How to write a business plan
Do you need a business plan? Not necessarily. What I mean by that is that some start-ups just start their business without doing any research or thinking about the finances. Of course you can do that but you will be more likely to fail. On the other hand, you might not need a comprehensive business plan but you should always do some parts of it or even all before your start your business – even though it doesn’t take the official shape of a business plan.
So what needs to be in a business plan?
Title slide
Add a title slide with company name, tagline and logo
Executive summary
Here summarise your business and each part of the business plan. It helps the person who reads it to understand your business quickly. Keep it to 1000 words.
Mission statement
Outline your mission statement. Tell your company story in less than 30 seconds.
Products and services
Outline in detail what you offer, how and for which price
The market
What does the market look like? What are the trends and what does this mean for your business?
Your competitors
Outline indirect and direct competitors. What do they do, how and where?
Your ideal client
Write up your ideal client avatar
Your USP
What makes you different? What is your (Unique Selling Point USP)?
Marketing Strategy
How will you market your products and services. Be detailed, not just mentioning the channels but also how, why and with which outcome.
Sales Strategy
How do you get customers interested? How do you turn the interest into sales?
Financial date
Have your expenses and income listed, create a cashflow forecast and a 1-3 or 1-5 year forecast.
Management and personnel
Give a brief overview/short bio of each team member
SWOT analysis
Create an overview of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Ownership and legal structure
Who is owning what in the company and which legal entity have you chosen.
Additional resources