The Flourishing Business Canvas
If you are looking for a business model template that also allows you to incorporate your environmental and social goals, then the Flourishing Business Model might fit you. In that case, take a look at their website where you will find a wealth of information.
We will give a brief overview of this model below and you can watch an introductory video that captures the its gist in a simple way. Those who paid close attention in the previous section will recognize in the Flourish Business Model both of these elements:
- The Business Model Canvas: the 9 subjects of the BMC can be found here, with the proviso that ‘Revenue’ becomes ‘Benefits’, ‘Customers’ is replaced by ‘Stakeholders’ and one speaks of Co-Creation.
- The Golden Triangle: you recognise the Who, What, How and Why.
Additionally, the Flourishing Business Canvas enriches this economic perspective by also adding the social and environmental context. In a nutshell:
1. The Flourishing Business Canvas defines three contexts which are interdependent and nested: Economy, Society and Environment. When we picture them as in the diagram, you surely understand what is meant by this.
2. The largest context is the planet. If we screw up the planet there’s no society any more and no need for an economy. The second is the society because without society there’s no need for an economy. Consequently, those who care about the economy ensure that the surrounding ecosystem, social and environmental, remains healthy. An economy cannot flourish in an unhealthy social and environmental context. The three contexts are nested, and interdependent.
3. The model consists of 16 boxes, 7 more than the Business Model Canvas. These 16 boxes have different relationships to the 3 contexts.
4. There are 4 perspectives in the model:
- PEOPLE: Who is engaged/involved. Notice that the concept ‘Customer’ is replaced by ‘Stakeholders’, and the boxes ‘Ecosystem actor’ and ‘Needs’ are added.
- VALUE: What you do. In the Flourishing Business Canvas the ‘Value Proposition’ is called ‘Value Co-Creations’, the concept ‘Value Co-Destruction’ is added.
- PROCESS: How do you run your business and where does it happen? Compared to the Business Model Canvas 3 concepts are added: ‘Governance’, ‘Biophysical stocks’ and ‘Ecosystem services’.
- OUTCOME: Why are you doing what you do? Instead of ‘Revenue’ the word ‘Benefits’ is used, and a box for ‘Goals’ is added.
Curious to see what the Flourishing Business Canvas looks like? Here is a visual of the model:
If you want to work with this Flourishing Business Canvas, we again would like to refer you to their website where you will find a wealth of information.
Example: Everything becomes more clear when it’s applied to a concrete situation, so let’s have look at a practical example here.