At the beginning of the online workshop, we conduct a short round of introductions and clarify the individual backgrounds, previous knowledge, interests and wishes of the participants, so that I can address them in the course of the workshop. Afterwards we discuss the agenda and the further outline of the workshop. If necessary, we also clarify whether the workshop should be conducted in German or English, if this has not already been clarified in advance.

In this section I introduce the Business Model Mechanism (BMM), which consists of several steps that I describe in detail with examples. The BMM represents the individual functioning of your business model and is the basis for all further sections in the workshop. I explain how you can identify the BMM for your business model and represent it visually for you. As exercises to this section you will determine step by step all components of your individual BMM.

In this section I introduce the Business Model DNA (BMDNA), which describes the Business Model Mechanism (BMM) from the previous section as a list of metrics that I call the DNA of the business model. I explain in detail and with examples how to identify the individual list of metrics (DNA) of a business model in three steps. The exercises for this section consist of identifying the individual DNA of your business model and its potential scenarios.

In this section, I describe the two main business objectives of profitability and growth. I explain in detail which targets are used to determine whether you are on the right path to achieving your business goals. We also talk about how business goals can typically change in phases over the course of the business. To do this, I provide an overview of the most common combinations of objectives and describe their possible advantages and disadvantages. The exercise for this section consists of determining your current business objective, the associated targets and the appropriate strategy over time.

In this section, I show that the individual metrics of the BMDNA have an individual influence on business goals. We will see how to identify the most important key metrics of your business model with a simple factor analysis and how to draw various conclusions about the functioning of your own business model mechanism based on these key metrics. This is the basis for a targeted optimization or change (pivot) of the business model. For better understanding, I show a B2C and a B2B example. The exercises for this section consist of identifying your key metrics in relation to the individual objectives with the help of the simple factor analysis and possible adjustment / optimization of the business model through a targeted pivot.

In this section we will look at the typical development of the target variables for a company's goals over time. We will see how to determine the current status quo of your company, both in the case that you are already active in the market and in the case that your are still in the idea or development phase. In both cases you will need the appropriate data sources and so, I will list the most typical data sources and procedures, as experience shows that it is often unclear how to obtain suitable data and benchmarks, especially before market entry. If you use the data to determine your own status quo, different scenarios can arise, which we will look at in detail. As an exercise, it is necessary to determine the appropriate data sources and concrete measurement or estimated values for your metrics of the business model DNA and then calculate or estimate the status quo of your company.

In this section, we will assess the chances of success as well as the opportunities and risks by carrying out a data-based assessment of the best possible values of the target variables for the selected business goals. Depending on the result of this assessment, your business model may look promising or risky. We will therefore look at the most typical scenarios and clarify what you can do if it looks like the business goal cannot be achieved or at least sounds very unlikely. As an exercise, you will assess the opportunities and risks of your business model. Depending on the result, it will look promising or you will choose one or more of the options introduced in this section if your business model seems too risky or there is strong potential for optimization.

In this section, I explain an iterative methodology based on the Lean Startup principle, how to get from the status quo to the achievement of the business goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. We combine the Lean Analytics approach with the Business Model DNA (BMDNA) to optimize the business model in a very focused and data-based step-by-step manner. To do this, we use a management dashboard with the metrics of the BMDNA. I will show, with the help of two examples (B2C and B2B), how to successfully use the Management Dashboard. As an exercise for this section, you will create the management dashboard for your company and, if necessary, start the lean analytics process based on your BMDNA.

We will learn in this section how to use BMDNA as the basis for a data-based circumstantial evidence to convince yourself, your team and external investors of the success of your business model. We will see how this approach works in detail and what advantages it has. In addition, I will introduce the so-called "backward calculation", which makes it possible to quickly assess a business model. This calculation is also often used by investors when they listen to a start-up pitch. For a better understanding, I will explain this procedure again using the two examples (B2C and B2B). As an exercise for this section, you will create the circumstantial evidence for your business model by working out the corresponding data-based plans and corresponding argumentation chains. In addition, you will carry out a backward calculation for your defined goals and evaluate the result.

In this section, I will give a brief outlook that the approaches presented in this Masterclass can also be integrated into financial planning. Thus, both the business model mechanism and the individual metrics of the business model DNA are included in the financial planning together with the corresponding plans. Such a financial plan has certain advantages over classical financial plans and can serve as a simulator for different scenarios as well as for the targeted navigation of a company. I explain the exact process in detail in my "BMDNA-based financial planning" workshop and an upcoming video masterclass.

In the last section, I summarise the most important learning concepts of this workshop. The methods and approaches presented with the Business Model DNA (BMDNA) represent a usefull guideline that will support you in all phases of your business. In an early phase, to find out the key metrics of your business model and to weigh different scenarios of your business idea against each other or to improve them through pivots. In the implementation phase to attract investors and to quickly and efficiently achieve your business goals and to document them in reporting and controlling. In the late phase of your business, when perhaps even a sale is pending, the metrics of BMDNA can support you in arguing for a further success story and also a higher company value.