Author Archives: Whittaker

How Family Businesses Can Benefit From an Advisory Board

All businesses can benefit from outside advice. But it can be especially valuable to family businesses, which tend to be more insular. After all, in many cases management is made up of family members who’ve worked in the business for decades, perhaps never having been employed elsewhere. In addition, family dynamics can create conflicts that

What Are the Key Partnerships in Your Business?

This month, we are covering ‘Key Partnerships’, the eighth of the nine building blocks of the Business Model Generation developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.  ‘Key Partnerships’ refers to the network of suppliers and partners that make your business model work.  Companies typically create partnerships or alliances to strengthen their business model, reduce risk,

How Are You Generating Revenue From Your Customers?

This month I’ll focus on ‘Revenue Streams’, the fifth section of the business model canvas based on the book Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.  ‘Revenue Streams’ represent money the company generates from customer relationships and customer segments.  There are a couple of key questions to consider before we review the specific

What Are the Key Activities That Drive Your Business?

This month, we are covering ‘Key Activities’, the seventh of the nine building blocks in the Business Model Generation as developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.  ‘Key Activities’ refers to the most important things a company must do to makes its business model work. Key activities focus on operations.  While a CEO focuses on

What Is the Cost Structure In Your Business?

This month we are covering ‘Cost Structure’, the last of the nine building blocks of the Business Model Generation developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.  ‘Cost Structure’ describes all the costs incurred to operate a business. Here are three things to consider: What are the most important costs inherent in your business? Which key