What Makes up a Perfect Business Plan

Doing business plan

Whether you have a small business or a large one, you have to have a business plan in order to set a path for it. A business plan is more like a manual or guide that lists your goals in an order, and how and when you will achieve them. It is even better to have a plan B if things do not work out the way you expect them to. But an important question you should ask yourself is “what makes up a perfect business plan?” What are the important factors that you have to take into consideration to create the perfect business plan?

Of course, you can’t make a plan randomly because business matters are a game of numbers—you have to be precise and accurate.

Describing Business and Writing a Summary

The first and foremost part of any business plan is the executive summary. It is a summary of what’s included in your business plan. You have to keep in mind the word “summary” i.e. you are supposed to summarize everything. You will face two challenges when you do that. First, you will have to find the most selling and appealing parts of your reports to grab the attention of the readers of your business plan instantly. Secondly, you have to find a way to shorten all the descriptions. Bear in mind that the details are in the plan itself, so you have to efficiently summarize all the points.

Furthermore, you have to explain the industry and your business. At this point, you want to talk about what industry your business serves, what the industry looks like and how much potential of growth your business (and the industry) has in the future.

Market and Competitor Analysis

At this point, you will have to put in some work to gather the details that will fill this section of your business plan. You have to know the market that you are about to target. For this, you will have to analyze the market and the sub-markets within it. By doing this, you are trying to paint a clear picture of your target audience. Without this type of analysis, you could end up selling the right product to the wrong people, which means your business will not survive. As you are describing your target audience and how you will approach them in the most effective way possible, you will have to do some analysis of your competitors.

It is just another level of market analysis. You want to get a good idea of what your competitors are doing to run their similar businesses and how much they are succeeding with their strategies. You should also pinpoint their weaknesses and why certain strategies are not working. When you have a business with many competitors, your investors will always ask you several questions about your competitors. They do this not only to know how knowledgeable you are about your target market but also to figure out if what you are about to do is going to work at all.

Development and Design

This is the section where you will define not only the design of the product but how the development takes place. Are you creating the product in your garage or do you have manufacturing plant working for you? How do you get the materials for creating the product? Are you producing your product within the country or outsourcing the production? In case of either of the options, you will have to explain why you have chosen that path. Investors will also ask you how much it costs you to design your product and make it available on the shelf.

What they don’t want you to do is pay more for the production and design of your product than you should. If there are other options available but you are sticking to the expensive ones, it will show them either the stubborn side of your personality or the less knowledgeable.

Costs of Operation and Management Planning

The ongoing processes of the business are the most important ones to pay attention to. How have you planned to take care of the daily matters? How have you assigned the roles and why have you assigned them to certain individuals? At this stage, you also have to talk about the costs of operations. You have to keep your costs realistic and justify that what you intend to spend is not an excessive by any means. In the costs of operations, you will also have to have an estimate of how much you will be spending in salaries. You can include this particular piece of information under the financial planning section as well.

Financial Planning

In this section you have to describe how you intend to finance the business. Are you using your own money to start the business or have you borrowed it from a family member? What kind of debts are there on your business. Debt is deadly for a business, so you want to have a very strong plan on how you will handle the initial debt when starting the business. You also have to show your management of the financial resources and knowledge to prove that any loans that you are taking for the business will be paid off in time and with ease.

If you have given a detail of various loans that you intend to use for your business, you will also have to state how you will use the money. Your usage of the money should be precise. At no point should the investors get a hint that you are going to use the money for something personal or something that will not benefit your business in any way.

Conclusion

Last but not least, make projections a part of your business plan as well. You will need to ready balance sheets and income statements for the coming years. It is imperative to know here that business plans are just assumptions, not facts. You should always expect things to go a bit away from how you planned them. However, such minor setbacks should not stop you from going forward and turning your small business into a large one.

Access our network of Investors, get instantly matched with a Lender,or get a business plan by visiting us Funded.com

4 Reasons Why Your Angel Investor Says, “NO” To Your Business Startup

It’s no secret that angel investors prefer a sure thing when it comes investing in a business startup. But, that doesn’t always mean they won’t take risks when it comes to funding a business that shows great promise. If you your business startup has all the makings of a successful operation, but you keep striking out when it comes to getting the nod from a seed investor you need to consider the reasons they keep saying “no” to you.

Here are four reasons why an angel funder may be hesitant to fund your business startup. 

You Need A Business Plan That Works

 It is imperative to have a business plan in place when you seek out funding from a private investor. An undetailed business plan can raise eyebrows and have seed investors cooling off to your ideas. Take the time to develop your business plan, marketing plan, and short- and long-term goals for the business before you approach an angel investor for business funding as they will be more receptive to your proposal and help you avoid that resounding “no” for no good reason.

It Needs To Be The Right Time And Place

They say that timing is everything in business. It may be true of your angel investor as well. While you may have a stellar idea, sales coming in already, and a strong business plan to back you up, if your investor isn’t ready to make the leap, the chances of you getting funding may soon walk out the door. Don’t take these rejections personally. Realize that when the time comes, and an angel investor is ready, you’ll reap the rewards of waiting until the time was right.

They Don’t Understand The Market

Some markets require a steep learning curve to understand and recognize who the competition is. Your private investor may not be able to grasp who your target customer is and what your business brings that is new. Finding an investor that sees your vision is imperative as you look to propel your business forward. You want an investor that backs you and without a clear understanding of the market, you may face rejection from an angel investor that wasn’t right, to begin with.

They Are Just Not The Right Investor

Sometimes hearing a “no” from a business investor is a blessing in disguise. They may not have complimented your business in the way that you needed them to or they may not have given you the support you needed to soldier on. Finding the right angel partner can help your business to thrive, but waiting for them to come along can be a challenge. With a little patience, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Access our network of Angel Investors, Venture Capital or get instantly matched with a Lender. Create a crowd funding campaign or get a business plan by visiting us Funded.com

Secret to Finding Angels Investors: Great Business Plan

One of the most daunting tasks for business startup owners is finding an angel investor who would be willing to finance the bulk of the company’s expenses. And while there are a lot of possible investors out there, the number of people competing for these opportunities is also huge.

In fact, some information regarding investments showed that less than 10 percent of business startups in the United States get the nod of the most sought after angel investors in the land. This figure, however, should not discourage business owners who are competing for some financial support from investors. After all, one in every ten applicants gets the nod of an angel investor.

The question, therefore, is how will business owners ensure that they will be the one who will get the coveted nod of an angel investor? The answer is simple – a good business plan!

While angel investors take into consideration a number of things, one of the most important criteria that they look at is the business plan. Thus, having a well-polished plan is something that business startups need to have, especially if they want to secure the support of an angel investor.

There are a number ways to come up with an investor-ready business plan. But one of the first things that the entrepreneur must look at is the actual idea for the business.

Ideas should not be the one-paragraph description of what the entrepreneur wants the business to be. Rather, it should be as detailed as possible so that it covers items such as the target market, marketing strategy, capital allocation, and return of investment for possible business partners.

Having a detailed business idea is a good start into coming up with a business plan. This will assure possible investors that you are serious about the business and are not just toying around with the idea.

Ideas are one thing, but a detailed understanding of the things that would have to be done to make the idea a real thing is another. Angel investors prefer the latter.

Once, would-be business owners have a detailed idea regarding the comings and goings of the proposed business, then this is the good to time come up with a good business plan.

Business plans are actual documents that detail a number of things that angel investors want to see. In addition to the description of the proposed business, the plan should also include a step-by-step process on how the objectives and vision of the company will achieve.

It is necessary for the business plan to be detailed, but not long enough to bore the angel investors to death. Moreover, it should be written in a way that the investors will understand its contents.

Having a good business plan is a good way to attract angel investors. Therefore, business owners must thrive to come up with something that will entice possible partners to enter into an agreement with the company.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. If you need to access our network of angel investors or a business plan for start-up funding visit  Funded.com

Think of Funding When Writing Business Plans

One of the mistakes made during the writing of business plans is treating business funding as if it is a completely separate section with no real relevance to the rest of the plan. In other words, you write your executive summary, business description, market strategies and analyze the competition in a funding vacuum. Then the financial section gets tacked on, and it basically states you need money and here’s how much money you need.

But investors read business plans closely, and they are looking for a particular type of company that fits their requirements.  The words you choose to describe your business and the presentation counts. For example, if you are looking for a business loans from traditional lenders, they are not going to be impressed with hype in the least. You may have the most “stunning” invention ever created that will change the way mankind lives once your product hits the market, but a bank is going to see that kind of claim as marketing hype.

Professional From Beginning to End

Business plans are unique products. They must be interesting, professional and well written while being interesting, entertaining and exciting. That’s not easy to accomplish which is why so many entrepreneurs decide to get professional help writing their plans. Yet one of the most important features that a business plan should have, yet is often overlooked, is funder appeal.

In other words, the funders you plan on appealing to need to be attracted to what you say in your business plan from the beginning all the way to the financing plan.  It’s easy to get carried away while writing because you’re excited about your business and finding startup funding. This can lead to the use of a lot of superlatives that make your business plan look like a lot of hype without substance.

Polish the Product

As a entrepreneur you are not a huckster, so the business plan should not make you look like the equivalent of a snake oil salesman. The business plan that makes a lot of wild promises is not going to attract equity partners. Unsubstantiated claims will not get you approval for business loans. Statements that portray you as a gambler will turn angel investors away.

Business plans should be polished products that are consistently honest and give the right impression throughout the entire document. You can’t write a plan that is sassy and reckless and then expect venture capital funding to be approved because you decide to get serious in the section on financing.

Payment and Plan in Full

Polishing business plans also means making sure the plan is complete. You are in a hurry to get your plan done and to find financing, but a condensed plan won’t get you anything except rejected and especially when looking for startup funding.  Business plans prepared for venture capital firms or equity partners need to contain all of the important information about your business.  The same thing is true for angel investors. If your plan is missing essential information including marketing plan details or financial projections or only summarizes an operational plan, then the assumption will be you have not bothered to work through these details.

The original business plans that entrepreneurs use to find business funding need to be comprehensive plans that are consistent and always keep potential investors in mind. It never pays to skip the details.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept. If you need to access a network of angel investors or business plans for start-up funding visit  Funded.com

A Business Plan Starts with a Mission to Succeed

Business plans are intended to be flexible plans for succeeding, not just surviving, as a company. Yet, according to a famous Harvard professor John Kotter, 70 percent of business initiatives intended to bring organizational change will fail. That is a remarkable figure because it means efforts to adapt to a changing marketplace is failing. There is a barrier between the business plan founded on a mission and the real world.

The setbacks are sometimes one of losing sight of the company mission and weakening to plan. The purpose of the mission statement clearly states what your organization seeks to accomplish, It has a philosophy underlying it that does not change. The mission statement is a reflection of the nature of products or services sold, potential for growth, pricing strategy, customer service, and role in the community, competition and others.

The business plan needs to be developed so that each and every segment drives the business towards fulfillment of the mission. A change of proposal is merely a strategy for keeping the business on track to fulfill the mission. Leading change requires first turning to the mission statement and the business plan. A business that needs to change must be able to write a sense of urgency all through the organization because staying true to the mission statement is needed to succeed. If a change idea is needed, it means the business has gotten off course from its mission and its vision.

The business plan goals and strategies may need to be revised, but that should always be a step in the change process. In fact, business plans can serve as the direction for change as each section, from the Executive Summary to the Financial Statements, are reviewed in light of the need for change. Leadership will identify specific strategies for incorporating change and then communicate the revisions on an organization-wide basis. The change process must be empowering and encompassing, meaning employees at all levels should be embraced as change agents.

Business plans begin with a mission statement and then serve as a living breathing document. Leading organizational change is not always easy, but it can be impossible unless there is buy-in to the mission and the business plan. The strategies used to get that buy-in can vary, but staying on message cannot.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept. If you need to access a network of angel investors or business plans for start-up funding visit  Funded.com

Five People You Should Meet Before You Start A Business

As a budding business owner who is about to venture into the entrepreneurship journey, one of the best things you can do to set yourself on the right path is meeting people. Of course, it is possible to start out all on your own but it is difficult to really go to far without having help from one person or another. The kind of people you meet and how they influence you will have a huge impact on your business and how successful it turns out.  The different types of people you will meet will help your business in so many different ways such as forming of partnerships, people who are connected to major resources you might need in your business, people with more experience than you do, and people with different connections and networks.

  1. Someone who is experienced in what you are doing

This category of people can be called the mentor. A person that has done similar to what you are doing. Such a person will have the necessary skill and required wisdom and experience,that you may not have yet and can successfully help you out with tips and advices that will help you solve some problems easily. In addition,this person may have a network of contacts that you can add to your own network pool.

  1. Mentor

For your business to be successful and gain ground in any area, you have to get in touch person who is well known and respected in the community. It may not necessarily be someone that is in the same field of expertise. It can someone you admire or has positive input and encouragement. You get the added benefits of having this mentor could give you a major boost and provide insight from being outside the box.

  1. Peers

These are the people in the same niche that you are in and within the same area. Although they might not be as much influence as the first two, but there is a very high chance that you can make use of their network of contact and they can make use of yours. You can share resources with them too since you will most likely face the same kind of problems.

  1. Local talent

You will need some skill-set that you may not have. There is a good chance that you may find someone or people who can assist you in one skilled area or the other within the vicinity of your business and may be willing to help or give you free advise.

  1. Business Plan Writer

Your business will surely need some capital for you to start with and no matter how frugal your start-up capital might be. Having an experienced business plan writer write your business plan has experience formatting your business plan in a way a bank or investor would expect to see. Having a business plan is a road map of what you expect and a guide for your business.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept. If you need to access a network of angel investors or business plans for start-up funding visit  Funded.com

 

 

Importance of a Business Plan

Before a business is able to commence on its operations, it is important to have some specific details about the business mapped out. This actually varies from size to size as it can be just a few sentences or even take over a hundred pages containing different formal sections, title page and table of content. Basically, a typical business plan has an average page range of 15 – 20 pages and if comprehensive, it should consist of three sections – The business concept, the marketplace and the Financials section. These sections are the further broken down into seven more components which are the business overview or summary of the plan, the business description, market strategies, competition analysis, design and development, operations and management, and financial information. However, it does not matter how long or lengthy a business plan is, what matters is, the level of importance that should be attached to a business plan should be high. In this articles we will be looking at the importance of a business plan

  1. A business plan makes direction of the business clearer

The main purpose of writing a business plan is to have a clear view of the business and what the business’ goals are over a period of time. Being able to have a clear view of the direction in which a business is headed helps understand what needs to be done to achieve progress for the business. Making business direction clearer may include things like business description and its services or details of the ideal target customers of the business.

  1. Planning for the future

Time is a key factor in the development and growth of a business and a business plan can effectively take time into factor to make forecasts on possible market changes, market trends and new innovations or directions to go through as the business progresses. Having a clear direction helps a business know how and where to start from but future planning helps to have an idea of what the business’ goals should be.

  1. Funding or financing purposes

A business plan, a comprehensive one, helps determine the viability of a business in terms of profit. By putting statistics, figures, detailed plans and facts in writing, it will be easier to convince an investor to fund the business.

  1. Attract people to join the business

A business plan is all a business owner needs to bring in partners, executive level employees or even secure supplier accounts. With a business plan, anybody who might be interested in the business can get the needed conviction and see the potential of the business and consequently become a part of it.

  1. Effectively manage the business

With a business plan, the organization is well structured and each management position gets their role mapped out. A business plan also makes it possible to monitor the progress of the business and check if the business is well on its course to meeting up with targets, operational milestones and goals.

The importance of a business plan is not limited to these specific points. A Business plan can also help you achieve other goals such as establishing  new avenues of product development, securing suppliers and defining alternative marketing strategies to engage customers. It is an important tool for every business owners and should not be taken for granted.   

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept. If you need to access a network of angel investors or business plans for start-up funding visit  Funded.com

 

Think of Funding When Writing a Business Plan

One of the mistakes made during the writing of business plans is treating business funding as if it is a completely separate section with no real relevance to the rest of the plan. In other words, you write your executive summary, business description, market strategies and analyze the competition in a funding vacuum. Then the financial section gets tacked on, and it basically states you need money and here’s how much money you need.

But investors read business plans closely, and they are looking for a particular type of company that fits their requirements.  The words you choose to describe your business and the presentation counts. For example, if you are looking for a business loans from traditional lenders, they are not going to be impressed with hype in the least. You may have the most “stunning” invention ever created that will change the way mankind lives once your product hits the market, but a bank is going to see that kind of claim as marketing hype.

Professional From Beginning to End

Business plans are unique products. They must be interesting, professional and well written while being interesting, entertaining and exciting. That’s not easy to accomplish which is why so many entrepreneurs decide to get professional help writing their plans. Yet one of the most important features that a business plan should have, yet is often overlooked, is funder appeal.

In other words, the funders you plan on appealing to need to be attracted to what you say in your business plan from the beginning all the way to the financing plan.  It’s easy to get carried away while writing because you’re excited about your business and finding startup funding. This can lead to the use of a lot of superlatives that make your business plan look like a lot of hype without substance.

Polish the Product

As a entrepreneur you are not a huckster, so the business plan should not make you look like the equivalent of a snake oil salesman. The business plan that makes a lot of wild promises is not going to attract equity partners. Unsubstantiated claims will not get you approval for business loans. Statements that portray you as a gambler will turn angel investors away.

Business plans should be polished products that are consistently honest and give the right impression throughout the entire document. You can’t write a plan that is sassy and reckless and then expect venture capital funding to be approved because you decide to get serious in the section on financing.

Payment and Plan in Full

Polishing business plans also means making sure the plan is complete. You are in a hurry to get your plan done and to find financing, but a condensed plan won’t get you anything except rejected and especially when looking for startup funding.  Business plans prepared for venture capital firms or equity partners need to contain all of the important information about your business.  The same thing is true for angel investors. If your plan is missing essential information including marketing plan details or financial projections or only summarizes an operational plan, then the assumption will be you have not bothered to work through these details.

The original business plans that entrepreneurs use to find business funding need to be comprehensive plans that are consistent and always keep potential investors in mind. It never pays to skip the details.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. , it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept, including a private forum for queries and discussions.  If you need to access a vast network of business people, entrepreneurs, partners and service providers to help you start, finance and run your business, check out Funded.com

The power of ‘value proposition’ over angel investors

All entrepreneurs know that angel investors rely on business plans in coming up with a decision to whether or not approve a funding request. Unfortunately, while this knowledge is already known to many, a lot of business owners still have a hard time crafting an exceptional plan.

The problem is with the content. More often than not, entrepreneurs only focus on what they believe are the most important aspects of the business plan: the company’s history, its marketing strategies, and its financial reports and outlook. While these are all necessary in convincing the investor that his or her money will be on the right hands, it lacks an important element that could mean the difference between a yes and a no – the value proposition.

The value proposition is an element in the business plan that defines why the consumers would avail of the product or the service. It provides the “benefits” that the purchase of goods or services would provide for the consumers.

This is something that an angel investor would want, as it would differentiate the business from its competitors. Moreover, it would provide potential investors with an idea on how the business fares when it comes to the alignment of its operations with the market.

Having a carefully crafted value proposition could attract more investors to provide funding for the company. For instance, a consulting firm would not be able get the nod of an investor if its value proposition is limited to statements such as, “it could help customers get a high return on investment.”

A better proposition would be, “customers will be able to experience an improvement of return of investment by using the company’s state-of-the-art and up-to-date propriety software and equipment.”

By tweaking the value proposition to provide a clearer picture of the business’ understanding of its target market, entrepreneurs would be able to convince angel investors that it is ready to accept financial support for possible expansion.

At the end of the day, the business plan remains the most important weapon that business owners can use to convince angel investors to pour money into their businesses. Having a carefully crafted value proposition within the plan would ensure that the business has a good chance of getting that evasive nod from an angel investor.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at http://www.funded.com Created by Mark Favre, it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept, including a private forum for queries and discussions. If you need access to investors and funding providers, please do check our website.http://www.funded.com

Business Plan Starts with a Mission to Succeed

Business Plan

Business plans are intended to be flexible plans for succeeding, not just surviving, as a company. Yet, according to a famous Harvard professor John Kotter, 70 percent of business initiatives intended to bring organizational change will fail. That is a remarkable figure because it means efforts to adapt to a changing marketplace is failing. There is a barrier between the business plan founded on a mission and the real world.

The setbacks are sometimes one of losing sight of the company mission and weakening to plan. The purpose of the mission statement clearly states what your organization seeks to accomplish: It has a philosophy underlying it that does not change. The mission statement is a reflection of the nature of products or services sold, potential for growth, pricing strategy, customer service, and role in the community, competition and others.

The business plan needs to be developed so that each and every segment drives the business towards fulfilment of the mission. A change of proposal is merely a strategy for keeping the business on track to fulfil the mission. Leading change requires first turning to the mission statement and the business plan. A business that needs to change must be able to write a sense of urgency all through the organization because staying true to the mission statement is needed to succeed. If a change idea is needed, it means the business has gotten off course from its mission and its vision.

The business plan goals and strategies may need to be revised, but that should always be a step in the change process. In fact, business plans can serve as the direction for change as each section, from the Executive Summary to the Financial Statements, are reviewed in light of the need for change. Leadership will identify specific strategies for incorporating change and then communicate the revisions on an organization-wide basis. The change process must be empowering and encompassing, meaning employees at all levels should be embraced as change agents.

Business plans begin with a mission statement and then serve as a living breathing document. Leading organizational change is not always easy, but it can be impossible unless there is buy-in to the mission and the business plan. The strategies used to get that buy-in can vary, but staying on message cannot.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at http://www.funded.com Created by Mark Favre, it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept, including a private forum for queries and discussions. If you need access to investors and funding providers, please do check our website.http://www.funded.com