Founder
Business Model
Centric

Design

salim@foundercentric.com
@FOUNDERCENTRIC
WWW.FOUNDERCENTRIC.COM

devin hunt

JORDAN SCHLIPF

salim virani

rob fitzpatrick

PRODUCT & UX

SALES & INVESTMENT

BUSINESS MODEL DESIGN &
MENTORING

CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT &
LEAN STARTUP

!

!

!

!
Business Model
Uses

Founder
Centric
Today
Pull apart your assumptions
!

Spot better options
!

Know what to test - balance
focus & opportunity
Founder

Centric
by Helgi Halldórsson/
Freddi
Is this business
model innovation?

Founder
Centric
Marketing Success!
Business fail.
Pull Apart
Your Business
Model
Parts

✓

Checklists & dashboards

✓
✓

✓ ✓ ✓
✓✓
✓✓ ✓
✓ ✓
✓✓ ✓
✓
✓ ✓
✓ ✓
Is this Lean?

by Luis Morello

Founder
Centric
Whole

Understanding & validating core dynamics
Bird-eye view of our
processes.
!

“Most complex business
model ever (tm).”
!

It worked. But too many
moving parts.

@andreasklinger
Us:

fanbase
building

crowdsourcing

prototyping

preordering

production

logistics

webshop
Production
Sourcing

Logistics

Stock	

Materials

Production
	

Control
esign - 

Crowdsourcing You d
the rest.
we do

Personal

support
Online	

Community

Production Pool of talent
how
acebook
F
Know n
Facebook
roductio
P
P
Industry 	

 R
Network
Industry
Network
Network

Stock	

rel Prototyping
Appa
Production

Emerging	

Designers
Consumers

Fans

Selling Clothes
Us:

fanbase
building

Fans

crowdsourcing

prototyping

preordering

Emerging	

Designers

production

logistics

webshop

Consumers
@andreasklinger
Us:

fanbase
building

crowdsourcing

prototyping

preordering

production

logistics

Emerging	

Designers

Fans

webshop

Consumers

Competitor:
fanbase
building

crowdsourcing

prototyping

preordering

production

logistics

webshop
Production
Sourcing

Logistics

Production
	

Control
esign - 

Crowdsourcing You d
the rest.
we do

Online	

Community

Production Pool of talent
how
acebook
F
Know n
Facebook
roductio
P
P
Industry 	

 R
Network
Industry
Network
Network

$

Stock	

Materials

Personal

support

Stock	

rel Prototyping
Appa
Production

Emerging	

Designers
Consumers

Fans

Selling Clothes
What’s the problem here?
We wanted more users, so
we marketed...
...which was rendered
worthless by our retention.
“I wish I knew that sooner.”
Stuff’s going wrong...

Let’s embrace it!
Use the Canvas as
X-Ray goggles.
What on earth are
you on about?
RS

I
PA

Pick my brain.
ON
E
AG
ST

Present
their model
How did you do?
Explains the business?
Focused on the main bits?
Used fewest post-its?
Good, engaging story?
Changing something
changes everything.
You can’t think about any one part
without thinking about the rest.
A “simple”
change.
Everything is
connected.
dropped
call? :(
You’ve built a great app.
Users use the free trial. They
love it. They use it every day.
When the free trial expires,
they don’t buy.
!

Why?
POS	

grators
Inte

Real Gift

Biz Dev

the love
Share

Online	

	

in
Onl
Transaction
saction
Tran

stant 	

In
ification
Grat
Real-time	

Redemption Mobile	

Phone
c	

More Traffi
& Spend
Direct Sales

Nationa
l	

Brands

Venue	

Netwo
rk
yment	

Pa
ateways
g

Personal

Direct S

Free gif

ales

t

er gift
Pay p

Gifters
Recipients
Venues

% Cut
by Luis Morello

Founder
Centric
Send
a gift

Will they
remember?

Gift-giving
opportunity

Will people think of sending a gift from their
phone when there’s a gift-giving opportunity?
Trust
Who?

Who will trust GiftCannon?
Get a
gift

Mobile

Will people receive a gift over their mobile?
Get a
gift

SMS

Will people receive a gift over their text
message?
Get a
gift
Facebook

Will people receive a gift over their Facebook?
Get a
gift

Link for
Facebook or
Email

Send a gift with a link over email or Facebook.
Get a
gift

In
store

Recipi
ents

Will recipients redeem their gift?
More
custo
mers

Shops

Commission
Will shops work with us to redeem gifts?
brand
who?

aware
ness

Which partners can jumpstart our growth?
stick
around

will
recipien
ts send
mobile gifts?

Will gift recipients stick around and start
sending gifts themselves?
trust nonGiftca
stude
nnon
nts
mobile

Will this work beyond students?
Test the

scary bits first.
(not the fun bits)
Spot Better
Options
Success comes from persistently improving
and inventing, not from persistently pushing
what's not working.
- Derek Sivers
Business model design is
finding the few options
that matter.
Platform

Platform
Mass customisation

Crowdsource

Ad-supported

Viral
Transactional

Value-based	

pricing
Direct-over-viral

Multi-sided	

market

Event-supported

SaaS
Licensing

Bundling
Platform

App sale +	

Subscription
in-app purchase
Platform

Purchase-timing
Balance Focus
&
Opportunity
Scaffolding
Option Cards

Balancing focus and opportunity
using business model dynamics.
Pick a
learning goal
What big make-or-break risks
or idea is the one you want to
nail down this week?
!

(Hint: use the Canvas or
Growth Engines to make sure
it’s relevant.)
Build
Learn

Your
Validation
heartbeat.

Measure
“I wish I knew that sooner.”
Thanks!
Salim Virani
salim@foundercentric.com
!

www.foundercentric.com
Founder
Centric

HERE TO HELP!
salim@foundercentric.com
@SaintSal
Learn more! bit.ly/fc-list
Bonus!
EX

Obstacles

Goals

SE

Jobs

Current
Solution

CI
ER

Customer Slicing

Decision
Trigger

More useful customer segments
based on their current behavour.
They are real people (not attributes!)
It’s clear where to find them.
You’ll walk away if they aren’t a good fit.

Interest
Trigger
Affordable Loss.

What I’ve
got

Small partnerships first.

Effectuation
How successful entrepreneurs move forward.

What I
can do
Multiple goals based on
current resources.
Market

Industry

Establishment

Trends
Macro
Alignment

7 ways to
die. Choose
none.

Skills

Connections

Micro

Customer
Need &
Behaviour

Lock-in &
copyability

Modified from 7 Domains,
From The New Business
Road Test, by John Mullins

Business model design emerge