What are Revenue Streams in a Lean Canvas?

Definition

Revenue Streams describe how money flows in: pricing model, price per unit, and customer lifetime value. Pick one number to test instead of vague ranges.

Why it matters

Price is the loudest signal you send to the market about who you are for. A 49 PLN tool and a 2,000 PLN tool attract completely different customers, even if the features look similar. Founders often avoid committing to a number because picking is scary, but a canvas without a real price is a daydream. Pricing is also where most of your growth comes from - a Price Intelligently study showed that 30% of revenue gains in SaaS come from pricing changes, not new features.

How it applies

A consultant launching a group coaching program writes: "Monthly subscription, 299 PLN/month, 3-month minimum commitment, expected LTV 1,200 PLN per customer assuming 35% churn at month 3 and long tail of retained clients." Specific price, specific term, specific LTV assumption. That lets her calculate that if CAC on LinkedIn ads is 150 PLN, she has 8x LTV:CAC - healthy. If it is 600 PLN, the channel is dead and she needs to rework the pricing or the channel.

Common mistakes

• Writing "freemium" without specifying what is free and what triggers upgrade.
• Using round numbers from competitors without thinking about your own unit economics.
• Skipping LTV and only writing the sticker price - you cannot judge CAC without LTV.
• Adding a pricing tier because "SaaS has three tiers" - unnecessary complexity at early stage.