the Business Model Canvas and written explanation as a single Word Document or as two clearly labeled files.
1. Assignment Overview
Wellington, Florida is one of the most prominent equestrian communities in the world, hosting elite horse farms, trainers, and seasonal competitions. This assignment asks you to develop a Business Model Canvas (BMC) for a startup company that produces barley using shipping-container-based growing systems and sells its product to the local equestrian market (e.g., horse farms, trainers, stables, feed suppliers).
Your task is to design a viable business model that explains how the company creates, delivers, and captures value. You must also demonstrate a clear understanding of how the Business Model Canvas functions as a strategic tool by providing a written explanation that justifies your design choices.
This assignment emphasizes applied strategy, market understanding, and systems thinking rather than financial projections alone.
2. Learning Objectives
By completing this assignment, students will be able to:
- Apply the Business Model Canvas framework to a real-world niche market
- Analyze customer segments and value propositions within a specialized industry
- Demonstrate understanding of how the nine BMC components interact
- Communicate strategic reasoning clearly and professionally
3. Company Scenario
You are developing a business model for:
A company that grows barley inside modified shipping containers using controlled-environment agriculture and sells the barley to the equestrian community in Wellington, Florida.
You may decide:
- Whether the barley is sold as grain, fodder, sprouted feed, or specialty feed
- Whether the company sells directly to farms, through contracts, or via distributors
- Whether sustainability, freshness, biosecurity, or year-round supply is central to the value proposition
Assume the company is a for-profit startup operating at a small-to-medium commercial scale.
4. Required Deliverables
Deliverable 1: Business Model Canvas (Visual)
Students must submit a completed Business Model Canvas that includes all nine building blocks:
- Customer Segments
- Value Propositions
- Channels
- Customer Relationships
- Revenue Streams
- Key Resources
- Key Activities
- Key Partnerships
- Cost Structure
Format Options (choose one):
- One-page Word Document or image of the canvas
- Canvas created using tools such as Strategyzer, Canvanizer, PowerPoint, or Google Slides
The canvas should be clear, legible, and specific to the Wellington equestrian market.
Deliverable 2: Business Model Explanation (Written Analysis)
Students must submit a written explanation (1,000–1,500 words) that demonstrates understanding of the Business Model Canvas and explains why each component was designed as shown.
The explanation must:
- Clearly describe each of the nine canvas blocks
- Explain how the blocks connect and reinforce one another
- Justify strategic choices using logic, market assumptions, or industry characteristics
- Reference the Wellington equestrian context explicitly
5. Business Model Canvas Template (Guided)
Students should use the following structure when building their canvas:
Customer Segments
- Who are the primary customers?
- Are there different segments (e.g., elite sport horse farms vs. smaller stables)?
Value Propositions
- What problem does container-grown barley solve?
- Why would equestrian customers choose this product over traditional feed?
Channels
- How does the product reach customers?
- Direct delivery, on-site pickup, contracts, distributors?
Customer Relationships
- Personal service, recurring contracts, subscriptions?
- How is trust and reliability established?
Revenue Streams
- How does the company make money?
- One-time sales, recurring supply agreements, premium pricing?
Key Resources
- Physical (containers, land, equipment)
- Human (technical expertise, sales)
- Intellectual (growing systems, processes)
Key Activities
- Growing, harvesting, quality control, delivery, sales
Key Partnerships
- Feed suppliers, container manufacturers, veterinarians, logistics providers
Cost Structure
- Major fixed and variable costs
- Energy, labor, maintenance, logistics
6. Explanation Guidelines (How to Show You Understand the Canvas)
Your written explanation should go beyond describing each box. Strong submissions will:
- Explain trade-offs (e.g., higher costs vs. premium pricing)
- Show alignment between value proposition and customer needs
- Discuss assumptions (e.g., willingness to pay for fresh or local feed)
- Demonstrate how changing one block impacts others
You may include:
- Simple diagrams
- Brief competitor comparisons
- Sustainability or risk considerations (optional but encouraged)