Business Fundamentals
Navigate your business context with confidence.
- Answer the essential questions that define your business context
- Align your team around a shared understanding, captured on a single page
- Uncover hidden gaps, untested assumptions, and critical contradictions
How does our business make money?
Product decisions only have business impact when you understand the business. This course walks you through the 14 questions that define your business context and captures the answers on a one-page canvas.
What's included
- On-Demand Content: Get access to 100% of the content on day one. Learn at your own pace with in-depth, how-to content to guide your learning.
- The Business Fundamentals Canvas: Capture the details of your company's business context on an easy-to-read, one-page canvas.
- 11 Detailed Example Canvases: Get inspiration from detailed examples of business contexts for a variety of B2B, B2C, and internal products.
- The Business Fundamentals Coach: Get personalized, detailed feedback on every answer on your canvas, reviewed by the instructor team before it reaches you.
- Instructor Support and Office Hours: Our instructor team answers questions and reviews your work, and monthly Office Hours give you real-time help alongside your peers.
- Supportive Community: Get support and learn from peers who are also mapping their business context.
Who this is for
Product managers, designers, engineers, and product leaders who need to connect their work to business outcomes. If you can't say in detail how your business makes money, or your team feels disconnected from business metrics, this course gives you the shared language and the one-page tool to fix that.
What you'll walk away with
The Business Fundamentals Canvas
One page that captures how your business works: who you serve, how you make money, how you acquire and retain customers, and how you differentiate. Reference the same framework whether you're planning, deciding, or communicating. Know exactly which questions you still need to answer, and evolve the canvas as your understanding grows.
Personalized feedback
Every question module ends with your own product. Submit your answer and the Business Fundamentals Coach gives you personalized, detailed feedback. The instructor team reviews every piece of feedback before you see it.
11 example canvases
See completed canvases for a variety of B2B, B2C, and internal products, so you know what a clear business context looks like before you build your own.
Explore the course outline
18 modules, 150 lessons
00 Start Here
- Start Here
- The Fine Print: Our Terms and Conditions
- The CDH Slack Community
01 Why Create a Business Fundamentals Canvas?
- What Questions Will the Business Fundamentals Canvas Answer?
- Why Create a Business Fundamentals Canvas?
- Who Can Use the Business Fundamentals Canvas?
- When Should You Draft or Revisit a Business Fundamentals Canvas?
- What Happens if We Disagree on the Answers?
- What If Something Changes?
02 Who Are Our Target Customers?
- Who Are Our Target Customers?
- Tablet Hotels Example: Who Are Our Target Customers?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: Who Are Our Target Customers?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: Who Are Our Target Customers?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: Who Are Our Target Customers?
03 What Problems Do Our Products Solve?
- What Problems Do Our Products Solve?
- Tablet Hotels Example: What Problems Do Our Products Solve?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: What Problems Do Our Products Solve?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: What Problems Do Our Products Solve?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: What Problems Do Our Products Solve?
04 Which Products Account for the Most Revenue?
- Which Products Account for the Most Revenue?
- Tablet Hotels Example: Which Products Account for the Most Revenue?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: Which Products Account for the Most Revenue?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: Which Products Account for the Most Revenue?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: Which Products Account for the Most Revenue?
05 Any Expected Changes to Our Revenue Mix?
- Any Expected Changes to Our Revenue Mix?
- Tablet Hotels Example: Any Expected Changes to Our Revenue Mix?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: Any Expected Changes to Our Revenue Mix?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: Any Expected Changes to Our Revenue Mix?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: Any Expected Changes to Our Revenue Mix?
06 Who Are Our Main Competitors?
- Who Are Our Main Competitors?
- Tablet Hotels Example: Who Are Our Main Competitors?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: Who Are Our Main Competitors?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: Who Are Our Main Competitors?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: Who Are Our Main Competitors?
07 How Do We Uniquely Differentiate From Competitors?
- How Do We Uniquely Differentiate From Competitors?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Uniquely Differentiate From Competitors?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Uniquely Differentiate From Competitors?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Uniquely Differentiate From Competitors?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Uniquely Differentiate From Competitors?
08 How Do We Charge Customers?
- How Do We Charge Customers?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Charge Customers?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Charge Customers?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Charge Customers?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Charge Customers?
09 Does Pricing Vary by Product or Customer Type?
- Does Pricing Vary by Product or Customer Type?
- Tablet Hotels Example: Does Pricing Vary by Product or Customer Type?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: Does Pricing Vary by Product or Customer Type?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: Does Pricing Vary by Product or Customer Type?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: Does Pricing Vary by Product or Customer Type?
10 How Do We Acquire Customers?
- How Do We Acquire Customers?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Acquire Customers?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Acquire Customers?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Acquire Customers?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Acquire Customers?
11 How Do We Support New Customers' Success?
- How Do We Support New Customers' Success?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Support New Customers' Success?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Support New Customers' Success?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Support New Customers' Success?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Support New Customers' Success?
12 How Do We Retain Customers?
- How Do We Retain Customers?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Retain Customers?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Retain Customers?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Retain Customers?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Retain Customers?
13 How Do We Support Existing Customers' Success?
- How Do We Support Existing Customers' Success?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Support Existing Customers' Success?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Support Existing Customers' Success?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Support Existing Customers' Success?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Support Existing Customers' Success?
14 How Do We Expect to Grow Revenue?
- How Do We Expect to Grow Revenue?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do We Expect to Grow Revenue?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do We Expect to Grow Revenue?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do We Expect to Grow Revenue?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do We Expect to Grow Revenue?
15 How Do Incentives Differ Across Sales & Support?
- How Do Incentives Differ Across Sales & Support?
- Tablet Hotels Example: How Do Incentives Differ Across Sales & Support?
- What Makes for a Great Answer?
- Test Your Knowledge: How Do Incentives Differ Across Sales & Support?
- Test Your Knowledge: Scoring Rubric
- Put It Into Practice: Noom Case Study
- Check Your Answers: How Do Incentives Differ Across Sales & Support?
- Put It Into Practice: Your Product
- Get Feedback: How Do Incentives Differ Across Sales & Support?
16 11 Business Fundamentals Canvases
- B2B SaaS: License-Based Business
- B2B SaaS: Usage-Based Business
- B2B API-Based (Tiered Usage) Business
- B2C Ecommerce Business
- B2C Ad-Supported Business
- B2C Subscription Business: Noom
- B2C Subscription Business
- B2C Ecommerce and Subscription Business: Tablet Hotels
- Internal: Sales Revenue Enabling
- Internal: Customer Support Cost Avoidance
- Internal: Developer Efficiency
17 Congratulations: Apply for a Course Certificate
- Congratulations on Completing the Business Fundamentals Course
- Get Feedback: Submit Your Final Canvas
- Apply for a Business Fundamentals Course Certificate
- Help Future Students: Give Course Feedback
What students say
I took the Business Fundamentals course ahead of starting a new role in product discovery, making the shift from design. It helped me prepare for the role, in a new industry, by providing a valuable framework to better understand layers of the business I hadn't previously considered.
Very valuable and important for product leads. I really like the mixture of video content, quizzes, examples of a filled-out canvas based on a product, and the individual feedback.
Go for it! It is a valuable method for approaching a new product, but equally helpful for auditing existing products. A great addition to the standard toolbox for product leads as well as business leads.
This course is highly beneficial for anyone looking to skill up in a product management or discovery discipline.
Meet your instructor
Hope Gurion created and teaches Business Fundamentals. She is a product coach working at both the leadership and team levels. She has led more than 40 B2B and B2C product teams throughout her career as Chief Product Officer at CareerBuilder and SVP, Product Management at Beachbody, and she led several verticals as a product and business leader at AOL.
She is the host of the Fearless Product Leadership podcast. She has an MBA from Duke University and a BA from Pennsylvania State University, and she is based near San Francisco, CA.
Earn a course completion certificate
When you finish the course, submit your Business Fundamentals Canvas for review by the instructor team. Once it meets the course expectations, you receive a course completion certificate.
Certificates must be generated while your term is still valid. If your term has expired, you can extend it through the CDH Membership program.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have access to the course content?
You'll have access to all of the course content for 3 months starting from your course purchase date. Your enrollment also includes the Slack community, monthly community calls, and office hours for those 3 months. Want more time, or access to every Product Talk Academy course you've purchased? The CDH Membership program extends your access and adds several other benefits.
Why don't you offer lifetime access like other self-paced courses?
We limit access for two reasons. We know that many people buy self-paced courses, procrastinate, and never complete them. We limit your access to motivate you to complete the course in a reasonable timeframe. And your course access includes our community, monthly community calls, and monthly office hour sessions with our instructors. We can't offer those benefits indefinitely.
Can I transfer my enrollment to another student?
No. A course purchase is tied to a specific student. You cannot transfer your enrollment to another student.
Is there a way to extend my course access after it expires?
The only way to extend your course access is through the CDH Membership program. It extends your access to any Product Talk Academy course you have previously purchased and includes several other benefits.
Can I defer my enrollment or pause my 3-month term?
We do grant deferrals in some situations. If you have budget to spend before the fiscal year ends but a busy quarter coming up, we can defer the start of your term. If something unexpected happens and you won't be able to complete the course during your remaining term, we can pause your term. We only defer or pause the remaining portion of your term, so let us know as soon as possible. When deferring or pausing, you must complete your 3-month term within 12 months of your purchase date. To request a deferral or a pause, or to resume your term, email support@producttalk.org. We typically respond within 2 business days.
Do you offer a course completion certificate?
Yes. We do not issue certificates for consuming the course content. Instead, the course includes assessment activities, and we issue certificates to students who complete each one and show proficiency. Certificates must be generated while your term is still valid. If your term has expired, you can extend it by joining the CDH Membership program.
What's your refund policy?
We want you to be satisfied with your purchase. Because students get access to the full course immediately, we handle refund requests case by case. Send requests to support@producttalk.org with as much detail as possible about why you are requesting a refund; we typically respond within 2 business days. Requests are usually not granted when you didn't make time to engage with the course before your term ended, when you had different expectations than what this page describes, or when a tactic from the course didn't work right away in your organization. Every tactic needs to be adapted to your context, and we support that experimentation through office hours and the Slack community. Refunds are issued to the original form of payment.
Is this course accessible?
We use high-contrast fonts and reasonable font sizes, include alt text on all images, and provide closed captions on every video. We do not currently offer audio versions of our text content, but we hope to add this soon. If you have a specific need that is not addressed here, email support@producttalk.org. We'd love to accommodate additional needs if we can.