Revenue Model Flowchart
The Revenue Model Flowchart is a decision-tree tool from Board of Innovation that leads a team, through a series of simple questions about its offer, to a handful of numbered start-up cases whose revenue models it can study and borrow from. It is published as a printable booklet in a B2B and a B2C edition, and both follow the same 90-minute procedure. The team walks the tree, reads the cases it lands on, discusses which revenue streams could transfer, and then reworks its own business model.
Facilitation script
- 1
Walk the decision tree together. Read each question aloud, agree the answer for your offer, and note the numbers of the start-up cases at the branches you reach.
15 min - 2
Split the cases among the team. Everyone reads their cases alone and notes who pays, for what, and how often.
15 min - 3
Each person reports their cases in a minute or two. Discuss which revenue streams could apply to your offer and collect them on sticky notes.
15 min - 4
Rework your own business model: sketch two or three alternative revenue set-ups using the collected ideas and compare them with the current draft.
35 min - 5
Choose one or two options to test, name the assumption behind each, and assign who checks it.
10 min
Tips
Where the team disagrees on an answer in the tree, follow both branches and collect both sets of cases; the disagreement usually points to an open question about the offer itself.
Ask readers to describe each case as who pays, for what, and how often, so the sharing round stays on revenue mechanics and away from company trivia.
The method depends on Board of Innovation's booklet, which is licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, so use the original and do not redraw or adapt it.
Common pitfalls
Copying a start-up's revenue model because the company is well known, without checking whether your customers buy in the same way
Rushing the tree and treating its end points as recommendations; they are pointers to examples, and the thinking happens in the discussion afterwards
Stopping after the sharing round, so the team leaves with interesting stories and an unchanged business model
Relying on the booklet's cases without checking that the companies still operate that way; start-ups change their models and case material ages
Photocopying or redrawing the flowchart into your own templates, which the no-derivatives licence does not allow
Variations
The B2B and B2C editions use the same steps and timings; a team with both customer types can run the tree twice and compare the cases. Remote: share the PDF on screen for the tree, assign cases in breakout rooms, and collect ideas on a shared board. With more than eight people, split into groups that each walk the tree and compare where they ended up. If time is short, do the tree and the reading as pre-work and use the session for the sharing and redesign steps.
Where it fits
When to use it
A team has a defined offer and customer but has only considered one way of charging for it
The revenue block of a business model canvas is filled with a single word such as 'subscription' or 'licence'
An established product is moving to a new customer segment and the old pricing logic may not carry over
You want concrete examples from real companies in the room, not an abstract list of revenue model types
An innovation programme needs a short, self-guided exercise that teams can run without an expert
When not to use it
The offer and target customer are still unclear; work on a Value Proposition Canvas first, since the tree's questions cannot be answered yet
You need to set an actual price point; that takes customer research and willingness-to-pay testing, which this tool does not provide
You cannot use Board of Innovation's booklet, for example because of licence terms for commercial use; run Analogous Inspiration with your own examples
The team needs to see the whole business, not only revenue; start with a Business Model Canvas or Lean Canvas
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Revenue Model Flowchart?▾
The Revenue Model Flowchart is a tool from Board of Innovation that combines a decision tree with a booklet of start-up cases. A team answers questions about its offer, follows the branches to five to ten example companies, studies how they earn money and uses those examples to rethink its own revenue model.
How long does it take?▾
About 90 minutes: 15 minutes for the decision tree, 15 for reading the cases, 15 for sharing, and 45 for revisiting your own business model. Printing the booklet beforehand is not included in that time.
What is the difference between the B2B and B2C editions?▾
They are separate booklets with their own decision tree and cases, one for offers sold to businesses and one for offers sold to consumers. The procedure and timings are identical, so this page covers both.
Can we use it without the original booklet?▾
Not really. The procedure is simple, but the value sits in Board of Innovation's tree and case collection, which are published under a non-commercial, no-derivatives Creative Commons licence. Download the original from their site. This page is not affiliated with Board of Innovation.
What should the team have ready beforehand?▾
A clear description of the offer and the customer, and a draft business model to revise in the last step. Without those, the tree's questions lead to guesses and the final 45 minutes have nothing to work on.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Board of Innovation.