is bad or wrong, its just that ideas related to value propositions, capabilities, etc appear elsewhere. What this book does do and do well is bring these ideas together in a novel and accessible way.The majority of the book is based on the Osterwalder's own model developed while he was at Lausanne. The dependence of the book on the model can limit its effectiveness if you take a different approach to business modeling.The book provides limited support for key functions such as IT, HR and Finance which are not explicitly supported in the business model which focuses more on issues of strategy and positioning.The book is large and bound by its narrow edge. While this makes the books photography and graphics possible, but it also makes the book unwieldy.The book is not available in electronic format as that does not work with the book's layout.