1. Business Plan [insert company name]
Prepared by [insert name]
Add your logo here

2. Before you start - what makes a good plan
Firstly make sure you have read our guidance notes which you can find on our website -
Our top tips
Balance plans between brevity and detail
Make it visually engaging
Remove any jargon and technical language
Be realistic, but do….
………Show ambition
Play to your strengths
Only highlight weaknesses by addressing them
Don’t forget to delete this slide before you submit your plan to us -

3. The Executive Summary This is the trailer... Tell the story
There must be a hook
Summary
Write it at the end...but place it at the start

4. Swot analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Example 1
SWOT analyses are easy to do and there’s lots of online tools to help you

5. The market
“If you build it they will come” – that’s not quite how it works!
Always show you are addressing a market need
Size of the market/addressable market
Who are the main competitors?
What is your differentiator?
Barriers to entry
Regulation
Have you tested the market?
Evidence of market acceptance?

6. Competitive advantage
Here you need to
Define the value proposition and ensure it is compelling
Long term view
Broad
Measureable and significant
Cost/benefit analysis to customers
Not easily surpassable by competitors

7. Barriers to entry
In this section you need to clearly articulate that there are sufficient barriers to entry to limit competition so explain your -
Formal – patents, trademarks, contracts
Informal – knowledge, expertise, designs
Exploitation assessment – territories, licenses
Freedom to operate
How to protect possible infringements

8. The team
Central to any investment opportunity is the management team – they will deliver the growth. In this section you need to include -
Profiles of key individuals
Track record
Knowledge
Experience
Skills
Are there any positions to be filled?
Skin in the game? Alignment with investors

9. The financials
Arguably one of the most important slides, if not the most important.
Returns are the name of the game
Try and use visual tools such as pie charts rather than complicated spreadsheets
Reverse engineering – how have you formulated your numbers?
Profit and loss, balance sheet, CASH FLOWS
-3/+3
Sensitivity analysis
Much of the decision will be made here

10. Funding requirements
Here you need to be clear about the value you are seeking and your company valuations, please be realistic or you risk switching the investor off
Be clear – how much is required?
Timing - when is it required?
Funding window – how long will it last?
The funding window must connect two increments
Use of funds
Price – be realistic
Co-investment

11. In summary Here you need to wrap everything up succinctly
What is your ambition for the business?
Where will it take you and what are your exit plans?
Why do you want Mercia to be your investment partner?

12. Go to the slide master here to edit this slide