present a business plan for investors

How to Make a Killer Business Plan Presentation (+Templates)

Learn how to make a business plan presentation with tips for slide design, structure, and engaging examples, as well as templates to bring your vision to life.

7 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What slides should a business plan presentation include?

• Opening slide
• Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
• Business overview
• The challenge you're addressing
• Market analysis
• Your solution
• Marketing and sales strategy
• Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Team composition
• Funding request and allocation

Your business plan presentation needs to be as strong as your idea

Having a well-crafted business plan is crucial, but if it's not presented effectively, it's like having a treasure map that no one can read.

Even the best ideas can fall flat if they're not communicated clearly, potentially burying your chance of getting your business off the ground.

Remember, presenting a business plan is more than just sharing facts and figures. It's about engaging your audience, whether they're investors or stakeholders, and making them believe in your vision.

But don't worry, you're not alone in this. This guide is here to help you master the art of business plan presentation. You'll learn how to structure your presentation, design slides that captivate, and conclude in a way that leaves a lasting impact and drives action.

Let's dive in!

What to include in a business plan presentation?

A business plan presentation is your chance to delve deep, showcasing not just the what and the how, but also the why of your business. It's your strategic playbook that can persuade investors, guide your team, and set the foundation for your business's success.

11 essential slides of a business plan presentation:

Opening slide: Set the tone with an engaging first impression.

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Define what sets your business apart.

Business overview: Offer a concise snapshot of your company.

The challenge you're addressing: Describe the problem your business solves.

Market analysis: Demonstrate your understanding of the industry and market trends.

Your solution: Detail how your product or service addresses the problem you’ve identified.

Marketing and sales strategy: Outline your approach to winning and keeping customers.

Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Specify your objectives and how you’ll measure success.

Team composition: Introduce key team members, their roles, and expertise.

Funding request and allocation: Explain your financial requirements and how the funds will be utilized.

Next steps: Guide the reader on the next steps after reviewing your plan, whether it's a meeting request, further discussion, or a specific action you want them to take.

What does a business plan presentation look like?

In today's fast-paced business world, static business plan presentations are losing their edge. Imagine having to constantly pinch and zoom on a mobile device just to see the details. It's frustrating and distracting.

People also get disengaged when faced with walls of text. They're there to hear a story, not read a novel.

Interactive presentations, on the other hand, bring your business plan to life. They encourage audience participation, adapt to the flow of discussion, and make complex ideas more digestible and memorable.

You can see what an interactive business plan presentation looks like below:

How to turn a business plan into a presentation

Transforming your business plan into a presentation is a crucial step in bringing your vision to life. It's not just about having a plan; it's about presenting it in a way that resonates with investors and partners.

Start by distilling the essence of your plan, focusing on key points like your mission, market analysis, and financial projections. Use engaging visuals and a clear narrative to make complex information accessible.

For detailed insights on how to write a business plan , check out our guide.

How to make a business plan presentation in 6 easy steps

Crafting a business plan is about blending vision and strategy into a narrative that captivates your audience. With Storydoc's AI business presentation maker, creating this narrative becomes intuitive and easy.

In the guide below, we'll show you how to turn your plan into an engaging presentation in 6 simple steps. Stick around to see how seamlessly Storydoc can bring your business story to life.

1) Describe your presentation’s objective

Kick things off by sharing with our AI the type of business plan you're looking to create. This is like setting the GPS for your journey, ensuring every part of your plan is aligned with your end goal.

2) Give an overview of yourself, your organization, and your offering

Introduce the essence of your business - who you are, what your company stands for, and the unique value of what you offer. This sets the stage for a personalized and relevant presentation.

3) Select a suitable design template

Dive into our collection of design templates and pick one that resonates with your business's personality.

4) Tailor your business plan presentation to your needs

Now, here’s where you add your personal touch. Fill in your details, tweak the design, and watch the magic happen as the template adapts to your content. This is where your business plan presentation starts to take on a life of its own.

Then, you can either upload your own multimedia elements or sit back as our AI assistant generates some for you.

5) Add personalized elements

Next up, sprinkle in some personalization. It works just like personalizing a newsletter - you can insert dynamic variables that automatically fill up with your recipient's data.

This level of customization not only makes your presentation feel tailor-made for each reader but also adds a layer of engagement. As a matter of fact, it can get 68% more people to read your deck in full , and share it internally 2.3x more often!

6) Review and refine your business plan presentation

Finally, take a step back and review your plan. Ensure it looks good, flows well, and clearly conveys your message.

The beauty of Storydoc is that it's a living document – if you spot a mistake or need to update information after sharing, you can. You're in control, ensuring your audience always sees the most polished and up-to-date version of your business plan presentation.

Business plan design principles to turn average into impressive

Designing a business plan presentation is about more than just putting words on a page; it's about creating an experience that captures and holds attention. In today's digital age, the way you present your plan can be just as important as the content itself.

Let's explore how to design a business plan presentation that stands out in the modern business landscape.

1) Move from static to interactive

Gone are the days of static, text-heavy business plan presentations. Today's plans are interactive, engaging readers with clickable elements, dynamic charts, and even embedded videos.

This interactivity not only makes your plan more interesting but also allows readers to engage with the content in a more meaningful way.

Here's a great example of an interactive business plan presentation:

2) Use scroll-based design

Forget the hassle of pinching and zooming on a PDF. A scroll-based design, similar to a modern website, offers a fluid reading experience.

It's straightforward and aligns with how we naturally consume content online, making your business plan presentation easier and more enjoyable to read.

Here's an example of scroll-based design:

3) Make sure your business plan presentation is mobile-friendly

With so many people reading on their phones, your business plan presenttion needs to look good on any device.

Responsive design means your plan is easily readable on a phone, tablet, or computer, ensuring that your message is clear no matter how your audience accesses it.

4) Shift from local files to online documents

Step away from traditional Word docs or PDFs and embrace online documents. They're great for sharing, updating in real time, and collaborating with others.

Plus, they're accessible from anywhere, which is perfect for busy investors who are always on the move.

For more information, check out our comparison of the best business plan document types .

5) Embrace visual storytelling

Use visuals like infographics and charts to tell your business's story. They can turn complex data into easy-to-understand, engaging information. A well-placed visual can often do a better job of explaining your points than text alone.

Here's a great example of visual storytelling:

Best business plan software

Selecting the right tool to create your business plan presentation is vital for any startup. To ease your journey, I've compiled a list of the top business plan software, each designed to cater to different needs.

From comprehensive platforms guiding you step-by-step to dynamic tools that add interactive elements to your presentation, there's something for every entrepreneur.

The best business plan software currently available:

LivePlan.com

BizPlan.com

Upmetrics.co

GoSmallBiz.com

Business Sorter

MAUS Master Plan Lean

For a deep dive into each tool and to find the one that best fits your business's needs, explore our detailed guide to the best business plan software .

Interactive business plan presentation templates

The pressure to get your business plan presentation right can be overwhelming. After all, in many cases, you only get one shot to impress.

These business plan presentation templates offer a framework that takes care of the structure and design, allowing you to focus solely on fleshing out your strategy.

Whether you're pitching to investors, partners, or stakeholders, these templates give you the confidence that your plan is presented in the best possible light.

Grab one and see for yourself.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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Presenting your business plan to investors is a critical step in securing funding and driving your vision forward. To captivate your audience, focus on clearly defined objectives , a comprehensive market analysis , and detailed financial projections . Engaging storytelling and tailored presentations can significantly enhance your appeal, making it essential to master these elements for a successful pitch.

What are the key components of a successful business plan?

Clearly defined business objectives.

When presenting your business plan to investors, it is crucial to start with clearly defined business objectives . These objectives should articulate what you aim to achieve and serve as a roadmap for your business. Investors are particularly interested in understanding how your objectives align with market opportunities and potential returns on investment. Ensure that your objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Comprehensive Market Analysis

A thorough market analysis is a cornerstone of an effective business plan presentation. This analysis should cover key aspects such as target demographics, market size, growth potential, and competitive landscape. Highlighting relevant industry trends and opportunities will demonstrate to investors that you have a deep understanding of the market and can navigate its complexities. Utilize data and statistics to back your claims, making your presentation more compelling.

Detailed Financial Projections

Investors are particularly keen on understanding the financial projections of your business. This section should include detailed forecasts of revenue, expenses, and profitability over the next few years. Make sure to address how you will achieve these projections and the assumptions behind them. Providing a clear financial roadmap not only instills confidence in your business model but also showcases your preparedness for potential investor questions about finances.

Outline of Marketing and Sales Strategies

Your marketing and sales strategies must be clear and actionable. This section should explain how you plan to attract and retain customers, as well as how you will generate sales. Investors want to see a well-thought-out plan that outlines specific tactics, channels, and budgets. Including timelines for implementing these strategies can also help investors visualize your path to success.

Organizational Structure and Management Team

Lastly, your business plan should detail your organizational structure and highlight your management team. Investors often look for experienced leadership that can drive the business forward. Include brief biographies of key team members, focusing on their relevant experience and achievements. This information can significantly impact investor confidence in your ability to execute the business plan.

• Ensure your business objectives are aligned with investor interests and market opportunities.
• Use visuals to present market analysis data effectively.
• Be transparent about financial projections and the underlying assumptions.
• Incorporate clear timelines into your marketing and sales strategies.
• Highlight the strengths of your management team to build trust with investors.

How can you effectively tailor your presentation to your audience?

Research the investors' interests and backgrounds.

Understanding your audience is a critical component of an effective business plan presentation. Before you step into the room, take the time to research the investor interests and backgrounds . This knowledge enables you to align your pitch with their specific goals and preferences. Look into their previous investments, industry focus, and any public statements they’ve made about what they value in potential business opportunities. Tailoring your presentation in this way ensures that you can speak directly to their motivations, increasing the likelihood of a positive reception.

Highlight relevant industry trends and opportunities

Investors are often keen on understanding the landscape within which your business operates. By highlighting relevant industry trends and opportunities , you can place your business in a context that resonates with their interests. Discuss current market dynamics, emerging technologies, and consumer behavior shifts that align with your business objectives. This approach not only demonstrates your knowledge but also positions your business as a timely and attractive investment opportunity.

Adjust the level of detail based on investor expertise

Not all investors have the same level of expertise when it comes to your industry. Therefore, it’s essential to adjust the level of detail in your presentation accordingly. For seasoned investors familiar with your sector, a high-level overview with in-depth financial projections and market analysis may suffice. Conversely, for those less familiar, it’s beneficial to provide more foundational information about the business plan components , emphasizing how your business fits into the larger market landscape.

Focus on what matters most to the specific investor group

Every investor has unique priorities. Some may be more interested in financial returns, while others might prioritize social impact or innovation. By focusing on what matters most to the specific investor group, you can craft a presentation that speaks directly to their values. This could mean emphasizing your financial projections, detailing your marketing strategies, or showcasing your team’s qualifications. Tailoring your pitch in this way creates a stronger connection and demonstrates that you understand their investment criteria.

Use relatable examples and analogies

Complex ideas can sometimes alienate your audience. To engage investors effectively, use relatable examples and analogies that simplify your concepts. For instance, if you’re discussing a complex technology, compare it to a well-known product that they’re familiar with. This technique not only clarifies your points but also makes your presentation more memorable. By using familiar references, you can bridge the gap between your innovative ideas and the investors' understanding.

• Prepare a tailored executive summary that highlights key points relevant to the investors.
• Incorporate data and statistics that align with investors' interests in your industry.
• Practice delivering your pitch to ensure you can adjust on the fly based on audience feedback.

What visual aids can enhance your presentation?

Utilize slides to summarize key points.

Using slides is one of the most effective techniques for presenting your business plan to investors . A well-structured slide deck can help you maintain focus and ensure that you cover all essential business plan components . Aim for a clean and professional design, avoiding clutter and excessive text. Each slide should highlight the core message, making it easier for investors to grasp your vision quickly.

Include charts and graphs for data representation

Data-driven decisions are crucial in the investment world. Utilizing charts and graphs can make your financial projections and market analysis more digestible. Investors appreciate when complex data is presented visually, as it helps them see trends, comparisons, and forecasts at a glance. Consider using:

• Bar graphs for comparing sales forecasts
• Line charts to show growth over time
• Pie charts for market share distribution

Use infographics for complex information

Infographics are a fantastic way to distill complex information into easily understandable visuals. They can effectively convey the essence of your marketing and sales strategies or illustrate the organizational structure and management team . By incorporating infographics, you not only make your effective business plan presentation more engaging but also help investors visualize your business model.

Consider prototypes or product demos if applicable

If your business involves a physical product or a software solution, incorporating a prototype or product demo into your presentation can be a game changer. This hands-on approach allows investors to experience your offering firsthand, making your pitch more memorable. It demonstrates your commitment to the business and can significantly enhance your credibility as a founder.

Ensure visuals are professional and clear

Professionalism in your visual aids cannot be overstated. Ensure that all visuals are clear, high-quality, and free from errors. Remember that your investor presentation tips should always align with the professional image you want to portray. Use consistent fonts, colors, and styles across slides to create a cohesive look. A polished presentation reflects well on your diligence and attention to detail.

• Limit text on slides; aim for no more than six bullet points per slide.
• Use a consistent color palette that reflects your brand identity.
• Practice transitioning between slides to maintain a smooth flow.
• Test your visuals on different devices to ensure compatibility.

How can you prepare for potential questions from investors?

Anticipate common questions and concerns.

When presenting your business plan to investors, it’s crucial to anticipate the types of questions they may ask. Investors are often concerned about aspects such as your financial projections , market competition, and the overall viability of your business model. By preparing for these common inquiries, you can demonstrate your knowledge and confidence in your business plan.

• What is your revenue model?
• How do you plan to acquire customers?
• What are the key risks associated with your business?
• How do you plan to use the funds you are seeking?

Practice responses with a focus on clarity

Once you've identified potential questions, it’s essential to practice your responses. Clarity is key when addressing investor inquiries, as investors value straightforward answers that reflect your understanding of the business. Aim to articulate your thoughts succinctly while providing enough detail to satisfy investors' curiosity.

• Rehearse with a mentor or colleague to refine your answers.
• Record yourself to evaluate your tone and clarity.

Gather data and examples to support answers

Backing up your responses with relevant data and real-world examples can significantly enhance your credibility during the presentation. Investors appreciate evidence that supports your claims, making it essential to compile market analysis and financial projections that align with the questions you anticipate.

• Use industry benchmarks to validate your financial forecasts.
• Reference case studies that demonstrate successful strategies.

Be honest about challenges and risks

Investors prefer transparency over sugarcoated responses. Being candid about potential challenges and risks associated with your business not only shows integrity but also prepares you for follow-up questions. Discussing your strategies for mitigating these risks can further reassure investors about your preparedness.

Encourage a conversational approach during Q&A

During the Q&A session, strive to create a relaxed atmosphere that encourages dialogue. This approach can help build rapport with investors, making them feel more comfortable engaging with you. Listen actively to their questions, and respond thoughtfully, fostering a two-way conversation instead of a one-sided Q&A.

• Maintain eye contact to foster connection.
• Use open body language to show you are approachable.

What role does storytelling play in your presentation?

Storytelling is a powerful tool when presenting your business plan to investors . It transforms a simple presentation into a compelling narrative that not only captures attention but also fosters emotional connections. A well-crafted story can make your business idea resonate deeply with potential investors, leading to a more memorable and impactful pitch.

Create a compelling narrative around your business idea

At the heart of an effective business plan presentation is a strong narrative that weaves together the essential components of your business. This narrative should clearly outline your vision, mission, and the problem your business aims to solve. By framing your business objectives within a story, you provide context that makes your plan more relatable.

Use personal anecdotes to connect with investors

Integrating personal anecdotes into your pitch can significantly enhance your connection with investors. Sharing your journey, the challenges you faced, and your motivations can humanize your business and make it more engaging. This approach not only builds trust but also illustrates your passion for the project, which is crucial for how to pitch to investors .

Highlight customer success stories or testimonials

Including customer success stories or testimonials in your presentation can serve as powerful endorsements for your business. These stories demonstrate the real-world impact of your product or service and validate your business plan components. They help investors visualize the practical applications of your offering and the value it brings to customers.

Illustrate the problem and your innovative solution

Effective storytelling requires you to clearly define the problem your business addresses. Use relatable examples to illustrate this issue, making it tangible for your audience. Following this, present your innovative solution in a way that highlights its uniqueness and effectiveness. This structure not only engages investors but also emphasizes the need for your product or service in the market.

Keep the story concise and relevant to the main points

While storytelling is crucial, it’s important to maintain focus and brevity. Keep your narrative concise, ensuring that it aligns with the main points of your presentation. Avoid unnecessary tangents that could dilute your message. A well-structured story should complement your financial projections for startups and market analysis without overshadowing them.

• Practice your storytelling technique to ensure smooth delivery and confident presentation.
• Incorporate visual aids that enhance your narrative, such as slides showcasing customer testimonials or problem-solution graphics.

Incorporating storytelling into your effective business plan presentation can significantly enhance your pitch. It engages investors on a deeper level, making them more likely to remember and invest in your vision. By leveraging personal experiences, customer narratives, and a clear illustration of the problem and solution, you create a compelling case that can set your business apart in a crowded investment landscape.

How should you handle feedback and objections during the presentation?

Listen actively and acknowledge investor concerns.

One of the most critical aspects of handling feedback and objections during your business plan presentation is to listen actively. This means not just hearing the words spoken by investors but also understanding the underlying concerns and motivations. Acknowledging these concerns demonstrates respect and shows that you value their input, which can foster a more productive dialogue.

Maintain a calm and professional demeanor

Throughout your presentation, it's essential to maintain a calm and professional demeanor, especially when faced with challenging questions or objections. This not only reflects positively on you and your business but also reassures investors that you can handle pressure and navigate potential difficulties. Staying composed allows you to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

Provide thoughtful and informed responses

When addressing investor questions or objections, ensure that your responses are well-informed and articulate. Use data and examples from your business plan components to back up your claims. This not only reinforces your credibility but also helps investors see the validity of your proposal. Tailoring your answers to resonate with the investors' interests and backgrounds can further enhance your response.

Be open to suggestions and alternative viewpoints

Being receptive to suggestions and alternative viewpoints is crucial during your investor presentation. This openness can lead to constructive discussions that may refine your business strategy or approach. By demonstrating flexibility, you show that you are willing to adapt and iterate, which is a valuable trait in the dynamic world of startups.

Follow up on unresolved questions after the presentation

It's often the case that not all questions can be addressed during your presentation. Following up on unresolved questions shows your commitment to transparency and thoroughness. After your pitch, send a follow-up email that includes answers to any lingering queries investors may have posed. This proactive approach can strengthen relationships with potential investors and further demonstrate your dedication to your business.

• Prepare a list of anticipated objections and practice your responses to build confidence.
• Use real data and case studies from your market analysis to support your answers.
• Encourage an open dialogue during the Q&A segment to foster a collaborative atmosphere.

What follow-up actions should you take after the presentation?

Send a thank-you note to each investor.

Following your business plan presentation, it's essential to express gratitude to the investors for their time and consideration. A well-crafted thank-you note can leave a lasting impression and reinforce your professionalism. Aim to personalize each note by referencing specific points discussed during the presentation. This not only shows your attentiveness but also helps to build rapport.

Provide any additional information requested

During the presentation, investors may ask for further details or clarification on certain aspects of your business plan. It is crucial to follow up promptly with the requested information. This demonstrates your responsiveness and willingness to engage in dialogue. Organize the information clearly, ensuring that it aligns with the interests of the investors. This could include:

• Detailed financial projections for startups
• Market analysis to support your business objectives
• Additional data or case studies that highlight your business plan components

Keep investors updated on your business progress

After the initial presentation, maintaining communication is vital. Regular updates on your business progress can keep investors engaged and informed. Share milestones achieved, challenges faced, and how you are overcoming them. This transparency fosters trust and can keep the investors' interest alive as you move toward further funding opportunities.

Schedule follow-up meetings to discuss further

Proactively scheduling follow-up meetings can provide a platform for deeper discussions. This allows you to address any lingering questions and elaborate on your business plan presentation. During these meetings, you can:

• Present additional visual aids for presentations
• Discuss potential collaboration opportunities
• Gather feedback on your business strategy

Being proactive in scheduling these meetings reflects your commitment and eagerness to build a relationship with the investors.

Maintain ongoing communication to build relationships

Building a relationship with investors goes beyond the initial presentation. Regular check-ins, updates, and sharing relevant industry news can keep you on their radar. Use various communication channels, such as:

• Email newsletters to share progress and insights
• Social media updates for informal engagement
• Invitations to industry events where you can connect in person

By maintaining ongoing communication, you not only keep investors informed but also position yourself as a dedicated entrepreneur who values their partnership.

• Always personalize your thank-you notes to make a stronger connection.
• Be prompt in providing additional information; this showcases your efficiency.
• Regular updates should be concise and focused on key achievements.
• Use follow-up meetings to delve deeper into investor interests and concerns.
• Leverage social media platforms for casual updates and engagement.
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How to Create a Business Plan Presentation [Plus Templates]

Written by: Masooma Memon

You know your business idea is strong, but presenting it in a way that captivates your audience and inspires them to take the desired action? That’s a different story.

But don’t worry. With the right approach and resources, you can create a business plan presentation that not only conveys your idea in the best possible way but also wins over potential investors, partners and clients.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you have in mind like how many slides does your business idea presentation need, what goes into those slides, and how to create, design and present an impressive business plan presentation.

Here's a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit business plan presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme

Along the way, we’ll also show you a series of ready-to-use business plan presentation templates that you can customize to use as your own. See? We did say creating a presentation isn’t rocket science.

Ready to learn how to create a business presentation?

Let’s get started already.

Table of Contents

• What Is a Business Plan Presentation?
• What Should Be In a Business Plan Presentation?

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation

• How to Design a Business Plan Presentation With Visme

Business Plan Presentation Best Practices

How to present a business plan presentation, business plan presentation faqs.

• A business plan presentation is a formal slide deck that includes your goals, mission, strategy, pricing model, financial projections, teams and other information about your new business.
• Typically, a business plan presentation includes a title slide, problem, solution, pricing plan, business operations information, marketing plan, industry overview, financial projections, team and a concluding slide with your contact details.
• To create a business plan presentation, identify your goals, conduct research, create an outline, develop the content, design your slides, prepare supporting material, and finalize and polish.
• Design a business plan presentation easily in Visme by picking a template, adjusting the slides, customizing the template, and then downloading and sharing your presentation.
• Some tips for creating impressive business plan presentations include drawing attention to your core message, making your slides easy to read and understand, sticking to one or two fonts, picking a nice color scheme, using minimal text and paying attention to the visuals.
• To effectively present a business plan presentation, keep your presentation concise, add interactivity, pay attention to the design and incorporate data visualization.
• Visme makes it easy to create a professional business plan presentation that leaves a solid impression on your audience. Use features like ready-made templates, built-in graphics, animations, branding and AI-powered tools to create stunning presentations.

What is a Business Plan Presentation?

We know a business plan as a formal document that includes your business goals, mission, strategy and the rest of the starting-a-business shebang. 

A business plan presentation is all that with added pressure since you’ve to convey the entire information in slides – clearly and concisely. 

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Put another way, you don’t have wordy documents to convey your ideas. Instead, you’ll need to be clear about selling your idea to investors by sharing all the important details in an engaging and succinct manner. 

What Should Be in a Business Presentation?

Now that you know how your slides need to look, let’s talk about another important point—your presentation’s slides and what they need to talk about. 

The bare minimum slides you need are 10. Remember, cover only one business aspect per slide.  Here’s what your slides should be about.

Slide 1: The Title Slide

This needs no explanation — it’s your introductory page that should include your business’s name, any slogan that you may have, and a logo as well (if it’s ready). Don’t forget to add your name to the slide. 

Since this is the first slide, it needs to be an impression maker. One way to create such a slide is to rely on a powerful image that showcases your business idea. 

Take, for example, this presentation template by Visme. It pretty much speaks for itself, narrating the business idea is related to social media scheduling.

Looking for the perfect image for your presentation? Grab one from a pool of 700+ free presentation images . 

Slide 2: The Problem Your Business Solves

Dedicate your second slide to diving into the pain point your business solves.  You can use facts to make things convincing. But, there’s nothing that beats a good story. 

Here is an amazing business plan presentation example that does just that.

Additionally, make sure you let your design do the talking. For instance, this presentation template uses a few words and pairs them with icons that explain facts.

Slide 3: Your Business’s Solution

Now that you’ve introduced the problem, give the solution. 

This is the part where your story comes to its happy ending. And what’s the happy ending? Your business idea.  

Again, make sure your solution-offering slide isn’t wordy, but digestible. Try a diagram or sketch to explain your idea like here.

Slide 4: Your Pricing Plan

Okay, so investors know you’ve a great idea that you’ve delivered in an even greater story format. They’re impressed. What’s next? Your pricing structure. 

In your business model slide, go on to tell who your customers are, what your revenue sources are going to be, and how much you expect customers to pay for your product/service?

But, instead of writing it all, present your pricing plans in a simple-to-grasp chart. 

Here’s what I mean.

Slide 5: Business Operations Information

Now is the time you give your audience an inside peep into the operating nuts and bolts of your business. 

Where will your business headquarters be located? What about the staff that runs the show in the background. What equipment will you need? Answer all that in this slide. 

Just make sure you offer all this info in a chart or diagram.

Slide 6: Your Marketing Plan

Next, tell your audience how you plan to market your business. 

Nope, "TV and ads" is not the right answer. Instead, share your marketing plan including the channels you’ll use and how you plan to do so. 

Planning to make a separate marketing presentation? Dig into this guide to create one with free templates.

Slide 7: Industry Overview

In other words, this slide is for competitor analysis. Make sure you keep it clipped and use a positive approach. 

Defaming or bad-mouthing competitors won’t help. What’ll make a difference in your favor though is how well you explain your unique selling proposition (USP) or what makes your business a winner. 

Share this information in a chart or outline the key pointers like this template below does.

Slide 8: Financial Projections

Time to pull out the crystal ball that shows the future!

Answer the following in this slide: what financial projections do you’ve for the next 3 years and 5 years to come. Then, explain how you reached those numbers. 

Here’s a template that does that well:

Slide 9: Your Team

Here’s the part when you talk about the key players who’ll help you build your business. 

See how this template intros teammates.

Slide 10: Concluding Slide

This is your last slide. It’s best to close your presentation with your contact details (check out the slide below for an idea) and a sense of urgency.

But why the urgency, you ask? Because you want to tell your audience that now is the right time for your business to enter the market. 

1. Identify Your Goals

Before diving into your presentation, take a step back and clarify your purpose.

Are you seeking investment, looking for partners or pitching to potential clients. Knowing your aim helps shape your entire approach.

Then, set clear goals for your presentation. Maybe you want to secure a certain amount of funding or land a specific partnership. Having these objectives in mind keeps you focused and helps you measure success later on.

2. Research and Gather Information

Now it's time to roll up your sleeves and dig into the nitty-gritty.

Start with thorough market research—understand your industry inside out and know your competitors like the back of your hand.

Also, get a solid grasp on your target audience. Research their backgrounds, interests and what they're looking for. This insight is gold when tailoring your content.

Don't just skim the surface; dive deep. Collect hard data, compelling statistics and solid financial information that backs up your claims.

As you gather all this information, keep it organized. Use spreadsheets, mind maps or whatever system works for you. The point is to have this valuable intel at your fingertips when you need it.

For example, you can use Visme’s whiteboard tool for this purpose. Or design an engaging mind map that you can easily share with your team.

3. Outline Your Presentation Structure

Think of your presentation as a story—it needs a beginning, middle and end. And all of these parts need to flow seamlessly.

Start by mapping out the key points and sections you want to cover. Then, arrange them in a logical order that builds momentum. Make sure each section naturally leads into the next, creating a compelling narrative.

As you plan, consider how much time and emphasis each part deserves. Your game-changing product might warrant more time than your office location, for instance. A well-structured presentation keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your vision effortlessly.

Want to learn more? Here’s a detailed guide on the different types of presentation structures you might want to use for your business plan presentation.

4. Develop Your Content

Here's where you breathe life into your presentation.

Craft content that's not just informative, but captivating. Think about what makes your business unique and exciting— that's the story you want to tell.

Develop a clear, punchy value proposition that instantly communicates your worth. As you write, keep your audience in mind. What matters to them? Align your content with their interests and needs. If you need help with crafting the perfect words, use Visme’s AI Writer for assistance.

For each slide, aim for concise, impactful statements. Back up your claims with solid data and facts—investors love numbers. And while it's good to show you know your stuff with industry jargon, remember to explain complex terms. You want to impress, not confuse.

5. Design Your Slides

Now it's time to make your presentation visually appealing. If you’re using a template, choose a design theme that's professional and aligns with your business idea.

Ideally, your presentation design should be clean, modern and easy on the eyes. Use high-quality visuals, charts and graphics to illustrate your points. We’ll discuss more about how to design a business plan presentation in the next section.

Be careful not to go overboard. Keep your slides uncluttered and easy to read. A good rule of thumb is no more than six bullet points per slide. Use them to highlight key points and provide visual interest, not to display every word you're going to say.

6. Prepare Supporting Materials

Your presentation is just one part of the package. Create handouts or leave-behind documents that reinforce your key points and provide additional details. These could include executive summaries, product specifications or financial projections.

Also, develop a one-page business plan or a more detailed one for those who want to dive deeper. These materials show you're thorough and prepared, and they give interested parties something concrete to review after your presentation.

Visme offers a bunch of business plan templates to help you in that area. Here’s a business plan template you can use right away:

The best part about using Visme is you can ensure your document design is consistent with your presentation. Simply upload your brand elements like fonts, colors and logo, and our Brand Kit will apply your unique style across any project you create.

In fact, you don’t even have to manually upload anything if you’re short on time and have a website. Input your site URL into our Brand Design Tool and let the AI pull the brand elements automatically and apply them to your designs.

7. Finalize and Polish

You're almost done! But before you call it a day, revisit and fine-tune your presentation so it’s free from any potential issues. Proofread everything meticulously and check for spelling errors, consistency in formatting and accuracy in your data and projections.

Make sure all your information is up-to-date and relevant. Also, pay attention to any animations and transitions between your slides—they should be smooth and logical.

This is also a great time to get some outside perspective. Present to trusted advisors, mentors or colleagues who can give you honest, constructive feedback. They might catch things you've missed or have ideas to make your presentation even stronger.

If you’re creating your business plan presentation in Visme, you can invite team members to review your slides, leave feedback by commenting or annotating and even work on the content with you using our collaboration and workflow features.

How to Design a Business Plan Presentation with Visme

So far, you’ve learned a lot of theory on making a business plan presentation. It’s time to put all that and more into practice. 

Start off with writing your content. And, go on to design your slides next. 

With Visme, you’ve two ways to go about creating your presentation: either start with a template or work from the scratch. 

Have you already started making your presentation in PowerPoint, but only just discovered Visme?  No worries! Nobody’s going to ask you to start over.

Instead, simply follow the steps in here to import your PowerPoint presentation in Visme .  Or, watch this video to understand how do so.

Now, let’s start designing.

1. Pick a Template

Visme offers templates in various categories, so you’ll be sure to find a template that fits your business idea. 

For instance, here’s a business presentation template.

Here’s something for those of you with an idea in the finance sector.

Plus, a template for a product idea.

Each of the available templates are editable, which means if there’s something you want to change about it, you can easily do so.

Looking for something that takes creativity to a whole new level? Pick from one of our animated presentation templates. And if you’re short on time, you can use Visme’s AI Presentation Maker to whip up a custom design tailored to your business idea and vision.

2. Adjust the Slides

Once you’ve picked your template, click  Add New Slide to bring other slides from the template into your presentation. Pick and choose any and all of the slides you need to use in your business plan presentation.

You can also bring in slides that you've previously saved to your slide library to help customize your presentation even further.

3. Customize the Template

Lastly, customize your template’s font and color. 

If you already haven’t settled on your brand colors, dive into color psychology to pick colors for your presentation that inspire trust.

If you plan to power your first slide with images, you can either select images from Visme’s stock photo library or upload your own image. You can also add icons , shapes, animated graphics, illustrations, 3D characters , gestures and more to spruce up your slides.

And if you can’t find the perfect image, whip one up using the AI Image Generator or edit existing images using the AI Image Editing tool . It can unblur, upscale and remove unwanted backgrounds in seconds.

Pro Tip : Take advantage of Dynamic Fields to always keep important data like names, dates and contact information accurate. Once you've customized the fields and assigned values , your data will be pulled in throughout your project.

Alternatively, you can create your presentation from the ground up using a blank canvas or by starting with a presentation theme .

4. Download and Share

Finally, it’s time to share your business plan presentation.

You have several options to do that in Visme. Here they are:

• Download: Save your presentation in PDF or PPTX (PowerPoint) format. You can also download in HTML5 (offline web) format to preserve animation and interactivity,
• Share online: Publish and share your presentation online using a public or private link. No need to download any files—your presentation will be hosted on Visme.
• Embed: Generate an embed code for your presentation to add it to a website or portal.

Also, fun fact: when you share your presentation online with Visme, you can track built-in analytics to understand how people are interacting with your slide deck.

With the recap out of the way, let’s talk about the fundamentals of preparing a business presentation that you need to keep front and center as you plan.

1. Draw attention to your core message.

This is the heart of any successful presentation — one that makes it a winner. To ensure your message comes off coherently, explain your business idea to yourself.

The stronger your grip on your idea, the better you’d be able to explain it in a few sentences, or paragraphs at most. 

In other words, make sure you can summarize your plans into an elevator pitch. Also, don’t forget, use simple language — can a child understand your business idea? If so, you’re in the right direction. 

2. Make your slides easy to read and understand.

If a clear message is the heart of a prizewinning (read: investor winning) presentation, good readability and ease in understanding are the lungs, working to keep your presentation alive and breathing. 

The question now is, how do you go about creating digestible slides? Here are a couple of things that can help.

3. Stick to one or two fonts.

Garamond, Helvetica and Gill Sans are some of the best fonts to use in a presentation .

And while you’re at it, select a readable font size. 30 points is a good benchmark size to keep in mind like we discussed above. 

Take a look at how well the font size is adjusted in this template. The changing font size also creates a visual flow that navigates viewers’ attention.

4. Pick a nice color scheme.

Know those bright colors that hurt the eye and are hard to look at? Steer away from them. A subtle color combination works best like in the Visme presentation template below.

5. Use minimal text.

To do so, read each word carefully and ask yourself: can I do just fine without this word? If you find yourself replying in the affirmative to this question, remove the word. In short, make each word earn its keep.

Here’s a template using only as many words as needed to get the message across.

6. Pay attention to the visual elements in each slide.

The goal is simple: you’ve got to use design elements smartly without overdoing them. Sure, you’ve heard a picture is worth a thousand words, but nailing visual components in your presentation can take some effort. 

Put another way, it isn’t about throwing in a bunch of thumbnail images and icons to each slide and calling it a day. Instead, it’s about adding them thoughtfully so they’re impactful rather than extra baggage. 

Check out this template from Visme to get an idea of what we’re talking about here.

On the whole, aim to create a business plan presentation that’s readable, comprehensible and clutter-free. 

Before we wrap this up, here are some tips to help you deliver more memorable presentations:

Keep Your Presentation Concise

Short, powerful messages leave a far deeper impression than long, rambling presentations.

Follow the 9-minute rule —originally for salespeople but equally valuable for presenters—to deliver more impactful presentations.

Aim to deliver 2-3 slides per minute, keeping your key points within about 9 minutes. This helps maintain your audience’s attention and ensures your core message is communicated without overwhelming the listeners with excessive information.

Add Interactivity to Your Presentation

Breathe life into your business presentations and stand out by incorporating interactive elements, such as animated icons, popups, clickable buttons, embedded videos and more.

Interested in creating an interactive business presentation? Here are 20 tips to get you started.

You can also take a look at how to create an interactive quiz within your presentation below.

Create engaging interactive content with Visme.

• Add interactive pop-ups and hover effects
• Increase interest and engagement on your design
• Lead your audience to specific content with interactivity

Pay Attention to Your Presentation’s Design

Not only is visual design an important component of any presentation , but it’s also what hooks your audience. It takes about 50 milliseconds for your audience to assess a design’s visual appeal so aim to leave a strong visual impression. 

Use a powerful image as this template does.

Or try a color-based design with a modern layout like the one in this business presentation template:

Incorporate Data Visualization

Wherever possible, use any of the various chart types at your disposal to present your data. These could be line or bar graphs, pie charts, Gantt charts, Venn diagrams, pictograms, population pyramids and much more.

But why should you use charts to share your data? Simple: data visualization makes complex numbers easy to understand at a glance and more interesting to look at.

Check out this funnel chart template by Visme that you can add to your business plan presentation:

Or this cool gauge chart to track the achievements of your sales staff:

With a few clicks of a button, add creative infographics to your Visme presentations and take them to a whole new level.

Q. How Many Slides Does Your Business Presentation Need?

Aim for 10-12 slides in your business presentation. This aligns with Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule: 10 slides max, presented in 20 minutes, using at least 30-point font. This approach helps you stay focused and keep your audience hooked to your presentation till the end.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

  If absolutely necessary, you can stretch to 13 slides, but try not to go beyond this to prevent overwhelming your audience. Remember, a concise presentation often has more impact than a lengthy one.

Create a Business Plan Presentation That Wins Investors

Creating a business plan presentation really isn’t much of a tough nut to crack. Consider half your work done if you’re cent percent clear about your business idea. This way your presentation’s content will come easy to you.

As for the design? Leave that to Visme. Our online presentation software makes it easy to create a beautiful and professional business plan presentation that leaves a solid impression on your audience.

Use features like built-in graphics, custom 3D characters, animations, branding and AI-powered tools to create the best business plan presentation you could envision.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Masooma Memon is a pizza-loving freelance writer by day and a novel nerd by night. She crafts research-backed, actionable blog posts for SaaS and marketing brands who aim to employ quality content to educate and engage with their audience.

How To Present A Business Plan: 9 Key Elements

• By Judhajit Sen
• April 22, 2024

Key Takeaways:

• A business plan serves as a roadmap for your business journey, outlining its purpose, operations, and future trajectory.
• A business plan presentation, or pitch deck, is a condensed version of your plan that showcases essential details to potential investors or partners.
• A compelling plan presentation is crucial for securing funding, attracting investors, and rallying support for your venture.
• A successful presentation includes the executive summary, company overview, business opportunity, management and leadership team, product and service details, sales and marketing plan, funding request, financial projections, and the appendix. Each section plays a vital role in articulating your business vision and potential for success.

A business plan is like a map of your business journey. It’s a formal paper explaining what your business is all about and what it aims to do. Think of it as a kind of storybook about your business, where you tell people what it does, how it works, and where it’s headed.

Inside a business plan, you’ll find information about the business structure, who’s in charge, and how things are set up. It also discusses how the company plans to sell stuff and make money with fancy financial projections. Plus, it lists everything the business needs, like equipment and supplies, to do its job well.

A winning business plan is like a guidebook for your business adventure. When you write a business plan, it helps you figure out where you’re going, what you need to get there, and how you’ll know when you’ve arrived. And if you’re looking for extra cash for your business, having a solid plan can help persuade folks to invest in your big ideas.

Business Plan Presentation

A business plan presentation, sometimes called a “pitch deck,” is like a slideshow introducing your business basics. It’s something you show during a meeting, whether in person or on Zoom, to give folks the lowdown on your business.

A good presentation covers the essentials: what you’re all about, who you’re trying to reach, how your business works, and what you’re asking for. When you’re presenting your plan, you’re not just sharing your cool idea—you’re hoping to get your audience to help you out with something.

Importance of a Business Plan Presentation

A plan presentation is crucial for your business journey. It’s not just about jotting down ideas; it’s a strategic tool that can help you overcome hurdles and spot opportunities you might have missed. When you present your business plan successfully, you’re clarifying it for yourself and making a compelling case for potential backers—like lenders, investors, or partners—that your venture has what it takes to succeed.

Research backs this up: Studies suggest that entrepreneurs who create a business plan are more likely to build viable businesses and secure funding than those who don’t. It’s not just about writing it down; how you present your plan matters. A polished, professional-looking presentation can make all the difference whether you seek a business loan, pitch your business to investors, or wooing potential partners.

Your business plan is a roadmap for your business endeavors, guiding your decisions and actions.  It’s not just a document for internal use; it’s also a key asset in external interactions. From securing loans to attracting investors or leasing a commercial space, having a solid plan can open doors and set you on the path to success in various professional arenas.

Following are nine tips for presenting your business plan step-by-step.

Executive Summary: A Snapshot of Your Business

The executive summary is the highlight reel of your plan presentation, offering a quick glimpse into your business. It’s your chance to grab the attention of potential investors and lenders right from the start, so it needs to be engaging and informative.

Start by revisiting your plan and picking out the most significant bits. Consider what makes your business unique and why  it’s  poised for success. Highlight vital elements like your business concept, goals, and vision for the future. Describe your offerings and what sets it apart from the competition. Identify your target market and outline your strategy to reach them.

Give a snapshot of your financial standing and lay out your projected revenue and profits for the next few years. Be clear about how much money you need to achieve your goals. Introduce the members of your management team, emphasizing their relevant experience.

The executive summary  must include:

• Your mission statement.
• Details about your products or services.
• Information  about your team.
• Your plans for growth.

Keep it concise yet comprehensive, giving readers a clear understanding of your business and why they should invest.

Company Overview: Setting the Stage for Success

The company overview section of your business plan demonstrates why your venture is poised for greatness. Start by pinpointing the problem your business aims to solve and who will benefit from your solution. Provide demographic data about your target customers and highlight what differentiates your company from the competition, whether it’s specialized expertise or unique product features.

Offer a brief history of your business and detail your products or services. Explain how your offerings address the identified problem and outline your business model , such as direct-to-consumer sales or online distribution. Clarify your business structure, whether it’s a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, and why this setup is advantageous.

Use storytelling techniques to make the problem relatable to your audience and emphasize the significance of your solution. Describe how your offerings meets your customers’ needs and surpasses alternatives in the market.

Outline your revenue model, whether it’s through direct sales, subscription fees, or advertising revenue. Provide examples of early success, such as initial customers, pre-orders, or signed contracts, to demonstrate the viability of your business and build confidence in its prospects. This section sets the stage for the rest of your presentation, showcasing the potential for success and garnering interest from potential investors or partners.

Business Opportunity: Seizing the Moment

This section of your business presentation showcases the potential for growth in your chosen market. Begin by delving into your market analysis, which sheds light on the landscape of your industry. Research competitors’ actions, identify trends and understand what resonates with customers.

Investors look for growth potential of your business, so provide insights into your target market’s size and demographics. Conduct a SWOT analysis to highlight your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Detail how you developed projections, citing interviews or market research data to lend credibility.

Describe the industry’s current state and areas ripe for improvement. If your business operates locally, assess the market in your area and identify gaps or areas for enhancement. List competitors and explain how your business will stand out in the crowd.

Use data to illustrate your business’s performance compared to others in the industry. Incorporate facts and statistics from reputable sources to bolster your presentation’s credibility and professionalism.

Finally, articulate the size of your market and the specific business opportunities it presents. Utilize market research to quantify potential customers and identify target segments. This section paints a clear picture of the market landscape and underscores the vast opportunities awaiting your business’s success.

The Management and Leadership Team: Key Players in Success

Spotlight the individuals driving your business forward. Start by confirming your business’s legal entity status, whether it’s an LLC or another form. Then, introduce your ownership and leadership teams, clarifying roles with an organizational chart and providing resumes to showcase key members’ skills and experience.

Investors often prioritize the team behind a business over the idea itself. Highlight the expertise and talent of your management team through short bios that emphasize relevant experience and industry recognition. Consider including headshots to put faces to names and build rapport.

Describe your organization’s structure, whether it’s a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation. If you plan to hire staff or rely on outside consultants , outline your staffing plans here. Investors are looking for assurance that you’ve consulted experts in your field needed to drive your business forward.

Ultimately, investors want to know why your team is the right one to bring your business idea to life. Use this section to showcase the capabilities and dedication of your team, emphasizing their ability to turn your vision into reality. The strength of your team can be the deciding factor in securing support for your business venture.

Product and Service Details: Delivering Value to Customers

Start by describing what you offer and how it meets the needs of your market. Highlight its unique features and the benefits it brings to customers. If you’re taking steps to protect your intellectual property, such as trademarks or patents, be sure to mention it. Similarly, if you’re investing in research and development to enhance your offerings, explain how this will benefit your business and customers alike.

Success depends on offering products or services that customers want or need. Explain the value your offerings provide, how they differ from competitors, and the buying cycle. Demonstrating your understanding of customer needs and preferences boosts confidence in your ability to deliver.

If you’re pursuing intellectual property protections like copyrights or patents, outline your strategy. Additionally, discuss any ongoing research and development efforts aimed at expanding your product line or improving existing offerings. This showcases your commitment to innovation and highlights potential avenues for future revenue growth. By clearly articulating your product and service details, you lay the groundwork for success and instill confidence in potential investors or partners.

Sales and Marketing Plan: Reaching Your Audience

In crafting your sales and marketing plan, remember that even the best product needs a push to reach customers. Outline your strategy for reaching, convincing, and retaining your target audience. Describe the steps leading to a sale, essentially designing your sales funnel, a crucial aspect of effective planning.

Give details on how you’ll spread the word about your offerings. Will you utilize paid online ads, social media promotions, direct mail, local print ads, radio or TV sponsorships, YouTube content, or other methods? List all chosen approaches.

Ensure clarity on the sales journey and why it resonates with your target and existing customer segments. If you’ve begun implementing these methods, share data on their effectiveness.

Include an overview slide of your marketing and sales plan , emphasizing how you’ll reach and sell to your target market. You’ve identified your audience; now explain how you’ll engage and convert them. This section underscores your commitment to connecting with customers and driving sales, essential for business growth and success.

Funding Request: Securing Support for Growth

Outline your financial needs and how you plan to use that money to fuel your business’s growth over the next five years. Clearly articulate the amount of funding required and its intended use, whether for marketing, research and development, hiring key personnel, or expansion into new markets or locations.

Specify whether you’re seeking equity, debt, or a combination of both, and outline the terms  you’re  seeking for the funding. Potential investors or lenders will want to understand the rationale behind the requested amount and the type of financing being sought.

If you’re contributing personal funds to the project, highlight this to demonstrate your commitment and confidence in the venture. It shows that you have “skin in the game “  and are invested in its success.

Explain the purpose behind the funding request, detailing how it will support your business objectives and drive growth. Whether it’s to enhance product development, scale operations, or increase market presence, clarify why the funding is necessary and how it aligns with your overall business strategy. This section is crucial for garnering support from investors or lenders, showcasing your vision and readiness to take your business to the next level.

Financial Projections: Mapping Your Business’s Future

Demonstrating profitability is paramount to securing funding for your business. If your company is operational, include financial statements like profit and loss, balance sheets, income, and cash flow statements.

For both established and new business, a five-year financial plan is crucial. Detail forecasted income and expenditures, breaking the first year into quarterly or monthly projections. Utilize professional-looking charts, graphs, and tables for clarity.

Even if your business lacks past financial data, preparing a budget and financial plan showcases your domain understanding. For new ventures, utilize resources like the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) guide or SCORE’s financial projections template. For existing businesses, provide income statements, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets, ideally covering the past three years.

Detail specific steps to achieve outlined financial goals, with more emphasis on the first year. Include interactive spreadsheets for a detailed financial analysis covering production costs, profits, planned investments, and tax projections.

A detailed sales forecast spanning up to five years helps attract outside support. If your business hasn’t launched yet, utilize market research for estimates.

In your presentation, highlight key financial data such as sales forecasts, profit projections, and estimated profitability timelines. Aim to pique interest and prompt further inquiries using facts and figures without overwhelming your audience with excessive details.

Appendix: Additional Resources for In-Depth Understanding

In the appendix section at the end of your presentation , provide supplementary materials to address potential questions and offer deeper insights into your business. Anticipate inquiries and include slides that offer the information you need, showcasing your thorough preparation and understanding of all aspects of your venture.

While the core slides of your PowerPoint presentation capture the essence of your business, the appendix offers additional resources to enrich understanding. Depending on your industry, include permits, licenses, deeds, professional certifications, media clips, patents, customer contracts, and other relevant documents. These materials offer investors and bankers a comprehensive view of your business’s potential.

Consider including a list of critical concepts and industry terms to aid understanding, mainly if your business operates in a niche field. This ensures clarity and fosters better comprehension among readers unfamiliar with industry-specific terminology.

Remember, the appendix is an opportunity to provide supplementary information that bolsters your presentation and demonstrates your thoroughness and preparedness. While the plan document may not be directly referenced, the planning process equips you to present and advocate for your business efficiently.

Navigating Your Business Journey: How To Present A Business Plan

Crafting a plan presentation is akin to mapping out your entrepreneurial journey. It’s more than just a slideshow; it’s your opportunity to portray a vivid picture of your business, its potential, and its path to success. Whether you’re seeking funding, pitching to investors, or rallying support from partners, a well-prepared presentation can make all the difference.

At its core, the presentation distills the essence of your venture into digestible bits, offering a snapshot of your business basics. It covers everything from your business concept and target audience to your revenue model and financial projections. But it’s not just about sharing information—it’s about persuading your audience to join you on your business adventure.

By outlining the importance of a plan presentation and dissecting its key components, we’ve delved into the strategic approach needed to craft a compelling pitch. From the executive summary to business projections, each section plays a vital role in articulating your vision and garnering support for your venture.

Armed with insights into what makes a successful plan presentation, you’re better equipped to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship. Whether you’re a veteran business owner or a debutant entrepreneur, a well-crafted presentation can pave the way for future growth and success. So, harness the power of storytelling , data, and strategic planning to chart a course for your business’s bright future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a business plan, and why is it important?

A business plan is like a roadmap for your business journey, detailing what your business is about, what it aims to achieve, and how it plans to do so. Think of it as a storybook about your business, explaining its concept, structure, target market, marketing strategy, financial projections, and more. It’s essential because it helps you clarify your business vision, spot opportunities, overcome obstacles, and persuade potential backers to invest in your ideas .

2. What is a business plan presentation, and why do I need it?

A business plan presentation, also known as a “pitch deck, “  is a slideshow that introduces the basics of your business to potential investors, lenders, or partners. It offers a concise overview of your business concept, target audience, operations, and funding needs. It’s crucial because it allows you to present your business in a visually appealing and engaging format, making it easier for others to understand and support your venture.

3. What are the critical elements of a successful plan presentation?

A successful plan presentation comprises several key elements, including the executive summary, company overview, business opportunity, the management and leadership team, product and service details, sales and marketing plan, funding request, financial projections, and appendix. Whether you want to grab your audience’s attention or provide detailed insights into your business and its potential for success, each section serves a specific purpose,

4. How can I make my plan presentation more compelling?

Focus on storytelling, clarity, and professionalism to make your presentation more compelling. Use engaging visuals , such as charts, graphs, and images, to illustrate key points and data. Keep your language simple and concise, avoiding  jargon that may confuse your audience.  Practice your presentation beforehand to ensure smooth delivery and confidence. Finally, be prepared to answer queries and address concerns raised by your audience, demonstrating your knowledge and readiness to lead your business to success.

Supercharge Your Business Plan Presentation with Prezentium

Transform your plan presentation from ordinary to outstanding with Prezentium ‘s AI-powered services. Whether  you’re  pitching to investors, seeking funding, or sharing your vision with stakeholders, Prezentium equips you with the tools and expertise to create killer presentations that captivate your audience.

Overnight Presentations : Need a polished presentation in record time? Email your requirements to Prezentium by 5:30 pm PST, and we’ll work our magic overnight. By 9:30 am PST the following business day, you’ll receive a stellar presentation delivered straight to your inbox—ready to impress.

Presentation Specialists : Our team of experts at Prezentium is here to bring your ideas to life. From transforming meeting notes into exquisite presentations to crafting new designs and templates, we’ve got you covered. Let us help you elevate your presentation game and make a lasting impression.

Zenith Learning : Elevate your communication skills with Prezentium’s interactive workshops and training programs. Combining structured problem-solving with visual storytelling, our programs empower you to communicate with impact and clarity.

Unlock the full potential of your presentation with Prezentium’s AI-powered services. From compelling visuals to data-driven insights, we’re here to help you shine. Contact us today to supercharge your presentation and take your business to new heights!

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

Visual Communication: Benefits, Importance, and Examples

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From Idea to Investment: How to Make a Business Plan Presentation

Renderforest Staff

26 Sep 2023

13 min read  

Companies that have solid business plans are 129% more likely to grow beyond the startup phase and develop into successful enterprises. 

Moreover, a business plan is the driving force that makes those with business ideas 260% more likely to actually take steps toward launching their ventures .

Why’s that?

We can call it a power of knowing what you’re doing . A good business overview presentation dispels ambiguity and defines a clear path towards success. 

A thorough introduction business plan is a well-oiled and highly organized machine behind the scenes that makes companies thrive and move forward regardless of the competition, changes in the economy, or other forces.

So, if you’re an aspiring individual looking to conquer the business world with your new idea and make investors believe in it, you need a business plan presentation.

This practical how-to guide will help you with that and provide you with top-notch business presentation examples to use as a ready-to-go template .

Business Plan Presentation: Goals and Applications Explained

A business idea presentation is a written, formal, and detailed document that outlines a company’s goals and objectives, strategies, financial projections, and operational plans for achieving success and sustainability.

• The key reason why you need a business plan slide deck is to attract external investors and raise capital for your project . With most early-stage companies striving with the shortage of financial resources, this task is critical for your startup’s survival and success. 
• The secondary objective of the business plan presentation is keeping your internal team focused, motivated, and on track . The plan ensures everyone involved in the project has an understanding of where they’re heading and what the company’s goals are.

Focusing more on the first goal, you should clearly understand that potential investors will first evaluate your business plan’s real chances of generating a return on their investment. So, your first task is to have a presentation plan that shows how you’re going to achieve profit. First things first, you’ll want to have a catchy brand name, and for that, you can use the AI business name generator .

Among other factors that can motivate investors to approve your project , some are critical. 

• You need to be detailed and clear . Investors tend to engage in projects in the industry that are well-familiar to them or explained to them in great detail. They also need to see a logical flow of action items you plan to implement to reach the desired goal.
• Your team should be reliable and professional . Investors put resources into teams they believe in. So ensure your team, their expertise, and clear priorities are represented and explained properly in the business overview slide. 
• Market validation evidence is needed . Investors need to see that the product you try to create is in demand. Given the current market trends and customer behavior, people need to have tangible proof that you are able to feed their needs with your product or service.
• A clear cost breakdown is a must . Your potential investors need to understand what costs are necessary and how much is allocated for each part of the project. Pay close attention to this part, and be realistic with the expenses and estimations. 

Well, you guessed it. Regardless of which business plan presentation template you choose, your presentation should translate your ideas into convincing facts, plans, and actions for the investors to see. 

Consider This While Creating a Business Plan Presentation

You can have a sea of business presentation ideas, but a typical audience’s attention span is 7 minutes . Well, 10 minutes at most if you have a super-engaging presentation or talk like Steve Jobs used to reveal Apple’s new products. 

Based on the short time frame you have, Guy Kawasaki introduced a 10/20/30 rule – a must-follow answer to your “how to make a business plan presentation” question. 

• Have up to 1 0 business plan slides .
• Structure your business model presentation to fit a 20-minute timeframe at most.
• Choose a font size no smaller than 30 . It is better to focus on easy-to-read and professional-looking fonts like Helvetica or Garamond.

Choose a Business Project Plan Presentation Template from Renderforest!

Eliminate the need to spend time creating a business plan presentation from scratch. With Renderforest’s online template library, you can choose any ready-to-go business plan slides template that’s designed with all the key features, creative elements, and professional approach. 

Choose anything from creative, modern, and sleek presentations to minimal or flat designs. Customize in a few clicks to have a personalized, unique presentation. 

Here are the key principles you should keep with your business plan presentation.

Have Clear Objectives

There are different company presentation examples based on the specific objective you chase with your business overview. You may ( and ideally should ) have one core business plan presentation, including all the key sections and details and a few different versions of it based on the key audiences and places you’re going to present it.

Let’s make it clear. 

Say you have a meeting with investors on Monday, another one with your marketing team on Tuesday, and you’re also invited as a speaker to the business event on Saturday. Each of these events has different audiences you need to captivate. And even though the primary idea you want to get across doesn’t change, you need to adapt your visual business plan for each audience. 

• For investors , you should have a thorough business plan presentation outline with a strong emphasis on the financials part. 
• For your marketing team , focus more on the strategic part and ideas for brand recognition you plan to implement. Here, more concentration is needed on motivating the team and having a clear breakdown of responsibilities.
• Finally, for a business event , it’s better to remove some sensitive business plan slides like finance, risks, etc., and replace them with more general and inspiring slides about your company’s vision and story. 

It may take you a few minutes to create a slightly modified version of your presentation, but the audience you’re addressing will appreciate it. 

Try to appear with an adjusted presentation for each audience and place. 

Keep It Clear and Concise

We should probably apologize for overusing the words “clear and concise,” but that’s what really working business slideshow examples are about. 

So, we can’t stress this enough: be as brief as possible. Remember, an overloaded business plan presentation is your no-go area!

• Choose 1, max two font styles, and ensure they go well together.
• Pick colors that form a good contrast together, avoiding too many bright shadows.
• Ensure your business plan slideshow has a healthy portion of negative space.
• Have as much text per page as can be read and digested by the audience without rushing.
• Keep a healthy balance between visuals and text.

The template below is a brilliant business presentation example, considering all the above tips. 

Maintain Visual Consistency

A cohesive, professional, and unified structure across all slides is essential . This means every slide in your business plan presentation should follow the same layout and design principles.

Colors, fonts, graphics, background, and buttons – all should follow the same rules . This will create a holistic, consistent experience for your audience while conveying your message clearly. 

In some cases, certain slides can have different colors than others, but they should all have the same general look. When you look at your business plan presentation, there should be a feeling of congruence across all slides. 

Otherwise, you risk leaving an unorganized, messy impression. 

Template Packs Are Your Best Friends for Creating Visual Consistency

What are business plan slide template packs from Renderforest, and why are they the best solution for a consistent look?

Packs are a collection of different slides – intro, overview, summary, budget, team, mission & vision, etc. that are all designed to work together . No matter which ~10 sample business plan presentations you will choose from them, the final result will be a unified look.

See how our Startup Pitch Deck pack slides go together. 

11 Cornerstones: Business Plan Slides to Include in Your Next Pitch

Well, by now, you should’ve grasped the fundamentals of how to do company presentations. And when you know the theory, it’s time to move on to the practical part – the actual slides you should include in your business plan presentation. 

The good news is you don’t need even a hint of design talent to have a striking business growth plan presentation. With Renderforest’s ready-to-use business plan presentation ideas, your manual work is limited to small editing with drag & drop options.

We’ve collected the key business plan presentation examples for you to grab and go.

Just scroll down to pick one!

Recommended Reading

• Elevate Your Pitch | Marketing Presentation Templates That Convert!
• The Art of Consulting Presentations: Boosting Impact with Renderforest Templates
• 10 Business Presentation Examples | Say Goodbye to PowerPoint!

The Title Slide

Hello, it’s me!

The title slide is the very first impression your audience will get from your business plan presentation. That’s why it should be catchy, intriguing, and not too overloaded with information.

Keep in mind – the title slide of your business plan doesn’t have to include all the text; a few headlines or statements can be enough to captivate the audience.

The best business plan presentation tips say the title slide should include all or some of the following.

• Company/product name
• Presenter’s name
• Short motto or statement
• Catchy photo

Executive Summary

Consolidate all the high-level insights of your presentation here – this is the part to grab the audience’s attention and get them interested in the details.

The goal of an executive summary is to raise interest without revealing too much or giving away all your secrets. 

You should be concise and clear here, focus on the top priorities that make you stand out from the competition, and share insights about what has been achieved and what business goals are ahead.

You can also share a few success stories from your industry or your own company, show how your current strategies have worked well in the past, and use them as an example to move forward. 

Statistics, facts, numbers – these are all great attention grabbers. 

Business Problem and Your Solution

The most successful businesses effectively solve the existing problems which don’t have successful solutions yet. So it’s no surprise a problem & solution is your business plan pitch presentation’s fundamental block.

Describe the issue you’re solving, explain why it’s a major problem ( backed up by relevant statistics ), and show how your product or service can overcome the difficulty.

Include visuals – images, infographics, graphs, and diagrams to emphasize on the issue. You can also highlight customer reviews or success stories to further illustrate the issue. 

Depending on how convincing you are at this stage, you can make or break the whole pitch. 

Your Value Propositions

So, what’s all the buzz about you? It’s time to showcase the unique features of your business and what makes it stand out from the competition. 

Value propositions are the distinguishing features of your product/service that should differentiate you from others in the market.

You can discuss such elements as quality, price, usability, support services, customization opportunities, and other factors of your provided solution that make you better than anyone else and what should drive people to choose you. 

Value propositions can be presented in the form of competitive advantages, service catalogs, benefits, or a simple list of features. 

The golden rule here is to avoid generic phrases and be as specific as possible. 

Market Analysis, a.k.a. Industry Overview

Investors will trust you if you prove you know the field you’re in. Knowing what you and your team are ready to do and knowing what the industry demands or how it works – are two different things. 

So, however deep is your approach to presenting your company’s value propositions, be twice as deep and detailed when it comes to market analysis or industry overview part. 

Explain the size of the market, its development over time, and the competitive landscape. Provide a full list of competitors, their strengths & weaknesses you should consider.

A good practice is to add trends & drivers in your industry – different components that shape the current state of affairs and will impact your future decision-making.

We highly recommend you proceed with your own research here, as publicly available stats ( though very useful ) don’t completely reveal your initiative and dedication to the project.

Even a small survey with your target audience or a focus group can be a great asset for your business ideas presentation. 

Go-to-Market Strategy

Reaching the paramount section – market strategy. When presenting a business plan to investors, that’s your chance to explain what business tactics you’ve chosen and why they are likely to work well.

For this part, you should outline the strategies, tactics, and approaches that will be used to acquire customers. Mention channels you’ll use for customer acquisition (SEO, PPC, social media campaigns, etc.) and their advantages and disadvantages in different markets. 

Talk about pricing models – how will you charge users for different plans/packages, and how are they tailored to attract customers from different market segments? 

Timeline format is one of the best practices when it comes to business plans for presentations . Picture your planned activities in chronological order, with estimated timelines to accomplish tasks. You can also include milestones in the timeline – significant events that will determine the success and development of your business.

Financial Projections

You also need a detailed accounting business plan presentation, where you show a thorough picture of how your company will be making money. 

To make it work, you need to provide a realistic estimate about the amount of money that could be brought in from different areas: sales, investments, grants, etc., and then calculate expenses – salaries for key personnel, office rent & utilities, travel costs.

Try to think outside the box when it comes to financial projections. Include the cost of any external services required, such as virtual assistants, accounting personnel, or marketing campaigns that will be necessary. 

Financial projections are the part where most startups fail because while many know how to scale their business, few can predict future expenses. If you don’t have a proper financial education to carry out this step, consider consulting an experienced financial analyst or accountant. 

Risks and Mitigations

Your business decisions have potential outcomes depending both on external and internal factors. Predicting those outcomes and including them in the business plan presentation for potential investors is called risk assessment or risk analysis – a crucial element without which your business plan presentation can’t be complete. 

The risk assessment part should include an overview of the potential risks, your reserve plan to mitigate them, and the steps you will take for each risk.

Usually, businesses analyze external ( economic, political, and technological ) risks that are beyond their control and internal ( operational, legal, financial ) risks that can be managed and controlled. 

It’s also common to calculate your business’s debt-to-equity ratio as a common financial risk evaluation tool . As debt is a potential risk for your company, and equity is your main resource to cover it, this ratio helps investors measure the financial stability of your business. 

Competitive Landscape 

Where do you stand in the competitive landscape? Here, you need to provide a full list of your competitors, their strengths & weaknesses. 

Besides that, it’s important to explain how you’re different from them and what makes you unique – this is where your value propositions come into play. Show investors how your solution can solve a problem better than others through compelling evidence or experiences related to previous cases. 

The two common ways to include competitor information in your business presentation outline are SWOT analysis and competitor analysis framework . 

In the SWOT analysis, you should talk about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats your company has and how it compares to your competitors. 

The competitor analysis framework requires you to compare, evaluate, and rank each of the different business strategies they are using against yours. By doing this, you can identify potential areas and opportunities for improvement in the future. 

Team Overview

When presenting a business plan, don’t forget to honor the people who help you build your business. Investors care about who is on the team and how capable they are of performing their tasks, so it’s important to introduce them in an appropriate way. 

If you’re a small startup, list all key personnel – founders, CMOs, CFOs, etc., and talk briefly about their experience & achievements. Describe the combination of skill sets that makes your team unique and provide evidence to support it. 

If you’re a larger organization, focus on introducing key executives. Show investors how each person is important to successfully make decisions, drive business growth, or innovate in their areas of expertise. 

Also, mention if you have any experienced mentors, advisors, or board members who can help you move your business forward.

Conclusion and Call to Action

If you ask how to present a business plan that leaves a lasting impression, your conclusion and call to action are the key. Basically, you need to explain what will put everything together and leave investors with an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm. 

Summarize your main points and emphasize how all the previous parts create a powerful vision for potential success. Show them why it’s the right time to invest in your business and how they will get a return on their investment.

Finally, explain what you need from them – investments in cash or resources, board memberships, mentorship, etc., and give clear instructions on what investors should do next. 

Tips to Create an Ideal Business Plan Presentation with Renderforest

It’s time to create your new business presentation, and it’s easier than you may think with Renderforest. 

Follow the below quick steps to create the actual presentation of a business plan to your potential investors to secure funding.

Step 1. Choose a Business Plan Presentation Template

Head to our library of business plan presentations to find anything from financial and marketing to startup pitch decks, and choose the one that fits your business best. 

Each business plan presentation pack has a different number of scenes. You can check out which ones have enough slides to include all the important information and pick the best one. 

We recommend picking all your scenes from the same example business presentation pack, as each one differs in design and style, and keeping consistency can be tricky when mixing different packs.

Click on the pack you like the most, and choose “ Create .” All the scenes available in the pack will be accessible to reorder, add, or remove as many business slide examples as you need. 

Step 2. Customize the Slides to Match Your Corporate Branding

Though every business plan slide in Renderforest comes in a neatly organized, professional design, you can still make it fit your corporate branding. 

There are many editing options to make each slide look unique – change colors, font styles & sizes, and add your own images, icons, or GIFs. Make sure that design elements like backgrounds, shapes, or color schemes are all in line with your brand identity to show you mean business. 

Step 3. Download It in Your Preferred Format

Done? Ready to present a business plan? Get the high-quality version of your business plan presentation in different formats, all adjusted to different devices you may use to present. 

Renderforest business plan presentation is all yours – download it in JPG or PDF formats, or share a public link with your potential investors. 

You can be confident about the output quality, as Renderforest has both 4k and HD resolution versions of your presentation slides.

The Bottom Line

Now, the question “how to start a business plan presentation” shouldn’t scare you with too many tasks to do. 

The design part is handled by Renderforest with professionally chosen color and font combinations to fit the industry and purpose.

The tasks left to you are to input all the important information in slides and make sure all your branding elements are present and ready to download.

Dive into our Forestblog of exclusive interviews, handy tutorials and interesting articles published every week!

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How to Present a Business Plan to Potential Investors

Helping ideas to grow into measurable success. InnMind Expert in Metaverse, Crypto, Marketing Growth.

More posts by Val Baev.

Being able to sell your business plan to potential investors effectively is undoubtedly a fundamental skill for a startup founder.

Unfortunately, doing it correctly is not very intuitive. You can easily go overboard on the details too early when your audience is not yet interested enough, or you can showcase too little. Either way, such a mistake could cost you a potential investor.

This article would give you a solid backbone of info, which should help you avoid such basic mistakes that can slow down your fundraising process .

1 Judge the Level of Interest

You need to adeptly match the information you are presenting with the level of interest of the people you are communicating your business plan to.

People who don’t know much about your project won’t have the interest and patience to read a full 30-page document. At the same time, people who are familiar with your project and business and want to make a serious commitment would expect such details.

Regrettably, this means that one document wouldn’t be enough.

It helps to imagine the process as a sales funnel. From least-interested to most-interested, people should receive the following business plan communication:

2 Elevator pitch

You should be able to summarize the whole business in a few sentences to people you’re just meeting. It pays dividends to polish this presentation, as you would have to give it constantly to all kinds of stakeholders in your business. You can also use writing services like Trust My Paper , where experts will help you create a quality business plan early in your career.

3 Pitch Deck

Short pitch deck, lean canvas, or business plan executive summary: the short pitch deck is the industry-standard way to present a startup idea to potentially interested parties. That said, the short pitch deck is great for meetings, but it suffers a bit when you send it by email for people to read, as it is short on text. Because of this, the Lean Canvas and the business plan executive summary could do a better job on such occasions (or even better – you can combine the short pitch deck with one of the other two documents). These documents have the benefit of being succinct but at the same time giving more information than the few-sentence long elevator pitch.

4 Detailed Pitch Deck

An online presentation made especially to send by email. It has the same structure and contains the same information as the short pitch deck, but it is more text-heavy and detailed. It could also be used for 15 to 40 min presentations instead of the standard 5 to 10-minute pitches. Once again, committing 40 minutes to your project suggests your audience is already relatively interested.

5 Business Plan

Finally, the full business plan. It is useful only to people who intend to commit to the project – usually investors, but also partners, co-founders, etc. Keep in mind that even though the business plan is usually used as a tool to attract investors, its main purpose is to give the founding team clarity of the path ahead.

Sell the Core Business Idea Efficiently

Whether you use a business plan or a pitch deck, the central principles of convincing a startup investor of the viability of your project remain the same.

• Clarity is paramount . Complexity is usually counter-productive because it risks confusing your audience. Moreover, the more complex the plan, the higher the chance it would go wrong when executed.
• Start with the problem you are tackling (make sure it’s a real problem) and the solution you are proposing.
• Showcase the (hopefully big) upside of the project by talking about the total addressable market and your possible market penetration.
• Give evidence – ideally traction numbers sufficient to convince the audience that the story you are telling is founded in reality.
• Showcase the competence of the team – demonstrating deep domain knowledge and ideally, experience is paramount.
• Talk about competition and your competitive advantages . Saying there’s no competition is usually a sign of a bad understanding of the space, so do your research diligently.

Finally, finish with the ask. In a business plan, you have more space to explore what you are looking for – investors, partners, etc., and what you need the resources for.

If you cover the points from above to a satisfying degree, then you are off to a great start to convince potential investors and partners.

Structure Your Business Plan Meticulously

Keep in mind that the business plan isn’t necessarily a document that’s meant to be read from A to Z. Usually people would skim-read it, and then they would use it as a reference document every time they need specific information. This means that it needs to be structured logically to allow people to easily find the information they are looking for even before they’ve read the whole document.

The business plan structure is not set in stone, but people expect to find specific pieces of information there, so being too creative with the structure is counter-productive.

A good business plan structure is the following:

• Executive Summary : a summary of the whole plan, can be sent as a separate document as discussed above;
• Opportunity : talk about the problem, solution, target market, segments, and possibly competition;
• Execution : marketing and operations plan; milestones are helpful to illustrate the road ahead; success metrics are also a great idea;
• Company Structure : cap table, management team, hiring plan for open/perspective positions;
• Finance : financial projections – P&L and ideally net present value projections; needed funding; appendix: anything else, plus pictures and videos supporting the story.

Presenting a business project to investors isn’t as straightforward as one would think, so it pays dividends to invest the needed time to understand what the investor expects to see and to develop the needed documentation that would allow you to build a convincing case.

That said, the pitch deck and the business plan are just a framework – needless to say, the important thing is the content, so make sure you have worthwhile things to say in your business plan.

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How to Write a Business Plan That Attracts Investors

In this post

Purpose of a business plan

Business model vs. business plan vs. strategic plan, types of business plan, how to write a standard business plan, benefits of writing a business plan, challenges of writing a business plan, best practices for creating a business plan, top 3 business plan software.

Successful businesses are built on paper before they set foot in the real market. 

Building a business requires working simultaneously on multiple projects, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When that happens, a business plan becomes a guiding light, helping entrepreneurs and leaders work from chaos to clarity. 

A well-written business plan precisely details every aspect of your business, identifying opportunities and challenges before they emerge. Many organizations use business plan software to make their business plans. 

New companies use the software to make future projections and ensure that a business idea is viable. It allows them to tweak ideas ahead of time and see where they might face challenges. Established businesses take advantage of business plan software to explore expansion opportunities.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a comprehensive written document that contains core business objectives and operations that will achieve business goals. It aligns business operations with strategic objectives and goals. 

A business plan is a fundamental requirement for business leaders seeking to secure bank loans or investments.

Writing a business plan guides companies through each stage of the business so they can understand if their idea can become a viable reality or not. Entrepreneurs can be biased toward their idea or be guilty of wishful thinking. When leaders write a business plan objectively, they see the reality of their success potential.

Companies in the same industry or those who sell the same products or services can have different business plans. However, some fundamental elements are common in every good business plan template. 

A business plan serves as a roadmap for navigating a business’ future. Developing this crucial document requires a thorough analysis of a business's operations and the whole industry to accurately represent its internal and external situation.

Despite being time-consuming and laborious, developing a business plan is essential. It forces entrepreneurs to think critically about every aspect of the proposed venture and all of its chances for success while also serving as a guide during the starting years of a venture. Potential lenders and investors use the business plan to determine whether they want to finance an enterprise.

New ventures or running businesses create a business plan while:

• Seeking funds
• Searching for a co-founder or new founder
• Attracting, acquiring, and retaining top talent
• Exploring and analyzing new growth opportunities

Want to learn more about Business Plan Software? Explore Business Plan products.

A business model is a mechanism through which a company creates, delivers, and captures value in social, economic, and cultural context, resulting in profits. Leaders use a business model to create and manage strategies for recruitment, customer acquisition, partnership, and business development.

A business plan is a written document that describes a business’ strategy and its predicted financial performance in the foreseeable future. It’s a roadmap to achieve strategic business goals and get closer to the company’s vision. 

A business plan maps out a business’s profitability in a given time frame. A business model is a vehicle that enables ventures to get there.

A strategic plan is more concerned with competition. This document looks at the current and potential markets and assesses which products or services will succeed in those markets. It also identifies how the company will perform better than its competitors to win over customers. 

The strategic plan does not just look at making the most money; it also looks at how the company should deal with potential problems such as low morale among employees or low customer satisfaction.

New business owners aren’t the only people who create business plans. A variety of leaders in different stages of development make business plans for specific purposes. Below are some common business plans that leaders or management teams create. 

Standard business plan

A standard business plan goes into minute details of the business and is around 30 - 50  pages long. When companies seek investment or financing through traditional methods, making a business plan traditionally goes a long way. It requires much work and can be lengthy but will help leaders cover most of the points an investor or lender would be interested in.

New businesses should convey these details  while writing a standard business plan:

Executive summary

An executive summary provides information about a company and why it will be successful. It covers details on the following aspects of a business: 

• Mission statement
• Product or service
• Leadership team
• Financial information
• Overview of growth plans

Company description

A company description covers detailed information about the company and the opportunities or problems it’s solving. It describes the following aspects:

• Problem statement
• Gaps in the market
• Target consumers or companies
• Competitive advantage

Market analysis

Market research and analysis help a company understand the target market and industry outlook. It answers the following questions:

• What are competitors’ strengths and weaknesses?
• What are the trends and themes in the industry?
• Why does a competitor strategy succeed or fail?
• Can the new venture address gaps or leverage opportunities in the market better than competitors? 

The management section talks about company structure and who will be leading it. It describes the following elements of a business:

• Legal structure
• Type of company registration – C or S corporation, or general or limited partnership.
• Organizational chart
• Individual expertise
• Resume or CVs of key members of the team

C and S corporation: A C corporation comes under standard Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. An S corporation elects special tax status with the IRS and benefits from tax advantages. 

Service or product

This section informs the reader about the services and products a company offers. It includes details on:

• Benefits of a product or service
• Product lifecycle
• Intellectual property such as patents or copyrights
• Research and development of products or services

Sales and marketing

In the sales and marketing section, a business plan creator can describe the following: 

• Customer attraction and retention strategies
• Sales process
• Sales strategies 

Marketing and sales strategies will likely evolve and be tailored to fit unique business needs.

Investment or funding requirements

This section outlines a company’s fund requirements over the next five years. It includes the following details: 

• Equity or debt needed
• Terms and conditions
• Time duration in which these funds will be utilized
• Investment usage
• Future strategic financial plans
• Financial projections

The financial projections section includes objective details about company financials and projections, showing that the business is stable. Companies can provide the following financial statements: 

• Income statements, if available
• Balance sheets
• Cash flow statements
• Prospective financial outlook for the next five years
• Forecasted income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and capital expenditure budgets. 

New businesses can use the appendix section to provide additional documents requested by the investor or lender. It can include:

• Product pictures
• Letters of recommendation
• Legal documents

A standard business plan aggregates some or all of the above sections. Entrepreneurs can decide to keep, add or remove sections based on their business’ specific requirements.

Startup business plan

Many entrepreneurs prefer to use the startup business plan format, which is comparatively easier and faster to explain. New business owners use this format to regularly change and refine their plans.

There are multiple ways to develop a startup business plan template . Below are some common elements businesses find helpful in their startup business plan. 

Partnerships

The partnership section includes detailed information on: 

• Manufacturers
• Subcontractors
• Other strategic partners

This section will include operations that a company would conduct to gain a competitive advantage—for example, implementing direct to consumers (D2C) strategy in which a business can enjoy higher profit margins, leveraging technology to automate and increase operational efficiency and more.

All resources that create value for consumers are listed under this section. It includes the following assets: 

• Intellectual property

Value proposition

A value proposition explains the distinct value that a company brings to the market. It can be about solving a problem, leveraging an opportunity in the market, catering to customer needs, or providing a benefit. 

Customer segments

Customer segments cover a company’s target audience and describe an audience group that a business wants to service. This can include target market demographics and communication channels relevant to target consumers.

Cost and revenue structure

A cost structure will include recurring expenses, one-time costs, and more. The business defines its strategy to control costs in this section. Additionally, revenue structure covers how a company earns money. It includes techniques like direct sales, subscription models, or advertisements on the website.

Feasibility plan

A feasibility plan is a decision-making plan that explores and evaluates companies’ growth opportunities, new product lines, and new markets.

Below are some of the common elements of a feasibility plan.

• Proposed growth method
• Target demographics
• Market analyses
• Capital requirements
• Objective standards

Feasibility plans are primarily for an internal audience. But if a company seeks external funding, this type of business plan would include a company description, financial analysis , and other product and service specific sections

One-page business plan

A one-page business plan covers highlights of a lean startup business plan. It’s also called a business pitch as it gives a snapshot of the business to vendors, partners, and investors. 

Below are some common elements in a one-page business plan.

• Company brief and description
• Target market
• Current and future sales projections

Growth plan

A growth plan can focus on an internal or external audience. Business leaders create a growth plan to evaluate and present growth opportunities in new segments for a running business. 

A growth plan consists of the following things:

• Specific growth opportunities
• New segment description
• Budget analyses

An external growth plan includes a business description, product or service, market, management, an overview of the financial aspect, and the points mentioned above.

The audience of your business plan plays a significant role in deciding an ideal way to create it. You should understand your audience’s needs in order to cater to them in your presentation. For example, the needs of an angel investor or a lending institution vary from those of employees or senior leadership.

When you define your audience, it helps you write a business plan in a way that resonates with the reader and supports due diligence.

Below are some standard steps for structuring your business plan.

1. Write an executive summary

An executive summary summarizes the key information from other business plan sections. If you plan to identify the most vital points in writing a business plan, it’s advisable to write this section last. 

On the other hand, if you’re confident that you can effectively summarize the business on one page, get started with these tips:

• Focus on the value proposition or the special selling point of your business.
• Use a problem-solution format or fill-in-the-blanks framework.
• Concentrate on your customers and how your product solves a problem or provides an exciting and better alternative to a present option.
• Don’t go overboard with the details in an executive summary.
• Keep the summary crisp and to the point.

2. Create a company description

Mission statement, history, and objectives are the three pillars of a good company description. They contextualize the bigger picture so investors know your company’s purpose and goals.

A mission statement looks like a simple sentence, but it holds many thoughts associated with the company’s existence. It often has inspirational and emotional elements that encourage others to believe in a mission.

Tip: Ensure your mission statement evolves with your company’s growth. Review it often to support your marketing efforts and maintain credibility.

Writing a company’s history is comparatively simpler. It requires facts such as the founding date and team, number of employees, locations, flagship products, and milestones aggregated in a simple list or a paragraph.

Objectives mention a company’s goals. These goals are often tied to expected results, providing a clear overview of the goals and helping employees work toward a common purpose.

3. Showcase market research and potential

Build up your business plan by summarizing your market research. Define target customers, market segment, size, and competition. If you target a broad market, describe how your company has the competitive advantage. For example, if you say a product caters to anyone who has a four-wheeler, it might pose a red flag for investors. Investors generally look for a precise target market to evaluate a product’s success potential.

Present your market analysis with details about potential customers’ age, income, location, education, profession, hobbies, and more. When estimating a market size or forecasting its potential, look out for being overly optimistic. You want the big numbers to be realistic. If they’re not, or you think investors would need further convincing, it’s better to have solid and practical reasoning handy to support your analysis.

4. Perform competitive analysis

Understanding what your competitors are doing and what’s working for them can benefit your company’s growth. You can take inspiration from them and innovate to create a strategy fit for your business. It helps you locate gaps in the market that you can address while learning about the target market you will enter.

Understanding competitors' strategies around advertising, communications, customer service, sales, and pricing is advantageous, but it isn’t necessary to use their same methods. Although competitive analysis helps you create a benchmark, you should plan an approach that helps you grow beyond it. 

You can research their customers’ reviews on G2 to identify customer pain points and come up with ways to address those issues before they happen.

If you don’t find a competitor for your product or service, research better because a similar business entity is likely a few clicks away. However, if there’s no direct competitor, you can research other companies that offer a product or service close to your offering to understand their market.

5. Explain your product or service

This section details your products or services. Cover the benefits, manufacturing process, product lifecycle management , and distribution. You can concentrate on the unique features of your product or how it’s better than others on the market. Cover how your customers perceive your product, both emotionally and practically. List any patents or intellectual property rights you own.

You can briefly explain how your products are created, the raw materials involved, and how you ensure their quality. Supply chain logistics and inventory management are also important parameters to discuss in this section. You can also share your knowledge about potential cross-selling or up-selling opportunities that might show up after purchase. 

6. Create a sales and marketing strategy

Growth strategies are as critical to a business’ success as water is to humans. You should develop a strategy around how your sales and marketing will grow your business. Reiterate a few points around value propositions, ideal target market, and existing customer segments in this section.

Next, mention your product launch plan and different approaches to attracting potential customers. You can share your expansion plans, and retention strategies. Mention ways you’re going to leverage different channels such as SEO, social media, display and print advertising, and word of mouth.

Summarize what you have done, what you’re going to do, and the results you expect to achieve. Your strengths in this section will help you stand out from the competition in the market.

7. Prepare a financial plan

You need to document your budget and financial plan even if you’re just starting. If you've been operating for a while, list financial statements such as cash flow statements, income statements, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets. 

Provide a report of close to three years of operation and be as accurate as possible. If you presume there will be some gray areas for your investors, it’s better to prepare a justification around it beforehand. Make sure you aren’t underestimating any business costs or overheads because this might cause investors to doubt your business skills. 

8. Highlight organization and management

Introduce your team with their experience and expertise, justifying how they can transform your idea into a successful business. Describe your management team’s qualifications and responsibilities in this section and make a strong case for your investors to trust their leadership. 

You can also talk about future hiring plans and the roles that will be critical in supporting future growth. Ensure you have the support of relevant legal and finance departments  to advocate for your future hiring plans.

9. Describe investment requirements

When you explain your funding requirements to angel investors or lending institutions, support it with reasoning. Be clear about why you need funding, where you’re going to invest it, and what expectations you have after directing the funds to set departments. 

Be realistic, and show value to your investors to get them excited about collaborating with you.

If you don’t arrive at a precise number, it’s better to fix a range. Have a best and worst-case scenario around your funding requirements. An investor may expect a dividend, which is a share of profit that the company generates. If it’s a lending institution, they will expect the principal and debt to be paid around a specific time frame. Plan well in advance to prepare the most suitable funding request.

10. Support the plan with an appendix of additional documents

Create a well-organized appendix with other documents that support your business case. These documents will help investors conduct due diligence and provide context for your plan. Include legal documents, deeds, permits, and other certificates.

 While you create an appendix, add a table of contents and footnotes throughout the plan to attract readers' attention.

Creating a business plan in the early days helps leaders make informed and calculated decisions. It provides an essential roadmap to achieving goals and highlights all important aspects of a business. 

Below are a few expected benefits of making a business plan. 

• Enhances clarity. Companies enjoy increased clarity in decision-making after writing a business plan. It helps leaders remain accountable for key decisions and also identifies critical priorities to reach milestones and achieve business goals.
• Conveys investment worthiness. A business plan answers critical questions about profitability, sustainability, scalability, and revenue generation. Entrepreneurs use a business plan to make a strong case for securing investment or loans.
• Supports top talent acquisitions. A business plan explains a company’s long-term vision to potential partners and employees. It describes how a business will achieve its goals and the ways employees will contribute to their role. This encourages the right people to be a part of the mission, empowering leaders to hire top talent.
• Establishes a structure. A business plan defines management objectives and acts as a reference to track and measure revenue targets and activities.
• Creates a baseline for marketing. A business plan describes the target audience or markets and various ways to promote its products and services. It builds a foundation for marketing to strategize their operations accordingly.

When writing a business plan, it's essential to keep your target audience in mind. As the founder, you’re likely the most invested person in your business idea and therefore, the most knowledgeable. 

You will probably have to remind yourself to explain things that seem obvious or second nature to you but may not be obvious to other people. Find ways to effectively communicate why your business is a good idea to convince your reader that it is a business worth investing in.

Another challenge of writing a business plan is ensuring that the text is engaging and easy for readers to understand and follow. You want your audience to be interested enough and engaged enough to continue reading the document all the way through, rather than skim over it or lose interest along the way.

To combat this challenge, use storytelling techniques and try to take an informal tone throughout the document. This will make it feel more relatable and engaging for your readers.

When you're emotionally connected to your business idea, it can be difficult not to project unrealistic expectations about its success. Don’t fall into the trap of projecting hope rather than reality regarding future growth. 

Adopt these best practices to create an effective business plan for a new venture.

Understand the reason

Creating a business plan requires a lot of effort and focus from entrepreneurs to get investors, bankers, employees, and partners excited about the company’s vision and obtain buy-ins. 

Business leaders should understand why they’re writing a plan and consider the following  aspects:

• Business promotion: A business plan helps leaders communicate their vision and roadmap effectively to get investors or banks interested in becoming a part of the mission.
• Effective negotiation: A business plan conveys the leaders’ commitment to the company’s vision and supports granular evaluation of their new venture. It provides them a robust foundation to support their business idea while negotiating with external or internal parties.
• Strategic operations: A business plan enables leaders to direct the right amount of time, capital, and other resources to specific activities that help them achieve their strategic goals. 

Identify the audience

Businesses should understand their audience and tailor their language and level of details accordingly. For example, traditional investors or bankers would need a standard business plan with detailed descriptions of every component. On the other hand, a growth plan would serve internal stakeholders better.

Divide responsibilities

Writing a business plan is a time-consuming process. It’s better to divide its components among trusted team members. Leaders can hire a professional writing consultant to edit the draft thoroughly.

Maintain readability

A business plan holds a lot of information. Entrepreneurs should write it so that it’s easy for investors or bankers to comprehend. The size of a business plan depends on the intended audience. Most business counselors and experts recommend keeping it in 30 to 50 pages.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recommends lengths of various components of a business plan as follows:

• Introduction: 3 to 5 pages
• Market analysis: 9 to 22 pages
• Company description: 1 to 2 pages
• Organization and management: 3 to 5 pages
• Marketing and sales strategies: 4 to 6 pages
• Product or service description: 8 to 10 pages
• Equity investment and funding request: 2 to 4 pages
• Financial information: 2 to 25 pages 

Business plan software helps users manage and share business plans while identifying goals, strategies, and financial needs for new companies or major projects. It describes opportunities and risks related to starting a new business or launching a major project. 

To qualify for inclusion in the business plan software list, a product must:

• Allow users to customize business plan templates and samples
• Enable users to modify a business plan using the drag and drop feature
• Offer business plan customization for branding purposes
• Define and evaluate goals, opportunities, and risks
• Provide documentation related to the business plan such as financial statements

*This data was collected from G2’s business plan software category on April 1, 2022. Some reviews may be edited for clarity.

1. LivePlan

LivePlan is a software application that helps businesses and startups perform business plan development, budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking tasks. Business owners use it to plan, fund, and grow their businesses.

What users like:

“It allows us to simplify how we carry out our business plans in a much simpler and easier way. The ease of configuration and use is perfect for me and my business since we can simply design all our plans and strategies.

- LivePlan Review , Samantha C.

What users dislike:

“Sometimes, it doesn't have enough options in the forecasting area to include a projected revenue or volume increase by a percentage month over month. 

- LivePlan Review , Daniel J.S.

Cuttles helps entrepreneurs and business owners plan and grow their businesses using a fully interactive and guided business plan software. The software provides features and guides to create a startup pitch, write a business plan, define a startup team, and do budgets and financial projections.

“It's simplicity and ease to understand and implement. In the end, you have a great plan and become ready to go for pitches and gather investment.”

- Cuttles Review , Yves Y.

“So far, nothing major. Perhaps having a proof-of-concept kind of template would be nice to get some ideas.”

- Cuttles Review , Aizat H.

3. IdeaBuddy

IdeaBuddy allows organizations to develop ideas, create a business plan, validate business concepts, and create an impressive plan. The software provides a step-by-step guide, and editable business plan templates to create a plan in a simple way. 

“IdeaBuddy is a one-of-a-kind tool. It helps you develop every aspect of your business plan from the start. The software is easy to use and has a good UI. The tool also has built-in chat support to get your queries answered quickly.”

- IdeaBuddy Review , Hemant S.

“Need a roadmap where users can upvote features. There are limitations on ideas and collaborators, while some important features are still coming soon.”

- IdeaBuddy Review , Phuong N.

From chaos to clarity

Create a business plan even when you’re confident your idea will work in the market. You’ll discover many things that would motivate you to tweak your strategy and execute it differently. This knowledge is crucial as it shows you a bigger picture and helps you think of long-term instead of short-term benefits.

Building a business is like raising a child. You need to plan properly to ensure that your family has the right support so the child flourishes. A business plan provides that support, so the company thrives and prospers.

Learn more about how strategic planning software can help you accomplish your business mission and track progress.

Sagar Joshi

Sagar Joshi is a former content marketing specialist at G2 in India. He is an engineer with a keen interest in data analytics and cybersecurity. He writes about topics related to them. You can find him reading books, learning a new language, or playing pool in his free time.

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How to Write a Business Plan For Investors (That They Will Love)

The Startups Team

A good business plan does more than just inform readers about what your company does, how you earn money, or what you want to do. It persuades the reader that your company is awesome, gets them excited about the opportunity to get involved, and makes them want to help you succeed.

But how do you write a good business plan for investors? You probably didn’t go to business school and if you’re a first-time founder, it can be really hard to figure out how to do something so technical. But don’t worry! This guide will walk you through how to write a business plan for investors, will help you answer the most important questions about your business, and will show you the best ways to illustrate them. We’ve also thrown in some additional resources you can turn to for help.

And if that’s still not enough, Bizplan is giving Startups.com readers 50 percent off their first month of business planning services. Check it out here .

The Big Picture

There are 14 important sections of a business plan. But that is by no means an excuse to write out your entire life story on paper. The average business plan should be around 15 pages — no more than 20.

In the past, the average business plan was anywhere from 40 to 100 pages, and guess what they found out? No one was reading all of that. So don’t let important information about your company get lost in a jumble of words. Investors look for founders who can provide the most value in the least amount of time, and your business plan is a great indication of that ability.

The Big Questions

By the time readers are done reading your business plan, they should have a clear understanding of the following: Why (Why this? Why now? Why you? Why them?) and how (How will you make money? How will you get customers? How will you grow your business?).

These questions should be answered throughout your business plan, and should prove to those reading it that your company has the right product, market, team, time, and strategy to make them a return on their investment.

So without further adieu, here is a breakdown of writing a business plan for investors:

1. Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is an introduction to the main ideas that you will discuss in the rest of the plan. If an investor read only the Executive Summary and nothing else, you’d want them to be able to walk away with a clear understanding of the main highlights of your business and why it’s exciting.

A good Executive Summary includes quick, one to two sentence overviews of the following information: mission statement, product/service summary, market opportunity summary, traction summary, next steps, and vision statement.

Pro tip: Although the Executive Summary comes first, it is often helpful to write it last because you’ll have worked through everything by then.

2. Investment Opportunity

The Investment Opportunity section is where you tell investors what your goals are, why they are integral in helping you achieve those goals, and what they have to gain from getting involved with your company. This includes:

• Your Funding Goal : How much money do you need to move forward
• Terms : What will investors get in exchange for their investment?
• Use of Funds : How do you plan to use those funds? (Hint: a 6-figure salary for yourself isn’t what they’re looking for here)
• Milestones : What will you be able to achieve with their investment?

Again, the most important question to answer here is why: Why should investors want to be a part of your company, and why is now the time for them to get involved? Identify the three to four key factors that make your company a great opportunity and make sure they’re included in this section.

3. Team Overview

This is where you introduce your team and how you’ll work together to bring the business to life. An ideal Team Overview section makes the case not only that your team is the right team for the job, but that you’re the only team for the job.

In order to do this, you need to create a bio for each member of the team. Each team bio should include: the team member’s name; their title and position at the company; their professional background; any special skills they have developed as a result of their past experience; their role and responsibilities at your company; and what makes them uniquely qualified to take that role on.

Pro Tip: This is not the time or place for cheesy fun facts or hobbies. Aim for three to five concise sentences on each team member.

4. Market Opportunity

Before you do a deep dive into what your company does, it’s important to set the stage and provide readers with some insight about why you’re starting this company in the first place. A good market opportunity section addresses two key points: The problem that your product/service solves, and the industry trends that make now the time for your company to succeed.

When writing the “problem” part of this section, consider two questions: What problems do your target customers face that your product/service solves? What annoyances or inconveniences do they face that your company helps to eliminate?

When writing the “trends” section, consider these three questions: What recent emerging trends have you developed your product/service in response to? Are there any new or emerging technologies that make your product/solution possible? Are there any specific brands you can point to that illustrate the demand for products/services like (but not too like) yours?

And to sum it all up, write a conclusion that answer this question: How do the problems customers face and the trends that are happening come together to create the perfect environment for your company to succeed?

5. Company Synopsis

The company synopsis section is where you introduce readers to your company and what you have to offer. This is the easy part: It’s where you get to talk about what you’re doing and why it’s awesome.

Consider these questions if you’re having trouble getting started: What does your company do? How does it solve the problem you’ve previously outlined? What products and services do you offer? How will customers use your product/service? What are the key features? What makes your product/service different from anything currently available?

6. Revenue Model

This is where you answer the age-old question of any business: How does your company make money? Identify all current/initial revenue sources, including pricing, COGS, and margins.

Ask yourself: Why is this revenue model the right fit for your current stage? How does your pricing compare to competitors? Are there additional revenue sources you plan to add down the line? If you haven’t started generating revenue when & how will you “flip the switch”?

7. Traction/Company Milestones

It’s important for investors to see that your business is more than just an idea on a cocktail napkin; it’s an actual, viable business. Traction is a huge part of making that case.

Here are some key categories of traction that signal to readers that your company is making moves.

• Product Development : Where are you in the process? Is your product in the market?
• Manufacturing/Distribution: Do you have an established partner for production/manufacturing? Distribution?
• Early Customers and Revenue : Do you have existing customers? How many? And how fast are you growing? Have you started generating revenue?
• Testimonials and Social Proof : Do you have any positive client reviews of your product/service? Any high profile customers or industry experts?
• Partnerships : Have you secured partnerships with any established brands?
• Intellectual Property : Do you have any patents for the technology behind your company? Is your company name trademarked?
• Press Mentions : Has your company been featured by any media outlets? Which ones?

8. Industry Analysis

The industry analysis section provides a bird’s eye view of the industry your company is positioned in, what’s happening in the industry, and where your company stands in relation to your peers. You want readers to walk away from your business plan seeing not only that you’re an expert in your company but that you’re highly knowledgeable about the industry you’re entering into.

Be intentional about the statistics you include in the plan. Include only numbers that really help to illustrate: the size of the opportunity your company is positioned to address; the demand for your solution; the growth of the audience/demand for your product that is already happening; and competitor analysis.

Now that you’ve introduced readers to your industry, it’s time to give them a glimpse into the other companies that are working in the same space, and how your company stacks up. Identify at least three sources of competition for your company and answer the following questions about each one:

• Basic Info : Where are they based? What stage of growth are they in?
• Traction : How much revenue do they generate? How many customers do they have? Have they received funding?
• Similarities and Differences : What are their strengths? How do you plan to neutralize them? What are their weaknesses? How is that an advantage to you?
• The Takeaway : What can you learn from your competitors to make your company stronger?

Pro tip: When identifying competitors, it’s important to think outside the box, and look beyond companies that are offering the exact same product or service that you are. A skimpy competitor analysis section doesn’t tell investors that your solution is unrivaled — it tells them that you’re not looking hard enough.

9. Differentiating Factors

The differentiating factors section is where you outline how your product/service is different from others on the market and how those differences will help you to maintain your strategic edge. Ask yourself: What are three to five key differentiators between your company and other solutions out there? How will these advantages translate into a long-term advantage for your company?

10. Target Audience

The target audience section is where you show readers that you know who your audience is, where they are, and what is important to them.

Some questions to help you get started include: Who are the people that your product/service is designed to appeal to? What do you know about customers in this demographic? Does your target audience skew more male or more female? What age range do your target customers fall in? Around how many people are there in this target demographic? Where do your target customers live? How much money do they make? Do they have any particular priorities or concerns when it comes to the products/services they buy?

11. User Acquisition and Marketing Strategy

Now that we know who your customers are, the next question is: How do you plan on getting them?

Ask yourself: How will you get your first customers? Who will you target first? Will you introduce your product in certain key geographic locations? Are there any existing brands that you are planning to partner with? How do you plan to raise awareness for your brand? What forms of media will you use? Why? Do you have a presence on social media? Which platforms do you use and why? Essentially, what is your marketing strategy ?

12. Future Growth and Development

Once you’ve accomplished all the short-term goals, built out your initial product offering, and acquired your first customers — what will you do to grow your business from there?

Ask yourself: Do you have any new products in the pipeline? How will these new products enhance your current offerings? Are you planning to expand into new markets (new cities, new demographic categories)? Can you provide a timeline of when you expect each new development to take place? What metrics or conditions will help you to decide when it’s time to move forward? What are some potential exit strategies for your company down the road? Will you seek acquisition by a larger company? Do you plan to take the company public with an Initial Public Offering?

13. Financial Overview

Financial data is always at the end of the business plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important. In fact, poor financials can rip apart anything you initially had going for you. The charts, tables, and formulas in your financial section show an investor how well you’re doing and what your odds are for continued survival.

The three most important things to include are: cash flow statement, income statement, and your balance sheet. While these three things are related, they measure quite different aspects of a company’s financial health.

We’re Here To Help

There you have it: A comprehensive guide to writing your next business plan for investors. Sound like a big undertaking? Our friends at Bizplan.com have your back. Click here for a Startups.co exclusive discount on their services. Good luck!

Bhavin Bhagat

The truly informative article you shared.

There are thousands of business investors available which are seeking growth business investment opportunities. And platforms like IndiaBizForSale bridge this gap by connecting owners and investors directly on a single platform.

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• > How to Present Your Business Plan Successfully

How to Present Your Business Plan Successfully

Master the art of persuasion and confidence with our expert tips on how to present your business plan successfully—a must-read for entrepreneurs aiming to captivate investors and secure their dream's funding.

What is a business plan?

Why do i need to write a business plan, what should a business plan include, how do you write a business plan, how do you present a business plan to an audience.

• Start preparing

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Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes

If you’ve recently started your own business or are thinking about starting one, it’s important to write a business plan. This document defines your business purpose plus critical operational details, like your founding and management team and financial projections. It also lays out the market research you’ve done into your niche, demonstrating the gap your business intends to fill — an important argument for why your business stands to succeed.

It’s not only the content of your business plan that matters, however. Presentation is also critical. A well-organized plan will feature clean-cut margins and clear images, for example. Even the font makes a difference: A casual font like Comic Sans doesn’t give a professional first impression compared to more straightforward options like Times New Roman. If your business plan looks unprofessional, your audience may not take it seriously. They may not read it at all.

Why is this so important? Your business plan will be needed in various professional contexts. For example, if you want to take out a business loan from a bank, they may request a business plan. Similarly, if you petition venture capitalists for funding or extend an invitation to potential business partners to join your company, they’ll want to see this document. 

If your business plan gives an unprofessional first impression, it doesn’t matter how compelling the content is. This guide explains how to write and present a winning business plan that will get noticed — in a good way.

A business plan is a written document that describes in detail what a business’s objectives are and how it plans to achieve those objectives. It lays out a written road map for the firm from a marketing, financial, and operational standpoint. This document is usually drafted upon a business’s establishment and is especially important for startups, serving as a valuable piece of guidance.

Whether you’re planning to open a small restaurant, establishing a house-painting business, or starting a social media consultancy, you should create a business plan. This is a blueprint for business success that you can refer to in the future. In addition to providing internal guidance, your business plan will also be useful externally.

You may need a business plan to:

• Apply for business loans, for example, via private lenders or through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
• Pitch your business idea to potential board members or investors.
• Rent a commercial space for your business operations.

The SBA provides a comprehensive overview of what a business plan should include. Their  recommendations  can serve as a handy business plan template. Here’s what they recommend including:

Executive Summary

This is basically a snapshot of your business. It should include your mission statement ( here’s how to write one ) and a description of your new products or services. You should also define the company’s ownership and leadership team, provide details regarding any current employees, and specify where the company operates. Finally, include financial details and any plans for growth.

Company Description

This is your chance to show why your company is destined for success. Identify the problem your business will solve (for example, what gap in the marketplace your products or services will fill). Include demographics data for the potential customers, businesses, or organizations that your business will serve. Also, highlight your competitive advantage. What makes your company more likely to succeed than others with the same mission? For example, maybe you have experts on your team.

Market Analysis

Your market analysis further testifies to your business’s chances of success. You have to research what other businesses in the field are doing, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to pinpoint trends and themes, giving you an understanding of what works and what doesn’t. With this information, you can ensure your business gets it right.

Business and Management Structure

Confirm whether you’ve established your business as a legal entity like a limited liability company (LLC). Then, identify the ownership and leadership or management teams. Include an organizational chart to clarify who is in charge of what. You may want to provide the resumes of key team members, attesting to their unique skills and experience. 

Startup Service or Product Details

Describe the product or service you provide, explaining its unique assets and how it benefits the target market. If you have plans for protecting your intellectual property through trademarks, copyrights, or patents, include these. If you’re doing research and development (R&D) to further improve or extend your service or product offering, explain that.

Marketing and Sales Plan

Even if you have a world-class product, it won’t sell itself. Include a sales and marketing strategy for how you intend to reach, convert, and retain your target customer. You should also describe the steps that will lead to a sale. In this step, you are essentially  designing your sales funnel , a critical part of successful business planning.

Funding Request

You may be presenting your business plan as part of a funding request. Once you have the above details laid out, you can address funding requirements depending on your business needs. You should explain how much money you need for the next five years and clearly define what you will use that money for. Specify whether you want equity or debt and what terms you’d like applied to the funding.

Financial Projections

To convince someone to provide you with business funding, you need to prove your business’s profitability. Nobody wants to invest in a losing business. If you’ve started operations, include financial statements like balance sheets, profit and loss balances, income statements, and cash flow statements.

Whether your business is established or just starting, you should include a five-year financial plan covering details like forecasted income and expenditure. The first year should be more specific, broken down into quarterly or monthly projections. Use professional-looking charts, graphs, and tables as needed.

Now that you know what’s supposed to go into a business plan, you may still wonder how to write your business plan — and what to do with this document once it’s drafted.  Here’s a step-by-step guide.

1. Conduct research

You’ll have to adapt your core business plan to different audiences and objectives. Do your research to determine a relevant audience for your business plan based on your needs. For example, say you want to secure funding from an angel investor. Great idea. Where are you going to find that angel?

You have to research potential investors and what industries they’re interested in. You might search venture capital directories or check out events geared toward entrepreneurs, which frequently feature investors on their panels. You can also check out the websites of new businesses in your field, which may list investors in their management or ownership teams.

2. Include all your business details

Once you have an idea of who you’re targeting, you may have to tweak your business plan accordingly. Adapt the key points listed above as needed. For example, say you’re approaching an expert in your field who you’d like to invite to join your leadership team. You just want their expertise (not their money). The funding section would have to be adapted to make this clear.

Go through the points above, ensuring at every stage that the information and phrasing are relevant and appropriate to your designated audience:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Business and management structure
• Service or product offering details
• Marketing and sales strategy
• Funding request
• Financial projections

3. Find and contact your audience

With your business plan tailored to your target audience, you now have to find a way to get this important document in front of them. The internet is a great tool for finding contact information. You can also ask people you know for referrals. Network as much as possible. Once you get the contact information you need, send an introductory email or letter.

Are you not sure what to write? Refer to the  RAP (Reason for writing, Action requested, Polite and professional closing)  model for business request letters:

• Give your reason for writing.  Explain why they might be a good fit for your business or why your business plan might be of interest to them. Basically, why did you choose to approach  them  specifically and not somebody else?
• Identify the action requested.  The aim of this letter is that you want them to take the time to view your business plan. That’s all. This isn’t the point to demand funding. Ideally, they will take the time to meet so that you can present the business plan in person.
• Provide a professional and polite closing.  Make sure to include your contact details so that they know how to reach you if they’re interested.

If you’re successful in the steps above, you’ll be able to secure a meeting with your target audience to host your business plan presentation. This may be done in person or via a video conference. Read on to learn how you can prepare for this important presentation.

Adjust your plan to fit your audience

Review your business plan, ensuring it’s properly tailored to the audience (e.g., a lender versus investor versus commercial landlord). This is also a chance to review your business plan again. You should know this document, including relevant facts and figures, inside and out so that you can easily and quickly respond to questions.

Use credible and correct information

As you review your business plan, ensure that all the information provided is credible and error-free. It should also be up to date. For example, if you drafted your business plan six months ago and haven’t updated it since, you may have new quarterly figures to include.

Keep your plan simple

When presenting your plan, keep it as simple as possible. This ensures a streamlined and straightforward presentation. Consult resources like the SBA and  SCORE  to ensure you strike the right balance between simplicity versus providing sufficiently detailed information. A table of contents at the front makes it easy for everyone to find key points and follow your presentation.

Ensure your plan is engaging

Before your presentation, reflect on your business’s competitive advantages. You should be able to clearly and concisely identify these points. Ideally, you can outline your unique value proposition on a single PowerPoint slide. You want to successfully engage your audience, emphasizing the benefits they’ll receive when collaborating with you.

Prepare for objections

Be prepared for critiques, objections, and concerns to be raised during your presentation. Don’t stress. This is normal. If your audience doesn’t have any questions or objections, they likely aren’t interested — so take objections as a positive sign! Prepare to address everything from “stronger” competitors on the market to common negative assumptions about your industry. 

To prepare for this part of the presentation, have friends play the devil’s advocate. Ask them to come up with questions and critiques of your business concept and plan. This will give you a list of the tough questions you can expect. You can then come up with answers to these questions in advance, allowing you to go into your business plan meeting fully prepared.

Start preparing your business plan and begin practicing

This guide gives you the information and resources you need to write and present your business plan. With these preparatory steps done, there’s only one thing left to do: practice, practice, practice. The more you practice presenting your business plan, the better you’ll get at it. You can then go into your business pitch meetings with greater confidence.

Do you want more tips on how to start and run your business? ZenBusiness can help. We provide small business owners with the resources they need to found successful companies. Learn more about  how to start a business .

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional .

Written by Team ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies . The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.

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Home Blog Business How To Craft & Deliver an Effective Business Plan Presentation (Quick Guide)

How To Craft & Deliver an Effective Business Plan Presentation (Quick Guide)

A vital element in today’s highly competitive business landscape is the ability to craft and deliver a business plan presentation. This applies to both entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. 

This guide describes essential aspects required to build a business plan presentation and deliver it to stakeholders. 

Table of Contents

What is a Business Plan Presentation?

Is a business plan presentation the same as a business presentation, executive summary, justification of the business proposal, swot analysis, the niche of the proposal & actors in the industry, competitors, competitive intensity, trend analysis and critical variables, value chain, market analysis, jobs-to-be-done, value proposition, revenue streams, cost structure, distribution channels, key partnerships for the business model, organizational structure & management, go to market and marketing plan, development plan, qa, and continuous improvement model, distribution plan, inventory management, initial funding and financing structure, projection of income and costs.

• Evaluation of Projected Return vs. Required

Risk Evaluation

Sensitivity to critical variables, how to present bibliographical information in a business plan presentation, how to deliver a business plan presentation.

A business plan presentation is the medium we use to communicate a business plan to an audience. 

Presenters commonly ask what is the target length of a business plan presentation in terms of slides. Our expertise in this field tells us it’s advisable to work between 13-20 slides, remaining as concise as possible and using the help of visual aids. Let the graphics speak rather than fill your slides with text blocks.

No. A business plan presentation is used to communicate an identified business opportunity and how it is planned to be served in a way that generates profit. A business presentation is a more generic term, explained in our article about business presentation examples . 

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation

This section will list our recommended content for a successful business plan presentation. We broke it down into four stages which help the presenter build the story backing the business: a-. The opportunity and the competitive landscape analyzed, b- the business model designed and tested to serve the opportunity, c- the implementation plan of the business model, and finally, d- the financial and economic projections estimated that show the profitability of the opportunity.

For the purpose of this guide, the slides will refer to a case study of photo editing software. To replicate this slide deck creation process, you can speed up design decisions by working with the SlideModel AI Presentation Maker and tailoring it to your project.

So, how to make a business plan presentation? Let’s see a step by step guide.

Stage 1 – Identifying the Opportunity

After the title slide that defines how to start a presentation , any business plan should proceed by introducing the executive summary in a concise but impactful format.

The purpose of the executive summary is to inform the audience what to expect from the presentation and its conclusion.

Work with a maximum of two slides for this section, highlighting the key elements through visual cues. Check our guide on how to present an executive summary .

The next slide should disclose all the reasoning behind the business plan proposal, why this plan is being presented at this present moment, and projections of how the plan aligns with the current market trends.

Presenters can share the analysis done by the Market research team as long as it’s made clear which problem is relevant to the current market trends that this business plan aims to solve.

Mention all the references used to arrive at the conclusions expressed so data is backed with meaningful sources.

Any corporate PPT template can help you craft this slide, but presenters can also boost their performance through the use of infographics . If your solution for the selected problem involves a complex process, consider using a process flow template to expose the step-by-step justification of this proposal.

Use a SWOT template to showcase the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of this business opportunity.

Make sure the SWOT diagram is legible. Work your way to meet the same aesthetic style despite speeding up the process with templates. Mention the tools used for gathering the information for this SWOT Analysis in the footnote and ensure the audience understands which information elements help you reach conclusions in each quadrant. Check our guide on how to create a SWOT analysis and see if your business plan requires a SWOT or SOAR analysis . 

Every business plan is scoped under a niche or industry sector. With this slide, describe the sector in which the proposal is immersed. Communicate its value,  list the actors involved, and describe their high-level relationships.

List the analyzed competitors. Communicate their attributes. The competitors’ comparison in business plan presentation can be visually explained using tools from the Blue Ocean Strategy framework, like the Strategy Canvas . 

The competitive intensity of an industry sector is studied through the Porter’s 5 Forces model. This intensity expresses how attractive the industry is. Explain the conclusion in each force showcasing the model.

First, introduce the variables identified as important for the industry sector, citing the insight’s source. Secondly, drill down each variable and break down the different trend dimensions ( PESTEL ) 

• Use a highly visual slide, like a dashboard template , to introduce factual data regarding the trends over a specific time period. Growth rates must be represented in time frames of over 180 days to evaluate the trend accurately.
• List the critical variables (consumers, product, production capability, and financing) briefly.
• Disclose how each variable can affect pricing and your position within the niche for that trend. Presenters can refer to case studies from successful competitor stories on how they responded to trend changes in the niche.

When presenting the value chain, we ought to articulate the sequence of activities the company handles to create value within the business plan. Start by breaking down the value chain into its key components, briefly explaining the stages from inbound logistics all the way through customer service. It is important to highlight the linking point between each stage and express the value of coordinating team activities to enhance overall efficiency.

We can use flowchart diagram templates as visual aids for the audience so they can understand the process sequence. Check our guide on how to make a flowchart .

Present the identified Market and its Segments. Continue explaining how conclusions were driven through the analysis and sizing of the market.

Presenters can use target market analysis templates , market segmentation templates , or TAM SAM SOM templates to compare their target market with the total available market. 

We recommend you check our guide on market segmentation for this process.

Then drill down with a Persona definition.

This study can be made by creating ideal customers, describing their demographics and psychological factors that make them prospective candidates to purchase the product or service this business plan presentation refers to.

Here is our guide on creating buyer personas . 

The Jobs-to-be-Done theory explains why certain customers are attracted to products and services and how those elements solve core problems in the consumers’ lives. 

A Perceptual Map is a tool we can use to measure the consumer perception of different products/services in the same market. This can be particularly useful if our value proposal is to brand ourselves as cheaper alternatives to already existing solutions. Check our guide on perceptual maps for further information.

Check our guide on the Jobs-to-be-Done framework and add suggestions to the business plan presentation.

Stage 2 – Business Model

To describe the  Business Model in your Business Plan Presentation, use the business model canvas analysis tool. Display your design in one slide.

For specific sections of the BMC, you can add slides if you need to drill down for further details. In our experience, the following sections require a deeper level of explanation.

List the Segments targeted in your Business Model. You can include a slide with additional information and segment size. Reference the Market analysis explained earlier to justify the selection or which were the pivots applied.

In order to explain the reasoning behind the Value Proposition and how it serves the segments selected, you can use the Value Proposition Canvas tool to explain the logic behind this selection.

The Value Proposition outlines the unique benefit our product or service offers the market and why customers should choose our offer over potential alternatives. Since we have already analyzed the potential buyers and presented the market, it’s time to deliver that value proposition using our best assets: customer testimonials, report data, surveys, etc.

As testimonials often weigh the most in established brands, be sure to present this information through a narrative that showcases why your product or service had a positive impact on the life of that customer. You can use customer testimonial templates to give an extra boost through visual aids.

Explaining how much the customers will pay for the product/services is critical to understanding the viability and profitability of the business. Showcase for each segment the pricing model and the engagement terms.

The Income Model expresses the sources of revenue for our business plan. This has to be in relationship with the pricing strategy for established businesses. Lean startups can work concerning their minimum viable product (MVP) and then elaborate with projections for future releases or changes in their income stream structure.

At this point, companies need to present the sources of revenue depending on their origin:

• Product Sales
• Subscription Model
• Freemium Model
• Partnerships with other brands in different niches
• Advertising and Sponsorships
• Monetization

Check our guide on pricing strategy models for more information about how to present this point. You can use revenue stream templates to represent this data in style.

Drill down the cost structure categories and relate them to the Value Chain explained earlier. Show a cost breakdown chart to make it easier for the audience to understand their weight in the total costs.

As this step can be a bit complex to articulate, we recommend you check our guide on Cost Structure to see how you can resume all that information in one slide.

At the business model stage, distribution channels should be briefly introduced since they will be mentioned again in the Distribution Plan . In some industries, it is important to highlight which channels are chosen over others for the sake of revenue and faster operation.

Our Distribution Channels PowerPoint Template is a perfect resource for this.

Presenting the strategic partnerships for the business plan is a way to prove the plan’s potential reach and success factor. On this behalf, companies must list which resources they are sharing with their business partners regarding expertise, technology, distribution channels, or capital, as these elements will impact the cost structure.

You can use the Business Partnership PowerPoint Template to present this information in a professional-looking format.

Stage 3 – Implementation

The business plan is designed to offer a product, deliver a service, or combine both. At this stage, the business plan presentation drills down on how the organization will build/deliver the product/service implementing the business model outlined earlier.  

Describe how the company operates regarding human capital and its roles. Presenters must describe to the audience the hierarchical structure, responsibilities, and how they play a role within the value chain.

You can use Org Charts to represent the roles and responsibilities in the organization visually. It is also advisable to highlight the expertise and experience of the management team, as it helps to build trust.

The Human Resource Plan must refer to your planned recruitment, training, and employee onboarding. Which talent will be required, and how is it planned to build the different teams of the structure.

Check the Go To Market Strategy guide and describe how the Business Plan will enter the market and overcome the initial barriers. Continue with the Marketing Plan limited to 1-2 slides resuming the plan’s tactics to increase brand awareness and the selected channels for this strategy. 

You can use the Marketing Plan Templates help to speed up the process by focusing on the content to fill rather than the design or creating complex charts from scratch.

Present the sales plan describing the full sales process, lead generation, nurturing customers, and conversion strategies.

Use Sales PowerPoint Templates to visually illustrate your sales process, like the Sales Pipeline Slide Template for PowerPoint , which depicts the process from lead acquisition to a closed deal.

Check our guide on Sales Plan for further information on this topic.

This step refers to presenting the product/service development plan, the Quality Assurance processes behind its validation, and your company’s commitment to a continuous improvement process based on surveyed data or customer feedback.

We can refer to testimonials, user case experiences our team successfully troubleshot, or experiences we learned from competitors in the same niche.

Presenting the distribution plan involves addressing logistics topics, supply chain , and sharing fulfillment strategies. Although we already presented the potential distribution channels, this is the step in which you detail how each will interact and their impact on the estimated revenue. 

Present one slide mentioning your company’s approach to these channels, if applicable:

• Direct Sales (either physical store or e-commerce)
• Retail Partnerships
• Wholesalers or Distributors
• E-Commerce marketplaces

This step involves two different approaches depending on the kind of industry we’re in. For traditional business, inventory management in a business plan presentation must highlight how the inventory will be handled to minimize transportation costs or overproduction. Projections must be shown per quarterly period and take into account seasonality if it has a significant impact on the required storage capacity.

On the other hand, e-commerce companies have to present their online infrastructure to secure the product’s availability 24/7, how customer tickets are handled when the customer cannot access the product, server costs, and how we prevent online leaks.

Stage 4 – ROI and Risk Evaluation

This section will outline the Financial Plan of your Business.

Showcase the financial structure, including equity, debt, and potential investors, at the moment of kick-starting this business. It is a good practice to consider the initial funding slide to be a brief summary of those points, with particular emphasis on the funding needs.

Cash Flow Diagrams , Comparison Chart templates , and Timeline templates to showcase when funds help to meet each of the plan’s milestones are good ideas to represent the elements on this slide.

Income and expense projections must be presented over a defined time period by using graphs or charts to clearly visualize the trends supporting each change.

Break down the revenue sources with clear, identifiable icons to showcase: product sales, subscription fees, advertisement, affiliates, etc. Sales estimations have to be realistic and conservative, as they will be contrasted with the production, marketing, administrative, and personnel costs to leave a gross profit margin calculation. 

Evaluation of Projected Return vs. Required 

Demonstrate the feasibility of your business plan. Start by presenting the profit margins in relation to the projection of income and expenses, then introduce the break-even analysis .

Presenters can make their message more relevant by presenting an ROI calculation and contrasting it with industry benchmarks in the same niche. By following this approach, presenters prove how the ROI offered by this business plan aligns with the investment’s risk projection.

Presenting a risk evaluation analysis in a business plan presentation involves introducing both risks and their mitigation strategies. 

Risk Management templates , like the ROAM framework, can help organize potential risk sources by their severity and impact on the organization. A pyramid diagram can be used to demonstrate how risk management can be delegated across the organization to completely eradicate the risk factor depending on its severity. 

The elements you should consider presenting are mainly regulatory changes, market changes, competitors (new or existing), and financial crises. 

The final point in our business plan presentation involves summarizing how key variables can influence the projected returns in our plan. Examples of these variables can be sudden increases in raw materials (affecting production costs and sales prices), a new pandemic (affecting workforce capacity and shortage of raw materials), geopolitical situations like war, etc.

We highly recommend presenting these critical variables using scenario analysis techniques according to measured data. Introduce best-case, worst-case, and most likely-case to give a full panorama of how your organization is prepared against any contingency.

An often overlooked point in a business plan presentation comes when listing the bibliographical information used to craft the business plan. Follow these steps to ensure a professional outcome for this slide or document.

• Use a title like: “Bibliography,” “Source Credits,” or “References.” If your business plan presentation cites examples from other companies, use a “Works Cited” section.
• References are usually shown in the APA style, but the MLE or Chicago style can be requested depending on your location or situation.
• Maintain a consistent style in terms of reference style used, font, text size, and formatting options across the entire slide deck. Footnotes or in-text citations can be used for important data.
• Verbally acknowledge your sources when required throughout the course of your presentation. This helps to establish credibility and respect for other people’s work rather than just dropping a slide with chunks of text.

This section will cover the most commonly asked questions on delivering a business plan presentation.

How many slides should my business plan presentation list?

This will depend entirely on your niche and the complexity of the business plan. Generally, work with at least 15 slides and no more than 30. It is best to use an extra slide rather than overcrowd an existing slide with tons of information.

What is the best format to present a business plan?

There are different options to present any business plan, so the selected option will mostly consist of the presenter’s preferred style and the audience’s age and interests.

• PowerPoint Presentation : You can start from a blank slide and go all the way through a professionally designed PPT template . PowerPoint documents allow you to present images, text, audio, videos, and any kind of graphic to help you convey the core ideas behind the business plan. They can work with any PC or Mac device, as well as mobile devices.
• PDF Documents: This can be a choice made in a hurry or by preference. Sharing a PDF document can work, but you must include the fonts used in the original document, as some compatibility issues can be present. 
• Pitch Deck : Rather than doing a lengthy business plan presentation, a pitch deck consists of a maximum of 15 slides to deliver your proposal concisely. This is the typical approach we can see in TV shows like Shark Tank. 
• Video Presentation : In some cases, using a video in a business plan presentation is relevant, especially if we are to introduce an innovative product in the market. You can use videos to showcase features, present services in a live format, introduce your team, and plenty of other options.

Are printables required in business plan presentations?

Although they are not required, using supplementary material in business plan presentations can be useful. You can prepare reference material for investors, especially involving complex data like graphs in an amplified format (and reference the slide in which they appear and vice versa).

Providing a printable to accompany your business plan presentation helps to give an image of professionalism and respect to your proposal.

What are the don’ts of writing a business plan?

The main purpose of this article is to craft and deliver a business plan presentation. Still, we would like to clarify some common errors seen in business plans that typically affect the performance of the presentation.

• Using overcomplicated language : Jargon or unnecessary acronyms may confuse spectators who are not in touch with all the details relevant to a particular industry. 
• Ignoring the audience : Not considering the variety of interests among investors, partners, and team members can hinder your presentation.
• Neglecting/underestimating competitors : Any realistic business plan considers the existing competitors in their niche and perhaps potential newcomers. Not doing so will leave you unprepared to present a doable business plan.
• Ignoring Risk Assessment : Omitting the Risk Assessment analysis and mitigation strategies does not respect the value investors and your team have. 

How long should the business plan presentation be?

As a general guideline, try to fit your business plan presentation between 20-30 minutes. Some complex plans may require additional time to be presented.

Does the presentation need to be tailored to different audiences? 

Using this tactic can be a winning factor for both investors and your team, as you prioritize effective communication for the roles they are relevant. Take these items into consideration for tailoring the presentation for specific needs.

In-Company Presentation

The focus should be on goal accomplishment and the strategies targeted to the team’s roles. Emphasize how teamwork is the pathway to success and how each individual contributes to the bigger picture.

If new technologies or knowledge are required as part of the business plan implementation, then this is the moment to disclose that information and inform the process to coach the team into it.

Board Meeting

Whenever delivering the business plan presentation to a board of directors, focus on the strategic goals, financial projections, and KPIs. 

Showcase how this business plan aligns with the company’s core values, mission, vision, and long-term strategy. 

Potential Investors

Presenting your unique value proposition, potential ROI, and highlighting the market opportunity is extremely important. Focus on selling your business model and vision with accurate financial projections and growth strategy. 

Dedicate some minutes to present your industry’s competitive landscape and answer why your product or service is a better offering than what competitors produce.

As we can see, creating a business plan presentation is a process that can be time-consuming if we lack the required business plan presentation tools to turn data into visually appealing formats. 

Remember to work concisely without losing the big picture of what you intend to explain. Your presentation is the entry point into the heart of your business; therefore, by adopting a structured approach, you can deliver an experience that engages, inspires, and builds confidence. 

Finally, let’s see some business plan PowerPoint presentation examples & business plan templates that you can use to speed up the presentation design process and save time.

1. Coffee Shop Illustration Business Plan Slides

Create your new business plan presentation with quality vector illustrations for Coffee Shops. Ideal for cafeterias, coffee bars, barista giftshop stores, bookshops and more.

Use This Template

2. Real Estate Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Realtors looking to start their own agencies should take a look at this attractive selection of slides with tailored real estate vector illustrations. These presentation plan slides show the different stages that a prospective buyer may incur, from hiring the services of a Real Estate agent, checking different properties, to finally buying a home.  Graphs and charts are included in vivid colors that are fully editable to meet the required branding.

3. Restaurant Business Model PowerPoint Template

As we’ve seen with the previous cases, these vector images depicting typical restaurant activities can help us build a business plan presentation sample to discuss with our team prior to an important meeting. Save time and money by introducing these professional designs into your presentation.

4. One Pager Business Plan PowerPoint

To briefly summarize the objectives of your business plan, work in-team with this one-pager business plan slide. Ideal to take notes, give a general picture of the current status of the business plan and key growth opportunities.

5. Business Plan PowerPoint Templates

If you want to create the best business plan presentation, this slide deck can make that task 100% easier. Containing all the elements described in this guide, introduce your data and prepare to deliver a powerful speech.

6. Flat Bold Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Another slide deck intended for those looking at how to make a business plan presentation that delivers a memorable experience. With a minimalistic design approach, it perfectly balances formal elements and impactful visual cues to help increase your audience’s retention rate.

7. Car Sharing Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Create the next Uber-like car-sharing service with the help of these carpooling vector illustrations perfectly arranged in a cohesive business plan slide deck. Presenters can explain the ins and outs of their business model with highly detailed graphics that grab the attention of potential investors. Check it out now!

8. Beauty Salon Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Business plan presentations don’t have to look formal or boring. This slide deck is geared towards beauty salon businesses, especially for those targeted to women. Chic design, bold color scheme, and extremely useful tools like a pricing list to present an idea like a subscription-based model where consumers see the total value of their investment.

9. CrossFit Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Finally, we list an option filled with tools and gym vector illustrations for those looking to start a gym business or CrossFit academy. These illustrations were crafted with care to express the core idea on every single slide, such as human-shaped graphs to present relevant KPIs.

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Discover the steps to take to create a business plan that will give you focus and provide potential investors with the information they need.

Have you got a burning desire to start your own business? If so, you’re in good company.

Recent research says 28% of people worldwide have started a business at some point in their lives, while 30% have seriously considered it.

In other words, nearly a third of all people worldwide have considered going it alone.

If you’re serious about starting a business , you’ll need many things – but perhaps the first two you’ll need from day one are accounting software and a business plan .

The former lets you start on the very best footing without having to worry about an admin overload.

The latter is a way of transcribing your ideas and aspirations into cold, hard facts that investors can use.

For most people, creating a business plan is one of the hardest tasks they will undertake in the early days of their business.

But help is available.

Meet our business owner, Olivia

There are lots of business plan examples and templates, including here at Sage Advice . Using templates helps you answer questions that are typically asked if you hope to attract interest in your business – and therefore get investment.

Here, we look at creating a business plan via the hypothetical example of Olivia, who would like to create a plant-based chocolate retailer called Chocoholics Anonymous.

We’ll aim to create an ideal business plan by examining what she writes and how she approaches the task.

Olivia has already tested the water by running a part-time business from her kitchen for some months, with help from a few friends. Sales have boomed.

Now, she’d like to expand into a storefront and full online operation.

If she’s applying for a bank loan, she might be asking for most if not all of the funding. But if she’s hoping for angel investment, she may need to match the anticipated input with her own.

This might be her own cash, but it can also be her collateral in the business, and it’s for this reason that people often approach investors once their operation is an ongoing concern, rather than beforehand.

Your one stop shop for starting a business

Thinking about starting a business or already putting your ideas into action? We’ve got the resources, expertise and software to help you achieve your goals.

How to create a business plan

Olivia downloads our  business plan template and sets aside an afternoon to make a start, realising it could take several days or perhaps even weeks to complete and perfect.

She realises this is one of the most important things she will do – more important, even, than the secret recipe for her fudge brigadeiros!

When answering the questions, she tries to remember who the business plan is for: investors, such as banks that she might be approaching for loans, or entrepreneurs.

For this reason, her plan contains as many data points as possible because it has to make a genuine case for her company’s existence.

But it also has to be positive and inspiring, to show the promise her business offers.

Additionally, this is one situation where she knows not to stop herself from including personality in the application. She knows investors are putting their money into her, as much as they are in the potential of the business.

In her business plan, she includes diagrams, charts, visuals and anything else that helps her share her vision.

And that makes the plan easier to consume – after all, investors are busy people, so she’s wise to make the job as easy as possible for them.

Step 1: Description of the business and its objectives

Coyness isn’t required here, and Olivia doesn’t hold back:

“Chocoholics Anonymous will be the most profitable plant-based chocolatier in the country and within three years will become the dominant plant-based chocolate brand.”

She explains how her business will be different from the rest. It will target three price points: budget, medium and high end.

Highlight how you developed your business idea and what you want to achieve

Most chocolatiers, she explains with examples from actual businesses, target only the medium and high-end. She wants to create a low-price revolution.

Similarly, describing her objective is unrestrained in its ambition.

She writes that she wants virtually all vegan chocolate consumers in the country to have heard about her business, and to have a one in 10 conversion rate among this audience – which is to say, 10% will have actively placed an order with her in the space of any year.

She bases these figures on the reach of major plant-based food manufacturers, thanks to taking a look at their annual reports, and creates a graph showing the sales increases she anticipates over the first, second and third years.

Use your business plan to highlight your goals and objectives

She lets her imagination run wild, and talks about wanting to scale the business to multiple retail outlets, and using a dedicated manufacturing base.

Investors need to see ambition because they’re investing in that future as well as the here and now.

Step 2: Products and pricing

Olivia starts by breaking down her ingredient costs vs her profit margin, providing the figures in tables for ease of reading.

Then she explains her strategy for both creating and selling chocolate, and another unique selling point: she intends to offer discounts for bulk buying, so people will be encouraged to purchase more than one item each and every time.

She includes her product listing and provides examples of what she anticipates typical consumer purchases will look like, and how they will scale in this way.

Use this section of your business plan to go through what you’ll be selling

She also explains how she intends to operate both on and offline (or bricks and mortar, as it’s often called), and intends to run a loyalty-card scheme for her retail outlet.

Step 3: Customers

Olivia has done her research, which is the fundamentals upon which any business plan should be based.

People love statistics.

Olivia found statistics describing the growth in plant-based eating in the past decade, as well as the growth of flexitarian dietary choices.

Additionally, from those yearly reports from other plant-based food manufacturers and retailers, she’s able to take profiles of typical customers (personas), as well as discussions of their wants and needs.

And, of course, she finds their sales figures in their annual reports, so she can quote these as examples for her own potential reach, with a geographical breakdown for online sales.

Step 4: Competitors

Although her initial instinct was to pretend that she had no competitors, Olivia doesn’t flinch in examining the competitive landscape.

She realises her investors will not be stupid and, thanks to Google, can do their own research in seconds.

Before handing over cash, any investor will do their own due diligence in any event to confirm what Olivia claims.

So, she provides details of online retailers worldwide, as well as bricks-and-mortar retailers local to her.

She includes any business that might compete in future, such as non-vegan retailers, or even restaurants and cafes who might sniff her success and provide products (although she also mentions how she hopes to supply these retailers).

Use this section of your business plan to highlight your competitor research

She highlights her own unique selling points by expressing them as weaknesses in her competitors.

This level of insight Olivia provides is good for several reasons.

Gaps in the market

It genuinely shows where there might be gaps in the market. For example, Olivia realises during her research that nobody is making products for baby showers with vegan chocolate. She spots a gap in the market for diabetic-friendly plant-based confectionery.

Competitor analysis

Competitor analysis is also good practice when she begins to run her business, because this kind of research will need to be ongoing.

She’ll always need to spot gaps in the market and aim to keep a step ahead of competitors.

Some competitors may simply clone what she’s doing, but because she started her work before them, she can exploit this competitive edge to keep innovating and remain one step ahead.

Being realistic

But mostly, by being so pragmatic Olivia is showing by her competitor analysis that she’s realistic about her prospects. This is something investors will respect.

Step 5: Your people

Olivia starts by detailing her own qualifications and experience in retail, and her success up until that point operating the business from her kitchen.

She writes about her brother-in-law, who she intends to hire to man the store while she creates her masterpieces in the back. She details his qualifications and experience too.

Detail who will be working for you and the skills they’ll be developing

She highlights her expansion plans to take on new staff as the business goes on, and their roles – how she intends to use an online marketing manager when the business grows, for example, to expand her online reach.

Step 6: How to make the business a success

This is one question in the business plan where Olivia has a chance to be truly expansive while answering – although she knows to keep what she writes detailed and pragmatic.

She again discusses her plan to sell her products both online and offline.

Olivia mentions how she intends to exploit social networking to encourage online sales, and how she intends to run competitions with her products as prizes in order to build a mailing list.

She talks about her own experience of being vegan and how she’s firmly entrenched within the vegan community – both online and offline– and how she intends to use this to further the business aims, as well as how it gives her insight into sensitivities, and therefore marketing potential, among her community.

Olivia again does vital research and is able to show how her local area has a high proportion of people interested in plant-based eating, and who could become her bricks-and-mortar customers.

In short, anything and everything that could make her business a success is mentioned – and, in nearly every case, is backed up by data points.

Step 7: Profit and loss for the first three years

This is the toughest part of all.

Olivia has to work out all her costs moving forward – from day one of her business, all the way through to 36 months into the future when the business will hopefully look very different.

Having done her research, she knows her fixed costs – those that don’t change no matter how much she sells.

From speaking to estate agents, for example, she knows what a storefront rent is going to be.

From speaking to other business owners with stores via her local commerce association, she finds out what her bills are likely to be (water, electricity, internet etc).

She decides on salaries for herself and her brother-in-law.

Variable costs are harder for her to predict, because raw ingredient prices can be volatile. All she can do is list them at their current price, and adding a note about volatility.

Speaking to her potential suppliers, she asks the salesperson to give her a spread of recent prices so she can also show what the variation is likely to be. She factors in taking on casual staff as the business grows.

She projects how many units she will sell, and how this will grow.

Download our small business toolkit

One thing Olivia should do is download our small business survival toolkit. This includes an ebook, designed to help you achieve success by addressing typical challenges encountered by small businesses in the first few years.

It’s full of information, including potential funding sources that all businesses need to know about.

The business plan template we offer lets you update or complete your strategy for success, as outlined above. All you have to do is follow the instructions in each section, entering your own information.

Finally, our cash flow forecast template can be used to predict funds flowing in and out of your business over the next 12 months.

This is vital, and you can use it along with the advice in our ebook to address any cash shortfalls.

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See advice specific to your business

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation

Noah Parsons

9 min. read

Updated August 1, 2024

It’s been said that business plans are worthless – it’s the planning process that is truly valuable . In many ways, this is a true statement. The business plan document that you create isn’t necessarily that useful because few people will ever review it in detail.

But, the process you went through to create that document forced you to think in detail about your business and answer questions that you might not have answered otherwise.

The planning process forced you to become an expert in your business, your target market, and your operations.

The expertise that you created in the planning process is what you need to showcase when you pitch your business to lenders and investors. Figuring out how to distill all of that knowledge into a few slides and a ten-to-twenty-minute presentation is the next challenge.

This guide will help you turn your business plan into a cohesive and convincing presentation that will help you win investors and wow your audience. 

• What is a business plan presentation?

A business plan presentation is also often called a “ pitch deck .” It’s a set of slides, often designed to accompany an in-person or Zoom meeting, that presents the fundamentals of your business.

A great business plan presentation explains what you do, who your target audience is, how your business operates, and what your “ask” is. After all, you probably aren’t just presenting your business plan to share your great idea, you’re trying to convince your audience to do something for you.

When you’re designing your business plan presentation, it’s helpful to know if you’re going to be able to talk through your presentation, or if it’s just going to be emailed out. This 

• Why do you present a business plan?

Your business plan presentation is all about the “ask”. Whether you’re trying to raise money for your business, win a business plan competition, or pitching a potential new employee to join your business, you have a reason for presenting your business. As you work on your business plan presentation, keep this in mind. Know who your audience is and what you want from them at the end of your presentation. More often than not, your goal will be simply to get to the next meeting or have some opportunity to continue the conversation. 

• 6 Tips to create a convincing business plan presentation

We’ll cover exactly what to include in your business plan presentation in the next section, but first let’s go over a few tips that will help you prepare a great presentation.

1. Start with a review of your business plan

Your business plan presentation is a summary of your business plan, so use your plan as a starting point. You already have all the information you need to, so just go back to your plan and highlight the key points that you plan to cover in your presentation. If there are key statistics or facts about your market that you want to highlight, identify those so that you don’t forget to include them in your presentation.

2. Tell a story

The key to engaging your audience is to hook them with a story. Think about the problems your customers face when they’re using a product or service from the competition. Explain what life is like before your business arrives to provide a novel solution. The more that you can get your audience to nod along and understand the point of view of your customer, the more likely they are to support your business. 

3. Use visuals

Business plan presentations shouldn’t be slides crammed with text and other information. Instead, focus on using imagery to convey your message. You don’t want your audience to just be reading a slide full of information while you talk – they won’t really give you their full attention when this happens. Instead, use photos, charts and graphs, or diagrams to explain your business and the problems you are solving. 

4. Use large, easy to read font

Always use a relatively large font in your presentation – 30pt or larger. Your audience shouldn’t have to strain to read what’s on your slide. Using a large font will also force you to choose your words carefully because you won’t have that much room on the page for a lot of words. 

6. Research who you’re presenting to

Nailing your presentation requires knowing your audience. For example, suppose you’ve invented a new medical device and are presenting to a room full of industry experts and medical professionals. In that case, you’ll want to present using terminology that they are familiar with.

However, if your presentation is to investors who may not be as familiar with your industry, you may need to simplify things and make sure to use language that they will understand. 

• What to include in your business plan presentation

As a general rule, try to keep your presentation to 10-12 slides. Although you could probably talk about your business all day, your audience is looking for a concise presentation that clearly communicates what your business does and where you are going.

Here are the 10 slides you should include your presentation:

1. Introduction 

This is sometimes also called the title slide. You should include your company name and logo and a one line summary of your business. This might be your mission statement, or just a short tagline that explains what you’re doing in a nutshell. For example, Spotify might have said, “We’re revolutionizing how people listen to music and how artists get paid”. Instagram might have said, “We make it easy for anyone to produce professional-looking photos”.

2. The problem and your solution

This is where your story-telling skills need to come into play. You want to make your problem real to your audience. You want them to relate to people who have the problem, even if they don’t have the problem themselves. You want your audience nodding along in understanding.

With your problem clearly identified, you now explain your solution. This is a description of what your product or service is and what it does. Explain how it solves your customer’s problem and how it compares to the competition. 

3. Target market and opportunity

Your next step is to explain the size of your market and what your business opportunity is. You’ll use the market research data from your business plan in this slide to show how many potential customers are out there and you’ll show the different market segments that your business will target . 

4. Business model and pricing strategy

Your business model is an explanation of how you make money. For many businesses, this is very straightforward and doesn’t require much, if any, explanation. For others, more details will be required. For example, a business like Google provides their search engine for free to users, but sells ads in the search results. 

5. Traction

Traction is evidence of early success with your business. This might mean a list of initial customers, pre-orders through a Kickstarter campaign, or signed contracts with potential buyers. Any evidence that you can provide that proves that your business will be a success is useful to showcase here. 

6. Marketing and sales

Be sure to include a slide that provides an overview of your marketing and sales plan . You’ve identified your target market and now you need to explain how you’re going to reach them and sell to them. 

7. Financial projections

You shouldn’t try and fit your entire financial plan into your business plan presentation. Instead, extract the highlights and present them here. A sales forecast chart and profits chart could be useful. If you have a guess as to when you’ll become profitable, include that information. The goal of your presentation is to spark interest and get your audience to ask for additional information, so don’t overload things in your initial presentation.

8. Your team

Who is behind your business is often even more important than your idea. People come up with good ideas all the time. Investors are looking not just for a great idea, but for a team of people who can turn that idea into reality. Use this slide to provide a brief overview of your team and the rationale behind why your team is the right team to make the business a success. 

9. Use of funds

Assuming that you are presenting your business plan to raise money for your business, you’ll need to explain how you’re going to use that money. Is it for marketing or perhaps R&D? Maybe you need to raise funds to hire key additions to your team or to expand to a new location. Make it clear why you need the money and how you’re going to use it.

10. Call to action

Finally, don’t forget your “ask.” If you’re seeking investment, ask for it. If you are trying to convince someone to join your team, ask them to join. Your business plan presentation exists for a reason and there’s no harm in being direct about what you are looking for.

11. Appendix

Aside from the core slides of your presentation, it’s always useful to have additional slides ready to answer questions that come up. A great presentation leaves the audience interested and wanting to know more. Try and anticipate those questions and add slides in the appendix that helps answer those questions. When the audience asks a question that you’ve prepared a slide for, skip into the appendix and answer that question with your slide. This method shows your audience that you’re well prepared and have thought through all aspects of your business.

This is where it all comes back to planning. The plan document itself may not be useful, but the process you went through will leave you well-prepared to present your business plan expertly and successfully.

Check out our analysis of 7 well-known startup pitch decks for examples of businesses that successfully did this.

• Download your free pitch deck template

Get a jump start on your business plan presentation by downloading our free pitch deck template . It has everything you need to get started and includes all the key slides you need for a winning presentation. 

But a good business pitch is only as good as the business plan behind it. So, to be sure you’re prepared to pitch to investors, you can also download our free business plan template . It has everything you need to back up your pitch and impress external stakeholders.

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

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How to Present a Business Plan to Potential Investors

By Fernando Berrocal

Being able to properly market your business plan to potential investors is an essential skill for any startup entrepreneur . When your audience isn't yet engaged, you can easily go overboard on the specifics, or you can show off too little of your startup when your audience expects more. In either case, making a mistake like this might lose you a potential investor who was already interested. In this post, we'll provide you with a strong foundation of information that should assist you to avoid common mistakes that might obstruct your fundraising efforts.

Determine the Amount of Enthusiasm: You must be able to match the material you're delivering to the degree of interest of the individuals you're presenting your business plan to. People who are inexperienced with your project won’t have the patience to read a big booklet. Individuals who are familiar with your idea and business and want to make a significant commitment, on the other hand, would anticipate such information. Unfortunately, this means that a single document will not be enough. It's helpful to think about the process in terms of a sales funnel. The business plan message you present should fit into one of these categories in order of least to most interested.

Elevator Pitch : To people you've just met, you should be able to convey the entire business in a few phrases. It's worthwhile to polish this presentation because you'll be giving it to a variety of stakeholders in your business regularly.

Short Pitch Deck, Lean Canvas , or Executive Summary of a Business Proposal:   The brief pitch deck is the industry standard for presenting a business concept to potential investors. However, while the short pitch deck is wonderful for meetings, it loses a little when sent through email for people to read because it is text-heavy. As a result, the Lean Canvas and the executive summary of the business plan may be more appropriate in these situations. These documents have the advantage of being brief while still providing more information than a one-sentence elevator pitch.

Detailed Pitch Deck : A presentation designed to be emailed. It has the same structure as a short pitch deck and provides the same material, but it is more text-heavy and detailed. Instead of the standard 5 to 10-minute pitches, they might be utilized for 15 to 40-minute presentations. Again, devoting 40 minutes to your project indicates that your audience is already intrigued.

Full Business Plan: It's only beneficial to those who plan to invest in the initiative — often investors, but also co-founders, and others. Keep in mind that, while the business plan is typically used to attract investors, its primary function is to provide clarity to the founding team about the way forward.

• The basics of persuading a startup investor of the viability of your concept remain the same whether you use a business plan or a pitch deck.
• Complexity is typically counterproductive since it might cause your audience to get confused. The more complex the strategy, the more likely it's to fail when put into action.
• Start with the issue you're dealing with and the solution you're suggesting:
• Demonstrate the project's potential by discussing the total addressable market and your potential market penetration .
• Give evidence, ideally, enough traction figures to persuade the audience that the tale you're delivering is true.
• Demonstrate the team's competency by exhibiting extensive domain knowledge and, preferably, experience.

Finally, make the request. You have more room in a business plan to discuss what you're searching for – investors, partners, and so on – as well as what you need the resources for. If you can satisfactorily address the problems listed above, you'll be ok on your way to persuading potential investors and partners.

Business Plan should be well-structured: People usually scan through business plans and then use them as a reference resource if they require particular information. This implies that it must be organized rationally for individuals to easily find the information they need. The following is an excellent business plan structure:

• A Summary, also known as an Executive Summary, of the whole plan. It can be delivered as a separate document.
• Discuss the problem, the solution, the target market, the segments, and possibly the competitors.
• Execution of Marketing and Operations Strategy ; milestones are useful for illustrating the path ahead; success measures are also a good idea.
• Cap table, management team, and hiring plan for open/prospective roles are all part of the business structure.
• Financial predictions such as profit and loss and net present value estimates.

In summary, presenting a business concept to investors isn't as simple as it looks, so take the time to learn what the investor expects to see and prepare the necessary documents to make a strong case. However, the pitch deck and business plan are only a framework; the substance is what matters, so make sure you have something useful to say in your business plan.

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How to Pitch Your Business Idea to Potential Investors

These four simple tips can help you find funding for your new business or product.

Table of Contents

After you’ve drawn up your business idea and crafted your business plan, you need funding to turn your entrepreneurial dream into a reality. When your ability to secure funds comes down to a 10- to 20-minute pitch to potential investors, it’s easy to feel nervous. It’s a pressure-packed moment, and you need to be at your best.

So how can you erase your anxiety and impress potential investors? Business News Daily spoke with a handful of experts, including a former participant on ABC’s Shark Tank , about how to nail a pitch to potential investors.

How to present a business idea to investors

1. tell a story..

A common topic among experts was the need to be personable and create a narrative. While facts and figures go a long way, it’s important to use those numbers to tell a meaningful story. Framing your business idea as a story also helps you explain your passion for your business.

Erin Beck, the CEO of Komae, a cooperative childcare app, believes storytelling sets her presentations apart from those of her peers. She creates an emotional appeal with an engaging pitch. “Make the story more important than what you’re selling because once the market numbers speak for themselves, they don’t connect with you for what you’re doing, but why you’re doing it,” said Beck.

2. Define the problem.

You might be head over heels about your business concept. Your prototypes for the product are all stellar, and you’re thrilled about your business plan. Unfortunately, if your product doesn’t solve a problem or fill a need for customers, investors aren’t going to share your excitement.

“Start off with the problem,” said Donna Griffit, a corporate storyteller for startups. “Do you understand the need that’s in the market today? Do you have the facts to back that up?”

It is critical that you can answer these questions when heading into a meeting with investors. Thorough market research , along with customer surveys and interviews, can show if your product is needed. If you lack the data to prove that your idea addresses a problem, it’s difficult to engage the audience and even more difficult to get funding from investors. 

“I’ve seen startups try to take shortcuts on this and end up with glazed-over eyes in their audience,” Griffit said.

3. Practice as much as you can.

The weeks and days leading up to your pitch to potential investors is no time to be shy. Give your pitch to friends, family, neighbors or anyone else willing to listen. Not only does practicing help take the nerves off, but it also allows you to learn where you can improve your presentation.

“You’ve likely told your origin story dozens of times and have it down,” said David Ciccarelli, the founder and CEO of Voices.com. “Now, get ready to tell it possibly hundreds more. During our capital raise, I told our founding story 200 times. While it’s old news to you, it’s new for the investor, so keep it upbeat and tell it with enthusiasm.”

Don’t hesitate to pitch to multiple potential investors. Ciccarelli went with his team to cities across the country and met with a few investors in each city. This gave his group practice and put his business idea in front of more eyes.

Once you’ve gotten comfortable with your pitch, start focusing on the little details.  

“Use the privacy of your home or office to talk through your pitch and work on making it flow well,” Ciccarelli said. “Don’t be afraid to record your pitch, both audio and video, and review it with a critical eye to make sure you nail every sentence.”

Demonstrating proper body language and tightening up speaking mistakes can be the difference between successful and unsuccessful pitches. When you go over the minor details, Ciccarelli recommends planning your pauses. By doing this, you can make a perfectly rehearsed speech sound spontaneous.

“To make your pitch sound more natural, plan your dramatic pauses out,” he said. “The pause gives the impression that you’re coming up with the material on the fly. Plus, you’ll have a moment to collect your thoughts for what you’re going to say next.”

4. Be realistic.

While practicing the pitch is a must, very rarely will your pitch go exactly as planned. Having realistic expectations will help when you’re preparing. It’s important to practice for a realistic presentation experience, which may include interruptions by investors asking questions.

In addition to expecting disruptions, it’s important to view the presentation from the audience’s perspective. Brian Lim, an entrepreneur who owns three e-commerce businesses (EmazingLights, iHeartRaves and INTO THE AM) that collectively earn more than $20 million annually, pitched one of his businesses on Shark Tank in 2015. He received offers from all five judges on the show and made a deal with Mark Cuban and Daymond John. Lim credits his success to proof of concept: He entered the show with $13 million in sales to date, and his ability to view his business from a different vantage point set him apart.

“I had to imagine myself as an investor and check off boxes that I would want to see if I were going to invest money into a company,” Lim said. 

Presentation mistakes to avoid

There are also some important things not to do when making a pitch:

• Be late for the meeting.
• Dress inappropriately. What’s appropriate will depend on your audience and your company/product brand.
• Fail to convey clear benefits for your intended target market .
• Use terminology, lingo or acronyms your audience may not recognize.
• Talk over or interrupt those in your audience.
• Be self-congratulatory; e.g., “This is a great idea/product!”
• Argue with your potential investors.
• Bring up deal details, like pricing, too early.

Move forward with confidence

It takes time and tenacity to make and close a business deal. Following the ideas above about what to do and what not to do can help you ensure that you’re prepared to make the pitch.

While immigrants and women entrepreneurs can face additional challenges , these stories of successful young entrepreneurs can provide inspiration to push onward.

Maintaining your confidence and conveying your belief in your business or product idea, without being arrogant, is key to making a positive impact and getting the funding you want.

Additional reporting by Linda Pophal.

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Business Planning: Ultimate Guide to Writing a Business Plan for Investors

If you are planning to start, grow or sell a business, it is almost essential you have a plan of attack.

A traditional business plan is much more than a general list of things that you need to do.

An effective plan focuses on short-term and long-term business goals, with information that outlines how you intend to reach them.

A formal business plan will be one of the most valuable tools that you will use in raising capital from investors and for building and growing your business.

Like the businesses themselves, business plans come in many types and forms.

Oftentimes even established business owners and managers underestimate the effectiveness of a qualified business plan.

Some mistakenly think business plans are only used in the venture capital world of start-up finance.

This simply is not true. Enterprise planning is often required for anything from SBA lending and debt financing to internal planning and partnership qualification.

Many find they regularly refer to a previously-written business plan to ensure they stay on track and under budget.

A business plan can also help you establish a framework for your dream business, including structure and planning goals.

In addition, business planning is often a fluid process and a living document, with changes occurring mid-stream which means those best prepared have already done their homework and are prepared to pivot.

Crafting Your Business Plan(s)

Discovering a business idea, introductory page, executive summary, industry analysis, description of the venture, production or service plan, marketing plan, organization and management, assessment of risk, financial plan, start-up plan, internal plans, operations plans, growth plans, type 1 and type 2 business plans, type 3 and type 4 business plans, type 5 business plan, type 6 business plan, benefits of an outsourced business plan, business plan executive summary, financial statements & financial plan, how long should a business plan be, expert forecasting, market estimates from past data, common sense market estimations, porter’s five forces – industry, porter’s five forces, porter’s five forces – macroenvironmental factors, macroeconomic forces, legal/political forces, social & cultural forces, technological forces, demographic forces, global forces, porter’s five forces – scorecard, capital costs, economies of scale, brand loyalty, absolute cost advantages, customer switching costs, laws & regulation, summary of barriers to entry , defining market type boundaries, a recap of market boundaries , the importance of the tim, tam, sam, tm and som, scalable, high growth company, successful, mid-sized privately held businesses, lifestyle businesses, target marketing, time expectations as an entrepreneur, business plan writing, why write a business plan, standard evaluation and review, the business plan writing process, terms & conditions, pricing & cost of your business plan, business plans for financing, pro forma financial plans, marketing business plan.

You will essentially create two plans. The first is known as the  internal or initial start-up business plan . This plan includes your company’s mission statement, product/service description, marketing strategy plan and initial start-up goals. Most importantly, the initial plan will also include a market analysis. Performing research on the market helps both internal managers understand whether the business concept or business idea is viable and worth pursuing and to attract investors.

If it is, the initial plan will morph into something suitable for angel investors, venture capitalists and private equity groups. Typically, your final secondary plan will incorporate the details in your initial start-up plan into a more finalized version ready for publication. InvestmentBank.com assists throughout this entire process.

How you go about your business plan process is dependent on the audience for which it will be created.

For example, if you will be seeking a business loan, you need to create  business plan for bank loans . Conversely, if you are seeking investment capital in equity financing, you’ll most likely need a  venture capital business plan . Regardless of the audience any typical business plan will generally include the following:

• A company description, including a description of your business and the products and/or services offered
• A detailed description of the target market and how they will best be served
• Information regarding the management team and key employees within the company
• Detailed information about cash flow and financial analysis, budget and market penetration
• An  Executive Summary  for a snapshot 30,000 foot view of all aspects of the business and how it will be successful

Discovering a business idea is the first step towards creating a business model hypothesis. Specifically, a business idea worth investigating further is a “proto-business model” – the embryo of a viable business model. The business idea is essentially your best guess that describes your Value Proposition (the thing you want to sell) and your Customer Segment(s) (the target customers you want to sell to). This is your initial pass at creating a viable Value Proposition – Customer Segment “fit”.

At a minimum, a business idea worth investigating further should have one or more Customer Segments and a corresponding Value Proposition to match each Customer Segment. Completing the following steps will validate that your business idea is worth investigating further.

• Identify Value Proposition – Customer Segment pairings.  This step involves pinpointing the type and number of Customer Segment(s) your business is going to serve and what your business’s Value Proposition will be for each of those Customer Segments. This will create one or more Value Proposition – Customer Segment pairings.
• What your Customer Segment is trying to do (i.e. eat dinner, find a date, get in shape…). What are your Customer Segment’s problems (they are hungry and don’t want to cook, they can’t find a suitable boyfriend/girlfriend, they are out of shape…). What does your Customer Segment expect to gain from accomplishing whatever they want to do (eat a tasty meal, find a pleasant date, loose a few pounds and feel better)?
• What your company can offer your Customer Segment (i.e. a good quick meal, a matchmaking service, a place to work out…). How will your offer solve your Customer Segment’s problems? What benefits will your offer create for your Customer Segment? The best business solves real-world problems.

Business Plan Outline

A business plan may contain many types of information depending on the nature, size, and financing needs of the company. One general business plan template can be developed with the help of our JDs, MBAs and expert business planning professionals. While various institutions like the Small Business Administration (SBA) help provide guidelines, it is often best to get your detailed business plan drafted by professionals who know what it takes to get funded and what investors are looking for when they sift through thousands of plans.

This is the title or cover page. This page will contain the information of the names and addresses of business enterprise and entrepreneurs, a paragraph describing the nature of business, and the vision and mission statement of the company.

An executive summary of the comprehensive business plan report should be presented within four pages, summarizing the whole report and emphasizing on business purpose, industry analysis, market opportunity, key elements of the business, revenue, and planning.

This segment of a viable business plan will show the present conditions of the industry, in which the entrepreneur desires to enter. This section should include present and future outlook and demographic developments, analysis of competitors, market segmentation, and industry financial forecasts.

In this segment of the business plan a detailed picture of the venture should be outlined with particular reference to products, services, office equipment, machinery, personnel, size of business, and background of entrepreneurs.

This portion of the business plan is indeed an operational plan. The operational activities of manufacturing, trading and service business are different. So the operational plans of different types of enterprises will be different. For example operational plan of a manufacturing business may cover unique aspects such as manufacturing process,equipment, names of the providers of the raw materials and other inputs of the production process, and so on.

It includes market condition, market strategy, and future market prospect. The pricing, promotion, distribution, product forecasts, and controls should be evaluated carefully for the business plan.

This section includes forms of the ownership, identification of partners or major shareholders, the authority of the managers, management-team background, and the duties and responsibilities of members of the organization.

It is very important for any business plan to assess all the possible risks that may affect the enterprise, prior to starting the business. Assessment of risk must include evaluation of the weaknesses of the enterprise, latest technologies, and contingency plans.

This section shows financial viability of the business plan, in which the entrepreneur must prepare forecasted income statement, cash flow estimates, forecasted balance sheet, break-even analysis, and sources and usages of funds. This section will be scrutinized to determine the profitability and sustainability of the enterprise by the investors, such as the bankers or venture capitalists.

It contains all the backup materials such as legal documents, market research data, lease contracts, and price forecasts from suppliers.

These are the general contents of a business plan that are suggested by the experts, but these contents may vary from business to business. A good business plan should be comprehensive enough to provide a complete picture and understanding of the venture regarding its present status and future growth potential to the prospective investors and other interest groups.

Business Plan Types

Traditional business plans come in many types. They include strategic plans, expansion plans, investment plans, growth plans, operational plans, internal plans, annual plans, feasibility plans, product plans, and many more.

The various types of business plans will always matche the specific business situation. For instance, it is not necessary to add all the background information that is known already, while preparing a plan to use internally and not circulating it to financial institutions or investors. Investors always look for information on the description of the management team, while bankers always look for financial background or history of the company.

The various types of business plans are due to the specific case differences:

Start-up plan is the most standard plan that explains the steps for a developing new business. Start-up plans often include standard topics such as the organization, product or service offering, market place, business forecasts, strategy, management team, implementation milestones, and financial analysis. Sales forecast, profit and loss statement, cash flow statements, balance sheet, and probably a few other tables are included in the financial analysis.

First year monthly projections are shown in the start-up plan, which usually begins with an abstract and ends with appendix.

Click on the following link to learn more about how we approach startup investing .

Business plans that are not usually intended for external investors, financial institutions, or any other third parties are called Internal plans. A detailed description of the organization or the management team may not be included in it. Detailed financial projections like budgets and forecasts may or may not get included in Internal plans. Instead of presenting the whole business plan in the form of paragraph text, Internal plans display the main points in the form of bullet points in slides.

Operations plan can be referred to as Internal plan, which is also known as an annual plan. More detailed information on specific dates, implementation milestones, deadlines, and teams and managers responsibilities are given in Operations plan.

Strategic planning usually does not focus on specific responsibilities and detailed dates, rather it focuses on setting high priorities and high-level options and is also referred to as an internal plan. Unlike most other internal plans, it includes data in the form of bullet points in slides. Organization or management team descriptions are not included in it. Also, some of the financial information is not explained in detail and left while preparing strategic plans.

Some business plans focuses on specific areas of the business or a subcategory of the business, and these plans are referred to as a growth plan or an expansion plan or a new product plan. Depending on whether these business plans are linked to new investments or loan applications, they could be classified as internal plans or not. For instance, like a start-up plan developed for investors, an expansion plan that requires new investment would also have detailed description of the company and its management teams background data. These details will also be required for loan applications. But, these descriptions are skipped in an internal business plan, which is used to design the steps for growth or expansion that is funded internally within the organisation. Although, detailed financial projections might not be given, forecast of the sales as well as the expenses for the new business venture is at least included in more detail.

A very simple start-up plan is the feasibility plan, which include an abstract, mission statement, market analysis, keys to long-term success, and initial cost analysis, pricing, and projected expenses. Feasibility plans helps to analyze whether it is good to continue with a plan or not, to find if the business plan is worth continuing.

Writing a business plan is a highly collaborative affair between the entrepreneur(s) and the business plan writer. The more complex the plan is, the more both the entrepreneur(s) and the business plan writer will need to communicate and collaborate in order to produce a professional, marketable business plan. The business plans we write fall into six general categories. We will discuss each in detail below.

These are business plans for new companies that are 1) trying to raise startup capital to launch the business and 2) the business will serve a clearly defined target market with a service or product that already exists. These business plans are usually the least complex to write because the business models

The hourly fee for work over the project’s estimated number of hours is $20 per hour.

Type 1 and Type 2 business plans are written in five distinct units. Each unit reflects a progressive step in putting the business plan together. Before we can begin writing each unit, we must receive feedback to specific questions that we will send you concerning the topics covered in each specific unit.  After we complete each of the first four units, we will send you a draft of that unit in a Microsoft Word document. You will then have the opportunity to review unit draft and critique or clarify it.

We will make any necessary changes needed for each unit draft. The fifth and final unit will be integrating the information in each of the previous four units into a final, complete business plan. You will then have the opportunity to review and critique that completed business plan draft. We will then correct any and all discrepancies in that final complete draft.

The entire business planning process of writing a Type 1 or Type 2 business plan depends upon our general workload and the speed with which you respond to our requests for information about your business. We estimate that either a Type 1 or Type 2 business plan will take generally 10 to 15 work days to complete (two to three weeks).

These are business plans for existing companies that are 1) trying to raise capital for a new business project or idea and 2) the business project is serving a clearly defined market with a service or product that already exists.

Type 3 and Type 4 business plans are written in six distinct units. Each unit reflects a progressive step in putting the business plan together. Before we can begin writing each unit, we must receive feedback to specific questions that we will send you concerning the topics covered in each specific unit.  After we complete each of the first five units, we will send you a draft of that unit in a Microsoft Word document. You will then have the opportunity to review the draft of each unit and critique or clarify it. We will change or modify any discrepancies you have with the drafts of each unit. The final unit will be integrating the information in each of the five units into a final, complete business plan. You will then have the opportunity to review and critique that completed business plan draft. We will then correct any and all discrepancies in that final complete draft.

The entire process of writing a Type 3 or Type 4 business plan depends upon our general workload and the speed with which you respond to our requests for information about your business. We estimate that either a Type 3 or Type 4 business plan will take generally 15 to 20 work days to complete (three to four weeks).

These are business plans for classic startup companies that are trying to create new products or services to serve new or reimagined markets. These companies are usually looking to raise equity capital from angel investors and venture capital firms. These business plans are far more difficult to write because their business models are largely unproven.

Type 5 business plans are written in five distinct units. Each unit reflects a progressive step in putting the business plan together. Before we can begin writing each unit, we must receive feedback to specific questions that we will send you concerning the topics covered in each specific unit.  After we complete each of the first four units, we will send you a draft of that unit in a Microsoft Word document. You will then have the opportunity to review unit draft and critique or clarify it. We will make any necessary changes needed for each unit draft. The fifth and final unit will be integrating the information in each of the previous four units into a final, complete business plan. You will then have the opportunity to review and critique that completed business plan draft. We will then correct any and all discrepancies in that final complete draft.

The entire process of writing a Type 5 business plan depends upon our general workload and the speed with which you respond to our requests for information about your business. Also, the novelty and newness of the industry you are entering and the market you will be serving are real wild card variables in terms of how much time the business plan will take to complete. We estimate that a Type 5 business plan will take generally 25 to 40 work days to complete (five to eight weeks).

These are business plans for existing companies that are attempting to create new products or services to serve new or reimagined markets. The markets these companies are trying to serve with their new products and services are either undefined or completely new. Usually these companies are seeking financing to raise equity capital (because these business projects are usually risky), but sometimes raising debt capital may be an options for them. These business plans are as difficult to write as Type 5 plans.

Type 6 business plans are written in six distinct units. Each unit reflects a progressive step in putting the business plan together. Before we can begin writing each unit, we must receive feedback to specific questions that we will send you concerning the topics covered in each specific unit.  After we complete each of the first five units, we will send you a draft of that unit in a Microsoft Word document. You will then have the opportunity to review the draft of each unit and critique or clarify it. We will change or modify any discrepancies you have with the drafts of each unit. The final unit will be integrating the information in each of the five units into a final, complete business plan. You will then have the opportunity to review and critique that completed business plan draft. We will then correct any and all discrepancies in that final complete draft.

The entire process of writing a Type 6 business plan depends upon our general workload and the speed with which you respond to our requests for information about your business. Also, the novelty and newness of the industry you are entering and the target market you will be serving are real wild card variables (in terms of how much time the business plan will take to complete). We estimate that a Type 6 business plan will take generally 25 to 40 work days to complete (five to eight weeks).

Running a Business Is Tough, Especially Without a Business Plan

If you are running a business, it’s very important to have a business plan made up and it’s just as important to stick to your business plan once you create it. When you have a business plan you are setting objectives for yourself and you are establishing the priorities you have for your business. It also makes it much easier to reach the goals that you set for yourself as well which is always crucial in a business.

Think of your business plan as a map for your business, without this map you and the way you run your business are traveling blindly which is very dangerous. You want to have a clear idea of where your business is headed and where you want it to go and a business plan outlines what will steer you in the right direction.

Looking for a Loan?

If you are looking to get a loan for your business, you’re going to need a definite business plan. Most banks won’t even consider giving you a loan until they see a business plan. If you don’t have a business plan they’ll think of you as a risk since you don’t truly know where you want your business to go. When you present your business plan to a bank to get the loan you desire be sure that you go over what your business is all about and why you started it. You will also want to list for them what you see in the future of your business as well.

Looking for a Business Investment?

Having a business plan doesn’t mean that you will surely get the investment you desire but not having a business plan will surely mean you will not get the investment you desire. Investors need to know what exactly they are investing in and they will look to your business plan to understand what the idea of the business is, your businesses track records, the technology behind your business and of course yourself. You will absolutely not get a business investment without having a business plan because the investors won’t have anything to help them understand what your business is all about.

Have Business Partners?

A business plan is what defines your agreements that you have made with your business partners which means you’ll have a lot of issues if you don’t have a business plan if you are in this business with more than just yourself. A business plan is the only way to keep everything between you and your partners fair and it ensures that everyone knows what the ground rules are for the business and where each and every one of you stand.

Communicating with a Management Team Won’t Work Without a Business Plan

How can you and your management team effectively run your business without being able to see where you all want it to go? The answer is, you can’t. You can’t steer your business down the right path if nobody knows exactly where it should be going and your management team will feel the exact same way. There will be a lot of different problems that will come up during the day-to-day work and it will be very challenging for you to face them and communicate all of these problems when you or your management team don’t truly know where the problem falls under in the business plan.

Do you need a business valuation?

Whether you need to place a value on your business to sell it or for taxes, a business plan is an essential part in this. It’s always important to know what your business is worth even if you don’t plan on selling it at all, you may need to know what it’s worth when it comes to planning an estate or an unexpected divorce could come up. You always should know what your business is worth an a business plan will help you understand that and keep track of it.

When it comes to developing a business plan, many people believe that it’s too difficult or it’s just too time consuming to do but what those people don’t realize is that putting together a business plan will save you in many ways and you it will help your business in more ways than you can imagine.

Developing a business plan is not that much of a challenge and it will very valuable to you in the future. Nobody should ever try to do something big without planning it first and this includes running a business. You have all these business plans in your head so just lay those plan out on paper so you have tangible evidence of your business and what you want to do with it.

A business plan a very crucial part in creating and owning a business so take the time and effort in creating one and you will benefit from it much more than you think and you’re business will run much more smoothly.

A business plan’s executive summary section provides a round-up of the main points of your business plan. Although the summary will appear at the top of the final printed piece, the majority of business plan developers do not write the executive summary until the last moment. The summary forms the gateway to the remainder of the plan. If you do not write a business plan executive summary it well, your target audience will not read beyond the executive summary.

What should be included in an executive summary?

When a regular business plan is being written, the following should usually be incorporated into the opening paragraph of the executive summary:

• The name of the business • The location of the business • The service or product being offered • The aim of the plan

A further paragraph should underline significant points, for example projected profits and sales, profitability, unit sales, and keys to success. Give the details you need everyone to notice. This is also a sensible point at which to include a highlights chart, a bar chart depicting gross margin, profits before taxes and interest, and sales for the three years to come. These numbers must be explained and cited in the text.

Different summaries are required for different plans

Internal plans, for example annual or strategic plans, or operations plans, do not need such formal executive summaries. With such a plan, make its purpose obvious, and be certain that all the highlights are mentioned, but other details – such as the description of your service or product, and location – may not need to be repeated.

Be concise with your summary

If investment is what you are seeking, mention this in your executive summary, specifying the amount of investment required and the level of equity ownership that will be provided in return. It is also a good idea to include some highlights regarding your competitive advantage and your management team.

If it is a loan that you are looking for, say so in the executive summary, specifying the sum required. Do not include details of the loan.

What is the right length for an executive summary? There are differing views from experts about the ideal length of an executive summary. Some recommend taking only one or two pages, while others suggest a more in-depth approach, with the summary lasting for anything up to ten pages and including sufficient information to be used instead of the full plan. Although it was once common to write business plans of 50 or more pages, today’s lenders and investors expect a more focused, concise plan.

A single page is the perfect length for an executive summary. Keep everything brief, emphasizing the major aspects of your plan. You are not trying to explain every last detail, simply piquing your readers’ interest about the rest of the plan and encouraging them to read further.

Be careful not to confuse a summary memo with an executive summary. The executive summary is the opening section of a business plan, while a summary memo is a distinct publication, usually running to no more than five or ten pages; this is intended as a substitute for the full plan for the benefit of those who are not yet in a position to read the full plan.

In general, a financial plan is a set of steps or goals put together for the business which is intended to help attain and accomplish a final financial goal. It shows the future and current financial state of a business by using known variables to forecast future cash flows, asset values and withdrawal plans. The plan shows financial viability of the business plan, in which the entrepreneur must prepare forecasted income statement, cash flow estimates, forecasted balance sheet, break-even analysis, and sources and usages of funds.

Why is a financial plan important? Investors and bankers must have an incentive to invest in your business. Profitability gives them an incentive to invest.  If your plan is weak and unorganized it will portray your business as unsustainable. Investors and banks will see you only as a risk and be unlikely to give the kind of capital needed for your business. For this reason you need to create a solid financial plan which will convince investors that your business is worth investing in.

Here at InvestmentBank.com we will design for you a financial plan intended to demonstrate to the bank and your investors that your business is sustainable and profitable.  We cannot guarantee you the investments you are hoping for, but we can guarantee that if you don’t have a plan, you will also not receive your hopeful investments. Let us guide you in the planning process.

One core component of market analysis is market forecasting and proforma financial statement drafting. The future trends, characteristics, and numbers in your target market are projected in market analysis. In a standard analysis process, the projected number of potential customers is divided into segments.

Generally, market size is not the only factor that is determined, but the market value is also very important. For instance, small business customers spend around 4 times as much as the home office customer, even though they are 2.5 times smaller than their high-end home segment in terms of customer size. So, in terms of dollar value, the small business market is often considered very important.

Market value is calculated through simple mathematics. The number of potential customers in the market is multiplied by the average purchase per customer. Market value is calculated by taking the average number of customers in each segment over a period of time and then multiplied that figure by the average purchase per customer. In market analysis table, the other items are only subjective qualities that help with marketing. These points are allotted to people who are assigned in preparing marketing information.

Reality Checks Reality checks are always important for market forecast. Finding a way to check reality, while performing a forecast is essential. If you are able to estimate your total market value, then you would relate that figure to the estimate sales of all their competitors to check if the 2 figures relate to each other. The import and export value and production values are checked in an international market to find whether the annual shipments estimates appear to be somewhere in the same range as the estimated figures. To check your results with the forecast, you might also check for some given years with the vendors, who sold products to this market. Macroeconomic data can also be overlooked to confirm the size of this market compared to other markets with same characteristics.

Target Focus Review

Market analysis should help in the development of strategic market focus, which means selecting the key target markets. This is considered the critical foundation of strategy. We speak on this as market positioning and segmentation.

Company will not try to address the needs of all market segments under normal circumstances. While selecting target market segments, understand the inherent market differences, competitive advantage, keys to success, and strengths and weaknesses (SWOT analysis) of your organization. Everyone wants to focus on the best market segment, but the market segment with the maximum growth or the largest market segments, might not be necessarily the best one to address. The best market segment to address would be the one that matches your own company profile.

It is not a good idea to use page count as a gauge to determine the length of a business plan. A business plan with 20 pages of text alone can be considered to be longer than a 35-page plan which is well laid out with bullet points, helpful images of products or locations and charts that highlight vital projections.

In fact, a plan should be measured by its readability as well as the summary provided. If the business plan is prepared keeping these aspects in mind, the reader will be able to get an overall idea in about 15 minutes by quickly browsing through the key points.

Illustrations, headings, format and white space contribute to improving the appeal of the business plan. The summary section is a very important aspect of any business plan. The salient points of the business plan must be clearly visible to the reader as it is done in a presentation.

It is unfortunate that many people still tend to measure the worth of a business plan by the number of pages in it. In this connection, some of the key aspects to be kept in mind are as follows:

• Practical business plans prepared for internal use only can have five to ten pages
• Business plans of large companies may have hundreds of pages

A standard expansion or start-up plan prepared for presentation to outsiders can have 20 to 40 pages. However, it should be easy to read with text well spaced and have bullet point formatting, illustrations in the form of business charts and financial tables in the condensed form. The details of financial aspects can be organized in appendices.

However, the  length of the business plan  is decided by its nature and the purpose for which it is prepared. Some of the questions that can be considered when drafting out a business plan in order to decide on its length are:

• Should descriptions about the company as well as the management team be included as outsiders are likely to read the business plan?
• Should a standalone executive summary be provided for the business plan?Is there a need to incorporate plans, blueprints, drawings and detailed research?Is it an investment proposal?
• Should it be worded in such a way as to clear legal scrutiny?

The form of the business plan is actually decided by the requirement for which it is to be prepared.

Often, venture contests specify a limit of 30 pages or 40 pages at times, but rarely 50 pages, including the appendices that contain detailed financial statements, for a business plan. Some contestants make very bad options because of page restrictions and cram the content using thick texts and bold typefaces, making it worse and not better.

Most often,  good plans have as many as 30 to 40 pages . The plans have 20 to 30 pages of text, excluding graphics to illustrate locations, menus, designs, etc. and appendices consisting of team leaders’ resumes, monthly financial projections, etc. Some pages may have to be included for standard financials. This calls for tables for sales, income and cash flow statement, balance sheet and personnel on a monthly basis. In the body of the plan, annual numbers may also have to be included.

It is not prudent to reduce the length of the plan by cutting down on helpful graphics. Readability is more important than the length. Making use of business charts to illustrate numbers makes it easier to understand. Make use of drawings and photographs to depict locations, sample menus and products. It is important to use as much illustration as possible. Finally, extra graphics such as clip art that are not relevant to the matter at hand may better be avoided.

Business Plan Market Forecast

Proper market forecasting helps provide budgetary allocation for coming market trends, innovative shifts and internal financial allocation. It is a key component of proforma financial statements and  professional market research . Intelligent estimates are best backed by quality, time-intensive research. That’s where we come in. Rather than producing a business plan based on educated guesswork, we use a litany of some of the industry’s best market research tools available to some of the most prestigious universities. Many a business plan software tools can also aid in your research work. Typically business plan software also includes industry-specific templates, which can help with how you approach your niche or even the broader market.

Today’s technology provides access to large data-sets for current and past information. Obtaining the data is not difficult. We help to analyze, interpret and make qualitative assumptions about future trends. By using both qualitative and quantitative approaches we work to derive parallel data forecasts for future trends within your business, your industry and the market as a whole. The future may be uncertain, but with the help of expert modeling, it can be simplified, understood and, in some cases, accurately predicted.

Many business planners lack the luxury of funding a previously-published market forecast from which to glean relevant data. In many cases, free published forecasts can help to paint a meaningful picture. However, when professional forecasts are not forthcoming on market size, supply/demand metrics and potential company penetration, it is usually left up to thoughtful opinion and expert “reverse engineering” to determine any meaningful dribble from the data.

Without free forecasts, a business owners may feel forced to purchase expensive data sets, market research reports and published articles to determine helpful data about the potential of a business idea. Where we can, we utilize past relationships and access to thousands of reports through expensive subscriptions to find the data-set that best fits your business goals for the plan you may be crafting.

Apart from the more obvious sources like the Internet, library references and popular publications, we provide access to industry-specific reports and paid-for research studies not accessible to would-be entrepreneurs. We fully recognize that data forecasting is part art and part science, but we prefer to adhere to more quantitative methods so as to make your business plan as convincing and relevant as possible for its particular audience.

Extrapolation of past data with large populations and data-sets helps to provide reliable predictions about future trends and outcomes. Understanding past growth, market saturation and the competing forces that can impact a company’s success in market entrance are absolutely vital components of the marketing portion of your business plan.  Past data is never a fail safe, but it can act as a healthy gauge of future trends in a marketplace.

When no relevant data on current conditions within your market can be found, we work with the available numbers to create plausible models that form convincing arguments for your particular plan goals.

Perhaps the greatest downfall of many potentially-successful business plans is the disconnect between gathered data, assumptions, external and internal market forces and projections. Without a common sense litmus test, many plans fail to deliver relevant metrics to help make business funding possible. Performing common sense tests often requires qualitative work outside the realms of the given data. Making phone calls to Chambers of Commerce, trade organizations and market reporting agencies to obtain a wider base and deeper foundation of information is extremely helpful when crafting assumptions.

Making wild guesses about targets, markets and industries without thoughtful research can be detrimental to fulfilling the goals of your particular business plan. BusinessPlanning.org helps to remove the guesswork and provide your business with relevant data from which to tell a compelling story.

Correctly identifying the structure and competitive dynamics of the industry you are proposing to enter will create a good general point of reference for judging whether you should enter it or not. If the general industry profile does not appear attractive to you, and you are planning to offer value propositions that have close industry substitutes, then this may be an important signal that your proposed venture may need to be reconsidered. But if the industry profile looks attractive, then this could be a sign that you are on to something.

A fantastic tool to analyze an industry that serves a Defined Existing Market is Porter’s Five Forces Model. Michael Porter is a professor at Harvard Business School and published this strategy model in his seminal work,  Competitive Strategy . Porter’s model is powerful. It demonstrates how an industry’s attractiveness to either its current competitors or a new entrant is an amalgam of disparate, and sometimes contradictory, factors.

To help determine if your business idea will be worth the investment of time, money and energy, you will conduct two sequential analyses using the Five Forces Model. The first Five Forces analysis will be of the overall industry that you are contemplating to enter. The second Five Forces analysis will be of the particular market segment(s) you would be choosing to serve with your Value Proposition(s).

The figure below illustrates how Porter’s model works by focusing on the five forces that shape competition within an industry: 1) the risk of entry by potential competitors, 2) the intensity of the rivalry among established companies within an industry, 3) the bargaining power of suppliers, 4) the bargaining power of buyers, and 5) the similarity of substitutes to an industry’s value propositions.[1]

The main point of Porter’s Five Forces Model is as follows. The stronger that one of the five competitive forces becomes, the greater the overall competitive rivalry becomes within the industry. The more intense the competitive rivalry becomes, the harder it is for ventures within the industry to raise prices or maintain high prices to reap greater profits. The less in average profits that a firm in the industry is able to earn, the more intense the rivalry for customer demand is among the industry’s rival competitors.

The opposite is true also. The weaker that one of the five competitive forces becomes, the less intense the overall competitive rivalry among the industry’s firms is. If rivalry amongst the industry’s firms decreases, the easier it becomes for the industry’s competitors to raise either raise prices or reduce their cost structure (by lowering their value propositions’ quality) and ultimately earn higher profits. The higher the average level of industry profits, the less intense the rivalry for customer demand will be among the industry’s rival competitors.

The importance of each of the five forces is situationally dependent upon the unique facts and circumstances of each industry. For example, the overall threat of new market entrants might be insignificant in determining whether an entrepreneur wants to enter an industry in its growth phase, but it may be a paramount factor in a mature industry.

I developed another diagram (below) to show how the five forces within Porter’s model interact with each other. As you can see, four of the forces (risk of entry by potential competitors, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and threat of new entrants) each act upon the fifth force – the intensity of rivalry among the industry’s competitors. This means that if the bargaining power an industry’s buyers increases, the intensity of rivalry among industry competitors will increase. This causal relationship works in only one direction – a change in any of the forces ultimately either increases or decreases the intensity of rivalry among the industry’s competitors. Therefore a change in the intensity of rivalry will not cause change in one of the other four forces.

[1] Charles W. L. Hill and Gareth R. Jones,  Strategic Management Theory , Eighth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, pg. 45, 2008.

Macroenvironmental forces are changes in the broader economic, political/legal, social, technological, demographic, and global forces beyond the industry being examined. Any one of these six forces can change or effect any one of an industry’s five internal competitive forces. In conducting an industry’s initial Five Forces analysis – which is a snapshot measurement of an industry’s present competitive environment – these macroenvironmental forces are automatically accounted for. They are already included because an industry’s competitive environment is an aggregate of these turbulent and often conflicting forces. But entrepreneurs and business owners must also make educated guesses about how macroenvironmental trends and forces will shape the industry’s attractiveness into the future, both in the short run and in the long run.

Below is a diagram that visually represents how each of these seven forces can affect an industry’s Five Forces as the future unfolds.

The Six Macroenvironmental Forces

The following is a detailed analysis of the seven macroenvironmental forces touched upon above.

Macroeconomic forces affect the general economic well-being of the nation or the region in which an industry operates. [1]  The following are the major macroeconomic forces that can affect an industry’s ability to deliver an adequate economic return.

• The rate of growth for the economy.  Economic expansions cause a general rise in aggregate consumer demand while recessions cause a general drop in aggregate consumer demand. Because aggregate demand for goods and services rises during economic expansions, an industry’s intensity of competitive rivalry, broadly speaking, will usually decline. The reason is that generally the market demand for an industry’s value propositions will cause an expansion in the industry’s revenue. Therefore its possible for the industry’s firms to generate revenue growth without fighting their competitive rivals for market share. Conversely, a decline in economic growth or a recession causes general aggregate demand to contract . This generally shrinks the amount of revenue an industry can earn and may cause price wars, consolidations and bankruptcies.
• Interest rates. Interest rates affect the cost of borrowing for consumers, thus affecting aggregate demand. Higher interest rates generally makes the cost of borrowing more expensive and can dampen demand for real estate and purchases of major assets (cars, durable goods). Ultimately, higher interest rates can lead to higher industry rivalry if the industry is directly or tangentially affected by borrowing costs. Higher interest rates also affect business’ cost of capital. High interest rates may restrict a business’s ability to invest in new equipment or facilities. On the other hand, low cost of capital makes it substantially easier for established businesses to borrow and invest into expanding their operations.
• Exchange rates.  Exchange rates either make imports more or less expensive for domestic consumers and exports more or less expensive for foreign consumers of domestically produced value propositions. A weak dollar makes imported value propositions more expensive and domestically produced value propositions comparatively less expensive. A strong dollar makes foreign value propositions less expensive and domestic value propositions comparatively more expensive.
• Inflation/Deflation.  Inflation is the decrease in the purchasing power of a nation’s currency over time. Inflation can destabilize an economy, slow economic growth, higher interest rates and increased currency volatility. [2]  Increasing inflation makes business planning very difficult because the future becomes less predictable. Uncertainty makes companies unwilling to invest in growing their operations. On other side of the coin is deflation. Deflation is even more potentially damaging than inflation is. If the purchasing power of currency is increasing over time, firms and consumers will hoard their cash. This will causes a self-reinforcing cycle of low or negative economic growth. Usually the best inflation formula for stable economic growth is a low, steady inflation rate.
• Wage Levels.  The price of labor from industry to industry can have a significant impacts on an industry’s costs of production. High or increasing industry labor costs can make substitute value propositions more attractive for the industry’s customers. Low or decreasing industry labor costs can make substitute value propositions less attractive for the industry’s customers.
• Level of Employment:  High unemployment levels give firms greater leverage over their employees in keeping wage increases down or in actually decreasing labor costs to the firms in an industry. This can reduce the industry’s cost structure and thus raise the industry’s average profitability.

Legal and political forces are the results of changes in laws and regulations within the country your business operates in. [3]  Political and legal developments can be both opportunities and threats. The following are the major legal and political changes that can impact the fortunes of industries.

• Current and Expected Levels of Taxation.  High tax rates can affect the decisions of entrepreneurs to engage in business activities or reduce the ability of companies to reinvest profits in expansion. But often the most important effect of taxes are not the levels of taxation, but the different effective tax rates for different activities. For example, the oil and gas industry, ecommerce businesses and the video game industry get significant tax breaks that reduces their effective tax rate. This can raise or lower the attractiveness of getting into certain industries.
• Import/Export Quotas and Tariffs.  Tariffs and import/export quotas affect the costs of value propositions imported into a country and those exported to other countries. Raising or lowering tariffs or trade quotas can cause demand for the value propositions of the industries affected to increase or decrease. An example of a broad change in trade quotas and tariffs was the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
• Government Grants.  Government grants are programs that can provide nascent industries with seed capital and resources. Governments (state, local and national) often provide businesses with financial support if the business pursues profit opportunities that align with a government’s policy goals. An example of a significant government grant program is the U.S. government’s Small Business Innovation Research grant (SBIR).
• War/Terrorism.  War and terrorism can increase regulations and transaction costs associated with global travel or insurance. Wars can also saddle nations with large medical costs to society. Wars and anti-terrorism efforts can also increase military related contracting opportunities.
• Quid Pro Quo.  Many industries try (and often succeed) in influencing politicians to enact laws that are favorable to their bottom line and create barriers of entry against potential competitors. A recent example of this was the influence the health care and pharmaceutical industries exerted upon the U.S. Congress during the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2009.
• The Regulatory State.  In the U.S., most of the regulations that affect business and the general public are promulgated through various government agencies. Often, small changes in regulations can lead to desired or unintended consequences for a number of industries. Here is a small sample of legal and regulatory issues that are managed by various state and federal agencies: environmental protection, corporate governance, intellectual property rights, employment law, criminal law, tort law, food & drug regulation, public health… In the United States (and most other industrialized countries), virtually every area of commerce is affected by government regulations and laws. For any given industry, changes in these regulations and laws can be either threats or opportunities.

Social forces are changes in the social mores and values of a society and how they affect any particular industry. Social changes can create both opportunities and threats for any industry.

• Social and cultural forces specifically refer to changes in the tastes, habits and cultural norms within a significant segment of a country’s population. One example of a social trend is the growth of the organic and local food movements in the U.S. over the last thirty years. The local and organic food movements have created an opportunity for some small farmers near large population centers, but this movement has also created a potential threat to large mono-agriculture farms.
• Cultural attitudes can shift drastically over time, rendering once commonplace habits and activities to no longer be widely accepted or tolerated. An example is the decline of smoking in the U.S. Smoking used to be tolerated in most indoor spaces forty years ago. Now it is either banned or highly frowned upon and the public has become very aware of the health risks smoking causes. This has led to a significant decline in the percentage of adults in the U.S. who smoke. Conversely, marijuana use, which was highly frowned upon by the majority of U.S. society over forty years ago, has become more widely accepted among the public. As a result, many state laws are changing to reflect this increased tolerance of marijuana use.
• Changes in what society considers fashionable are in a constant state of flux. Various fads and crazes rise and fall, sparking opportunities and threats for the industries that capitalize on these trends. Examples of changes in fashion, fads or crazes are: rock n roll in the 1960s, disco music in the 1970s, the Pet Rock, the Hula Hoop, Cabbage Patch Dolls…

Technological change is a primary driver of Schumpeter’s “perennial gale of creative destruction” among business ventures. Technological forces can render established, profitable value propositions obsolete virtually overnight and usher into existence exiting new business ventures. Because of the dual role technological change (both creative and destructive) plays in our society, it can be both an opportunity and a threat.

• Technological forces can cause industries to move through their life cycles more quickly. They can also disrupt an industry in the beginning or middle of its life cycle, rendering it obsolete or changing it so radically that most of the industry’s competitors cannot keep up. Essentially, technological change makes the life cycles of industries more volatile and unpredictable.
• Technological change can lower the barriers of entry for many industries. An example is the internet made it much easier for a potential retailer to sell products to its customers through a virtual storefront versus acquiring, stocking and running a brick and mortar facility. The lowering of barriers of entry tends to increase an industry’s intensity of rivalry, leading to both lower prices and industry profits.
• Technological forces can also reduce transaction costs. Reducing transaction costs is often destructive to the industries that thrive on them (auction houses being replaced by eBay or newspaper classifieds being replaced by Craigslist). Within an industry, a reduction in transaction costs driven by technological change usually leads to an increase in the industry’s intensity of competitive rivalry.
• Technological change can either reduce or increase customer switching costs. An example of how technological forces can reduce customer switching costs are instant price comparison applications on mobile devices. These give the consumers the ability to identify which retailers offer the same value propositions at the lowest prices. Technological forces can also increase customer switching costs. An example is Facebook or eBay. Both of these websites lock in users due to their network effects – alternative market choices do not present as much value because they are not as big.
• Technological forces can unleash changes in industries far removed from the industry in which the technology originated. An example of this is the Internet. The Internet has caused massive sea changes in industries only tangentially related to it such as retail, the news industry, book publishing, and matchmaking services (online dating).

Demographic forces are changes in the characteristics of a population of people. These characteristics can be sex, age, education, race, national origin, social class… Changes in demographics can present businesses with both opportunities and threats.

• Changes in a population’s age distribution can present both opportunities and threats. For example, in the U.S., the population of elderly people is growing more rapidly than the population as a whole. This presents an opportunity for industries who provide long term assisted living, the financial industry (reverse mortgages and retirement planning), and both the health and pharmaceutical industries. It also presents a threat to certain industries like funeral and burial providers (if the general population is living longer, it means people are dying at a slower rate).
• The rapid increase of the Hispanic population in the U.S. has led to an increase in Spanish speaking music, television and news in the U.S. This represents a growing opportunity for food and media companies that market to Latinos.

Global forces are changes that occur within and beyond the borders of the country a business is operating within and affect how a company can operate on the international stage. Global forces can present both opportunities and threats to an industry.

• The economic growth rates of other countries can play important roles in determining the demand for imports and exports. As barriers to trade fall, national economies become more subject to the winds of international commerce and capital flows. This international liberalization of trading agreements can allow domestic firms greater access to foreign markets. An example of the liberalization of international trade is the outsourcing trend over the last two decades from industrial economies in the west to developing economies in Asia.
• Climate change is another example of a global force. The long term changes to the world’s climate will profoundly shape countless industries in the decades to come. Climate change can offer both opportunities and threats to different industries. For example, the wine industry in France may have to experiment with new varietals due to changes in temperature and rainfall expected by scientists in the coming decades. Climate change also presents some industries with opportunities. One example is the shipping industry. The rapidly dwindling polar ice cap in the Arctic Ocean presents the possibility that new, more efficient shipping routes might become available.

[1] Charles W. L. Hill and Gareth R. Jones,  Strategic Management Theory , Eighth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, pg. 66, 2008.

[2] Charles W. L. Hill and Gareth R. Jones,  Strategic Management Theory , Eighth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, pg. 68, 2008.

[3] Charles W. L. Hill and Gareth R. Jones,  Strategic Management Theory , Eighth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, pg. 70, 2008.

A good Five Forces analysis will cause you to sift through a lot of data, much of it conflicting and confusing. Below is a series of scorecards that try to condense the most important points from your Five Forces analysis and present them to you in an easily understandable format.

The scorecards rate the attractiveness of an industry’s five forces  from the perspective of a new venture attempting to enter the industry . Each force gets its own scorecard. Each scorecard has the main factors that help determine the strength the force exerts upon the industry. A factor’s attractiveness is rated on a five category scale that ranges from Highly Unattractive, Mildly Unattractive, Neutral, Mildly Attractive, to Highly Attractive. For each factors’ rating, the top line (yellow) indicates the level of the factor’s level of attractiveness at present. The bottom line (green) is the entrepreneur’s rating of what he or she thinks each factors’ level of attractiveness will be in the future. The level of future attractiveness for a factor is determined by analyzing how macroenvironmental forces will affect the industry in the future.

Directly below is a hypothetical example scorecard of an industry’s intensity of rivalry:

Remember, none of this is exact science. There is no mathematical formula that determines whether you should enter an industry or not. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that you, the entrepreneur, have thoroughly thought about the nature and future of the competitive environment you are proposing to jump into.

Force One: Intensity of Rivalry among Industry Competitors

Force Two: Risk of Entry by Potential Competitors

Force Three: The Bargaining Power of Buyers

Force Four: The Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Force Five: The Availability and Similarity of Substitutes to an Industry’s Value Propositions

And finally, the table below is a final snapshot evaluation of the industry’s attractiveness. To fill out this table, you should look at your ratings in the tables above as guidelines. The importance of the forces, and the factors that comprise them, will change from industry to industry. It will ultimately depend upon the unique facts and circumstances of each industry being evaluated. Therefore you will have to use your best judgment.

Overall Evaluation of Industry’s Attractiveness

Porter’s Five Forces – Risk of Entry

Profitable industries are like chum in the water for new competitors. The smell of money to be made will attract potential competitors to circle an industry, try to enter it and look for an easy meal. The only thing stopping a myriad of potential competitors from entering an industry are  barriers to entry  – a business version of a steel shark cage.

Profitable industries attract new market entrants – potential competitors. Potential competitors are companies that are not currently competing in an industry, but possess the ability to do so if they choose. Theoretically, if it cost nothing to form a company and enter an industry serving a profitable market, new firms would flood into that industry until the industry’s average profit margin shrank to zero. But we don’t live in a frictionless, theoretical world and different industries have wildly different levels of profitability. Barriers of entry are what discourages new companies from entering a profitable market and making a killing.

Barriers of entry benefit established companies within an industry by protecting them from new competition and preserving their profit margins. Low barriers of entry leave an industry wide open to new market entrants. The results to an industry with low barriers of entry are lower profits for the companies within that industry will inevitably result.

Therefore, established firms within an industry have great incentive to erect barriers of entry to keep the number of potential rivals to a minimum. Some barriers of entry are passive and a natural result of the industry’s operations. An example of this is economies of scale. But companies often take active steps to discourage new companies from entering their industries. Examples of this are when companies create brand loyalty or try to purposely raise their customers’ switching costs. The reason is simple – the more companies that enter the industry, the more difficult it is for established companies to maintain their market share and protect their profits.

The risk of entry by potential competitors is a function of the industry’s profitability and the height of its barriers to entry. The higher an industry’s average profit margin, the more enticing it is for new competitors to jump into the fray and wrestle market share from the incumbent companies. High barriers to entry can deter potential competitors from trying to enter an industry and serve its market segments. The higher the cost of entry into an industry, the weaker the competitive force (the risk of entry by potential competitors) is and generally translates into higher average industry profits. Important barriers to entry include the following:

Capital Requirements  – If it takes a great amount of money or assets to enter the industry, this can be a significant barrier of entry for firms who wish to enter it. Usually industries with high fixed costs have high capital requirements (i.e. factories, warehouses, computing assets…).

Economies of Scale  – Economies of scale is where the companies in an industry enjoy diminishing per unit costs for their value propositions as the volume produced increases.

Brand Loyalty  – Consumers often have preferences for the value propositions offered by established companies due to familiarity and reputation.

Absolute Cost Advantages  – Other entrants cannot hope to match the established firms within the industry’s cost structure. Absolute cost advantages arise from three sources: 1) possessing unique and critical resources (patents, trade secrets, or accumulated experience), 2) control of particular inputs of production (i.e. fertile farm land, a prime piece of commercial real estate…), 3) access to cheaper funds because existing companies represent lower risks than new entrants.

Customer Switching Costs –  High customer switching costs occur when customers resist spending the time, money and energy to switch from the current supplier of a value proposition to one offered by a different company, even though that alternative value proposition may be of greater value.

Government Regulation –  Government regulations, and the lack of them, can be a significant barrier of entry for potential new entrants into an industry. An example of this would be environmental regulations placed on coal mining companies and their operations.

We will now dig deeper into how to identify and analyze these potential barriers of entry, and ultimately understand how they affect the competitive rivalry within an industry.

Capital costs mean the startup costs of your business idea that must be incurred before you can commence operations. Basically, this is the total amount of money you need to spend (on equipment, employees, facilities, legal, accounting….) before you can hang your “Were Open!” sign in your shop window. For some asset intensive businesses, such as a full service health club or a golf course, initial capital costs can be extensive. For other businesses that use relatively few assets, such as an internet marketing business or a hotdog stand, initial capital costs can be relatively small.

For many aspiring entrepreneurs without a lot of financial resources, capital costs can be the most daunting barrier of entry of all. Many industries are able to maintain decent profit margins simply because the capital costs required to enter the industry are significant and insurmountable for many. Also, your time can be thought of as a capital asset too. Your investment of time in pursuing a business endeavor represents an opportunity cost on your part – you are giving up time that you could be working for someone else (and the income that entails) in exchange for pursuing your entrepreneurial ambitions. For example, it may take $100,000 and one year of full time work to create and open a business. If you had to give up a $50,000 per year job in order to pursue the endeavor, the real capital cost for you to start your business would be $150,000, not $100,000.

Another example of this would be opening a law practice. Legal services, in the United States, is a fragmented industry that has an average industry profit of 19.5%. This is a very attractive profit margin. Furthermore, the capital cost required to start a legal practice – purely from creating the actual legal services business – is relatively small. A lawyer needs a laptop, access to research materials, a place to meet clients, and some office equipment. This may cost as little as $10,000 in initial startup capital. But this does not represent the actual capital cost to start a law firm. To actually open a law firm and practice law, a lawyer would have needed to: 1) obtain a law degree (lets estimate $120,000), not work for three years while going to law school (lets estimate $150,000 for three cumulative years), get a state bar card ($3,500 for the test and the study course), and not work for three months while studying for the bar (lets estimate $12,500). Then, an only then, a lawyer could spend $10,000 on opening a legal practice. The real cost of this venture, both in absolute capital costs and opportunity costs, would be $296,000.

So the real capital cost of opening a law firm and practicing law (and being in an industry with an attractive 19.5% profit margin) may be at least nearly $300,000. This capital cost represents a serious barrier of entry to many people who would want to enter this industry, but balk at the $300,000 price tag that it requires.

Key Questions:

• What are the average total capital costs for entering the industry you proposing to enter?
• Is the average profit margin for the industry you are proposing to enter enough to service the capital costs required from a typical new market entrant?

Economies of scale arise when unit costs fall as a firm expands its output. In other words, the more of a value proposition a company produces, the less per unit the company pays to produce those value propositions. Sources of scale economies include 1) cost reductions gained by efficiently creating a massed produced output, 2) discounts on bulk purchases of raw materials, and 3) cost benefits gained from spreading production costs and marketing and advertising over a large production volume. Some industries benefit greatly from economies of scale (i.e. the beer industry, the auto industry…). Other industries do not enjoy economies of scale much at all (i.e. nail salons, massage therapy, dry cleaners…).

The following are examples of economies of scale: 1) when the creator of a product gets bulk discounts on the purchases of raw materials for their products, 2) spreading fixed production costs over a large production volume, 3) cost reductions through mass-producing a standardized output, 4) cost savings associated with spreading marketing and advertising costs over a large volume of output. Most manufacturing industries, such as pulp and paper products or textiles, are examples of industries with economies of scale. If economies of scale are a factor in an industry, then many small producers are at a disadvantage because their per-unit costs will be higher than that of their larger competitors.

An industry whose rivals have significant economies of scale creates powerful barriers to entry for an aspiring new entrant to overcome. First, the established firms will have a substantial cost advantage over a new rival. Second, because high economies of scale imply high fixed costs (equipment, facilities), it is critical that these companies protect their market share at all costs. If their sales volumes decrease, this can render them incapable of sustaining their high fixed costs.

Companies, who try to match the existing industry competitors’ economies of scale, must enter the industry as a large producer to overcome this problem. But to do so, it must raise enough capital (to purchase the necessary assets and facilities) to match its competitors’ economies of scale. This becomes another barrier of entry in itself. Furthermore, if a new company enters an industry with a large capital investment (to match current industry competitors’ economies of scale), the increased supply of products the new company brings to the market risks depressing prices and may trigger a price war with established industry competitors.

• Does the industry you propose to enter have significant economies of scale (where the per-unit costs for producing a good or service decrease significantly as the volume of production increases)?
• Does the industry you propose to enter have high fixed costs (equipment, facilities, or significant R&D requirements)?
• Do the suppliers of the industry you propose to enter give significant volume discounts and payment terms to large-volume buyers?
• Within the industry you are proposing to enter, do its company’s marketing and sales budgets increase, on a per unit basis, proportionally to sales of its value propositions, or do the costs of its company’s sales and marketing budgets decrease, on a per unit basis, with an increase in the sales volume of its value propositions?

Brand loyalty is when consumers develop and hold a preference for a particular company’s brand of value propositions. Significant brand loyalty makes it difficult for new market entrants to wrestle market share away from established industry brands. Examples of value propositions with strong brand loyalty are mass consumer products such as beer (Budweiser, Coors and Miller), soft drinks (Coca Cola and Pepsi), or tobacco products (Marlborough and Winston-Salem’s).

A company can also cultivate brand loyalty by developing innovative value propositions. Probably the most successful major company over the last decade that has leveraged innovative value propositions into brand loyalty has been Apple.

A venture may be able to sidestep an industry’s brand loyalty barriers of entry by entering the premium category of product markets. An example would be Dry Soda or small craft micro-brewers.

Significant brand loyalty makes it difficult for new entrants to take market share away from established industry brands. A company faces the daunting task of not only convincing consumers to buy its value propositions, but also to choose not to buy value propositions they already like and feel comfortable with.

• Are the value propositions in the industry you propose to enter highly branded?
• How strong is the brand loyalty in the industry you are proposing to enter?

Absolute Cost Advantages are when an established venture has an insurmountable cost advantage, meaning that new entrants cannot possibly hope to match the incumbent companies’ lower cost structure. Absolute cost advantages can arise from: 1) superior production operations and processes due to access to unique assets (i.e. patents, copyrights, or fertile farmland), 2) accumulated skill and expertise, 3) exclusive or relatively favorable control of their value propositions’ inputs (labor, materials, equipment, or management skill), and 4) access to cheaper capital due to their lower business risk when compared to a new market entrant. Also, access to superior distribution channels could be considered an absolute cost advantage. If established companies have absolute cost advantages, then the threat of entry as a competitive force will be weaker.

A new market entrant must be especially careful in attempting to directly compete with entrenched industry competitors that have absolute cost advantages. If a new entrant enters an industry where there are established competitors who have lower cost structures, the established firms can lower the price of their value propositions to eliminate the new entrant. This could erase any ability for the new market entrant to ever earn a profit. If this threat is credible, it can be a barrier of entry for new market entrants.

• Do the major competitors in the industry you are proposing to enter possess absolute cost advantages? If so, will you be able to acquire these absolute cost advantages before you begin directly competing with them?
• If the major competitors within the industry you are proposing to enter possess absolute cost advantages over your business idea, are there any steps or actions you can take to mitigate those absolute cost advantages?

Customer switching costs are the time, energy, and money necessary for them to switch from the value propositions offered by an established company to those of a new market entrant. If switching costs are high, customers will be unlikely to change even if the new product is superior to other market substitutes and alternatives. An example would be the switching costs associated with leaving the Microsoft Windows operating system or the QWERTY keyboard. Other value propositions in the market may be better/faster, but consumers often find themselves resistant to change because the time or hassle of switching to a better product or service proves prohibitive.

 K ey Questions:

• In the industry you are proposing to enter, do the value propositions the industry produces have high switching costs? If they do, can you think of a way your business idea can mitigate this obstacle?
• If the industry you are proposing to enter doesn’t typically have high switching costs, can you think of a way for your business to raise the switching costs for your proposed value propositions?

Government regulations create politically and legally defined barriers of entry for many industries. Government regulations can increase barriers of entry for market entrants and potentially reduce competition. An example would be food safety regulations or anti-pollution laws. Also, in industries where economies of scale are a powerful force, the absence of regulations can lead to an intense concentration of market share in the hands of a few firms. This can create barriers of entry that are extremely difficult for a new market entrant to overcome. To sum up, high regulation within an industry usually leads to higher barriers of entry, but not always.

• Does the industry you propose to enter require government licenses or strict adherence to statutory codes (construction, health care, lending money, real estate rental, restaurant & food preparation…)?
• To what degree are the industry’s regulations beneficial to the incumbent industry competitors?

Below is a chart that summarizes how the six types of barriers of entry affects industry attractiveness from both the perspective of a new market entrant and an industry incumbent.

Estimating Market Size

Estimating the size of the market you want to enter is the first critical step in testing the feasibility of your business idea. This is a lot like cliff diving. If you are going to jump off a cliff into a pool of water far below, it’s a really good idea to know beforehand just how deep the water is. If you jump without finding out (or at least making an educated guess based on objective facts), you run the very real risk of getting hurt. Bad.

The first order of business in determining the sizes of the various market types for your business idea’s value proposition(s) is to correctly define the parameters of the market types you are trying to measure.  This may sound rather simple, but it is honestly the hardest and most frustrating part of this process. Estimating a market size is the epitome of the phrase “garbage in – garbage out.” If you incorrectly define the boundaries of the type of market you are trying to size up, your entire estimate (and the basis for all of your future financial projections) won’t really be worth the paper it is printed on.

So, creating a quality market size estimate that’s based upon good, logical assumptions, is the first step in determining if your business idea can support a potentially successful business model. To make a quality market size estimate, you should roughly measure the size of each relevant market type for your business idea’s value propositions. By understanding the rough size of each of these market types, you can roughly gauge how much revenue (based upon your market share assumptions) your business idea could generate in the present and going forward into the future. Determining which market types to estimate the size of depends upon the type of market your business idea is attempting to serve. These general market types are Defined Exiting Markets, Cloned Markets, Re-segmented Markets, or a New Markets.

A market is a group of customers that have the willingness to buy a particular type of value proposition. When determining the size of the markets for your proposed business idea’s value proposition(s), you may use all or some combination of the following market type definitions.

• Examples: the car market (supplied by the car industry), the personal computer market (supplied by the personal computer industry), and the athletic shoe market (supplied by the athletic shoe industry).
• Examples: the total market for electric cars, the total market for tablet computers, the total market for running shoes.
• Examples: the market for electric cars in the United States sold through dealerships, the market for android compatible tablet computers sold through big box stores, the market for athletic shoes sold through e-commerce websites .
• The TM is comprised of one or more customer segments , each of which are offered a unique value proposition by your proposed business idea. For a comprehensive explanation of what comprises a customer segment, please refer to the following section.
• The TM is a measurement dependent upon the definition and size of the SAM (because it is a portion of the SAM), but independent of the SOM. Both the TM and the SOM are portions of the SAM that measure different things.
• Examples: Upper-middle class, educated, ecologically conscious automobile customers, early adopter electronics consumers who use their personal computers and laptops mostly for entertainment and not work, high school and college athletes who buy high performance running shoes to gain an edge on their competition.
• Like the TM, the SOM is dependent upon the definition and size of the SAM, but is independent of the TM. Both the TM and the SOM are portions of the SAM that measure different things.
• Examples: the portion of the market for electric cars sold in the United States through dealerships that your business idea can realistically capture, the portion of the android compatible tablet computer market in the United States sold though big box stores that your business idea can realistically capture, the portion of the market for high performance running shoes for athletes in the United States that are sold through ecommerce websites that your business idea can realistically capture.

For practical purposes, you can think of both the SOM and TM as a portions of the SAM, the SAM as a portion of the TAM, and the TAM as a portion of the TID. Both the SOM and TM are separate business concepts that measure different things. The SOM estimates your proposed value proposition’s penetration of the SAM. The TM estimates the size of the group of people for whom your proposed value proposition is specifically designed for.

I know, it’s a lot of acronyms to keep straight. But estimating the sizes of the TIM, TAM, SAM, TM and SOM are important for determining if the market size for your business idea’s value proposition(s) can support your entrepreneurial ambitions and business goals. The following are three generalizations – rule-of-thumb explanations – of what market sizes are necessary to support a particular business type, development path and outcome.

This type of company is usually entering a cloned, re-segmented, blue ocean or new market, or a defined existing market with a new product. They usually seek traditional angel investor and venture capital funding. Rapid scalability an achieving high market share is the key to this type of company. Often the founders of scalable, high growth companies have either an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or the sale of the company to a Fortune 500 corporation as their exit strategy .

These companies require a SAM large enough to support potential company EBITDA (after the company has successfully scaled its operations) of at least somewhere between $10 million to $20 million per year. Publically traded companies, on average, often trade for 10x their annual EBITDA or greater. This, depending upon the company’s industry and whether or not its founders and investors want it to have an IPO, would probably put the company’s valuation at greater than $100 million. A $100 million valuation is a safe rough estimate for whether a company will be able to both afford to go public and financially benefit from an IPO.

So, armed with these rough guidelines, to create a scalable, high growth company that proposes to enter an industry with a 10 percent average EBITDA and capture 10 percent of that industry’s market share, would need to at least generate $100 million per year in revenue ($10 million per year in EBITDA divided by the industry EBITDA average of 10 percent). To achieve this annual EBITDA target and a 10 percent SAM penetration, the overall SAM size would need to be $1 billion ($100 million per year in revenue divided by a 10 percent penetration of the market by the company).

This type of company can be entering a Defined Existing Market, Cloned Market, Re-segmented Market, or Blue Ocean Market. They do not enter New Markets with New Products due to the incredible amount of time, business risk and resources that would be required. These businesses usually seek capital from the founders, founders’ friends and family, non-bank lenders, bank and institutional lenders, and some angel investors. Rapid scalability is usually not a primary goal for these business ventures. They often prioritize strong, stable profits and cash flow for their owners above all else. Exit strategies for these companies’ founders include selling the company to a third party such as another privately held business or private equity group, passing on the business to heirs, or simply holding on to the business. These types of businesses often make excellent cash cows.

Successful, mid-sized privately held businesses are usually valued between $5 million and $50 million. These businesses, as a rough rule of thumb and depending upon the industry, are usually valued at 3x to 5x their average yearly EBITDA. So, a $30 million dollar privately held business would need an average yearly EBITDA of between $6 and $10 million per year ($6 million per year if the business valuation ratio would be 5x; $10 million if the business valuation ratio would be 3x).

Lifestyle businesses are undertaken by entrepreneurs who want to create their own jobs and/or to support the conscious lifestyle choices of the entrepreneur (hobbies, schedules, living location…). This type of company usually solely enters Defined Existing Markets. Many, if not most, of the entrepreneurs who start lifestyle businesses do not begin their business ventures with any particular exit strategy in mind. Instead, the primary financial goal of these entrepreneurs is usually to generate enough cash flow to support their lifestyle needs. These businesses usually seek capital from the founders, bootstrap financing, and the founders’ friends and family. Rapid scalability is usually not a primary goal for these business ventures.

The market size necessary to support a lifestyle business really depends upon the needs and wants of each individual entrepreneur. The variables used to determine a rough estimate of the minimum market size needed to support a lifestyle business are: 1) the entrepreneurs’ desired minimum yearly EBITDA (include the entrepreneurs’ salaries in with EBITDA), 2) the average EBITDA ratio for a firm competing within the industry you are proposing to enter, and 3) the entrepreneurs’ assumption of how much of their proposed business idea’s SAM they will be able to capture.

For example, if an entrepreneur’s goal is to earn at least $120,000 (in EBITDA and salary) from the lifestyle business per year, the average EBITDA ratio for the proposed business idea’s industry is 15 percent of annual revenue, and the entrepreneur assumes she can capture 10 percent of the SAM she proposes to enter, then the minimum necessary SAM size needed to support the business venture would be $8 million ($120,000 divided by a 15 percent EBITDA ratio divided by a 10 percent SAM penetration equals $8,000,000).

The following chart summarizes the rule-of-thumb market size needs of the business types analyzed above:

Targeting a specific audience is most effective strategy when creating a marketing campaign. The more specific of a customer base a campaign can reach, the more dollars per potential customer a campaign will make. This is why companies will allocate a large amount of resources in order to find the audience that they are looking for. By doing this, you can create a marketing budget as effectively as possible and maximize your results. Knowing or choosing exactly who you are getting your message to has proven to be the most effective method of forming a marketing campaign. Once you have identified your target audience, the hard part is figuring out how to reach it. Below, we will discuss ways to do so.

The goal of any marketing campaign is to give the most amount of information about a product or service to the prospective customer possible. The more the customer knows, the more likely they are to take action. The more that is known about that customer, the more likely it is that you can communicate that information effectively. Using information about your customer base will help you make connections that they can relate to and in turn, they will be more likely to respond to your campaigns call to action.

There are four main ways that are commonly used in identifying targeted markets.

Geographic:  This includes the location, the geographical size and makeup of the area and other environmental factors such as climate.

Demographics:  This includes age, gender, income, average family size, average education, and the types of jobs that are in the geographic area.

Psychographics:  This involves factors such as the personality that you area tends to take on, what and how people behave that live in that area and also factors that will affect the way your potential customers will use your product or service. Will they use it often not so often? Is it a necessity or luxury?

Behaviors:  This has more to do with how your potential customers will react to things such as price changes and price points, how they will react based on what information is given to them, and what types of marketing campaigns they are most likely to respond favorably to. All of these factors can be used to help determine how a population will respond to a specific marketing campaign. Likewise, you can a marketing campaign that will increase conversions based on the information gathered above.

One of the fundamentals of marketing focuses on the benefits to cost trade-off. Understanding how customers will weigh the potential benefits of a product or service versus the costs to obtain that product or service is critical when designing a marketing campaign. Ask yourself, how will your customer gain monetarily or in other ways from purchasing your product or service? Though it is not always achievable, satisfying this is the most effective ways to create sales.

To better understand how they will you this trade-off, ask yourself the following questions.

• How much will it save them? Is this a product that can potentially pay for itself?
• Are there any intangible benefits to this particular product or service that a customer may ignore or find appealing?
• Will this product or service save the customer money, time, effort, or resources?
• Will it increase the customer’s income, investments, future, or personal relationship will it reduce a customer’s expenses, taxes, liabilities, or work?
• Will it improve that customer’s abilities, productivity, appearance, confidence or peace of mind?

Understanding the effect that your product or service will have on the customer will serve as an invaluable tool when designing an effective marketing campaign.

As mentioned in the beginning, understanding, identifying and reaching a target audience is the most effective way creating a marketing campaign that will give you the best results possible relative to the budget and time you are allotted. Ignoring these factors can costs you money and can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful marketing campaign.

It’s important to define the nature of your involvement, in both depth and scope, in the business you are founding.  An entrepreneur’s involvement in his own business can range from being a full-time manager/employee (active ownership) to that of a hands-off investor (passive ownership).

An active owner materially participates in the day-to-day activities of the business. Most business owners and entrepreneurs actively participate in their businesses in some way, shape or form. Many work full-time in their businesses as employee/managers, drawing both a paycheck and profits (if there are any).

The definition of a passive owner is a little trickier to nail down. A passive business owner does not participate in the day-to-day activities of the business he or she owns. The IRS states that passive income can only come from two possible sources: rental activities or “ trade or business activities in which you do not materially participate .” Within the context of entrepreneurial endeavors some examples of passive income are:

• Earnings from a business from which you, an owner, are not required to be directly involved with (neither labor nor day-to-day management)
• Rent from either tangible personal property or real estate
• Royalties from intellectual property (patent, copyright, trademark…)

Receiving passive income is delightful. The hard part is usually accumulating enough assets in the first place to begin receiving passive income from them (rents or passive business activities). Examples, where an entrepreneur can derive passive income from her investments, are:

• A landlord rents an apartment building to tenants and uses a real estate management company to collect rents and make repairs.
• A passive investor invests capital into a partnership where others manage the business, and in return for his contribution of capital, the passive investor receives a portion of the business’s profits.
• An entrepreneur builds a successful business from scratch. She then hires a manager to manage the day-to-day affairs of the business. She then receives the profits from her business even though she is no longer actively involved in it.

Most entrepreneurs who start businesses have one of two basic plans for their involvement in their enterprises.

1. The entrepreneur(s) plan to be heavily involved in the lean startup plan and operations over a period of a couple of years. Then, at some undetermined point in the future, they plan to hire a manager and then run the company as a passive investment.

2. The entrepreneur(s) are essentially creating a job for themselves. They plan on working in the enterprise as an open-ended, long-term committment.

Starting and/or running a business is a complex and daunting task. Identifying both potential roadblocks and opportunities well in advance is essential for businesses of any size to outmaneuver the competition and gain a foothold as a dominant market leader. But over one-half of all new businesses will fail within five years of their founding. The vast majority of all new businesses never achieve the financial success originally envisioned by the founders. These new businesses and start-ups begin with energetic enthusiasm, but unfortunately, many business plans fall short due to various reasons: lack of capital, a flawed business strategy, unrealistic expectations, or they lack the people with the required skills and expertise to succeed.

Business plans may be required for any number of reasons. Here are a few of the most common business plan needs.

• To Obtain Debt Financing . A company may be required by a bank or other financial institution to provide a detailed, professional business plan in order to secure debt financing. Examples would be bank business loans or a line of credit.
• To Obtain Equity Financing . Start-ups and other new businesses often must sell equity (stock or membership units) to investors to raise capital for new business ventures. Investors can range from friends and family to angel investors to venture capital firms.
• For Internal Company Planning . Companies often need business plans to compare the relative viability between competing potential business projects. This can give those companies a clearer perspective on where to invest limited resources within the organization.
• Joint Ventures and Partnerships . When entering a strategic JV or partnership with another firm, a business plan works to outline the objectives of the two firms working in tangent.
• Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Divestiture . Detailed plans are needed when businesses change hands in order to help new owners see details in the industry and the enterprise itself. An expert plan can also serve as part of the marketing material to get the business sold.

The reasons for creating a business plan can be as varied as the businesses themselves. Each plan requires a unique approach to the industry you are in, the market you intend to serve, and your financial needs. That’s where we come in.

Creating a professional business plan can help mitigate these risks, raise capital from potential investors and put the company on the path to success. A good business plan helps to focus an entrepreneur’s mind on accomplishing the tasks necessary to make his or her business succeed. A business plan is not a static document. It is a logical series of informed assumptions that are relevant at the time the plan is written. As soon as market and industry conditions begin to change (which usually happens about five minutes after the plan is written), the plan begins becoming obsolete. For the entrepreneur, the value in the business plan isn’t necessarily the plan itself. Instead, its real value lies in the process – the research, thought and inquiry – in creating it.

We will work with you from start to finish to create a professional business plan that will help you accomplish your objectives. We will ask the necessary questions, help you find the answers, and organize your ideas into a coherent plan. From researching your market and industry to producing realistic, justifiable pro forma financial statements (cash flow, income statements & balance sheet), we will craft a document that can help you accomplish your business objectives.

So your business needs a plan. The question is, what kind of plan does it need? Please check out our business plan menu options and pricing here.

Business Plan Review & Evaluation

If you already have a business plan and would like to have it reviewed by a professional business plan consultant, then this is the right service for you. We will review and critique your business plan with an investor’s eye, scrutinizing it for financial errors, grammatical errors, and weak or unrealistic assumptions. We will also point out what you did right. Our business plan review service is an efficient and affordable way to ensure that your business plan is as good as it can be. Our business plan review services are provided at a substantial discount to our normal hourly rates. Depending on your needs and budget, we offer three levels of business plan review services:

– We will spend 2 and 1/2 hours reviewing your materials. We will then provide a written evaluation and critique your plan and financial model.

– We will spend 30 minutes consulting with you on the telephone, answering any questions you may have and offering additional guidance.

– Optional: if you have made any changes to your business plan, based upon the evaluations and critiques we made in our first examination of your materials, we can offer subsequent reviews of the improvements you have made to your plan. In these subsequent reviews, we will spend up to 2 hours examining your materials again.

–  Flat Rate Price:  $297 for first review; $147 for subsequent reviews

• Once you place your order, we will provide instructions for sending us your business plan. Your plan must be sent to us in Microsoft Word format so we can use the Track Changes feature).
• Your review will generally take place within 3-5 business days of you sending us your business plan.
• When our review of your business plan is complete, we will send you the redlined/track changes version of your business plan with our critiques and suggestions.
• After you receive your reviewed/critiqued version of your business plan, we will work with you to schedule a mutually convenient time for the telephone portion of the review service.
• Optional Subsequent Reviews: After you make changes to the critiqued version of your business plan that we sent you, you may send us your new version for further critiques/comments. Please allow 3-5 business days to complete the evaluation.

– All information you provide will be treated confidentially.

– Fees are payable in advance and are non-refundable. If you decide you no longer want a business plan review after you have made payment, we will provide an equivalent amount of consulting firm services of your choosing (3 hours for the Standard Evaluation and Review).

– Once you submit your plan for review, please allow two business days to schedule an initial discussion so that we can understand your needs and tailor our review for your specific situation. This allows us to make sure you get the most out of this process.

– Depending on our existing workload, please allow up to 5 business days for us to complete the review following this initial discussion.

– All reviews are provided on a best efforts basis. You are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the information in your business plan (and related materials).

– You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless from and against all third party claims, losses, or damage which we incur and which arise from or are attributable to our role in this business plan review.

We believe that we have the most transparent and customer friendly pricing strategy on the market.

For someone writing their first business plan, even for simple small businesses, the process can take upwards of 100 hours of time. Often, it takes more than 200 hours . For complex business plans (business plans for unproven business models and undefined markets), the process can often take more than 400 hours. Because we have considerable experience and skill at writing plans, we estimate that, on average, that we can complete an average business plan (depending upon its type, audience and complexity) in the range of 30 to 120 hours.

The range between 30 and 120 hours depends upon three general factors that contribute to a business plan’s complexity. The first factor is whether the plan is for a new business or a business already in existence, The second factor is whether the business’s industry and market are well defined (for example: dry cleaners, dollar stores, organic vegetable farms, family restaurants…) or if the market or industry is new and untested. The third factor is who is the audience for the business plan: equity investors, debt lenders or the internal management of an existing business.

Note:  unless your business idea is exploiting a new market or market niche, or offering customers a product or service that is radically different from what is currently offered to the market, then only on rare occasions will your business plan require longer than 70 hours to complete.

From three factors above, we can generally estimate the average number of hours the plan will take to complete, and therefore we can charge a base flat fee for the project. We Our base flat fee rates are the product of our estimated number of hours times our business plan writing hourly rate. For our business plan writing, we charge $75 per hour.

The business plans we produce fall into the following six general categories:

But often, due to unseen factors (a change in the business plan format scope and direction), a plan may take longer than the anticipated range. Often project extensions occur when it becomes necessary to modify or change the focus of the business plan due to unforeseeable factors (i.e. new market research, assumptions are proven wrong, the founders choose to shift or expand the scope of the business…). So, if your business plan takes longer than the anticipated number of hours to produce, we will charge you at only $20 per hour beyond the original estimated time frame.

This ensures the following:

– By using our pricing formula (flat fee plus $20 per hour beyond the estimated project timeframe) versus using only a fixed billable hour rate, we mitigate any incentive to “run the meter” and unnecessarily inflate the price of your solid business plan. Our goal is to maximize our income per hour for each plan that we produce. Therefore, if we end up going beyond the project’s estimated timeframe, this means we will be working at a significant discount ($20 per hour after the end of the project’s initial timeframe estimate).

– We use our pricing formula also gives us some measure of protection against unforeseen changes to the project’s scope or direction. Creating a lean business plan is a dynamic process. Information discovered or uncovered during the plan writing process can change the focus, scope and goals of the project. Also, by charging a modest hourly rate beyond a predetermined period, helps to focus and frame exactly what you want in your business plan.

– Ultimately, our system encourages both you and us to remain disciplined, efficient and to maximize the value of each other’s time.

For example:  You task us with writing a Type 1 business plan. The project takes 50 hours to complete because the scope changed in the middle of the project. Under these circumstances, the final price for the project would be the Type 1 business plan flat fee ($2,250) plus $20 per hour for every hour spent on the project over 30 hours (20 hours x $20/hour = $400). Therefore, the final complete price for the project would be $2,650 ($2,250 + $400 = $2,650).

• One half (50%) of the project’s flat fee price is required to be paid up front.
• 30% of the project flat fee is due upon completion of the business plan’s Executive Summary (the last plan component to be completed).
• Upon completion of the business plan’s final draft and its approval by the client, the remaining 20% of the project’s flat fee is due  plus  any extra hourly charges if the project goes beyond its initially estimated time.

Preparing an expert business plan can be extremely time-consuming. While the process of mastering and completing your plan may be helpful in understanding the business dynamics, corporate strategy and overall financial and marketing model, it can take you away from operational support that is vital for day-to-day operations. That is where our business planning services come into play. We help business owners in crafting expert MBA-level business plans for internal management buy-in as well as external business funding needs.

Companies often create business plans to obtain financing from venture capitalists, private equity groups and angel investors. Your particular plan will be dependent on the industry you play in, the financing you are seeking to obtain and your overall strategy for execution. Finding the key strengths, knowing potential flaws and being conversant with competitive forces in the industry are only a few of the necessary components of your completed plan. In other words, a full SWOT analysis may be necessary.

Regardless of whether you write a business plan yourself or outsource it to one of the expert members of our qualified MBA team, it is helpful to have a second pair of eyes to edit and provide constructive feedback. You plan and pitch will help to make or break your financing efforts. Don’t skimp on quality. You need to show off your financial health.

Being conversant in finance is certainly not a requirement to operate or be successful in business. Having great financials, including thoughtful projected and proforma financial statements is a must for any entrepreneur seeking to secure funding or internal management buy-in. We help to craft properly-structured financial plans for your business using historical data and realistic assumptions.

Obtain financing for your business with an professionally crafted financial plan as part of your overall strategy.

Business plans are great, but execution is the name of the game. Without a proper marketing plan coupled with flawless execution, your business may eventually disappear.

We work directly with the entrepreneurs themselves to craft detailed, specific and attainable goals and strategies to take your product or service to market. For the seasoned entrepreneur, this may be “old hat,” but having an expert business plan consultant in your corner is helpful to the proper execution of your overall strategy. While there are many business plan software providers on the market, you will still need the human-touch element to really make business plan sing.

If you are seeking funding from any number of sources or simply need help crafting a plan to help you take your business to the next level, we can help. Contact us today to find out more.

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Business Plan Advice

As a budding entrepreneur, when you think about what relationships you’re going to need to support you on your journey, you probably think about the importance of building better customer relationships or the importance of building relationships with your key resources. However, there is one kind of crucial relationship that’s often overlooked: the relationship with your initial stakeholders. Investor relations, particularly during the very early days, are the very foundation of practically all successful organizations. 

Investor Relations

Building a good relationship with investors, right from the very start, is critical, especially if you’re planning to rely on outside investments to launch, develop, and grow your idea from concept to reality.  One of the best ways to build a good relationship is to ensure that you’re communicating your message in the very best way; that you’re presenting your business plan in a way that attracts attention, gets investors excited about you and about what you do, and that puts you both on the same page.

But it’s not always as simple as that. The problem is that while you may be offering something unique, investors can’t always see how you differ from the rest. After all, the number of new startups is rising rapidly, with reports suggesting that in 2010, there were 560,588 businesses in the US under one year old . Today, that figure stands at 804,398, so investors are seeing more business plans than ever before. 

The secret to standing out, attracting attention, and building the right relationships, with the right people, is creativity; presenting your business plan in an innovative and creative way that not only lets you communicate your idea and share your message but also ensures you’re heard and understood. 

Creativity in Investor Relations

Investor relations are already beginning to become more creative. Some entrepreneurs have been boldly moving away from the tried-and-tested business plan and embracing the more modern pitch decks, for example. But this isn’t necessarily the right approach. The truth is that both the traditional business plan and the more condensed lean startup business plan are highly effective ways to get your ideas down in a structured, valuable way. The secret to attracting, engaging, and building relationships with stakeholders isn’t in redesigning the business plan; it’s in redesigning the way that you present this plan to investors. 

Here are three simple yet effective ways to mix up your presentation strategy for a bigger impact:

1. Look Beyond Reality

Isn’t realism the foundation of any good business plan? In a way, yes. Investors will always want to see a realistic overview of your financials. But the problem with realism is that when you’re at a point where your idea is just that - an idea - you haven’t really got all that much reality to base your business plan on. 

So have a bit of fun with it. Run with it. Rather than just presenting the real facts and figures, and looking at the most likely possibilities, use your presentation as a way to set foot beyond reality and get your potential investors excited not about what you will do, but what you could do. In your presentation, don’t be afraid to ‘go big’, acknowledge the bigger picture, and incorporate fictional aspects alongside your real data to demonstrate the wider potential of your idea beyond the restricted confines of reality. 

The best way to present this ‘big picture’ potential is through mind mapping . Why? Because a mind map - a brainstorming diagram that features a central idea surrounded by associated concepts - allows you to go off on tangents without losing sight of the core notion. While other types of brainstorming software like digital whiteboards and online sticky notes can help you to build your business plan, the strong visuals and simplicity of mind maps are great for actually presenting these ideas in a clear, impactful way.

2. Become a Storyteller

The standard business plan consists of a range of facts and figures, all connected through narrative. But the problem with basing your business plan on these facts and figures is that data isn’t unique. Investors may well have heard 5 other business plans earlier in the day, each presenting the same information. 

A better and more creative way to present your ideas is by turning the traditional business plan around, building it on narrative, and interspersing this narrative with your data. Why? Because data sets can be seen by anyone. But your story is your story. By presenting your idea in a more personal way, you’re giving your business plan something that no other person could possibly give it: you. So, while facts and figures are important, communicating this data through storytelling is an even more critical factor. 

There are a number of different ways to become a good storyteller. One is to use your real-life experiences building your product or service and transform these experiences into a strong narrative. Another way is to create your own protagonist from scratch, walking your potential investors through your journey through the fictional yet relatable and relevant experiences of your target audience.

3. Go Off-Script

Not for the faint of heart, this third creative technique involves presenting your elevator pitch - your quickfire overview of you and your business idea - and nothing else. Instead, following your introduction, you transform what should be a business presentation into one giant Q&A session, going 100% off-script. 

Turn the traditional pitch into a new and unique opportunity for your potential investors to take the lead, asking their questions rather than just listening to your answers. One of the biggest problems with pitches today is that they are over-rehearsed, and it shows. When investors ask questions, they want their questions answered. What they don’t want is pre-generated auto-responses that have been molded to try and fit the question. And yet, most of the time, that’s exactly what they’re getting. 

While it’s important to practice and to be prepared for practically every scenario, a more creative and authentic way to present your ideas is by listening to what’s being asked and coming up with your own answers to specifically meet these questions in real-time. It’s a nerve-wracking technique without a doubt, but it’s one that helps you stand out through greater transparency, openness, and honesty. 

Finding the Right Approach

Standardized presentations are outdated. Why? Because it’s becoming increasingly clear that not all investors are looking for the same thing, so a blanket approach isn’t going to cut it. Research shows that, while some investors prioritize financials , others look more at the market, and some base their decisions on investor fit. Attracting and engaging today’s investors means utilizing different approaches based on each different investor. This highlights how important it is for entrepreneurs to research their audience. 

Is an investor creative? Are they quiet, careful, and committed to the bigger picture? Then visual presentation ideas like mind maps could be the key to success. Are they driven equally by emotion as they are by logic? Storytelling could be the solution. Are they more of the spontaneous type? Going off-script could be what it takes to have an impact. Remember: your business idea and data may not be unique…but you are. By taking a creative approach, you’re giving investors something no one else can:

An Easier Way to Prepare Your Business Plan -The Business Model Canvas The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a one-page business plan that allows you to test and validate the key parts of your business in a manageable format.

Business Plan Presentation Template Use this template when creating a presentation for your business plan.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

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How to Present Your Business Plan

Hitting a home run with potential investors requires selecting the right pitch..

Every entrepreneur has to present a business plan to outsiders at some point if he or she is seeking a loan or investment in the company. Obtaining venture capital funding, angel investment, or even bank loans for a business is increasingly difficult in a tough economy. You don't want a poor pitch to impede you ability to score financing for your business. In fact, it's imperative to have a pitch and presentation that showcases your idea, your potential, your market and your ability to provide investors with a return on their investment. The business pitch is different than the business plan. But you need to have your plan drafted before you can fine-tune your pitch. "People misunderstand that the pitch is a different medium than the plan," says Tim Berry, president and founder of Palo Alto Software, maker of Business Plan Pro software, who blogs at bplans.com. "They misunderstand that somehow plan is going to sell the business. The plan is the screenplay for the business. You have to have it before you can put together your pitch. The pitch is a summary of the plan." The following pages will cover how to prepare your pitch, how to choose potential investors, and some basics for delivering the best presentation possible. Prepare Your Pitch and Presentation A business pitch consists of an effort to convince others that your idea for a business is a good one. The pitch involves summing up your business plan -- going over your product/service offerings, your market, your leadership, and why you will succeed. Informally, you may have done this a thousand times already. "It can be as simple as your reality check in a one-person business, or agreeing with a spouse or significant other, your team members or your boss," Berry says. The more formal process of pitching and presenting is usually before an audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, or bank loan officers in an effort to secure a loan or investment in your company. Usually, an entrepreneur starts off by asking for a certain amount of money, and the value proposition for the investor -- such as what percentage of equity in the business that investment would buy. Most of the time, an entrepreneur would make a formal presentation -- often with a slideshow -- to help illustrate a pitch. The formal presentation is typically followed by a question and answer session. Investors often mull over the details and, if they make an offer, will perform due diligence on the financials before turning over any funds.

Know Your Business Plan . The first rule of thumb is to write a business plan and to know that plan inside and out before pitching and presenting to outside investors. The written business plan is often the way to get in the door with investors. If they like your plan, they may invite you to pitch and present. You may get only one chance to present to this group. Don't blow it by seeming ill-informed or being unable to answer questions. "It's crazy to think you can jump into this process without having thought through the details that come up in a business plan," Berry says. "You're not going to cover those details in many encounters with investors, but you need to know your plan backwards and forwards, inside out before you start, whether you show it to investors in early meetings or not. There is no room for filling in the details later. You are supposed to have them ready to go from the first encounter." Venture capitalists, for example, may have 100 or so business plans piled on their desk at any given time. They only listen to formal pitches and presentations from a handful. Your business plan needs to include the necessary components -- the business concept, market, management team, financial projections, marketing plan, etc. You should have a hand in drafting the plan if you are the presenter so that you are intimately familiar with all the details. The goal of the business plan is to convince investors that you are worth the risk of investment.

Your pitch and presentation need to build on that theme. "It really has to pop them," says Linda Pinson, author of Automate Your Business Plan for Windows® and Anatomy of a Business Plan, who runs a publishing and software business Out of Your Mind and Into the Marketplace . Pinson also was selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration to write its government business plan publication. "It's got to say to that VC 'What's in this for me?' It's got to have an overview of what you're asking and what you're trading for it. Is this a business that looks like it will have fast and sustainable growth and get the returns to the investor that he or she is looking for?"

Determine How Much Funding to Request . The reason an entrepreneur makes a pitch is most often to request funding. But just how much to ask for is often key. "Match your financing goals to reality," Berry says. "Don't think you're going to get millions in venture capital unless you have a good track record with previous startups, a very strong potential business, and a realistic exit strategy. If you're looking for a few hundred thousand dollars, look into angel investors, seed money investors and/or seed money funds. Understand which investors want high-growth and high-risk strategies, and which will accept lower growth and lower risk." Many of the decisions by investors are based more than financials. "A lot is based on the personal confidence they have in you. It's not just numbers on a piece of paper," Pinson says. "Today is a very difficult time for investment capital." One way to prove to investors that you are investment-worthy is to show that you are investing in the business, too, by putting up your own capital and being willing to trade some equity for their financing.

Prepare Your Message . A pitch needs to be prepared in a variety of formats to take advantage of not only the formal pitch and presentation meeting but the informal chance meeting in an airplane or elevator. Here are a few types of pitches: •    E-mail message and elevator pitch. Every entrepreneur should have a short, concise speech ready whether they step onto an elevator or prepare to travel on an airplane. You never know who is going to be sharing the ride with you. "It's the 60-second or two- or three-minute pitch where one person in a seat tells the other person about their business," Berry says. The key words to keep in mind while crafting this message are: quick, powerful, and condensed.  You won't have the investor's attention for long so condense this message. Berry suggests a one-page e-mail and/or a 60-second elevator speech are sufficient. •    Summary memo. This is a lengthier treatment of your elevator pitch. It consists of a 2-5 page memo summarizing the need or want you fill as a business offering, your target market, differentiation, growth prospects, management team, and your financing plan, Berry says. It's important to emphasize how much money you need from investors, how much of your company ownership you're prepared to give in exchange, and how you're going to turn that back into money for them, including when and how much, he says. •    Pitch presentation. This is your more formal pitch presentation that you make to investors. Cover the same elements included in your summary memo and in the executive summary of your business plan. Plan on 20 minutes maximum with no more than 10 slides, and use pictures and diagrams, not bullet points, Berry says. "Don't ever read bullet points in a presentation."

Dig Deeper: Finding the Perfect Pitch

How to Choose Potential Investors

Research Potential Partners . Potential investors can range from family members and friends to venture capitalists or angel investors. "You should choose an investor as carefully as you choose a spouse," Berry says. "Look for investors who will be good long-term partners. They have to be comfortable with you and you with them." That's because you are going to be spending a lot of time with your investors if they become financial partners in your business. There are meetings, reports, and reviews. They may also seek new management if you don't do a good job meeting your goals. "If you want partners who will just give you money and leave you alone, search for investors who do that -- and good luck with that," Berry says. "Very few people write checks to businesses and then forget about them." In today's economy, you have to explore many different avenues before you secure financing. On one hand, venture capitalists frown upon businesses that blanket potential investors with their business plans. "Do not under any circumstances shower potential investors with mass print or electronic mailings," Berry says. "They'll know you did, and it won't work. Instead, focus on a few, well-researched targets." On the other hand, if you only approach one or two potential investors, you may have to wait a long time before hearing back.  "You're probably pretty quickly going to see that most of them are going to say, 'No, this won't work today. Our funding is not there for this now," Pinson says. Here are some tips on finding the right investors to approach: •    Who you target is very important. Pinson advises that you research which investors tend to know your industry well and invest in companies in your industry. She says you may want to start by approaching those investors with your plan. •    It's not always good to go it alone. "It's good to find intermediaries," Pinson says. Sometimes intermediaries can help you connect with the right investors. Join the chamber of commerce, talk to business professors, and search the Web. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) sponsors about 1,000 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) around the country, most often hosted by universities, colleges, or state economic development agencies. SBDCs are designed to help entrepreneurs start, finance and run their businesses. Their counselors may know potential investors and may be able to introduce you. •    Seek compatibility. You should want investors who will become partners in building the business as well as funding it. Do your research and ask the right questions. "Do they know people who can help you? Are they familiar with your business area? Do they share your long-term goals for growth and eventual exit?" says Berry. "Are they good partners? Do the people in companies they've invested in regret it?"

Dig Deeper: Five Tips for Selecting an Investment Partner

Pitch and Presentation Tips It's important to be versatile and to be able to deliver your pitch in a variety of different media. These days, a growing number of businesses take to YouTube to deliver their business pitch. Some angel investors like Berry have taken to reviewing some of the YouTube pitches before scheduling a face-to-face meeting with an entrepreneur. "It's a new world," Berry says. "That lets me see the people as they talk about their business and how they manage communication. It gives you more access to information faster." Berry's new pitch website suggests entrepreneurs adhere to the following five steps to deliver the perfect pitch: •    Be specific and concise. Know what you want to say. Know your business plan. Pick out what matters most. •    Sell yourself. This is the "why me" section. Talk about your skills, background, vision and why you can make it work. •    Sell your offering. Berry calls this the "heart" of the pitch. What need does your business fill? Why is anyone going to buy your product or service? •    Close the deal. This is where you put your salesman's cap on. Make sure to make a strong finish. •    Nail your delivery. Practice makes perfect. So practice your pitch and presentation in front of family, friends, business associates, etc. and get feedback on how to improve it. You also need to avoid some key pitfalls. •    Don't memorize the presentation. "Know it like the back of your hand and be able to give it fluidly, using different words each time," Berry says. •    Avoid PowerPoint faux pas. The formal pitch is usually accompanied by a presentation, most often a slideshow, which you should also hand out to attendees at the pitch presentation. "Avoid bad PowerPoint like the plague," Berry advises. •    Keep in mind what's in it for investors. "Describe what benefits you offer to specific investors and how that will make your investors money," Berry advises.

Stay Flexible . In the text books, the standard process is that you make an elevator speech that produces a request to see your business plan, followed by an opportunity to pitch, which ends with investors offering you funding. However, Berry says, "The real world is not nearly as orderly as this would imply." Follow up with the investor but remember that the relationship is only going to work if it is mutually advantageous. If they want to invest, make sure you work with an attorney you really trust. In the end, you should think of the pitch and present process as a filter. "If nobody wants to invest in your business, yes, you might be the true visionary in a world of lesser beings, but -- no disrespect intended -- it's much more likely that the world is delivering you an important message," Berry says. "Maybe you need to revise your plan, go back to the drawing board and improve it. On the other hand, maybe this idea has fatal flaws and isn't going to work, and your failure to raise money has saved you a lot of heartache."

Dig Deeper: How to Improve Your Presentation Skills Presenting Your Business Plan: Additional Resources The Funded Research on histories and lists of different high-end investors. Small Business Development Centers (SBCC) Provides management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. Bplans Business Pitch Author Tim Berry's website dedicated to pitching your business plan. How to Change the World: The 10-20-30 Rule of PowerPoint Blog entry on pitching by venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki  

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Write your business plan

Business plans help you run your business.

A good business plan guides you through each stage of starting and managing your business. You’ll use your business plan as a roadmap for how to structure, run, and grow your new business. It’s a way to think through the key elements of your business.

Business plans can help you get funding or bring on new business partners. Investors want to feel confident they’ll see a return on their investment. Your business plan is the tool you’ll use to convince people that working with you — or investing in your company — is a smart choice.

Pick a business plan format that works for you

There’s no right or wrong way to write a business plan. What’s important is that your plan meets your needs.

Most business plans fall into one of two common categories: traditional or lean startup.

Traditional business plans are more common, use a standard structure, and encourage you to go into detail in each section. They tend to require more work upfront and can be dozens of pages long.

Lean startup business plans are less common but still use a standard structure. They focus on summarizing only the most important points of the key elements of your plan. They can take as little as one hour to make and are typically only one page.

Traditional business plan

Lean startup plan

Traditional business plan format

You might prefer a traditional business plan format if you’re very detail-oriented, want a comprehensive plan, or plan to request financing from traditional sources.

When you write your business plan, you don’t have to stick to the exact business plan outline. Instead, use the sections that make the most sense for your business and your needs. Traditional business plans use some combination of these nine sections.

Executive summary

Briefly tell your reader what your company is and why it will be successful. Include your mission statement, your product or service, and basic information about your company’s leadership team, employees, and location. You should also include financial information and high-level growth plans if you plan to ask for financing.

Company description

Use your company description to provide detailed information about your company. Go into detail about the problems your business solves. Be specific, and list out the consumers, organization, or businesses your company plans to serve.

Explain the competitive advantages that will make your business a success. Are there experts on your team? Have you found the perfect location for your store? Your company description is the place to boast about your strengths.

Market analysis

You'll need a good understanding of your industry outlook and target market. Competitive research will show you what other businesses are doing and what their strengths are. In your market research, look for trends and themes. What do successful competitors do? Why does it work? Can you do it better? Now's the time to answer these questions.

Organization and management

Tell your reader how your company will be structured and who will run it.

Describe the  legal structure  of your business. State whether you have or intend to incorporate your business as a C or an S corporation, form a general or limited partnership, or if you're a sole proprietor or limited liability company (LLC).

Use an organizational chart to lay out who's in charge of what in your company. Show how each person's unique experience will contribute to the success of your venture. Consider including resumes and CVs of key members of your team.

Service or product line

Describe what you sell or what service you offer. Explain how it benefits your customers and what the product lifecycle looks like. Share your plans for intellectual property, like copyright or patent filings. If you're doing  research and development  for your service or product, explain it in detail.

Marketing and sales

There's no single way to approach a marketing strategy. Your strategy should evolve and change to fit your unique needs.

Your goal in this section is to describe how you'll attract and retain customers. You'll also describe how a sale will actually happen. You'll refer to this section later when you make financial projections, so make sure to thoroughly describe your complete marketing and sales strategies.

Funding request

If you're asking for funding, this is where you'll outline your funding requirements. Your goal is to clearly explain how much funding you’ll need over the next five years and what you'll use it for.

Specify whether you want debt or equity, the terms you'd like applied, and the length of time your request will cover. Give a detailed description of how you'll use your funds. Specify if you need funds to buy equipment or materials, pay salaries, or cover specific bills until revenue increases. Always include a description of your future strategic financial plans, like paying off debt or selling your business.

Financial projections

Supplement your funding request with financial projections. Your goal is to convince the reader that your business is stable and will be a financial success.

If your business is already established, include income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements for the last three to five years. If you have other collateral you could put against a loan, make sure to list it now.

Provide a prospective financial outlook for the next five years. Include forecasted income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and capital expenditure budgets. For the first year, be even more specific and use quarterly — or even monthly — projections. Make sure to clearly explain your projections, and match them to your funding requests.

This is a great place to use graphs and charts to tell the financial story of your business.  

Use your appendix to provide supporting documents or other materials were specially requested. Common items to include are credit histories, resumes, product pictures, letters of reference, licenses, permits, patents, legal documents, and other contracts.

Example traditional business plans

Before you write your business plan, read the following example business plans written by fictional business owners. Rebecca owns a consulting firm, and Andrew owns a toy company.

Lean startup format

You might prefer a lean startup format if you want to explain or start your business quickly, your business is relatively simple, or you plan to regularly change and refine your business plan.

Lean startup formats are charts that use only a handful of elements to describe your company’s value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances. They’re useful for visualizing tradeoffs and fundamental facts about your company.

There are different ways to develop a lean startup template. You can search the web to find free templates to build your business plan. We discuss nine components of a model business plan here:

Key partnerships

Note the other businesses or services you’ll work with to run your business. Think about suppliers, manufacturers, subcontractors, and similar strategic partners.

Key activities

List the ways your business will gain a competitive advantage. Highlight things like selling direct to consumers, or using technology to tap into the sharing economy.

Key resources

List any resource you’ll leverage to create value for your customer. Your most important assets could include staff, capital, or intellectual property. Don’t forget to leverage business resources that might be available to  women ,  veterans ,  Native Americans , and  HUBZone businesses .

Value proposition

Make a clear and compelling statement about the unique value your company brings to the market.

Customer relationships

Describe how customers will interact with your business. Is it automated or personal? In person or online? Think through the customer experience from start to finish.

Customer segments

Be specific when you name your target market. Your business won’t be for everybody, so it’s important to have a clear sense of whom your business will serve.

List the most important ways you’ll talk to your customers. Most businesses use a mix of channels and optimize them over time.

Cost structure

Will your company focus on reducing cost or maximizing value? Define your strategy, then list the most significant costs you’ll face pursuing it.

Revenue streams

Explain how your company will actually make money. Some examples are direct sales, memberships fees, and selling advertising space. If your company has multiple revenue streams, list them all.

Example lean business plan

Before you write your business plan, read this example business plan written by a fictional business owner, Andrew, who owns a toy company.

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Tips on presenting your business plan to investors

Find out what you need to know before you walk into an investor pitch. Presented by Chase for Business .

You put days, months — maybe even years — into crafting your business plan. You double- and triple-checked all the numbers. You had it professionally designed. And now the day has come. All that hard work has paid off and you have a chance to present your plan to a potential investor or group of investors. And while who you know is often a big advantage in business, in this case, what you know is even more important.

Know your business plan

Once you’ve made it to the step of presenting your winning business plan  to potential investors, chances are they’ve already read it, or at least part of it, and want to hear more. Be sure you know your plan inside and out. They may ask you to give a 30-second elevator speech, which is a high-level summary of your business, your customers and what sets you apart. Or they may want you to recite the entire executive summary from memory. The point is, you have to be ready for anything. Prepare to reiterate, elaborate or consolidate what’s in your plan, and anticipate any questions investors may have.

Know your audience

Many career investors will speak about their experiences, their backgrounds, what they look for in business partners, what they like to hear during a pitch (and what they don’t), industries they’re interested in and more. That’s why it could be valuable to do some research upfront. Look for any interviews they may have given, articles or blogs they’ve authored and what’s on their social profiles. If you know anyone in their network, talk to them. The better you know the audience you’ll be presenting to, the more you can cater the presentation to appeal to them. For instance, if you know that a potential investor is a staunch environmentalist who believes in saving trees, you may not want to bring a dozen copies of a 30-page business plan to the meeting.

Know your customers

Investors want to know the people they may be getting involved with, and that includes your customers. Thoroughly research your target audience. Instead of presenting a bulleted list about your customers, you might engage investors by telling a story. Walk them through a typical day in the life of a customer. Where do they live? What do they like to do? What are their needs? And how does your product or service help fulfill those needs? If investors become vested in your customers, they may be more likely to invest in your business.

Know your data

When it comes to letting go of their hard-earned money, most investors just want you to show them the numbers. It wouldn’t be unusual for a potential investor to ask for market statistics, revenue forecasts or customer acquisition costs during a pitch. Be sure you have realistic data and can back it up. After all, no matter how much investors like you as a person or believe in your product, their main goal is to make money. Their wheels are always turning as they try to figure how much of a return they can get on their investment and how long it will take.

Know your environment

You were so excited to get the meeting invite with a potential investor that you glossed over the details. But taking a closer look can make all the difference between being well prepared and scrambling at the last minute.

For an in-person meeting, the invite most likely includes the address, floor number, conference room name or specific location. If you’re close enough and have the time before the meeting, you may want to consider visiting the location. And if you’re able to get into the conference room, even better. If it’s not possible to visit, think about calling the meeting coordinator to ask any specific questions about the meeting room. Either way, here are some things you may want to confirm before the big day:

• What is the size/layout of the room?
• Is there one big conference table?
• Is there a large TV or monitor?
• Will everyone be sitting?
• Will you need a microphone?
• Does the room have an internet connection? Is it password protected?
• Are there available outlets?
• Will you need to bring an extension cord or an HDMI cable?

If the meeting is virtual, you’ll still want to prepare but in a different kind of way. With this type of meeting, you may have to work a little harder to keep your audience’s attention. Be ready with these tips:

• Make sure the sound, picture and material are clear, crisp and engaging.
• Set up your space ahead of time.
• Check the lighting in the room at the time of day as the meeting so that you can open or close shades, add additional lamps or make any adjustments.
• Be sure the background is uncluttered and professional.
• Try signing on to the video platform you’ll be using to avoid any last-minute login issues.
• Check that your speakers and computer microphone are working properly.
• Do a practice run with a friend or family member, and record the presentation to see what it will look like from your audience’s point of view. 

Know your time

The last thing you want to do is prepare an amazing 30-minute presentation, only to find out you only have 10 minutes to present. Even though the meeting invite may indicate a one-hour meeting, things change and some meeting booking programs don’t allow customizations. It wouldn’t hurt to confirm how much time you have to present so there are no surprises.

The bottom line

In the same way it helps to develop a business plan checklist when crafting a business plan, it’s also important to put the same time and effort into creating a strategy for presenting that plan to potential investors. Following these tips can be a great place to start. As with anything in business and in life, knowledge is key. The more you know, the more prepared and comfortable you’ll be come pitch day.

For more ideas on how to get funding to grow your business, speak with a Chase business banker .

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Start » startup, smart strategies for presenting your business plan.

Whether you're pitching investors or applying for a bank loan, it's important to nail your business plan presentation. Here are some tips for crafting and presenting yours.

For entrepreneurs who plan to apply for funding or raise investor capital, it's essential to write a solid business plan before launching a business . This document outlines the most important details about your new venture — including your mission, your founding team, your market research and, most importantly, your financial projections.

Once your business plan is written, you may be asked to present it in a variety of circumstances. Much like a professional resume, your plan will need to be tailored and tweaked to appeal to the specific audience you're trying to reach.

Whether you're preparing to write your first plan or refining your existing one, here are some expert-recommended tips for successfully presenting it to anyone who's evaluating your business.

When will you need to present your business plan?

A business plan should contain in-depth details about your business's market, revenue strategy and company structure to communicate the big picture, said Gerald Padilla, vice president of sales and marketing at Joorney Business Plans . The most common circumstances where you'll need to present your plan include:

• Applying for a business loan, especially through a bank or the Small Business Administration .
• Pitching investors and board members.
• Renting a commercial space.

Matthew Wolf, head of advisory and senior consultant for Joorney Business Plans, said that even if your business plan is just an internal document for now, writing one forces you to think critically about how your business will achieve success, while also keeping you accountable.

[Read: 5 Business Plan Templates to Help You Plan for Success . ]

You should be able to clearly state who you are, what you do and why you are relevant.

David Reiling, CEO of Sunrise Banks

Crafting the right business plan for your audience

If you want your business plan to be effective, you should customize and tailor it to the audience you're pitching, said Padilla.

"It's impossible to be everything to everyone," added David Reiling, CEO of Sunrise Banks . "You should be able to clearly state who you are, what you do and why you are relevant."

Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

• Lenders. Banks and the SBA require specific information in their business plan in order to approve a loan , said Padilla. It's important to understand those requirements and address each one within your business plan. "Debt providers are interested in your cash flow being sufficient to cover the principal and interest of the loan for the term," added Wolf.
• Investors. In general, said Wolf, equity investors are interested in returns on investment, as well as debt coverage, which affects free cash flow and returns on investment. However, some investors may also be attracted to different aspects of your business. "Some may be endeared to the product or service concept, while others may invest in the team or CEO because they see the value in their qualities," Padilla told CO—. "Be sure to understand the investors you may be presenting to and their interests."
• Landlords. Padilla noted that the potential landlord of a commercial space may ask for a business plan to understand the type of venture the business owner is proposing for use within the lease space. "They want to get clear details of the applicant's business activity before they accept the potential tenant's lease application," he said.

How to present your business plan

Regardless of your audience, there are a few key things to keep in mind when preparing to present your business plan.

First and foremost, you should ensure that all information included is credible and error-free.

"You want the business plan to reflect your professionalism and add to your credibility," said Padilla. "When using statistics, facts or figures, always cite the source of the data to support your ideas."

[Read: How to Write a Great Business Plan . ]

Reiling noted that you'll want to keep your plan simple so you can present it easily. Consulting resources like the SBA and SCORE can help you strike the right balance between simplicity and providing enough relevant information, he said.

"Bigger isn't necessarily better," Reiling added. "It's the content that matters."

On that note, Wolf advised making your plan as engaging as possible so you can capture the attention of the audience from the beginning.

"Be sure to have a clear go-to-market strategy and think deeply on your business's true competitive advantages," he said.

Finally, be sure to review your plan before each presentation to ensure you're providing the most accurate, up-to-date information on your business and its progress.

"Business plans should be living documents that are revisited and changed to reflect where a business is versus where it projected it would be," said Reiling. "It's the roadmap for a business."

CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.

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How To Write A Basic Business Plan That Wins Investors

Creating a compelling business plan is essential for attracting investors and setting the foundation for a successful venture. A well-crafted plan outlines your business goals, strategies, market analysis, and financial projections in a clear and persuasive manner. Investors need to be convinced not only of the profitability of your idea but also of the strength of your team and the feasibility of your business model. This guide provides a structured approach to writing a basic business plan that can capture the interest of potential investors.

1. Understanding the Importance of a Business Plan

Why investors care about a business plan.

Investors view a business plan as a window into the company’s potential. It shows that the founders have thought through the idea, considered potential risks, and identified opportunities. A thorough business plan demonstrates seriousness and professionalism, which are key factors investors evaluate when considering where to place their funds.

Furthermore, a business plan outlines the expected return on investment (ROI) . Investors look for businesses that can scale and grow profitably, so showcasing strong financial projections, market demand, and competitive advantages is crucial. A business plan gives investors confidence that their investment will yield returns.

The Strategic Role of a Business Plan

A business plan isn’t just a tool for securing funding . It also serves as a roadmap for guiding the company’s growth. Founders can use the plan to set measurable goals, allocate resources efficiently, and make informed decisions. It acts as a reference point, helping teams stay aligned on priorities and strategies as the business evolves.

For startups, a business plan helps in aligning expectations among co-founders and setting a clear direction. It ensures everyone is on the same page regarding the vision, mission, and short- and long-term objectives.

How a Business Plan Enhances Investor Confidence

Investors are often cautious, and a well-written business plan mitigates their concerns. By providing comprehensive data on market trends, competition, and financial projections, you offer transparency that reassures potential investors. Highlighting the problem your business solves and your unique solution makes your case even stronger. Additionally, demonstrating a deep understanding of risks and how you plan to mitigate them further strengthens your credibility.

2. Key Components of a Winning Business Plan

Executive summary: the first impression.

The executive summary is the first section of your business plan but should be written last. It provides a concise overview of the entire plan. Typically, it is a one- to two-page summary that highlights the key elements: the business idea, market opportunity, business model, and financial projections . This is the first section investors read, so it must be compelling.

A strong executive summary grabs attention immediately by clearly stating the business’s mission and vision. It should also explain why the business is unique and how it addresses a gap in the market. Investors should be able to grasp the essence of your business quickly through this summary.

The executive summary should also briefly introduce the management team. Investors often bet on people as much as on the idea, so highlighting the experience and skills of the leadership team can help build trust early on.

Company Description: Defining Your Business

In this section, describe your business in detail. Investors need to know exactly what your business does and what it stands for. Start by defining the problem your company solves and how your product or service provides a solution. Be clear and specific about your unique value proposition ( UVP ). Explain what differentiates your offering from competitors, and why there is a need for it in the market.

The company description should also include your business’s mission and vision statements. These set the tone for what you are trying to achieve in the short and long term. The mission statement clarifies your purpose, while the vision statement illustrates the future impact you hope to make in your industry.

Lastly, include basic details about your business structure, location, and the key people involved. Investors appreciate transparency, and providing this information shows that you are organized and prepared.

Market Analysis: Proving the Opportunity

A thorough market analysis is essential for convincing investors that your business has growth potential. Start by defining the target market. Who are your customers? What are their needs and behaviors? Break down the market into segments, and provide data-driven insights on each segment’s size, growth rate, and purchasing habits.

Next, analyze your competition. Investors want to see that you understand who your competitors are and how your product or service stands out. Outline the strengths and weaknesses of competitors and how your business offers a unique advantage. Highlighting your market positioning and your strategy for gaining market share can make your plan stand out.

In addition to customer and competition insights, discuss broader market trends. Are there economic or regulatory factors that could affect your industry? Understanding these external factors can provide investors with a more realistic picture of the market landscape.

3. Crafting a Detailed Operational Plan

Defining your business model.

Your business model is a critical part of the business plan. It explains how your company will generate revenue, and this is key information for investors. Whether you’re offering a product or a service, outline your pricing strategy, sales tactics, and distribution channels. This section should also explain your customer acquisition strategy. How will you attract customers, and what will your sales cycle look like?

For subscription-based businesses, describe the recurring revenue model. For product-focused companies, explain your production process, including sourcing and fulfillment. Investors need to see that your business model is scalable and sustainable.

Your business model should also detail key partnerships or suppliers that are essential to your operations. This will show that you have a solid plan in place for delivering your product or service.

Product Development and Milestones

Investors want to know the current status of your product or service. Is it still in development, or have you already launched? Provide a timeline for future milestones, including product launches, expansions, or additional funding rounds. These milestones serve as tangible markers of progress and give investors a sense of the company’s trajectory.

If you are in the early stages, explain the stages of product development, testing, and validation. For businesses with a finished product, describe any enhancements or innovations planned in the near future. Show investors how their money will help accelerate these developments.

Operations and Management Team

The strength of your management team is a critical factor for investors. In this section, outline the organizational structure of your business. Provide details on the key members of your team, including their roles, backgrounds, and expertise. Highlight how their experience aligns with the needs of the business and how they will contribute to its growth.

For smaller businesses, it’s essential to show that the founders have complementary skills. If your team lacks certain skills, discuss plans to recruit experienced professionals or advisors in those areas. This shows that you are aware of your team’s limitations and have strategies in place to address them.

4. Financial Projections and Funding Requirements

Projecting revenue and expenses.

Financial projections are one of the most scrutinized sections of a business plan. Investors want to see realistic and well-researched projections of your revenue and expenses. Start with a sales forecast, showing expected revenue for the next three to five years. Break this down by month or quarter in the early years, as investors will want to see short-term viability.

Next, outline your operating expenses, including fixed and variable costs. Investors want to understand where their money will be spent and how you plan to manage cash flow. Be transparent about costs such as salaries, rent, marketing, and production.

In addition to revenue and expenses, include profit and loss statements, cash flow projections, and balance sheets. These documents provide a comprehensive view of your financial health and help investors assess the risk and return potential.

Defining Your Funding Needs

Clearly state how much funding you need and what it will be used for. Be specific about how the capital will be allocated—whether it’s for product development, marketing, hiring, or expanding operations. Investors appreciate clarity and will be more inclined to invest if they understand exactly where their money is going.

Break down the funding requirements into immediate and long-term needs. Some investors may be interested in providing seed capital, while others might be better suited for later-stage funding. Tailoring your ask to different investor types can improve your chances of success.

Highlighting the Potential Return on Investment

Investors need to know how their money will generate returns. Provide a clear plan for achieving profitability and detail potential exit strategies, such as acquisition, public offering, or reinvestment. Use industry benchmarks to back up your projections, showing how similar companies have succeeded. Offering multiple potential exit scenarios increases the attractiveness of your business.

5. Presenting the Plan to Investors

Structuring your pitch.

Once your business plan is complete, the next step is to present it to investors. Start with a compelling pitch that distills the key elements of your plan into a concise and persuasive narrative. Focus on the problem, your solution, and the market opportunity, then explain why your team is uniquely positioned to execute the plan. Investors are looking for a compelling story backed by data.

When structuring your pitch, tailor it to your audience. Some investors are more interested in financials, while others focus on the team or market size. Anticipate the questions they might ask and be prepared with answers.

Creating a Visual Presentation

Accompany your business plan with a professional, visually appealing presentation. Use graphs, charts, and infographics to make your data more digestible. Investors are more likely to engage with a presentation that is visually compelling and easy to follow. A strong visual aid complements your business plan and can help clarify complex information.

Anticipating Investor Questions

Finally, prepare for investor questions. Investors are likely to probe into areas like competition, scalability, and financial assumptions. Practice answering tough questions confidently. The more prepared you are, the better you will appear in front of potential investors. Addressing their concerns thoroughly and transparently can make the difference between securing funding or being passed over.

1. How long should a business plan be? A business plan can vary in length depending on the complexity of the business. However, for most startups, 15-25 pages is a good guideline. The plan should be concise but comprehensive enough to cover all key areas such as market analysis, financial projections, and business strategy.

2. Do I need a business plan if I’m bootstrapping my business? Yes, even if you’re not seeking external funding, a business plan is beneficial. It helps guide your growth strategy, ensures you stay focused on your objectives, and allows you to track progress and make informed decisions.

3. How often should I update my business plan? A business plan should be updated at least annually or whenever significant changes occur, such as market shifts, new product launches, or changes in the competitive landscape. Regular updates ensure the plan remains relevant and aligned with business goals.

4. Can I use a business plan template? Yes, templates can provide a helpful framework, but it’s important to tailor your business plan to your specific company and market. Investors prefer customized plans that reflect deep understanding and original thinking rather than generic templates.

5. What’s the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make in their business plans? One of the biggest mistakes is overestimating revenue and underestimating expenses. Unrealistic financial projections can damage credibility. Investors appreciate conservative, well-researched numbers over overly optimistic forecasts.

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How to Present a Business Plan to Investors, a Bank or Boss

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans

Are you about pitching your business plan to raise money? If YES, here is how to successfully present a business plan to investors, bank loan officer or boss.

A business plan is generally referred to as a document on which a new business outlines its modus operandi. An effective business plan contains a detailed plan of how a company intends to achieve its goals over a period of time. It has been noted that the more detailed a business plan is, the better, because a business plan is not only a company’s blueprint, but also a determinant whether the company can get external funding or not.

A lot of businesses, at some point in their lives do seek funding in order to be able to stay afloat, or even to get started; and for you to gain the audience of an investor, lender or boss, your intended business ought to have a workable business plan.

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Your ability to pitch your business plan to your target audience, be it a lender or an investor would make the difference on whether you would get the funding you seek or not.

With a lot of entrepreneurs constantly churning out business ideas, investors and lenders (banks) are now getting more critical on who to fund, and for your business to get the green light, then you have to bring on your A game because you wouldn’t want a poor pitch to impede your ability to score financing for your business.

When writing your business plan, it is best to keep the audience you want to target for funding in mind, because the different business financiers or investors expect to see different things in your business plan.

How to Adequately Prepare Yourself to Pitch your Business Plan

1. prepare yourself first.

It is worthy of note that investors invest first in the entrepreneur before the business plan. Investors will want to see that you are fast, thoughtful and efficient, and can sustain the project through its conception and growth.

No matter how good your business plan is, if you lack strong presentation skills, you may not be getting as much attention from the investors as you actually should. So, as a matter of necessity, you should learn how to pitch business plans as a professional.

2. Prepare your pitch

To be able to catch your audience, you need to prepare a brief, compelling presentation that tells your story, describes your business and explains how you will fulfill a customer want, need or desire. Tell them what you have achieved and why it is a good idea to invest with you.

3. Pepper your presentation with facts and figures

While carrying out your presentation, you need to use facts and figures to support every conclusion and claim with research from third-party sources. If you mention trends or evaluate your market potential, make sure you have done the research to back your claims.

4. Be clear and concise

To achieve a good presentation, you need to make sure you outline your facts in a clear and concise format. Your banker or potential investor probably isn’t an expert in your field, so avoid industry jargon, acronyms and technical details.

5. Be realistic

To be effective, your forecasts should clearly show how your business or project will be profitable for both you and your boss or investor. These forecasts must be rational and backed up by solid data. Be careful about making bogus and unsubstantial claims.

6. Do your research

You have to, of necessity show that you have looked at your project from every angle and prepared contingency plans. Discuss how your previous experience and achievements will help you run a better business.

7. Stick to business

To be able to get the funding you need, you need to make your case watertight. You should put on your salesman cap and give it your best. It is good to be passionate about your business, but it is your facts and figures that will get you the money.

8. Practice makes perfect

When preparing to make your pitch to investors and lenders, you should never leave anything to chance. So practice your pitch and presentation in front of family, friends, business associates, etc. and get feedback on how to improve it.

Tips for Presenting your Business Plan to a Bank (Lender) and Get the Money You Need

It is common knowledge that banks are lenders, and anyone seeking to approach a bank for business financing is basically looking for a loan. Lenders are more concerned with risk and the return of their money with interest.

For a business plan to ever gain the attention of a bank for it to give it a loan, the entrepreneur has to emphasize certain succinct facts like revenue, expenses, and other cash flow issues in its business plan. In addition, you also have to play by the following rules;

a. Show your experience

We have said it before that banks are lenders and as such they are always careful to make profitable deals. Banks generally believe that you have more credibility if you have had experience in business and in the field you are entering.

As such, they mostly make deals with entrepreneurs with sufficient business experience. In writing a business plan that is targeted to a bank, be sure to carefully outline whatever previous business experiences you have had, and equally outline how each of them would help you in your present business endeavour.

b. Give complete background of the management team

Banks also believe that the kind of management team a business has would determine its success or failure. As such, your business plan should describe your management team and short biographies of main managers should equally be included. Note that you need to have an experienced management team in order to up your chances of landing a loan.

c. The business financial projections

Bankers expect to see three main statements in your business plan and they include; income, balance, and cash flow. They should be projected monthly for the first year, and annually for a couple of years after that. Cash flow is the most important part of your plan as far as banks are concerned.

d. How real are your financial projections?

As astute financial houses, bankers will compare your financial projections to similar industry reports. If your financial margins way better than industry averages, you will need to explain why and how you are going to accomplish that.

For example, if the average boutique store has a 30 percent gross margin, don’t show a banker a plan with a 70 percent margin because you would have to explain it, and your explanations had better be good.

e. Align your financials

You have to make sure that the amount you ask to borrow should match the financials in your plan. For example, don’t try to show that you need less money than you actually do, because you wouldn’t need to be borrowing if you actually need less.

On the flipside, don’t show that you need much more money than you can afford to borrow. Your cash flow should be realistic, and it should show how much money you need and why you need it.

f. Present a complete plan

While management team and financials are very important, a good banker will also expect to see a readable plan, from the executive summary through to the end. It should cover what you sell, your market, company background, and specific dates and activities.

Asides all these facts, banks would want to know if your product is priced right for its market niche, if your company management can control expenses, if the company would be able to withstand risks and market fluctuations and if the company would be able to pay back the loan it is asking for.

You will have to demonstrate you have the experience, skills, determination and self-confidence to successfully build your company or carry out the project for which you’re borrowing money.

Tips for Presenting your Business Plan to an Investor

Investors are business people, just like the entrepreneur. They are more concerned with your profit projections and they eagerly look into the future to a time when they can cash in, hopefully at a higher multiple to their initial investment.

Therefore, investors are mostly concerned with your businesses’ ability to grow and stabilize. In order to be able to get funding from investors, be it angels, venture capitalists or others, your business plan has to contain the following;

i. Target market

The size of the target market often determines the success of a business, and investors also know this. When writing a business plan to pitch to investors, you have presented a great detail of your target market. You might be surprised to find that the size of the market may not be as large as you had anticipated.

ii. Problems you want to solve

Again, investors are also interested in the anticipated problem you want to solve. Would the solution which your startup has come up with actually solve the issues in the target group? What are the benefits that target customers will gain from your innovation? Is the problem worth the business stress?

iii. Revenue

Your business plan should be able to explain how your business intends to generate revenue. You need to explicitly outline how your fees would be charged and if the fees you charge would lead to profit for the business, and with what margin.

iv. Competitors

Since there are very few businesses that are still undiscovered, investors would like to know how you intend to deal with the competition. You should outline what would make you stand out from them as well as your competitive advantage.

v. Growth strategy

You would have to show that your business has the ability to grow and expand in the future. A business that has no growth strategy is simply not worth investing in because it has no future, and no investor would want to put his or her money in a sinking ship.

vi. Your team

Any and every investor would want to know who you are running the business with and their qualifications, so you have to write a brief outline of your management team in your business plan.

vii. Exit strategy

Investors are very interested in your exit strategy so you had better include that if you want to attract investors. Many investors tire after about seven years with a company and look around for new opportunities. You have to determine if you are going to sell all your shares to a new entrepreneur, go public with the company or sell to venture capitalists etc.

Tips for Presenting your Business Plan to your Boss

Unlike what most people would think, but yes, a lot of bosses have funded business startups of their employees. This has been made possible because more companies are encouraging entrepreneurial thinking from within–something that is known as intrapreneurship.

In order to succeed in using your employer’s hunger for innovation to support your own business, you have to ensure that your ideas are in line with the company’s Business model. Ensure that your business idea can easily be integrated into the company’s objectives, this is an easier way for you to get funded by your boss.

You also have to ensure that you state all these while pitching your business plan to your boss. Remember, pitching your business plan to your boss is like pitching to any other investor; you need to look at the cost-benefit analysis from your boss’ perspective.

For you to present a business plan that can easily get funding from your boss, you have to observe the following rules:

1. Ensure your business idea is in line with the company’s interests

This is perhaps one of the most important points to consider when pitching your business plan to a boss. Bosses are entrepreneurs who are only interested in what would boost their business revenue.

You have to convince them that funding your business would be to their interest before they can even listen to you talk more of giving you the nod. You need to show your employers the ways your ideas would improve the company or contribute to the achievement of the company’s vision and mission.

2. Research

The worst you can do is to present an unresearched business plan. During your pitch, a lot of questions would be asked, and not having answers to such questions would mean that you are not ready. You have to know your market really well and be quite familiar with your target consumers.

3. Offer value

Your pitch, of necessity needs to offer information with value. If you are expecting the CEO of your company fund your business idea, then you have to make sure that they would get something out of it. If it is just you who will be benefiting from the proposal, then most likely you will hear a No for the proposal.

4. Thoroughly study your audience

Knowing what you’ll say in your pitch is only half the battle, you also need to know how to say it. You have to know the likes, dislikes and mannerisms of who are presenting to. When pitching to a time-strapped boss, you have to get to the point in the first 60 seconds.

If you are talking to a person who believes in figures, you have to rely heavily on charts and graphics to illustrate your business concept, market and revenue model, rather than plunking a 30- to 50-page business plan on his or her desk. Of course it won’t get touched.

5. Be credible

The fact here is that if your boss doesn’t have faith in your work, judgment or time-management skills, he or she is not going to let you launch a new product, service or company division no matter how good your business plan is. Before you polish your pitch, make sure you are the model staff.

You cannot be on the list of worst employee of the month for six consecutive months and then suddenly have ideas and expect your boss to take you serious.

6. Start with the summary

There’s something called an executive summary in business plan writing. Although it is the last part to be written in any business plan, but it is the most important part when pitching to your boss as it contains all information about the project summarized into a page. This executive summary helps anybody reading your business plan to understand what it is all about easily.

You should adopt this strategy too when presenting your ideas to your boss; let them know what you are driving at early into the presentation because most people form opinions and decisions in their minds few minutes into the conversation.

7. Think of costs

You have to make plain all the financial involvements of your business if you are planning to get funding from your boss. If there are any financial or non-financial resources that would have to go into accomplishing the ideas, you should ensure that your employer is aware of it.

8. Time factor

The introduction of any new project obviously means additional demands on your time. So, the first thing you will want to assure your boss of is that it won’t distract you from all of the work already on your plate.

So, the best approach is to explain how the new project fits into the cycle of your workload—for example, how it dovetails perfectly with you regular task, and how you are going to manage your time effectively so your regular job would not suffer.

You also need to beware of some key points when you are delivering your presentation. They include;

• Don’t memorize the presentation: you have to know your business plan like the back of your hand, after all you are expected to have put a lot of time into it. You should be able to give your presentation fluidly.
• Avoid PowerPoint failures: the formal business plan pitch is usually accompanied by a presentation, most often a slideshow, which you should also hand out to attendees at the pitch presentation. Ensure your PowerPoint is working effectively so as not to get stuck in the middle of the road.
• Keep your investors in mind: your investors would always be on the lookout for what’s in it for them in your pitch. You need to clearly describe what benefits you would offer to specific investors and how that will make your investors’ money

In conclusion, it is very important to be versatile and to be able to deliver your pitch in a variety of different media. These days, a growing number of businesses take to YouTube to deliver their business pitch and some angel investors have taken to reviewing some of the YouTube pitches before scheduling a face-to-face meeting with an entrepreneur.

It helps investors to analyze entrepreneurs and their business ideas from a distance. Being versatile gives you an edge in the quest to get funding.

Voya Financial to acquire OneAmerica Financial’s retirement plan business

• Over $60 billion of assets under administration (AUA) adds scale to Voya’s full-service business in Wealth Solutions, increasing total AUA to $580 billion, with retirement plan and participant count growing to 60,000 and 7.9 million.
• Advances Voya’s Workplace growth strategy with $47 billion of full-service AUA in attractive emerging and mid-market segments, a broader set of capabilities including employee stock ownership plan administration and new opportunities for distribution partnerships.
• Adds value for OneAmerica Financial’s retirement plan clients and their participants by providing access to Voya’s market-leading customer digital experience and core recordkeeping services.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA) and OneAmerica Financial, Inc., a diversified mutual insurance organization, today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement for Voya to acquire OneAmerica Financial’s full-service retirement plan business. The acquisition adds strategically attractive scale to Voya’s full-service retirement business within Wealth Solutions, providing Voya with a broader set of capabilities that complement its existing product suite, including competitive employee stock ownership plan administration, and new opportunities to expand Voya’s distribution footprint and deepen its existing advisor relationships.

OneAmerica Financial’s full-service retirement plan business comprises 401(k), 403(b), 457, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and employee stock ownership plans. The transaction adds approximately $47 billion of assets to Voya’s strategically important full-service Emerging and Mid-Market segments and extends the firm’s leadership position in the Large Market by adding approximately $15 billion of recordkeeping assets. 1 As a result of the acquisition, Voya’s Wealth Solutions Defined Contribution client assets will grow to $580 billion, with total retirement plan and participant count reaching 60,000 and 7.9 million, respectively. 1

“This announcement is an exciting opportunity to add scale and new capabilities to our Wealth Solutions business that will help advance our growth strategy by offering workplace benefits and savings solutions to more individuals,” said Heather Lavallee, CEO, Voya Financial. “Voya is a purpose-driven company focused on supporting improved financial outcomes for our customers. OneAmerica is equally passionate about enabling financial security for their customers, making them a strong fit for Voya.”

“OneAmerica Financial is placing its retirement business in the hands of an organization that can deliver industry-leading offerings,” said Scott Davison, chairman, president and CEO of OneAmerica Financial, Inc. “For 60 years, we have been committed to serving the retirement market by helping our customers face every day with greater certainty. Voya is the firm to deliver on that commitment. We see this as a great opportunity for our customers and the OneAmerica Financial associates that will continue to grow with Voya, while we will focus on our remaining core product lines where we see tremendous growth potential.”

Delivering a broad range of solutions and capabilities to clients and intermediaries by adding scale to Voya’s full-service retirement business in Wealth Solutions

With the ability to serve employers and plans of all segments and sizes, including startup, Emerging and Mid, Large and Mega market plans, the acquisition of OneAmerica Financial’s full-service retirement plan business reflects Voya’s commitment to growing its Workplace Solutions businesses, supporting more participants with their workplace benefits and savings needs.

“This acquisition fully aligns with Voya’s relentless focus on customer satisfaction, leveraging the strength and expertise of two dedicated organizations who deliver a variety of workplace benefits and savings solutions,” said Rob Grubka, CEO, Workplace Solutions, Voya Financial. “OneAmerica’s broad range of retirement capabilities, combined with our existing product suite and digital solutions, provides an opportunity to extend Voya’s reach across all market segments to deliver health, wealth and investment solutions through the workplace and institutions.”

The transaction expands the services Voya provides to workplace benefits and savings plans it serves today across all markets, tax codes and employer sizes. This includes OneAmerica Financial’s competitive employee stock ownership program and the benefits of its broad reach across the advisor community, bringing new and increased intermediary relationships to help expand Voya’s footprint.

“OneAmerica is centered around the people we serve, and we are deeply passionate about what we do,” said Sandy McCarthy, president of Retirement Services at OneAmerica Financial. “Our goal has always been to take our business to the next level to continuously improve our clients’ experiences to better optimize their outcomes. Voya shares this vision, and we are excited to see how our customers and associates will benefit in this new chapter.”

The transaction is expected to close on Jan. 1, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Additional information on the transaction and its financial impact has been made available in a supplemental investor presentation on Voya’s investor relations website at investors.voya.com . Voya intends to provide more details on the transaction during its third-quarter 2024 earnings call.

Citi is serving as financial advisor and Eversheds Sutherland LLP is serving as legal counsel to Voya in connection with this transaction.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor and Sidley Austin, LLP is serving as legal counsel to OneAmerica Financial Partners in connection with this transaction.

About Voya Financial ®

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA) is a leading health, wealth and investment company with approximately 9,000 employees who are focused on achieving Voya’s aspirational vision: “Clearing your path to financial confidence and a more fulfilling life.” Through products, solutions and technologies, Voya helps its 15.2 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well planned, well invested and well protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company and a leading benefits administration provider, extends the reach of Voya’s workplace benefits and savings offerings by engaging directly with over 12 million employees in the U.S. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work ® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and committed to conducting business in a way that is economically, ethically, socially and environmentally responsible. Voya has earned recognition as: one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies ® by Ethisphere; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com . Follow Voya Financial on Facebook , LinkedIn and Instagram .

1. Based on OneAmerica Financial, Inc., and Voya Financial data as of June 30, 2024.

VOYA-IR VOYA-CF VOYA-RET

Media Contacts: Laura Maulucci Voya Financial (508) 353-6913 [email protected] Jim Gavin OneAmerica Financial (317) 319-9172 [email protected] Investor Contact: Mei Ni Chu Voya Financial (212) 309-8999 [email protected]

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Starbucks ceo brian niccol refocuses the company on its core business as he starts first week, niccol plans to take his first 100 days to mid-december to meet with stakeholders..

Starbucks' ( SBUX ) new CEO, Brian Niccol, is brewing up a new chapter for the coffee chain as it focuses on its origins.

In an open letter , Niccol said he's been spending time in stores and with employees since he was announced as the next CEO on Aug. 13, 2024. The coffee giant is "beloved" but has "drifted" from its core, he said, as he officially started his role this week.

In the US, he acknowledged, "we aren’t always delivering. It can feel transactional, menus can feel overwhelming, product is inconsistent, the wait too long or the handoff too hectic."

Last quarter, same-store sales declined 2% in the US.

The former Chipotle ( CMG ) CEO now plans to home in on four key areas. First is empowering baristas to ensure they "have the tools and time" to make great drinks. Second, provide "career opportunities and a clear path to growth." Third, ensure customers' orders are delivered on time and elevate the in-store experience with a "clear distinction between "to-go" and "for-here." And finally, the company will focus on telling its story. "We won’t let others define who we are," Niccol wrote.

China, Starbucks' second-largest market, has been its worst-performing segment. In the third quarter, same-store sales fell 14% year over year. Niccol wrote that the team needs "to understand the potential path to capture growth and capitalize on our strengths in this dynamic market."

During Starbucks' last earnings call, former CEO Laxman Narasimhan said the team is in the "very early stages" of exploring joint ventures and strategic partnerships in technology, real estate, and the supply chain.

Niccol said while he'll initially be focusing on the US, Starbucks is looking globally for growth, including in the Middle East, where the company will "work to dispel misconceptions about our brand."

Niccol's strength in turnarounds is partially why he got the top spot. He led Chipotle's comeback from its E. coli outbreak crisis and formerly excelled at marketing at Yum! Brands' ( YUM ) Taco Bell.

"We see similarities between Chipotle's 2018 turnaround for a premium brand, and what Starbucks needs in 2024 to improve traffic," Andrew Charles of TD Cowen wrote in a note to clients.

Deutsche Bank analyst Lauren Silberman told Yahoo Finance that Starbucks' current state of affairs kicked off last October when boycotts around the brand were a "catalyst for challenges."

Since then, "it's been consistent, ... 10% to 12% of people say ... [they] aren't going to Starbucks anymore," she said.

Other challenges for the brand include value and innovation.

"I disagree that there's a price issue. Starbucks has always been expensive," she said. "What has changed, in my opinion, is the value perception, which encapsulates your experience, your feelings about the brand itself. "

Starbucks also needs to double down on its innovation cadence and market it successfully.

"Do I think these new products were successful? No," Silberman said. "Do I think the products were good? Yes."

Over the past couple of months, activist investors Elliott Investment Management and Starboard Value have also taken stakes in the company, adding more pressure for a turnaround.

Niccol will have to bring Chipotle's efficiency to Starbucks. The fast-casual chain boasted 8% transaction growth in its latest quarter and is known for its throughput, or the speed a restaurant moves people through its store.

Silberman added that she believes Niccol is the exact fit to remind people "why they love Starbucks" and make it culturally relevant like he made Chipotle.

"He'll be exceptional at figuring that out and that's something Starbucks has not been able to figure out," she said.

Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @ BrookeDiPalma or email her at [email protected].

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SMH ETF: Selloff Could Present Opportunity for Long-Term Investors

September 10, 2024 — 04:06 am EDT

Written by Michael Byrne for TipRanks  ->

After a dazzling start to 2024, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) has dropped 24.1% from its 52-week high and suffered a nearly 10% loss in the past week alone. However, for long-term investors, the selloff could present a long-term buying opportunity. 

I’m bullish on the largest and most liquid semiconductor ETF due to its robust long-term track record, consistently outperforming the broader market over the past three, five, and 10 years. I’m also bullish on SMH and the semiconductor industry in general, given the strong long-term demand for semiconductors, which remains promising despite the sector’s recent decline.

Additionally, many of the top semiconductor stocks in SMH’s portfolio don’t look particularly expensive after the recent selloff.  

Lastly, Wall Street analysts see significant potential upside for the ETF of nearly 40% over the next 12 months. 

What Is the SMH ETF’s Strategy? 

According to the fund’s sponsor, VanEck, SMH invests in the “MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index (MVSMHTR), which is intended to track the overall performance of companies involved in semiconductor production and equipment.” 

VanEck also highlights that it uses a market-weighted index that favors the largest and most liquid companies in the industry, and that it invests in both U.S.-listed and global companies, “allowing for enhanced industry representation.”

Stellar Performance Despite the Selloff 

My confidence in SMH stems from its impressive historical performance, which supports its potential for recovery. Even after accounting for this summer’s selloff, the fund has easily outperformed the broader market over the past three, five, and 10 years. 

As of the end of August, the fund has returned an impressive 22.5% over the past three years. In comparison, using the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) as a benchmark, the broader market only gained 9.3% during the same period.

Looking at the past five years, SMH has generated a scintillating annualized return of 34.8%, once again outshining the broader market, where VOO returned just 15.9%.

Over the past decade, SMH’s annualized return of 26.6% easily trumps the broader market’s return of 12.9%, reaffirming its long-term strength.

Looking at it from a cumulative perspective, SMH has created incredible wealth for its holders over the long term. For example, an investor who put $10,000 into SMH three years ago would have $16,3338 today (as of September 6). An investor who put $10,000 into SMH five years ago would have a position worth $37,435 today, more than tripling their money. Lastly, an investor allocating $10,000 into SMH 10 years ago would have an incredible $92,642 today, a return of over 900%. 

SMH is a star performer that has tripled the return of the broader market over the past three years, and doubled its returns over the past five and 10 years. It’s hard to understate how strong that track record is, which gives me confidence in SMH’s potential to bounce back from the current weakness and return to winning ways. 

SMH’s Portfolio

The strength of SMH’s portfolio further supports my positive outlook. SMH holds 25 stocks, and its top 10 holdings account for 73.8% of the fund. 

It is not a very diversified fund. Instead, it gives investors significant exposure to some of the top stocks in the semiconductor space. 

Below, you’ll find an overview of SMH’s top 10 holdings using TipRanks’ holdings tool. 

As you can see, SMH gives investors significant exposure to well-known mega-cap semiconductor stocks like Nvidia (NVDA) , Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) , and Broadcom (AVGO) .

A large part of the reason semiconductor stocks sold off this summer was that investors rotated out of growth stocks with higher multiples amid questions about their lofty valuations and broader economic concerns. 

SMH’s Top Holdings Offer Attractive Valuations and Growth Potential

Following the recent market decline, many of the SMH’s key holdings now offer much more appealing valuations. For instance, Taiwan Semiconductor, SMH’s second-largest holding, is a critical player in the global semiconductor industry, producing advanced chips for giants like Nvidia and Apple (AAPL) .

Taiwan Semiconductor is one of the few companies in the world with the technological capabilities to do this, and yet it trades a 23.8 times consensus 2024 earnings estimate, in line with the broader market. Plus, the stock looks even cheaper at just 18.8 times consensus 2025 estimates, well below the S&P 500’s ( SPX ) current valuation of 23.6 times earnings.  

Other top 10 holdings like Applied Materials (AMAT) and Lam Research (LRCX) , which both make equipment used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, trade for fairly modest valuations as well. Applied Materials trades for a below-market multiple of 20.5 times earnings, and just 17.8 times 2025 earnings estimates. Meanwhile, Lam Research has an off-cycle fiscal year and is an attractive stock trading for just 20.5 times 2025 earnings estimates and a downright cheap 16.0 times 2026 earnings estimates.

Furthermore, despite the selloff, the long-term growth picture for the industry still looks promising. Fortune Business Insights forecasts that the global semiconductor industry will grow from $681.1 billion in 2024 to $2.06 trillion by 2032, good for a red-hot 14.9% CAGR over this time frame.

While a long-term forecast like this must be taken with a grain of salt as a lot can happen between now and 2032, demand for semiconductors seems likely to remain strong based on the growth of areas like generative AI, data centers, high-performance computing, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, self-driving vehicles, and more.

Expense Ratio 

The expense ratio of SMH is another critical factor that affects the overall investment appeal. Currently, SMH features an expense ratio of 0.35%. This means that it charges investors a fee of $35 annually for every $10,000 invested.

While this expense ratio is higher compared to some broad-market index ETFs, it is still reasonable. Given SMH’s impressive track record of outperforming the market over the past three, five, and 10 years, many investors may find the slightly higher fee justifiable if the fund continues to deliver strong performance.

Is SMH Stock a Buy?

Turning to Wall Street, SMH earns a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 21 Buys, five Holds, and a zero Sell rating assigned in the past three months. The average SMH stock price target of $299.78 implies 39.4% upside potential from current levels. 

Looking Ahead

After a strong start to 2024, SMH has taken a beating this summer. However, for investors with a long-term time horizon, the semiconductor sector still offers plenty of promise, and SMH is a good way to gain exposure to it. 

I’m bullish on SMH based on the long-term demand picture for semiconductors, which remains intact, and the fund’s strong long-term performance, which has consistently outpaced the broader market despite the recent sell-off. Plus, Wall Street analysts view the ETF as a Strong Buy and believe it has a potential upside of nearly 40% over the next 12 months. 

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Greenidge Provides Bitcoin Production Update and Release of Investor Presentation

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: GREE) (“Greenidge” or the "Company"), a vertically integrated cryptocurrency datacenter and power generation company, today provided a bitcoin production update for August of 2024. The Company also highlighted CEO Jordan Kovler’s presentation at the H.C. Wainwright Annual Global Investment Conference, taking place today, September 9, 2024, at 10:30AM ET. Greenidge will be filing an updated investor presentation in conjunction with the event.

Greenidge produced approximately 55 bitcoin in August, of which 17 bitcoin were produced by Greenidge-owned miners and 38 were produced through our datacenter hosting. Greenidge’s hash rate in August was approximately 2.50 EH/s, with 0.8 EH/s from Greenidge-owned miners and 1.7 EH/s from our datacenter hosting. The Company held 51 Bitcoin as of September 6, 2024.

Greenidge anticipates continuing to upgrade its fleet with newer generation miners over the remainder of 2024 and 2025 and securing additional sites for future development.

About Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: GREE) is a vertically integrated power generation company, focusing on cryptocurrency mining, infrastructure development, engineering, procurement, construction management, operations and maintenance of sites.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements for purposes of federal and state securities laws. These forward-looking statements involve uncertainties that could significantly affect Greenidge’s financial or operating results. These forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “foresee,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” and “should,” and the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, among other things, statements regarding the business plan, business strategy and operations of Greenidge in the future. In addition, all statements that address operating performance and future performance, events or developments that are expected or anticipated to occur in the future are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Matters and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the matters and factors described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of Greenidge’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023, as well as statements about or relating to or otherwise affected by the completion of management’s final review of the financial results and Greenidge’s other closing procedures. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by the information contained under this caption. No assurance can be given that these are all of the factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. You should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do occur, the actual results, performance, or achievements of Greenidge could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and Greenidge does not assume any duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, the occurrence of future events, uncertainties or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

Nick Ratti 315-536-2359 [email protected] [email protected]

Longacre Square Partners Kate Sylvester / Liz Shoemaker, 646-386-0091 [email protected]

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240908243790/en/

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Aviva Signature Increasing Income Plan: Can this be your perfect retirement plan? Check details

One of the key highlights of aviva signature increasing income plan is that it offers a 15% increase in monthly income every third policy year, which is designed to combat the effects of inflation and escalating living expenses. .

• Updated Sep 11, 2024, 2:35 PM IST

Aviva Life Insurance introduced a new product called the Aviva Signature Increasing Income Plan. This plan is a non-linked, non-participating life insurance savings plan specifically created to provide retirees with a consistently growing income stream. 

Aviva aims to address the financial concerns of retirees by offering a sustainable solution for their income needs through this unique plan. One of the key highlights of this plan is that it offers a 15% increase in monthly income every third policy year, which is designed to combat the effects of inflation and escalating living expenses. 

Key features

> The primary highlight of the plan is its regular income payouts that outpace inflation. These payments grow every three years, assisting clients in upholding their financial stability. Opting for a discounted lump sum for future payouts enables flexibility for individuals requiring larger sums immediately.

> In the unfortunate event of the policyholder's demise, beneficiaries are assured a benefit along with a monthly income. Aviva undertakes the responsibility of covering all subsequent premiums if the life assured passes away, ensuring that loved ones continue to receive the agreed benefits without any financial burden.

> Policyholders have the option to enhance their coverage by selecting riders that offer further payouts for accidental death or critical illness. Furthermore, the plan is eligible for tax benefits under Sections 80C and 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, establishing it as a tax-efficient method for future savings.

> Additionally, policyholders can avail a loan against the policy once it attains a surrender value, enabling access to liquidity as necessary.

> When the policyholder reaches the maturity of the policy, a certain guaranteed monthly income initiates from the maturity date, continuing throughout the payout duration. It is important to note that the maturity benefit is disbursed regardless of whether the life assured is living or deceased. Upon the completion of the payout period, the policyholder receives 105% of the total premiums paid, providing an added financial cushion.

> Additionally, Aviva provides a 30-day 'free look' period, allowing policyholders to terminate their policy and receive a refund, thereby reducing the risk for new customers. Moreover, Aviva offers flexible premium payment options, enabling policyholders to switch between monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and yearly payment frequencies at any policy anniversary.

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