Home / Business Model Crash Test – Do it yourself
Hourray ! You decided to organize a Business Model Crash test, here is how we do and the tools we use.

What it is

What is a Business Model Crash test
A workshop gathering mentors who answer a business model question for a project equipped with tools and methods.
 
How it works 
A remote phase to get to know each other and start discussing the case and a live phase : 2-hours workshop.
What are the results
A Business Model Crash Test helps to formulate and qualify ideas on a new venture. At the end, the project has new ideas and an action plan to test and experiment them.
For the mentors, the benefit is to meet other mentors, to use and test new methodologies they can employ for their own venture.

How to

1 – Identifiy a business model question e
It seems quite evident but it’s worth saying it ! The more precise the question, the higher results the workshop produces.
Here are some example:
2 – Identify a group of mentors
Well, you have a question, that’s great ! Now you need some folks to answer it. Here are some ways to gather a dream team :
  • the entrepreneurs that lead the venture you will be working on often have mentors around them, so you can ask them to join. The advantage of this group is they know pretty much the project.
  • the question itself can help you identify people : who do we know around us that solved (or tried to solve) the question.
  • the industry can be a source too : what other companies are related to the new venture. Which may have a direct interest to the success of the venture
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3 – Plan and prepare the workshop
You have the team and the question, now it’s time to prepare : choose a convenient date for the maximum (not all) of the mentors.
You should also design the sequence of the workshop. For that you may organise a 2-hours skype call with the facilitators of the workshop to pick in the tools and methods, the appropriate set.
 
4 – Start discussing
A couple of weeks before the workshop you start a discussion online with the mentors :
  • the entrepreneur presents the project and everyone introduces himself to the group
  • you may help starting the discussion by a question like : what was your first thought when you heard about that project ?
5 – Facilitate the workshop
Here is an example of scheduling :
  • 15 minutes – Informal discussions to wait everyone to arrive.
  • 15 minutes – The project pitches and the questions to solve. Mentors can ask questions
  • 1 hour – three to four steps
  • 20 minutes – open discussion on the experiments to lead.
  • 10 minutes – wrap up and conclusion
6 – Conclude
The day after, mail to the participants the link to the documents used and produced