Guest Speaker Graham Evans

On February 12, 2015 we had a guest speaker come to class named Graham Evans. He talked about and showed us what aspects we should take a look at in order to really understand what our business will be about. I really liked the business model canvas that he drew on the board. The group work that we did for the non-profit organization was really helpful for me because now I can use it to do more analysis on my own business. Furthermore, with the business plan canvas we got to see the different viewpoints and ideas that the non-profit could use in order to focus on its tasks. The business model canvas contained 9 critical sections which were: key partners, key activities, key resources, value propositions, customer relationships, channels, customer segments, cost structure, and revenue streams. We saw that many of the things listed in the business model canvas actually overlapped each other. In our example with the non-profit organization, we saw that school assemblies were a great key activity as well as a channel.

Before Mr. Evans presentation, I was having a really hard time structuring and figuring out what I really need for my business. After the presentation, I felt a lot more confident about actually starting on writing my business plan. I feel that the business plan canvas strengthens my ideas and gives me focus. After I have filled out my business plan canvas, I feel that I will be able to answer any necessary questions someone might have for my business.