The Business Model Canvas (BMC) gives you the structure of a business plan without the overhead and the improvisation of a 'back of the napkin' sketch without the fuzziness.  The Canvas has nine elements: Customer Segments, Value Propositions, Channels, Customer Relationships, Revenue Streams, Key Activities, Key Resources, Key Partnerships, Cost Structure.  The Canvas is popular with entrepreneurs for business model innovation.  Fundamentally, it delivers three things: focus, flexibility, and transparency. 

Students will research what it takes to open a Franchise. From startup costs and building requirements to support and how much of profits get returned to corporate. Students learn a lot from this project. A fun idea is to bring in a franchise owner to speak to the class prior to assigning this project.

This article discusses the importance of marketing analysis when it comes to planning for your business. It explains the nature of marketing analysis and some key points to keep in mind when performing market analysis.