1. Business Plans for Funding or Investment

2. 1. Identify a real market need
Investors especially want to know that a real market need exists
What does your customer look like?
What are their needs?
Why do they have those needs?
Do they know they have a need?
What pain are you easing? Pleasure giving?
What are you going to do to meet those needs?

3. 2. Know your business How does the market work?
How big is the overall market?
How much of that is “addressable”?
What is the competition?
If the reader does a Google search, what will they find out?
You need to establish your credibility as an expert in your field

4. 3. Understand Your Audience
Who is the audience for your business plan?
What are they looking for?
Does the plan deliver it?
Does it tell them all that they need to know?
Is the plan understandable given their level of background knowledge?

5. 4. Research Research is critical! You will appear more professional
Your target reader will be doing their own research...don’t be caught out!
BUT ..only include content that the reader can believe
Verifiable statements of fact
Official statistics, audited accounts, market analysis, etc.
Learned opinion from third parties
Articles, news, reports, etc.
The views of the authors
Need to establish credibility
Must be seen as an expert

6. 5. Know it’s purpose What is your business plan for?
What is the next step?
Will it get you to that next step?
For example, if you are looking for an investor:-
The first step is to send them your business plan
But investments never occur on the strength of the business plan
The people behind the plan are equally important.
A good business plan gets them interested in meeting the people behind it
A good business plan delivers the next step – a meeting

7. 6. The executive summary is key
It’s the first thing that gets read
It may be the only thing that is read
It sells the rest of the plan
Grab attention quickly
Concise and compelling
Straight to the point
Headlines
2 pages maximum

8. 7. Be positive It’s a selling document…..so be positive
Does it do a good job of selling?
Does it highlight strengths?
If weaknesses are mentioned are they mitigated?
(Should they be mentioned?)
Is the tone positive?
Have achievements to date been highlighted?
Has the future potential been made apparent?

9. 8. Be special You need to have something special
Something that lifts you above the competition
Are you bigger, better, faster, stronger, cheaper?
Don’t expect people to get the magic……
…..make sure they get it!

10. 9. Evidence of competency
Your business plan should describe your business strategy….
Where you are now
The vision for where you wish to be
And the action plan to get you there
They will be looking for evidence that you are competent enough to do it.
Focus on the following areas
Business Model & Pricing
Sales and Marketing
Business Delivery
Financial forecasts and control

11. 10. Structure your narrative
Check its easy to read
A flowing story-telling style is good
Include headings to organise the content
Put all technical & in-depth detail in the appendices
Balance the Business/product content
Talk product benefits not features
A Financial summary table must be in the plan
Use picture to make the main body as short as possible - 15 to 20 pages
Formatting and style are important

12. 10 The 10 Business Plan Principles
Identify a real market need
Know your business
Understand your target audience
Research
Know it’s purpose
The executive summary is key
Be positive
Be special
Evidence of Competency
Structure your narrative

13. Final thoughts
Identifying the type of finance and/or expertise you need is first step
It is always easier to raise money when you don’t need it
Raising money generally takes longer than you anticipate
Planning & understanding the mind-set of finance providers is key