Business Model Generation, by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur

Within less than 24 hours, two people recommended that I read immediately Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, a new book by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (New York: Wiley, 2010). Read, hold, and admire the book, because it is a 288-page illustrated object that is both a serious method to create and analyze business models, and a collection of Data Design. In other words, it is a handbook and an illustrated book all at once.

The theories are explained very clearly, without compromising on the content. The authors are experts who reach out to large audiences: Alex Osterwalder is an innovation consultant and spoke at Lift 2011; Yves Pigneur is professor of Management Information Systems at the university of Lausanne. With the help of 470 online businesses, they analyzed innovative business models that have revolutionized their respective industries—Swatch, Apple, Skype, Grameen Bank, among others. Then, they developed a 9-point model that includes all customer segments, sources of income, distribution channels, partnerships, costs, and resources.

They write fast and with precision; you quickly move from theory to practice, and immediately imagine possible applications for your own business. You learn about the “model of all models,” such as the “long tail model,” the free model, or the open model. You think of the possibilities and the limits, changes and re-inventions; you learn to anticipate your rivals’ innovative ideas, your clients’ demands, new trends in the industry, and economic change.

This book is a valuable tool to create or modify your business model, visualize your company’s activities, and be proactive in identifying the company’s communication needs.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (New York: Wiley, 2010).

This article was published in Cominmag

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