01
See the whole picture
One page shows who it is for, how it reaches them and how it earns, so you know what is solid and what is still a guess.
Camderson Academy · CA-BE-004
Map your business model. Test it cheaply. Decide with evidence.
A practical, self-paced course for founders and teams with a new idea. Put the whole model on one page, describe a specific customer, write a promise people believe, turn guesses into testable hypotheses, run small real-world tests, check the numbers and plan a pilot.
About 5 hours · 12 lessons · Intermediate · No business degree needed · Self-paced · Tools you keep · 30-day money-back guarantee
Great ideas get stronger when they are tested early.
02
Learn before you spend
Small, real tests with a pass line set in advance show what customers do, before you commit to a lease, a stock order or a launch.
03
Decide with confidence
Simple math and a written decision rule help you continue, change or stop on purpose, and protect your time and money.
Learning outcomes
What you will be able to do
Practical outcomes, each practiced in an exercise and checked in the final assessment or the capstone.
- Explain a business model in plain words and tell it apart from an idea, product or plan.
- Describe a specific customer group and the situation in which they want your offer.
- Design the building blocks of a model: promise, channels, relationships, revenue, resources, partners and costs.
- Turn guesses into testable hypotheses and test them cheaply with real customer behavior.
- Calculate unit economics and break-even and read test results against a pass line.
- Assemble a validation plan with a premortem and a pilot.
The Camderson method
Simple tools that make an idea ready for the real world
Model Check
Who · Problem · Reach · Earn
Find what to learn first about any idea.
One-Page Canvas
Nine blocks · K, G, B
Put the whole model on one page with known, guess and blank marks.
Customer Job Card
Who · Situation · Struggle · Alternative
Describe one specific customer and their situation.
Promise Statement
Who · Problem · Benefit · Because
Write one believable sentence for the customer.
Channel and Revenue Map
Reach · Keep · Earn · Fit
Choose channels, relationships and revenue that fit together.
Cost and Partner Ledger
Fixed · Variable · Partners
List what the model needs and what it costs.
Assumption Ladder
List · Rewrite · Rank · Test
Rank guesses by hurt if wrong and lack of evidence.
Story First Interview
Open · Story · Struggle · Spend · Close
Learn from real past behavior.
Smallest Test
Hypothesis · Offer · Pass line · Budget
Test one hypothesis with a real offer and a pass line.
Unit Economics Sheet
Price · Variable · Contribution · Fixed
Find contribution and break-even.
Decision Rule
Pass line · If pass · If miss · Mislead
Decide in advance what a result means.
Validation Plan
Canvas · Ranked tests · Numbers · Premortem · Pilot
Bring everything onto one page.
Map. Test. Count. Decide.
Curriculum
Inside the course
4 modules, 12 lessons with worked examples
01
Seeing the Whole Model
Understand what a business model is, put it on one page with the canvas and describe a specific customer.
02
Designing Each Building Block
Write a promise people believe, choose channels, relationships and revenue that fit, and map resources, partners and costs.
03
Testing Before You Commit
Turn guesses into testable hypotheses, learn from real customer conversations and run small tests with a pass line.
04
Proving It and Deciding
Check unit economics and break-even, read evidence with a written decision rule and build a validation plan with a premortem and pilot.
What is included
Skills, tools and templates you keep and use in your work
- 12 lessons, each with a written lesson, worked examples and figures, at your own pace
- A running example from Brookmere Mobile Pet Care, a fictional organization where people in every team put these skills to work
- A fillable Workbook with Try it and Reflect pages for every lesson
- Business Model Templates (Word) for every teaching tool
- A practice tracker with live formulas, a solutions version and a reusable template
- Quick Reference Cards and the Case Pack
- An optional visual companion PDF with every lesson figure
- Knowledge checks for every module and a 20-question final assessment
- A capstone you can build for your own team or a fictional case, reviewed by a person
- Access to the Camderson Academy community
- A Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion when you pass the final assessment and the capstone
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if
- You have an idea for a business, product or service and want to test it before spending serious money
- You are a founder, side-business builder, owner or part of a team exploring a new offer
- You want simple tools you can use again for the next idea
It is not the right fit if
- You need a full written business plan for a lender (CA-BE-002 covers that)
- You want step-by-step first-customer and launch help (CA-BE-001 covers that)
- You want an in-depth pricing course (CA-BE-003 covers that)
- You need legal, tax or investment advice for your own situation
Your instructor
Meet your instructor
Taught by Camderson Advisory
Strategic advisor and organizational leader
Your instructor is a strategic advisor and organizational leader whose career spans healthcare, public service, human resources, operations, and learning and development. Years of building and facilitating workplace trainings for hundreds of employees and leaders have shown that new habits stick when they are simple, practical and welcome in every role. In this course, your instructor helps you test an idea with simple tools and real evidence before you commit major money.
About
About Camderson Academy
Camderson Academy is the education division of Camderson Advisory Services. Camderson helps leaders build organizations that work without them in the room. Everything we teach has been used in a real organization first.
Training a team?
We offer group enrollment for teams and whole organizations that want everyone, in every role and department, to build the same skills. Email connect@camderson.com to talk through your group.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience or a previous course?
No. There is no prerequisite and no business degree is needed. If you have an idea you want to test, you are ready.
Who is this course for?
Founders, side-business builders, owners planning a new offer and teams exploring a new idea. The example is a mobile pet grooming start-up, and the tools fit services, products, nonprofits and programs of any size.
How long do I have access?
Your access does not expire. We review the course on a regular cycle, and any updates are added for you at no extra cost.
How long does it take?
About 5 hours in total, including the written lessons, the Try it exercises, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the capstone. Everything is self-paced.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes. You are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If the course is not right for you, email connect@camderson.com within 30 days of purchase and we will refund you in full. No questions asked. Your course access ends when the refund is issued. (Guarantee wording identical to earlier courses.)
What tools do I need?
A spreadsheet program that opens .xlsx files (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or LibreOffice Calc), a word processor that opens .docx files and a PDF reader. All templates and practice files are included as downloads.
Do I have to use my own idea for the capstone?
No. You can build your plan for the fictional Larchwood Bike Repair included in the course. If you use your own idea, leave out confidential details.
Does the course recommend products or give professional advice?
No. It names no products or vendors, and it is general education, not legal, tax, accounting or investment advice. It teaches you the questions to ask and points you to real sources. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any vendor.
Is the certificate accredited, or does it carry professional credit?
Neither. You receive a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion after passing the final assessment and the capstone, which a person reviews. It is not an academic credential and does not carry continuing education or other professional credit.
Map your business model. Test it cheaply. Decide with evidence.
Self-paced, about 5 hours, with a Workbook, templates, Quick Reference Cards and a practice tracker.
Backed by our 30-day money-back guarantee.
This course earns a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion. It is not an academic credential and does not carry continuing education or other professional credit. This course is general education about designing and testing a business model. It is not legal, tax, accounting or investment advice, and it does not guarantee any business result. Examples, prices and numbers are illustrative. Check current rules with qualified professionals for your own situation. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any software or service vendor named as an example and does not endorse any product.