Quick Pitch Business Plan Components

Business Plan Basics by Terry Stidham

Congratulations, you have a winning business idea. You’re excited, inspired, and ready to raise capital. Now you need to write a business plan. You Only Have Seconds to Generate Interest

The 3 goals of a marketed business plan should be to: Have it Read Generate Sufficient Interest  Set up Face-to-Face Meetings Investors have numerous business plans to review. Consequently, your business plan needs to stand out by delivering a succinct and well thought-through message. Components of Your Plan Your executive summary should: Be no more than three to five pages Answer the basic "who, what, why, and how" questions Who is on the team  What do you sell and to whom? Why do your customers buy your products or services? How much money is required? Your Business Plan Should Include: Executive summary Brief history of the company Description of products or services (including detailed value proposition) Market overview (including trends and competitive analysis) Business model (including evidence to support critical assumptions) Operations overview and strategy Product development and delivery Distribution channels Organizational charts and management resumes Historical and projected financial statements (including cash flows) Description of short and long-term financing requirements You will have to write a solid, formal business plan. Business owners who want to borrow money or attract investors will be successful only if they have well-written, well-researched business plans. All of your potential lenders or investors will want a crisp and clean overview of your business and a solid idea on how it will work before ever deciding to take a closer look and giving you that important face-to-face meeting.