Steve Blank and team have been posting versions of their Lean LaunchPad curriculum across many runs. I thought I’d just “translate” it to my usual training plan format. I did not expect this exercise to be as mentally exhausting as it was. Here’s the result.

1. Training Plan: Startup Business
Model Design and Validation
Training Objectives
This training is based on Steve Blankʼs Lean LaunchPad. Its objective is to provide real-world,
hands-on learning on what itʼs like to start a business which is meant to scale. “This class is
not about how to write a business plan. It’s not an exercise on how smart you are in a
classroom, or how well you use the research library to size markets. And the end result is not
a PowerPoint slide deck for a VC presentation.”
“Instead, you will be getting your hands dirty talking to customers, partners, competitors, as
you encounter the chaos and uncertainty of how a startup actually works. You’ll work in
teams learning how to turn a great idea into a great company. You’ll learn how to use a
business model to brainstorm each part of a company and customer development to get out
of the building to see whether anyone other than you would want/use your product. Each day
will be a new adventure outside the classroom as you test each part of your business model
and then share your hard earned knowledge with the rest of the class.” (lifted from the
curriculum of Steve Blank’s Lean LaunchPad)
Roles and Deliverables
Role Deliverables
Participating teams • Weekly presentation
• Weekly meeting with mentors
• Regular blog update
Organizing team • Orchestrating the learning (logistics,
communications, etc.)
Lecturers • Lectures
Mentors • Guiding discovery and validation
• Opening business model horizons
• Opening doors (through your Rolodex)
Books youʼll need
The Startup Ownerʼs Manual by Steve Blank (Referred to below as “Manual”)
Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (“Bmgen”)
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012

2. Training Schedule
Prework
• Understand the learning objectives and activities of this course: Read the syllabus,
read the Lean LaunchPad blog posts of Steve Blank, look at presentations of past
participating teams
• Learn how to use the business model canvas: Read Bmgen 14-49, watch the Alex
Osterwalder talk in Stanford
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Development: Read Manual 22-52, watch
Chuck Eesley on CustDev, watch Steve Blank on CustDev
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Discovery: Read Manual 53-84, Intro to
Customer Discovery
• Prepare for Output for Plenary meeting 1: explain your business idea using the
business model canvas and how you plan to validate it based on what youʼve read
Plenary Meeting 1
• Understand the learning objectives and activities of this course: Explanation,
discussion
• Learn how to use the business model canvas: Demo and exercise
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Development: Lecture
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Discovery: Lecture
• Get to know each other
• Form teams (perhaps this could be done in prior weeks through other activities)
• Output for Plenary meeting 1: explain your business idea using the business model
canvas and how you plan to validate it based on what youʼve read
Workweek 1
• Understand what startups are: Read the following blog posts by Steve Blank: 1, 2, 3
• Learn by experience: Estimate the market size of your business. Decide what type of
business you are doing. Design experiments for customer segment, value proposition,
channel and revenue model hypothesis
• See examples of different business models and how they are expressed in the
canvas: Read Bmgen 86-111
• Conceptual understanding of the business model ideation process: Read Bmgen
135-145
• Mentoring: meet with mentors, set weekly schedule, prepare for Plenary meeting 2
presentation
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 2: market size, market type, experiment plan (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012

3. Plenary Meeting 2
• Understand Value Proposition: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 2 presentation: market size, market type, experiment plan (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
• Feedback from panel
Workweek 2
• Learn by experience: Get out of the building and interview as many people as you can.
What did potential customers think of your value proposition hypothesis? Read this for
tips.
• Learn by experience: Pivoting. Based on data from interviews, update your business
model canvas.
• Mentoring: Guide in understanding initial interview data and pivoting
• Understand Customers / Users / Payers: Read Manual 85-97
• Conceptual understanding of visual thinking: Read Bmgen 146-150
• Conceptual understanding of business model prototyping: Read Bmgen 161-168
• Conceptual understanding of business model strategy based on environment:
Read Bmgen 200-211
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 3: Findings from initial interviews and resulting pivots (see
Lean LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Plenary Meeting 3
• Understand Customers / Users / Payers: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 3 presentation: Updates (see Lean LaunchPad presentations for
examples)
• Feedback from panel
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012

4. Workweek 3
• Learn by experience: users, customers, payers; value proposition validation: Get
out of the building and interview 10-15 customers face-to-face
• Mentoring: further design and validation of the business model
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Insights and the Empathy map: Read
Bmgen 127-133
• Conceptual understanding of Channels Hypothesis: Read Manual 98-111, Channels
Hypothesis, watch Eesley # 19 Trialpay
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Discovery Phase 2 and 3: Read Manual
189-255, Customer Discovery Phase 2 and 3: Do people care and Test Product Solution
• Conceptual understanding of Test Sell Channel Partners: Read Manual 406-412,
Test Sell Channel Partners
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 4: Updates from discovery and validation (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Plenary Meeting 4
• Understand Distribution Channels: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 4 presentation: Updates (see Lean LaunchPad presentations for
examples)
• Feedback from panel
Workweek 4
• Learn by experience: channel partners: Get out of the building and interview 10-15
potential channel partners face-to-face. What were your hypothesis and what did you
find out from the interviews?
• Mentoring: further design and validation of the business model
• Learn by experience: get feedback using a low-fidelity website (web teams). See
Manual 211-217
• Conceptual understanding of Get/Keep/Grow Customers: Read Manual 126-168;
watch Chuck Eesley # 16
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Discovery Phase 3: Read Manual 227-255,
Customer Discovery Phase 3: Test Product Solution
• Conceptual understanding of Sales Channel Roadmap: Read Manual 332-342,
Sales Channel Road Map
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 5: Updates from discovery and validation (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012

5. Plenary Meeting 5
• Understand Customer Relationships / Demand Creation: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 5 presentation: Updates (see Lean LaunchPad presentations for
examples)
• Feedback from panel
Workweek 5
• Learn by experience: channel partners: Get out of the building and interview 10-15
potential channel partners face-to-face. What were your hypothesis and what did you
find out from the interviews?
• Mentoring: further design and validation of the business model
• Learn by experience: For web teams, bring in traffic and analyze. For non-web teams,
get data on demand creation and channel cost and efficiency. Gather feedback and
identify entry barriers.
• Learn by experience: For non-web teams, get a prototype ready and use it to test
customer perception.
• Conceptual understanding of testing features: Watch Mark Pincus talk about Quick
and Frequent Product Testing and Assessment
• Conceptual understanding of Customer Discovery Phase 3: Read Manual 277-331,
Test Product Solution
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 6: Report on marketing campaigns. Updates from
discovery and validation (see Lean LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Plenary Meeting 6
• Understand Revenue Model: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 6 presentation: Report on marketing campaigns. Updates (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
• Feedback from panel
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012

6. Workweek 6
• Learn by experience: pricing tactics, payment flows, selecting metrics, test
pricing: Do these for your business. Test pricing: 100 customers for web, 15 customers
for non-web. What is the revenue model? What are the pricing tactics? Draw diagram of
payment flows. Key metrics?
• Mentoring: further design and validation of the business model
• Conceptual understanding of Partners: Read Manual 406-412, Test Sell Channel
Partners
• Conceptual understanding of evaluating business models using the business
model canvas: Read Bmgen 212-225
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 7: Report on pricing tests. Updates from discovery and
validation (see Lean LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Plenary Meeting 7
• Understand Partners: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 7 presentation: Report on pricing tests. Updates (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
• Feedback from panel
Workweek 7
• Learn by experience: partners: Think of appropriate partners and their relationship with
you (give and take). Talk to some. Update the canvas.
• Mentoring: further design and validation of the business model
• Conceptual understanding of business model environmental analysis: Read
Bmgen 200-211
• Conceptual understanding of Pivot or Proceed: Read Manual 257-270, 249-259:
Pivot or Proceed
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 8: Updates from discovery and validation (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Plenary Meeting 8
• Understand Resources and Cost Structure: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 8 presentation: Report on pricing tests. Updates (see Lean
LaunchPad presentations for examples)
• Feedback from panel
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012

7. Workweek 8
• Learn by experience: expense model: Assemble a resource assumption spreadsheet,
compute cash-flow break-even point, list key financial metrics for costs, etc.
• Mentoring: further design and validation of the business model
• Conceptual understanding of Key Resources Hypothesis: Read Manual 169-175
• Prepare for Plenary meeting 9: Expense model. Updates from discovery and validation
(see Lean LaunchPad presentations for examples)
Plenary Meeting 9
• Understand Fundraising: Lecture
• Plenary meeting 9 presentation: Expense model. Updates (see Lean LaunchPad
presentations for examples)
• Understand Story Telling: workshop
• Feedback from panel
Workweek 9
• Prepare for final presentation
• Mentoring: help in preparing for final presentation
Final meeting
• Final presentations
• Party
Training Plan: Startup Business Model Design and Validation | Prepared by Kahlil Corazo | Aug 2012