Crafting a Winning Plan
Shaping
creative ideas into a practical format is important for entrepreneurs
launching new ventures. A good business plan goes a long way in attracting
attention of investors
What is a Business Plan?
Startups are born from ideas, but it is the business plan that provides
form and structure to them. The document, which entrepreneurs share with
potential investors, spells out the methods an entrepreneur will employ to
grow a new business. Often a mixture of art and science, a business plan
usually contains a definition of the product or service on offer, details
of current and future earnings, team profile as well as snapshots of
competitors and investors. While a fledgling venture can have a one page
executive summary, mature companies can have business plans that run into a
dozen pages. Although it is not legally binding, a good plan, like a good
CV, can mean the difference between success and failure.
What it must contain
Introduction: Spells out the idea of the company, how it began and the
way it expects to grow Team: The composition of the management, the
board, advisors and mentors
Opportunity: The specific problem that the startup aims to solve, the
size of the market, and the expected growth
Solution: Details of the method that the startup will employ to
reach stated goals
Competition: An evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats to the startup, its existing competitors and the
investors behind them
Business Model: The way in which the company will earn revenue and
profits
Expectations: The money required from an investor at a specific value,
and non-monetary support such as mentoring and operational inputs
Don’ts
What shouldn’t be there in a B-plan
Too much detail too early Typically startups don’t have all the
information that can constitute a proper plan, so keep it crisp. Some
accelerators expect only a one page note with 10 points for early-stage
companies
Exaggerate the opportunity Hype may downgrade your startup in the
eyes of investors. Such plans, even when presented to multiple investors,
do not draw a response
Set over-ambitious goals
Entrepreneurs have a tendency to make their projections too optimistic.
Do not put long-term milestones—18-month to two-year projections are enough
Ignore competition
It is vital to be aware of current and potential competitors. List all
possible rivals and show how you are better or different
Formatting Errors
Business plans must not be too detailed and unwieldy. Do not make
errors—in spelling, grammar or in calculations. Jargon and acronyms should
be avoided
TIP
Bharati Jacob Partner, Seedfund
“It helps an entrepreneur understand the assumptions he makes when starting
out and communicate them to investors. These projections should be grounded
in reality and also be logical.”
Brij Bhasin, Partner, GSF
“Startups don’t have all the information that can constitute a proper plan.
Pricing and revenues are farfetched if the product is still under
development.” Dos
What should be there in a B-plan
Define Customer Need Investors may be unfamiliar with the market a
startup is focusing on, so explain assumptions. Try to use pictorial
representations and diagrams
Highlight Team Strengths
Communicate how many people you need and state how much they will cost
Correlate spending with earning
In the finance plan, add milestones and projections for a maximum of
two years. Founders may make the mistake of projecting revenue of 100 crore
when the market is only 200 crore
Provide clarity
If you need $10 million, say why, how you will spend it and what
returns an investor can expect
Pay attention to details
Presentation matters, especially in contests where a team gets only 5-7
minutes to present a plan. Some perform a skit, others begin with startling
statistics or show an interesting video
Cool Formats for biz
planS
MIND MAP
The plan is pictorially shown
with branches leading out of a single idea. They depict various categories
- customer, market and financial data
MOBILE APP
A plan embedded within a digital app allows viewers to click on topics
that they want to explore
COMIC STRIP
Cartoons with thought bubbles can replace ‘boring’ text in power point
presentations
ANIMATION MOVIE
Similar to a play, an animated video can simulate the various aspects
of a business
DRAMA/SKIT
The founders act out the concept of their business in the form of a
play, showing the problem they are trying to solve and the beneficiaries
TIP
Kanwaljit Singh Senior MD, Helion Venture Partners
“A lot of founders do not talk about their expertise and capabilities of
team members, that is what we are looking at in a business plan.”
Why I don’t like B-Plans for early stage
Pankaj Jain, venture partner, 500Startups “Early-stage startups
shouldn’t even bother with a business plan. A one-page executive summary is
usually good enough to think things through, pen down your thoughts, and
articulate them. Use the time you would spend writing a business plan to
write code and do marketing.” Annual Biz Plan Contests in India
QPrize
Qualcomm Ventures selects regional winners who get $10,000 and compete
for the global prize that offers $150,000. Timeline: In 2013, the contest
was held in March
Compiled by Megha Reddy
Next Big Idea
Sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of
India, Intel and the incubation centre at IIM Bangalore. Participants can
win up to `1.5 lakh, raise seed capital and receive mentoring Timeline: In
2013, the contest was conducted in May Eureka
Prize money of up to 45 lakh and is conducted by the entrepreneurship cell
at IIT Bombay Timeline: Applications to be sent in by October 3, 2013
Empresario
Conducted by entrepreneurship cell at IIT Kharagpur; offers incubation
and capital of up to 2.5 crore Timeline: Applications to be sent in by
October 30, 2013
Conquest
Conducted by Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani; offers
cash and technical support worth over 2 cr
Timeline: In 2013, conducted in May
TIP
Saurabh Kochchar Founder, PrintVenue
“Remember you are making an investor believe in a dream, and part with
his precious money. Entrepreneurs make a mistake of giving gyan on the
market.”
Some Online RESOURCES
www.Bplanexperts.com Helps
entrepreneurs draft plans in a board game format
www.score.org Conducts
online workshops and provides mentoring
www.bplans.com Offers
mentoring, advice and design inputs
www.business.govt.nz Gives
advice on regulatory framework and templates
www.business.gov.au Provides
information on government grants and free formats
TIP
Arnab Ray, CEO, BPlanExperts
“Most plans suffer from entrepreneur’s myopia — a feeling that makes a plan
completely biased.”
Harsimran Julka and Radhika P
Nair ET130927
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