In the Age of Business Models, Do Founders Still Need Business Plans to Build Startups?
A business plan was a minimum requirement to be taken seriously as a business, especially when it came to investors. Nowadays, more and more early-stage investors will not even look at a business plan; instead, they will ask founders for a business model canvases.
Business model canvas is an overly simplified model of what your business might look like, designed to identify key opportunities and challenges quickly.
A business model includes many key aspects of what a business must focus on, including:
- Cost Structure
- Revenue Streams
- Value Proposition
- Customer Segments (Target Customers)
- Customer Relationships
- [Distribution] Channels
- Key Activities
- Key Resources
- Key Partners
From a first look, it seems it includes all the key aspects of a business. Why do people still waste their time on business plans then?