Many business owners have already filled in a business canvas at a course or with a consultant: a one-page board, split into blocks, that helps you think through the whole business at once. The Networking Canvas uses the same format to answer a different question. Instead of "how does my company work?", it answers "how do I generate business through relationships?". To fill in yours now, use the Networking Canvas: it has six blocks, optional suggestions for each one, and the result is ready to download or save to your profile. In this guide, you will understand each block, how it differs from the Business Model Canvas and how to use the board in a business round.
What the Networking Canvas is
It is a one-page board with your business relationship strategy. It brings together, in one place, what you offer, who it is for, what changes for the customer, what you are looking for, who you can refer and who already walks alongside you.
It may seem like little, but most small companies have never written these answers down. They live in the owner's head and come out differently in every conversation. With the board written down, your pitch becomes consistent, your referral requests become clear and your meetings become more focused, because you know what to ask and what to offer.
The six blocks
1. What I offer
Your product or service, in one sentence with no jargon. The test: would someone outside your industry understand it on first reading? "Omnichannel engagement platform" does not pass. "A system that confirms appointments over WhatsApp" does. If you have already used the Pitch Generator, its opening line is a good starting point.
2. Who it is for
Your ideal customer: sector, company size, region and who makes the buying decision. The more specific you are, the easier it is for others to think of someone who fits. "Small and medium-sized businesses" is far too broad. "Physiotherapy clinics with two to five treatment rooms, where the owner manages the schedule" is a profile someone can recognize. If you do not have this profile written down yet, the Ideal Customer Profile Builder helps you get there.
3. The result I deliver
What changes for the customer after working with you, in their language. Not the list of features, but the consequence: fewer no-shows in the schedule, on-time delivery, less rework on the construction site. This is the block that makes the person on the other side pay attention.
4. What I am looking for
Who you want to meet right now: customers, suppliers, partners, sales representatives or investors, and the profile of each. Write it in the present tense and in order of priority. Looking for everything at once is the same as looking for nothing. If this quarter's focus is finding a sales representative in the countryside, say so.
5. Who I can refer
Who your contacts are usually useful to. It is the block many people forget and the one that most changes the quality of your networking. Business relationships are an exchange: someone who only asks is remembered as someone who only asks. If you serve construction companies, you probably know engineers, architects, building material suppliers and accounting firms in that industry. Writing this down makes it clear what you bring to the table, even when the other company is not your customer.
6. Key partners
Who already refers you, who complements your offer and who serves the same customer without competing with you. A solar energy company and an electrical renovation company, for example, serve the same customer at close moments. Listing these partners shows where to invest relationship time and helps you see which types of partner are still missing.
The difference between the Networking Canvas and the Business Model Canvas
The Business Model Canvas was created by Alexander Osterwalder and became well known through the book Business Model Generation, written with Yves Pigneur. In Brazil, the format also became popular among small business owners through Sebrae courses and materials. It has nine blocks: customer segments, value proposition, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships and cost structure.
The two boards look alike, but they answer different questions:
| Point | Business Model Canvas | Networking Canvas |
|---|---|---|
| Central question | How the company creates, delivers and captures value | How the company generates business through relationships |
| Number of blocks | Nine | Six |
| When to use it | When designing or reviewing the business model | When preparing prospecting, referrals and meetings |
| Talks about money | Yes: revenue and costs | No: the focus is on people and companies |
| Day-to-day use | Planning, reviewed from time to time | The basis for your pitch, your profile and your referral requests |
Some blocks relate to each other. "Who it is for" is close to customer segments, "The result I deliver" is close to value proposition, and "Key partners" resembles key partnerships, except that here the focus is on who refers and complements you, not on who supplies resources. "What I am looking for" and "Who I can refer", on the other hand, have no equivalent in the Business Model Canvas, and they are precisely the ones that make networking work.
One does not replace the other. If the company is still defining what it sells and how it makes money, start with the Business Model Canvas. If the model is already up and running and the challenge is finding the right people, the Networking Canvas is your working board.
How to fill it in one session
- Start with What I offer and The result I deliver. These are the blocks you know best. Write quickly and adjust later.
- Move on to Who it is for. Think of the three best customers you have ever had and what they have in common.
- Write What I am looking for in order of priority. One or two things, not five.
- Fill in Who I can refer. Look at your contact list and ask: who would these people be useful to?
- Finish with Key partners. List who has already referred you and who serves the same customer without competing.
- Read it out loud. If any sentence sounds like an advertising brochure, rewrite it in a customer's words.
Short sentences are worth more than crowded blocks. A good board is one you can explain in a minute.
How to use the canvas in a business round
An online business round brings companies together in short video call meetings, suggested by business fit. If you have never taken part in one, it is worth understanding how a business round works before going further. The canvas helps at three moments.
Before: the profile that guides the suggestions
The platform's B2B matchmaking uses what each company declares (what it offers and what it is looking for) to suggest the conversations with the best fit. The Who it is for and What I am looking for blocks are exactly that declaration. With an account and a registered company, you can save the canvas to your profile and take these answers to your next round. Rounds are open to companies from any city in Brazil, and there is no guarantee you will talk to someone from the same industry: that is why being clear about what you are looking for matters so much.
During: opening, questions and exchange
Open the conversation with What I offer and The result I deliver, in a few sentences. Then ask what the other company is looking for. If it is not a potential customer, use Who I can refer: you may know exactly the supplier or partner they need. Meetings where both sides leave with something useful are the ones that generate mutual interest, and contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest.
After: update the board
After the round, review your canvas. A conversation may have revealed a partner you had never considered, or a customer profile that fits better than the one you had written. The board is a living document: update it after every round or every quarter.
Networking Canvas examples
The examples below are fictitious and are only meant to show a completed board.
Accounting firm for service providers
- What I offer: accounting and tax routines for service companies.
- Who it is for: agencies, consultancies and clinics with up to twenty employees, where a partner handles the finances.
- The result I deliver: the partner stops wasting time on tax forms and knows how much they can take out every month.
- What I am looking for: marketing agencies and consultancies that are outgrowing the MEI regime.
- Who I can refer: corporate lawyers, insurance brokers and management software companies.
- Key partners: a labor law firm and an invoicing software company.
Custom packaging manufacturer
- What I offer: cardboard boxes and packaging with the customer's brand, in small batches.
- Who it is for: food and cosmetics brands that sell online and handle shipping in-house.
- The result I deliver: the product arrives intact and looking like a brand, without having to buy thousands of boxes at once.
- What I am looking for: a sales representative who already serves small food manufacturers.
- Who I can refer: print shops, carriers and packaging design studios.
- Key partners: a design studio that creates the artwork and a carrier that serves online stores.
Building maintenance company
- What I offer: electrical, plumbing and air conditioning maintenance on a monthly contract.
- Who it is for: commercial buildings and store chains with several locations, where the operations manager decides.
- The result I deliver: fewer emergency calls and a predictable maintenance schedule.
- What I am looking for: property management companies and expanding franchise chains.
- Who I can refer: cleaning, security and solar energy companies.
- Key partners: a cleaning company that serves the same buildings and an air conditioning parts supplier.
Common mistakes when filling in the canvas
- Writing to impress: jargon and adjectives make the board look nice and useless. Write the way you talk to a customer.
- Looking for everything: customers, partners, investors and suppliers at the same time. Choose what matters now.
- Leaving Who I can refer blank: it is the block that shows your value to your network. Without it, you are just one more person asking.
- A generic Who it is for: if any company fits, nobody remembers any of them.
- Filling it in once and forgetting it: the board ages along with the company. Review it after every round.
Summary
The Networking Canvas is a one-page board with six blocks: what I offer, who it is for, the result I deliver, what I am looking for, who I can refer and key partners. It uses the format many business owners know from the Business Model Canvas, but answers a different question: how to generate business through relationships. Use the board to write your pitch, fill in your round profile, guide your conversations and review your partners after every meeting.
With your canvas ready, put it to the test in real conversations. Your company's first online business round is on us: all you need is an active CNPJ, once per CNPJ, and contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest. See the upcoming business rounds and take your board to your first conversation.