Build Your Startup on 1 Page: Business Model Canvas for Startups

You have a great startup idea but building it feels intimidating.
The to-do list just seems massive.

→ Building your product
→ Pricing
→ Getting customer
→ Marketing

All at the same time.

And every one tells you "You need a 5-year business plan to build a successful startup".

❌ But that’s wrong.

Instead, let me show you how to map out your entire startup on a single page using the Business Model Canvas. I’ll walk you through a real example, so you can directly fill it out with me. By the end you will know exactly how to build your startup the right way.

I’m Oskar, I’ve coached over 50 founders and built two startups myself, and this is the exact plan I used for my first startup.

Let's dive right in.

First, we need to talk about the problem with traditional business plans.

❌ They are complicated, long, and honestly ... they are just guesses.

Think about it:

→ You lock yourself in a room for 3 weeks.
→ You write a 40-page document about a future that might never happen. → You predict revenue for 3 years, but you don’t have a single user yet.

It’s just a 40-page plan of guesses.
And if those guesses are wrong?
Your startup fails.

The solution and the better way to build your startup is the Business Model Canvas. It forces you to focus on the 9 building blocks that actually matter for your startup.

But why is it so powerful?

Because if something doesn’t work, you can change it in 2 seconds. Rewriting a 40-page business plan takes weeks. But in a startup, speed is the only advantage you have.

So let me show the Business Model Canvas works - with a real example.

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Before I show you how the BMC works, I have something that will make your next few months in your startup 10x easier.

It’s a simple worksheet that shows you exactly what to focus on next - and what to ignore. My 6-Step Startup Plan.

It helps you stop doing random stuff, pick the right next moves, and see real progress in a few weeks. You can download it for free.

The BMC is split into different segments - customers, value proposition, channels, and so on. And we are gonna go through each one.

But not in theory - I am going to show you how to fill it out using one popular example: Buffer.

Buffer is a tool where you can schedule social media posts.
They started super small, and now they’re doing about $23M in recurring revenue. That’s how strong the BMC can be.

So, I like to start with the right side of the canvas.

Number 1: Customer Segments

You basically ask yourself - who is my product for?
Be very specific. "Everyone" is not a customer. This is the mistake I see most founders make.

They say: "My customer is small businesses".
But that is way too broad.
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Remember, if you try to sell to everyone, you sell to no one.
So, you need to go super niche.

For Buffer, it was Twitter users who wanted to tweet consistently but didn't have time to sit at a computer all day. Very clear.

Number 2: Value Propositions

What problem do you solve? Now this is important:
Stop listing features. Focus on value.

→ What do people actually get?
→ What pain disappears when they use your product?

❌ Nobody cares about your AI-powered algorithm.
✅ They care about what it does for them.

For example, does it save them 5 hours a week?
Does it make them look smart to their boss?
Or does it make them more money?

For Buffer, the value was "Grow your audience on autopilot."
They didn't just sell scheduling. They solved the pain of needing to be online 24/7 just to stay relevant.

Number 3: Channels

How do you reach people?
Where do potential customers hang out?

Now this is where most founders get overwhelmed. Many founders think you need to do TikTok, SEO, Ads, and cold calling all at once.

You don’t.
You just need one channel that works.

But hey - to make your life easier - if you don't know which channel is right for you, or how to get your first 100 customers, I have a specific Customer Acquisition Roadmap that breaks this down step-by-step.

For Buffer, that one channel was Content Marketing.
They didn’t spend money on ads. Instead, they wrote guest posts on tech blogs to drive traffic to their site.

That one strategy is how they got their first users.

Number 4: Customer Relationships

Ok this is an important one. How do you keep your customers?
Is it personal support, or is it self-service?

For Buffer, it’s mostly self-service.
You sign up and use the tool without ever talking to a real person.
But real people stepped in if things broke.

Number 5: Revenue Streams

How do you make money?
Is it one-time? Subscription? Freemium?

Buffer used a Freemium model - which is a great method for many startups. Free for basic use, €10 a month for the "Awesome" plan.

But why is this so smart? Because it makes saying "yes" easy.
People want to try before they buy. And the €10 per month for the awesome plan was also specific - it was low enough to be a "no-brainer" for a professional, but high enough to build a real business.

The great thing and what I love most about freemium is that you can still sell people the expensive plan later. You give them more value, you make more money. Everyone wins.

Number 6: Key Resources

What do you need to build your product?
For Buffer, it was simple: The scheduling software and the servers. That's it.

→ Remember this: Keep this list short.

The fewer things you need, the easier your startup is to run.

Number 7: Key Activities

What do you do daily? These are the most critical actions to keep your startup running. A lot of founders put "Sales" or "Accounting" here.

But for an early-stage tech product, your key activity is usually building the product and getting feedback. Everything else is a distraction. For buffer, it was software development and content marketing, mainly writing blogs.

Number 8: Key Partners

Who helps you? This is about outsourcing or integrations.

Buffer relied heavily on the Twitter API. So, you could consider Twitter a partner. But here is the danger. If Twitter shuts them down, the business dies instantly. We call this 'Platform Risk.

Remember that - if you are building your house on someone else's land - you need to be very careful.

But here comes the great thing:

The BMC highlights this risk immediately so you can see it and plan for it.
A simple backup plan could be to integrate the scheduling into other social media platforms as well - a strategy they later did.

And then we have to talk about the money.

Number 9: The cost Structure

What does it actually cost to run your startup? For Buffer, it was just server hosting fees. That's it. Plus, the Founder's time - which was "free" in the beginning.

Notice what is NOT on this list? Big office rent. Expensive sales teams. This is a mistake I see all the time. Founders rent big offices and hire expensive teams before they have a product. Six months later, they are broke.

Don't do that. Keep your expenses low. That buys you time.
And in the early days, time is more valuable than money.

Now you have your entire startup on one page. Not a 40-page document. No guesswork. Just a clear, flexible map you can update in seconds.
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But the hard part usually isn’t understanding this stuff - it’s knowing how to apply it week by week without second-guessing yourself.

When I was building my own startups, I kept wishing for a simple roadmap that told me exactly what to focus on next at each stage of my startup.

That’s why I put everything I use into my Startup Success Bundle.
It’s a clear, proven roadmap already used by 50+ founders to help you build your startup without feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

Click the button below to get instant access.