E-commerce Business

How E-commerce can be a great startup business and can generate considerable revenue

e-commerce business

The contemporary age is influenced by modernized e-commerce business of variegated natures that will likely generate handsome revenues and innumerable jobs. Apart from conventional businesses, the world is steering towards crafting new startups to meet the ever-changing necessities of the globe. New startup businesses are not only imperative for generating new job opportunities but also beckon the interest of fiscally gigantic investors to invest and help these businesses to soar. Startup businesses should be vigorously funded to meet the needs and prompt the researchers to invent more objects and products to enhance the living standards of society. We have dedicated this blog to accentuating the lucrativeness of the E-commerce business so that readers become conversant with it. So, let us start without further ado!

What is E-commerce?    

E-commerce implies buying and selling different products and objects via the internet and transferring data and funds. Transactions in business can be made as either business to business, which is known as B2B, Business to Consumer (B2C), Consumer to Consumer(C2C), and Consumer to Business (C2B). Often, E-commerce and E-business are interchangeably used. Similarly, e-tail is employed for the transaction processes that constitute online retail shopping.

In the previous decades, the excellent use of e-commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay has efficiently brought about pronounced growth in online sales. Scalability of this business can be fathomed by its rapid increase to 16% from 5.1% in 2007 till now. This business has a base website called the E-commerce website.

How does E-commerce work?

Essentially, it works on the internet, allowing buyers easy access to products and services they are looking for and then placing an order for the desired service or product.

Once a buyer places an order, the web browser on the buyer’s side will start communicating with the server of the online website store. Data regarding the established order will be passed on to a central computer called the order manager; after that, the data is passed on to databases managing inventory levels and a bank computer. This whole process ensures whether the customer funds are sufficient for the order to be processed. Post to order validation, the order manager will instantly inform the store’s web server, then notify the customer by displaying a message that the order has been successfully placed. After that, the order manager will convey this data to the warehouse to prepare the product to be delivered. In this phase, tangible products are dispatched to the customer’s address, whereas access is given to digital products. In E-commerce, marketplaces are dedicated for sellers to sign up and start buying services and products simply. You can use an eCommerce application instead of using a web browser to carry out all this process.

Types of E-commerce:       

A few types of e-commerce need to be understood before you start an e-commerce setup. Let us have a glance over them:   

1-Business-to-Business (B2B):

B2B implies exchanging goods, products, or services between businesses rather than between customers. Typical examples of B2B e-commerce are online directories, development, and supply exchange online stores/websites that enable businesses to search for products, services, or information and commence transactions via e-procurement interfaces. 

According to research conducted in 2017, it was predicted that B2B will surpass 1.1$ trillion in the United States by 2023.

2-Business-to-Consumer (B2C):             

It is such a retail part of e-commerce that incorporates selling products, and services by businesses to customers directly. This term became popularized during the dot-com boom in the late 1990 when online retailing was no less than a marvel! Nowadays, there is a plethora of virtual stores and malls selling products and goods. The most prominent example of a B2C e-commerce website is Amazon which is the most dominating in this spectrum!

3-Consumer-to-Consumer(C2C):

It is a type of e-commerce that incorporates trading products, services, and goods between consumers. All the transactions in the C2C kind of e-commerce are conducted by a third party that affords an online platform on which transactions take place. Typical examples of C2C e-commerce are online auctions and classified advertisements, with eBay and Craiglist one of the most renowned platforms of this ilk.

4-Consumer-to-Business (C2B):  

It is a sort of e-commerce business where consumers craft products and services for online companies and corporations to meet their manufacturing needs. This is contrary to the traditional trading model of B2C.

A prominent example of a C2B platform is a market that aims to sell royalty-free images, photographs, and design elements like iStock.

Advantages of E-commerce:

E-commerce business wields enormous profit when set up professionally. Here are some of the advantages of E-commerce that are fetching enough to invest in this business.

1-24/7 Availability:

Irrespective of electricity and internet outages, e-commerce sites are 24/7 available to generate revenue by allowing customers to browse their desired products and services from an unending panorama of variety. Its super availability makes it a worth-investing business.

2-Wide availability:

E-commerce enables the online business to span across the whole globe and possesses many products that are quickly dispatched to the customer’s doorstep. In this way, every nation or country is aimed at without much hassle, leading to massive revenue and brand development. Moreover, every person can easily avail of services by using E-commerce applications.

3- Ease of accessibility:  

Customers can easily access their desired products by scrolling through the variety of products on the online store without the hassle of physically visiting the out-let that is entailed in conventional marketing. So, this feature makes it a profitable investment business.

Why should new E-commerce businesses be started?

Our world is gradually being overwhelmed by the internet world that is changing the modality of several processes, with the conventional ones being obsoleted by the modern ones. Business through E-commerce has gravitated a huge number of people towards it since it eliminates hassles of physically outreaching the outlet, punctually adhering to time for the outlets being open. Although there are already a few booming e-commerce businesses, there is a vast scope in this business that can be racked up by targeting several specific niches and maintaining great quality and timely delivery. Therefore, we are inviting investors to help bolster E-commerce businesses since these businesses are highly profitable and easy to build a brand.

Author statement:

Funded.com is the leading platform for accredited investors network worldwide. We monitor and provide updates on important funding events. Angel Investors and Venture Funding can be a key growth for a startup or existing business. Whether it is a first, second or third round financing having a strategic alliance with an Angel Investor or Venture Capital financing can propel a business to the next level and give the competitive edge.

Why the End of the Year Is the Perfect Time to Review Your Finances

Review

Whether you have a startup, a small business, or a large enterprise, chances are the year has passed at the speed of light for you. You were review and designing your marketing campaigns, availing growth opportunities, and looking through reports when the year-end arrived. While people dedicate this time of the year to holiday delights and festivities, this also happens to be the perfect time to do a review of your finances, whether you are just an individual with a 9 to 5 job or a small business.

Why should you spend your end of the year for a financial review? Here are the top reasons.

A Strong Visual of Your Financial Standing

The most important thing about a year-end financial review is that it gives you a complete visual of where your business is standing at the moment. Everything that has happened throughout the year is now on the reports before your eyes. You can look at the information and see what has performed and what has not performed. You must have put a lot of money into marketing your products, services, and the brand as a whole. You can now see which of those campaigns have yielded promising results and which of them have proved to be futile.

The same goes for your account receivables. Compare your account receivables with those from the previous years and see if there has been an increase or decrease. If there is an abnormal increase, it is a telltale sign that you might need to change your payment plan or push more to receive your pending payments faster. Every activity you have done in the past year has painted a picture now in front of you. Whether you grew as a business, stagnated, or receded is evident at the end of the year.

The Best Time to Set New Goals

Based on how you performed in the preceding year and whether you have achieved your set targets and goals, you can set goals for the coming year. Your previous year’s performance should clarify how you have to put your marks for the coming year. Keep them realistic yet motivating and challenging enough to leave room for hard work, struggle, and progress. Not only should you be looking at how successful you were in achieving the previous year’s goals, but you should also pay attention to your current financial standing.

Best Time to Apply for Loans and Credit Processing Services

Regardless of how long you have been in business, when you apply for certain services, the service providers look at your previous year’s performance. For example, let’s say that you want to apply for a merchant account (maybe a high-risk one), so you can start processing credit card requests for your customers. When you approach a merchant account provider, they will ask for some history of your business activities—at least three months. By the end of the year, you have enough data to show to lenders and credit processing services to convince them to do business with you.

Of course, a financial review will give you a good look at whether you have done enough to impress these service providers or not. You can apply for these services with a quarterly credit history, but it will not be considered sufficient in most cases.

Best Time to Get Your Tax Files in Sync

Yes, you have been extra careful about your tax filing and preparation the whole year, but the overall integrity of your records still has a question mark on it. You need to prepare your tax files at the end of the year and calculate your liability with utmost accuracy. While tax preparation software has made the job much more manageable, complex tax files still need your accountants’ attention to get everything in sync. The important thing here is that a review not only helps you escape penalties that you might attract by putting wrong information on your file. You want to update your information at the end of the year because you want to calculate your benefits too accurately, e.g., tax credits, exemptions, standard deductions, itemized deductions, etc.

Time to Start Afresh

Your business might not have been a very successful venture. Many companies don’t make the best start, and it seems in the beginning that it would be difficult for the business to survive. However, small changes in strategies and cuts in costs can prove to be incredibly beneficial for companies. The best time to start afresh and renew all your reports and files is the end of the year. While you can change your strategies and plans midway, too, it is natural for most humans to feel the need for a new start at the start of a new year. For example, people can decide to lose weight at any time of the year, but it seems it makes the most sense to them when they do it at the start of a new year.

If you think your business has not performed well, but you still want to give it a shot, the end of year financial review can clear the path for you by telling you if you can afford to give it another try or not.

Bottom Line

There is no restriction on when you want to make changes to your business plans and strategies. However, people find it natural and more motivating to set new goals, learn from past mistakes, and make new moves when a new year starts. Throughout the year, your main goal is to keep the ball rolling.

However, at the end of the year, you have enough data collected from all your business operations and activities to know how fruitful your efforts were, which actions you should consider in the future, and the expenses that have kept you from progressing. In short, a financial review at the end of the year helps you make new and important decisions for your business.

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

Setting Up A Small Business in 2018 – It’s Not all About How Much Money You Have

When you think of starting a business, the first thing that comes to mind is money/capital. Of course, you need money to start a business, even if it is very little considering the fact how easy it is to start a business in the digital age. However, there could be many other factors that affect a business in today’s digital economy—some you show serious concern to and some you don’t really pay attention to much.

Blockchain Is Affecting All Types of Businesses

One of the biggest concerns for today’s entrepreneurs before they start business is probably blockchain or crypto technology. The world is seeing the rise of crypto technology and how it is being integrated into the existing business ideas. A little more than a couple of years ago, you must have heard the term “bitcoin”. From bitcoin, people still believe that blockchain is all about digital currency i.e. money in the digital world. However, this is far from truth. Blockchain is expected to affect all types of businesses and industries in the world in the coming days.

It is a technology that redefines the security aspect of many businesses in 2018, introduced decentralization in modern business technologies and benefits the end consumers in multiple ways. For example, you could launch a gaming platform where no one needs the existing currencies. You could launch your own platform with your own money today. You don’t really have to start everything from the scratch; instead you could base your currency on the existing blockchain platforms like Ethereum. Through ICOs, you could have investors from around the world invest in your idea. So, blockchain is definitely a consideration for all businesses starting in 2018 and the coming years.

Physical Warehouses Are Not Necessary

A few years ago, only a certain types of business could be called truly online businesses. For businesses where products have to be stored for some time, a complete online presence was not the solution. Entrepreneurs who had such business ideas in mind had to have enough money to have their own warehouses. However, this has also changed quite a bit in the past couple of years. With the idea of drop shipping becoming common with time, it is becoming easier for businessmen to start their own businesses without much investment.

In a drop shipping model, all you have to do is collect orders from customers, forward those orders to the manufacturers or suppliers and have the goods shipped. You only act as a liaison in this particular model because it is the supplier that sends the products directly at the customers’ doorsteps. You will still need an online store with all the products listed for customers to see. However, you don’t need any warehouses because you don’t have to own, buy or store any products. The good thing is that this model now allows drop shippers to offer much more competitive rates so penetrating into the market is easier for them.

Big Data Is the Big Difference

Another technology that has been influencing business decisions and the way businesses operate is big data. While the term “big data” seems that you are referring to just large amounts of data but in reality, you are also referring to the methodologies and technologies that are in use to handle big data. You will be completely wrong to think that traditional software and hardware solutions can deal with big data in any way. Let’s take the example of a bank. A bank could have hundreds of branches located all around the country. In these hundreds of branches, the bank will have hundreds of thousands of customers.

The bank has account information of hundreds of thousands of these customers. In addition to that, the bank is constantly investing in stock and foreign markets, storing and utilizing that information. The same bank handles the data of all micro and macro loans it is forwarding to its customers. It is also storing information about customers through its mobile application to know what customers expect from the mobile website. On all of those hundreds of branches, the bank also has CCTV cameras collecting terabytes of footage on a daily basis.

Do you think all this data goes to waste? No, the data bank collected from banks is utilized in making bank branches securer. Data from mobile devices helps bank refine their mobile application. Data collected through financial softwares helps a bank improve its insurance, loan, mortgage, etc. offerings. It may seem on the surface that big data is a headache for big businesses only, but big data is just as important for small businesses as well. What this mean is that businesses starting in 2018 will have to have a big data approach right from day one.

Internet Security Is the Biggest Threat Now

It is unfortunate that rather than making the world a safer place, the new technology has led to greater internet threats. Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent with time, and much more sophisticated too. In the past few years, cyber attacks on some of the biggest companies of the world, including tech companies have proved that security has to be the major concern for every business—small, mid-scale or large. If you think starting a new business or having a small business gives you any advantage over large ones, here is something you would want to take a look at.

 

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

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

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.

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