Tips for use

The Business Plan tool is a PowerPoint presentation. You can take the completed slides directly to a presentation at a bank or investor.

Use other tools from the platform to support your Business Plan. A SWOT analysis can help you indicate the strengths and weaknesses of your company, a Marketing Mix helps you explain your marketing plan.

How to use

Make your Business Plan by following these eight steps.

Step 1 - Company profile

Give an overview of the different aspects of your company. Where is it located? What is your product or service? What are your goals, your mission and vision? Also describe previously achieved successes to increase confidence in your company.

Step 2 - Market analysis

The market has many aspects. Pay attention to the following perspectives in the Business Plan:

• Customer analysis: describes your target group and the needs you fulfil for them;
• The industry analysis: describe the market in which you compete and the most important trends in this market;
• The competition analysis: outlines the benefits of your product or service, compared to your competitors.

Step 3 - Products and marketing

Include information about the specific benefits of your product or service and, if applicable, details about intellectual property.

Explain your marketing and promotion strategy and explain how you plan to organise the distribution (sales) of your product or service to customers.

Step 4 - Operations

Describe the key operational processes that your company needs to perform in order to deliver your product or service.

Step 5 - Planning

What are the long-term goals for your company? Describe the milestones you want to achieve in the next 1-3 years.

Step 6 - Management and staff

Provide details about the members of your management team and key employees. Describe their roles and why they are qualified to implement your Business Plan. If you have a board of directors, you can also include some information about them.

Step 7 - Finance

Finance is divided into two parts:

• Costs and benefits: explain your revenue model. How will you generate revenue? How future-proof is this revenue model? Look forward to the next 1 to 3 years. Based on your revenue and cost estimations you can provide financial projections for the next 1 to 3 years. 
• Financing: if you are seeking funding for your company, use this section to outline your requirements.

Step 8 - Management summary and appendices

This section is usually the first in your business plan but can be finalised when the other sections have been completed. In the management summary you give a brief overview of your Business Plan.

The appendix is used to support the rest of your plan. It may contain detailed information on customers, finances, technology or product specifications.