Growthink’s Business Plan Guide

Growthink’s Business Plan Guide shows you how to prepare your

business plan to convince investors and lenders that your
company is right for them.

The Guide highlights each of the key sections of the business plan
and how to complete them. It identifies key factors to include in
your business plan such as highlighting past accomplishments,
proving barriers to entry and showing a clear understanding of
customer needs.

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About Growthink
Growthink is the world’s premier business plan consulting firm. Since 1999, we have
developed business plans for over 4,000 clients who have collectively raised more than
$2.5 Billion dollars in growth capital.

Growthink offers two options to help you quickly and easily create an expert business
plan:

1. Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template

2. Growthink Business Plan Consulting

1. Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily create an
expert business plan that raises capital and positions you to grow a successful business.

Among other things, benefits of Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template include:

 Save Time: Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template has already done all
the hard work for you. All you have to do is quickly and easily modify our
Microsoft Word® template by following our simple step-by-step instructions.
Creating your financial projections is even easier – you simply need to enter a
few numbers into our Microsoft Excel® financial template.

 Save Money: Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template is priced extremely

reasonably, particularly when you consider the time it saves you, and its track
record of success.

 Accelerate Your Business’ Success: Not only will Growthink’s Ultimate

Business Plan Template influence investors and lenders to write you checks, but
it will give you a roadmap for growing a successful business. Specifically, our
template educates you and guides you through the key questions about the
customers you serve, your marketing tactics, and the amount you will charge - all
the focal points that are a MUST for a successful business in terms of actual
revenues and sales. And once you quickly update this information into the
template, you have a proven roadmap to successfully grow your business.

Click below to download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template:

http://www.growthink.com/template

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2. Growthink’s Professional Business Development Services

If you don’t have time to create your own business plan, Growthink can complete your
entire business plan for you. As a result, you get an expert business plan that raises
capital and/or positions you to grow a successful business.

In fact, over the past decade, Growthink’s consulting team has helped over 4,000
entrepreneurs like you to create successful business plans. Our clients have raised over
$2.5 Billion in funding and, more importantly, they’ve gone on to build numerous multi-
million-dollar empires.

Importantly, the Growthink consultants that will work with you have been in your shoes.
Specifically, our team members have launched, grown, acquired and sold businesses,
raised investment capital, and have served in senior management and operating
executive positions at small, mid-sized and large corporations.

Specific benefits of Growthink’s consulting include the following:

 Raise Capital: Growthink clients have raised over $1 Billion in growth capital. In
addition to giving you a investor-ready business plan, Growthink consultants will
also help you determine the right type(s) of capital to raise for your business, and
appropriately position your business plan for these capital sources.

 Save Time and Effort: When you let us complete your business plan for you,
you’ll save time and effort, so you can spend more time growing your business.

 Expert Market Research: Growthink’s consulting team has great expertise and
resources that allow us to conduct expert industry, customer and competitive
research. We work with clients to assess the strategic implications of this
research and to use it to create winning strategies and business plans.

 Accelerate Your Business’ Success: Growthink works with you to create

proven business strategies so you can grow a really successful business. You
gain our unique knowledge of the mistakes most companies make. You get the
same expertise that we provided to companies like Integreon, who came to
Growthink with a 4-person team and has since raised millions of dollars in
funding and now has 2,000+ employees in 11 worldwide offices.

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  Work with The Best: Growthink’s project managers are successful
entrepreneurs who have been in your shoes. They have raised capital and grown
successful companies. And they have attained advanced degrees from top
universities, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell,
University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, UCLA, University of Michigan,
and more.

 We Know Your Stage & Industry: Growthink has successfully developed

business plans for clients in over 500 industries. These clients have ranged from
startups to Fortune 100 firms. So we know how to develop a winning plan for you
regardless of your industry or stage of development.

Click to learn more about Growthink’s Professional Business Development Service:

http://www.growthink.com/business-plan

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Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 3
Concise Explanation of the Business........................................................................... 3
Market Size and Market Need ..................................................................................... 3
Company’s Unique Qualifications ................................................................................ 4
Length of Executive Summary ..................................................................................... 4
Company Analysis ................................................................................................ 5
Company Profile .......................................................................................................... 5
Past Accomplishments ................................................................................................ 5
Unique Qualifications................................................................................................... 5
Industry Analysis ................................................................................................... 6
Market Size ................................................................................................................. 6
Trends ......................................................................................................................... 6
Data Sources .............................................................................................................. 7
Multiple Industries ....................................................................................................... 7
Customer Analysis ................................................................................................ 8
Customer Identification/Definition ................................................................................ 8
Customer Demographics, Needs Assessment and Decision-Making........................... 8
Multiple Customer Targets & Partners ......................................................................... 9
Competitive Analysis........................................................................................... 10
Defining Competition ................................................................................................. 10
The Competition Dilemma ......................................................................................... 10
Solving the Dilemma ................................................................................................. 10
Which Competitors to Include in the Analysis ............................................................ 11
Describing Competitors and Showing Competitive Advantages................................. 11
Marketing Plan .................................................................................................... 13
Products and/or Services .......................................................................................... 13
Promotions ................................................................................................................ 13
Price .......................................................................................................................... 14
Place ......................................................................................................................... 14
Customer Retention .................................................................................................. 15

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 Partnerships .............................................................................................................. 15
Operations Plan .................................................................................................. 16
Everyday Processes (Short-Term Processes) ........................................................... 16
Business Milestones (Long-Term Processes) ............................................................ 17
Management Team ............................................................................................. 18
Description of Key Team Members............................................................................ 18
Management Team Gaps .......................................................................................... 18
Description of Board Members .................................................................................. 18
Financial Plan ..................................................................................................... 19
Detailed Revenue Streams ........................................................................................ 19
The Pro-Forma Financial Statements ........................................................................ 19
Validating Assumptions and Projections .................................................................... 20
Sources and Uses of Funds ...................................................................................... 20
Exit Strategy .............................................................................................................. 21
Business Plan Appendix ..................................................................................... 22
Additional Resources .......................................................................................... 23

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Growthink’s Business Plan Guide
Introduction

A business plan is a roadmap for a growing company. It also serves to communicate the
company’s value proposition to employees, advisors, partners, customers and investors.
Business plans are the vehicle by which companies “get in the door,” and are the
documents most heavily scrutinized by investors, particularly in today’s financing
environment.

Importantly, since so many business plans get passed along to investors and since all of
our lives are now bombarded with information, your business plan must be concise,
quickly get investors excited, and move them along so that they fully understand the
value of your business before they discard your plan.

This Guide highlights each of the key sections of the business plan and how to complete
them. It identifies key factors to include in your business plan such as highlighting past
accomplishments, proving barriers to entry and showing a clear understanding of
customer needs.

To establish credibility it is critical that a business plan does not overestimate market
sizes, underestimate competition, or project results over-aggressively. Rather, they must
present realistic game plans for achieving success, including:

 Highlighting past accomplishments: The best indicator of future success is a

company’s past track record. The business plans of previously funded
companies must show what milestones they have achieved with those funds.
New companies must show how the past successes of the management team
will enable the company to overcome expected challenges.

 Understanding and defining the “relevant market”: Improper sizing of a

company’s target market is a telltale sign of a poorly reasoned business plan. For
example, though the U.S. healthcare market is a trillion dollar market, there is no
company that could reap $1 trillion in healthcare sales. Rather, a more
meaningful metric is the relevant market size, which equals the company’s sales
if it were to capture 100% of its specific niche of the market. Defining and
communicating a credible relevant market size is far more powerful than
presenting generic industry figures.

 Understanding and catering to customer needs: Investors have a laser sharp

focus on the relationship between a company and its customers. In its business

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 plan, a company must clearly communicate how its products and services meet
specific customers’ wants and needs, and identify which target markets most
exemplify these needs. The business plan must also outline an easy to follow
and credible roadmap of how the company plans to penetrate its customers.

 Proving barriers to entry: A business plan must include strategies that

demonstrate that the company can and will build long-term barriers around its
customers. Claiming a first mover advantage is simply not compelling in today’s
funding environment.

 Developing realistic financial assumptions: Many investors skip straight to the

financial section of the business plan. It is critical that the assumptions and
projections in this section be realistic. Plans that show penetration, operating
margin and revenues per employee figures that are poorly reasoned, internally
inconsistent or simply unrealistic greatly damage the credibility of the entire
business plan. In contrast, sober, well-reasoned financial assumptions and
projections communicate operational maturity and credibility.

It is more crucial than ever to present investors with a realistic, credible and compelling
business plan. Such a business plan distinguishes a company from the thousands of
other companies seeking to raise capital, and signals to investors that the company is
soberly managed and poised for success.

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Executive Summary

Most investors are inundated with business plans, and often give them no more than a
cursory review. Accordingly, it is critical that the first page of the Executive Summary
stimulates and motivates the investor to learn more about the company.

The first page of the Executive Summary must include the following:

 A concise explanation of the business

 A description of the market size and market need for the business
 A discussion of how the company is uniquely qualified to fulfill this need

Concise Explanation of the Business

Believe it or not, after reading the first page of most business plans, investors often do
not understand the business in which the company is operating! This is particularly true
when a company is involved in a complex, highly technical business. It may seem
obvious, but it is critical to remember that investors cannot
invest in what they do not understand. The Executive “It is important to
Summary must simplify the definition of the business to show investors that
develop interest and promote a clear understanding. The rest there is a clear and
of the plan can tell the full, complex story. compelling need
for the product.”
Clearly defining a business often requires simplification. For
instance, an “online book seller” could also be presented as
“a firm involved in the procurement and distribution of written materials across a wide
geographic spectrum.” Obviously the former description is more effective in setting the
stage for the investor to learn what is unique about the company.

Market Size and Market Need

It is critical to show investors that the company is positioned in a large and growing
market and that there is a clear and compelling need for the product or service. As such,
it is important to define the market by referencing credible sources as to its size and
projected growth. In today’s economy, it is especially critical that the plan prove the
customers’ ability and willingness to pay for this need.

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Company’s Unique Qualifications

Once the investor understands the business and agrees there is a need for the
company’s products and services, the final step is demonstrating that the company has
an “unfair competitive advantage” in the market. Examples of unfair advantages could
include a world-class management team, proprietary technology, proven operational
systems, key partnerships, long-term contracts with major customers, as well as other
successes-to-date. The plan must document and detail these compelling advantages.

In Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template, we give you examples of unique

qualifications that help “sell” your business to investors or lenders. Alternatively,
Growthink consultants are trained to identify aspects of your business which investors
and lenders will find unique and compelling (you may not realize many of these aspects
yourself).

Length of Executive Summary

Investors have varied opinions regarding the best length of an Executive Summary.
Some prefer a one-page summary, while others feel that a three to four page summary
is more appropriate. Including these critical elements in the first page of the business
plan satisfies the needs of virtually all investors. After reading this page, investors can
finish reading the Executive Summary or jump straight to the other sections.

Growthink believes that an Executive Summary should include one to three additional
pages that boil down the essential elements of the business plan. This includes
paragraphs addressing each of the following:

 Customer Analysis: What specific customer segments the company is targeting

and their demographic profiles
 Competition: Who the company’s direct competitors are and the company’s key
competitive advantages
 Marketing Plan: How the company will effectively penetrate its target market
 Financial Plan: Summarizing the financial projections of the company
 Management Team: Biographies of key management team and Board members

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Company Analysis

The Executive Summary entices the investor to learn more about the company. The
Company Analysis in turn educates the reader regarding the company’s history.

Company Profile

This section should start with a detailed profile of the company including its:

 Date of formation
 Legal structure (LLC vs. C-Corp., etc.)
 Office location(s)
 Business stage (start-up vs. undergoing R&D vs. serving customers, etc.)

Past Accomplishments

The next section of the Company Analysis should include the company’s past
accomplishments, including descriptions and dates when:

 Prior funding rounds were received

 Products and services were launched
 Revenue milestones were reached (e.g., date when sales surpassed the million
dollar mark)
 Key partnerships were executed
 Key customer contracts were secured
 Key employees were hired

This information is critical to investors as it indicates the company’s ability to execute

upon a previous game plan. Attaining milestones is an excellent indicator for potential
investors that their money will be used to create value and lead to a liquidity event.

Unique Qualifications

Finally, the Company Analysis should detail why the company is uniquely qualified to
succeed. This is often referred to as the company’s “unfair competitive advantage.” This
advantage could include a world-class management team, proprietary technology,
proven operational systems, key partnerships, long-term contracts with major customers,
as well as other successes-to-date.

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Industry Analysis

The Industry Analysis describes the landscape in which a company is/will be operating.
It serves to prove to the reader that there is a genuine need in the market for the
company’s products and services, that the market is large enough to support substantial
sales by the company, and that the industry parameters support the company’s strategy.

Market Size

A good starting point is to discuss the marketplace in which the company’s products and
services are offered and the size of this marketplace. Critical to this analysis is
determining the relevant market size. The relevant market size equals a company’s
sales if it were to capture 100% of its specific niche of the market.

For instance, if a company develops Internet appliances for “The relevant

doctors, the relevant market size clearly is not the trillion dollar market size equals
healthcare market. Rather it is the size (in units and dollars) of a company’s sales
computer and Internet appliance sales to doctors, since it is if it were to capture
these products against which the company competes. Arriving 100% of its
at the relevant market size is rarely easy, and often requires specific niche of
peeling many layers off a huge total industry size. the market.”

Trends

Once the plan has defined the relevant market size, it should discuss industry trends and
how those trends relate to the company. Questions to answer include:

 How has the relevant market size changed over the past one to five years?
 What is the projected growth of the relevant market?
 What factors will affect this growth? General economic factors? Changing
regulatory conditions? Changing consumer needs? Etc.

It is important to remember that the Industry Analysis is not merely a research report –
each fact, figure and projection should support the company’s prospects for success. For
example, consider a market research firm that relies exclusively on opt-in (i.e., the
consumer chooses to participate) responses. This company’s business plan would not
only explain new and proposed privacy regulations, but how this supports the company’s
long-term competitive position. In addition, the plan should explain how the company
would overcome trends that do not support the company. For example, showing how the

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company will succeed in an uncertain economic climate relieves investor concern and
will enhance the success of the business plan.

While the facts and figures in the Industry Analysis should be presented to support the
company, it is critical that the data presented be believable and verifiable as investors (if
interested in proceeding) will conduct extensive due diligence on the business plan.

Growthink’s consulting team has great expertise and resources that allow us to expertly
conduct market research for your business, including determining market sizes and
trends. Moreover, we work with clients to assess the strategic implications of this
research and to use it to create winning strategies and business plans.

Data Sources

The Industry Analysis contains many facts, figures and future projections. For this data
to be credible, it should be sourced through an independent research firm whenever
possible. The opinions of the company’s management are simply inadequate to
convince a sophisticated investor, and reliance on “anecdotal” data can greatly detract
from the overall credibility of the plan.

For general market sizes and trends, Growthink suggests citing at least two
independent research firms.

Multiple Industries

Most companies compete in multiple industries. The company that manufactures and
markets Internet appliances for doctors, as mentioned above, competes within the
healthcare industry, the Internet appliance industry and the Internet connectivity industry
(includes computer manufacturers, ISPs, etc.). In addition to focusing on defining and
assessing the relevant market as detailed above, the Industry Analysis should include
descriptions of all of the markets in which the company competes.

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Customer Analysis

The Customer Analysis assesses the customer segment(s) that the company serves. In
this section, the company must convey the needs of its target customers. It must then
show how its products and services satisfy these needs to an extent that the customer
will pay for them.

Customer Identification/Definition

The first step of the Customer Analysis is to define exactly which customers the
company is serving. This requires specificity. It is not adequate to say the company is
targeting small businesses, for example, because there are several million of these
types of customers. Rather, the plan must identify precisely the customers it is serving,
such as small businesses with 10 to 50 employees based in large metropolitan cities on
the West Coast.

Customer Demographics, Needs Assessment and Decision-Making

Once the plan has clearly identified and defined the company’s target customers, it is
necessary to explain the demographics of these customers. Questions to be answered
include:

 How many potential customers fit the given definition? Is this customer base
growing or decreasing?
 What is the average revenues/income of these customers?
 Where are these customers geographically based?

After explaining the customers’ demographics, the plan must then detail the needs of
these customers. Conveying customer needs could take the form of past actions (X%
have purchased a similar product in the past), future projections (when interviewed, X%
said that they would purchase product/service Y) and/or implications (because X% use a
product/service which our product/service enhances, then X% need our product/service).

The business plan must also detail the drivers of the customers’ decision-making.
Sample questions to answer include:

 Do customers find price to be more important than the quality of the product or
service?
 Are customers looking for the highest level of reliability? Or will they have their
own support and just seek a basic level of service?

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There is one last critical step in the Customer Analysis -- showing an understanding of
the actual decision-making process. Examples of questions to be answered here
include:

 Will the customer consult others in their organization before making a decision?
 Will the customer seek multiple bids?
 Will the product/service require significant operational changes (e.g., will the
client have to invest time to learn new technologies? Will the product/service
cause other members within the organization to lose their jobs? etc.)

It is essential to truly understand customers to develop a successful marketing strategy.

As such, sophisticated investors require comprehensive profiles of a company’s target
customers.

In Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template, we give you links to sites that offer
demographic profiles of your customers.

Likewise, Growthink consultants can conduct customized research for you to identify
your customer segments and determine their specific needs and wants.

Multiple Customer Targets & Partners

Most businesses target multiple customer types or segments. Each customer segment
that is critical to the business model must be detailed in this section. In addition, if
partners are critical to the company’s marketing success, the plan must detail the
specific partners the company seeks, the wants and needs of these partners, and how
the partners’ decision-making process works.

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Competitive Analysis

Defining Competition

The Competitive Analysis section is the most misunderstood section of the business
plan, mainly because companies and investors often define the term “competitor”
differently. Companies frequently define “competitors” as firms offering similar products
and services. Since every product or service is unique in some ways, many companies
convey in their business plans that they have few or no competitors.

Investors use a far more discerning definition of competition, defining it as any service or
product that a customer can use to fulfill the same need(s) as the company fulfills. This
includes firms that offer similar products, substitute products and other customer options
(such as performing the service or building the product themselves). Under this broad
definition, any business plan that claims there are no competitors greatly undermines the
credibility of the management team.

The Competition Dilemma

In identifying competitors, companies often find themselves in a difficult position. On one

hand, they want to show that they are unique (even under the investors’ broad definition)
and list no or few competitors. However, this has a negative connotation. If no or few
companies are in a market space, it implies that there may not be a large enough
customer need to support the company’s products and/or services. On the other hand,
should there be too many competitors, then the market may be too saturated to support
the profitability of a new entrant.

Solving the Dilemma

Solving the competition dilemma is relatively simple if the Customer Analysis is completed
properly. That section reveals the customer wants and needs that the company is fulfilling.
Any company (or self-action) that also serves these needs is a competitor.

There are typically categories of competitors that compete in varying degrees with a
company’s product/service offerings. As such, the competition section should include
sections for direct and indirect competitors. Direct competitors are those that serve the
same target market with similar products and services. Indirect competitors are those
that serve the same target market with different products and services, or a different
target market with similar products and services.

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Which Competitors to Include in the Analysis

As mentioned above, sophisticated investors will conduct substantial due diligence,

including conducting their own competitive analysis, before infusing capital into a
company. As such, it is critical not to omit or downplay a competitor simply because it
may reflect poorly on the company’s opportunity.

There are often few direct competitors and many indirect competitors. As such, as a
general rule, the plan should describe each direct competitor and sub-categorize the
indirect competitors (and describe the sub-category as a whole).

A final point to keep in mind in listing competitors is that listing public companies in a
competitive space is often a good sign. A public company implies that the market size is
big and also gives the investor the assurance that if management executes well, the
company has substantial profit and liquidity potential.

Growthink’s consultants can help you determine which competitors to include and how to
discuss them in your business plan.

Describing Competitors and Showing Competitive Advantages

The next step is to describe competitors, particularly direct competitors. In doing so, it is
important not to simply mention information about the competitor and its customers,
products and/or services. Rather, the plan must also explain each competitor’s strengths
and weaknesses and the key drivers of competitive differentiation in the marketplace.

In explaining competitors’ weaknesses, be sure to use

objective information. Growthink has reviewed business plans “Any business plan
that assert that the competition “does not know what it is doing” that claims there are
or “is not as smart as us.” This obviously positions the no competitors
company’s management as immature and naïve, particularly if greatly undermines
the competitors have strong track records. On the other hand, it the credibility of the
is incredibly powerful to offer market research results that management team.”
prove the competition fails to satisfy customer needs.

Note that serving a customer need or segment that the competition is not is often a valid
area of competitive differentiation. If this is the case, the Customer Analysis section must
thoroughly detail these needs and segments.

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Finally, in describing competitive advantages, it is important to demonstrate how the
company’s business model creates barriers to entry. “Barriers to entry” are reasons why
customers will not leave once acquired.

In Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template, we give you an example of a

Competitive Analysis section so you can expertly complete it yourself.

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Marketing Plan

The Marketing Plan demonstrates how a company will penetrate the market with its
products and services. The Marketing Plan should include “the four P’s” – Product,
Promotions, Price, and Place.

Products and/or Services

The first “P” stands for Product, but includes all products and services that the company
offers. This section of the business plan should detail all the features of the products and
services, how they work, their unique/proprietary attributes, etc. For products that are
patented and/or technical in nature, drawings and backup materials should be presented
in the Appendix.

Most growing companies offer certain products and services today but expect to offer
more in the future. It is important to mention both current and future products/services
here, but to focus primarily on the short-to-intermediate term horizon.

Promotions

Promotions include each of the activities that induce a customer to buy the company’s
products and services. Promotional activities could include advertising, public relations
(PR), free samples, discounts, direct mail, telemarketing, partnerships, etc.

This section of the business plan discusses which promotions will be used and how they
will be used. For instance, if partnerships will be used to secure new customers, the plan
must explain which companies are partners, how they will be able to provide new
customers, how the partnership will work (from operational/ financial standpoints), etc.

This section must be as specific as possible, particularly as it relates to discussing future

promotions. To say that a company is going to generate PR in trade magazines is simply
too vague. Rather, the plan must explain the type of article/feature that may be written
about the firm and why, which specific trade journals that will be targeted and/or the
projected publication dates.

In discussing how the company will promote itself, it is important to discuss how the
company will position itself. This positioning statement details the attributes that
customers will assign to the company, its products and services. The choice of
promotional activities must support this positioning. For example, discounts might not be
consistent with a desire to be considered an upscale brand.

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Growthink’s consulting team has great expertise and experience determining the ideal
positioning and promotional mix for companies.

Price

This section of the plan should detail the price point(s) at which the company’s products
and services will be sold. If the products/ services are sold as bundles, these should be
detailed in this section. Rationale for the pricing should be given when applicable (e.g.,
why the company has chosen an initiation fee plus monthly membership fees versus a
one-time lifetime membership fee).

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to easily create your Marketing
Plan. In addition, the financial model portion of the Template allows you to easily change
variables such as your price in order to automatically see the impact to your bottom line.

Place

The final “P” refers to “Place” or “Distribution” and explains how a company’s products
and/or services will be delivered to customers. This section is crucial because if
customers cannot access products and services, they cannot purchase them.

This section is especially critical for high-growth, capital-constrained companies.

Attaining profit-effective distribution channels is often the most vexing challenge for
these businesses.

Examples of distribution methods include:

 Retail location
 Website
 Another website host (e.g., products/services sold through/hosted by another
website -- application service provider/private label model)
 Another retail location (e.g., products/services sold through a third-party’s retail
location)
 Another website location (e.g., products/services sold through another website)
 Direct mail catalogs

Many companies have multiple distribution methods to deliver their products and
services to customers and each should be detailed here.

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Customer Retention

The four P’s mostly discuss attracting customers. Marketing departments must also
develop long-term, revenue-generating relationships with customers. The methods
through which the marketing department plans to retain customers should also be
detailed in the Marketing Plan. Such methods could include implementing customer
relationship management (CRM) tools, building network externalities (e.g., the more
people that use the product or service the harder it is for a competitor to penetrate the
market), ongoing value-added services, etc.

Partnerships

Forging partnerships to improve market penetration has become commonplace.

The fact is that, regardless of whom the partnership is with,

“Partnerships by
partnerships by themselves are meaningless. What are meaningful
themselves are
are the terms of the partnership. For instance, while it sounds great
meaningless...
to have a partnership with a major search engine, the details of the
What are
partnership are what investors find important. For instance,
meaningful are the
investors will look poorly upon a partnership in which the search
terms of the
engine earns 40% commissions on customers it refers. On the
partnership.”
other hand, investors would look favorably upon a more equitable
partnership.

As such, if partnerships are a key part of the marketing plan, be sure to detail the
specifics of the partnerships. This includes how the partnership will work, the type of
customer leads expected from each partner, etc.

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Operations Plan

Up until this point, the business plan has defined and scoped the company’s vision,
described the company’s history, assessed the industry, customers and competition and
mapped out a marketing plan to attract customers. The Operations Plan presents the
Company’s action plan for executing this vision.

The Operations Plan details 1) the processes that must be performed to serve
customers every day (short-term processes) and 2) the overall business milestones that
the company must attain to be successful (long-term processes).

Everyday Processes (Short-Term Processes)

Every company has processes to provide its customers with products and services. For
instance, Wal Mart has a unique distribution system to effectively move products from its
warehouses, to its stores, and finally to its customers’ homes. Technology products
manufacturers have processes to convert raw materials into finished products. And
service-oriented businesses have processes to identify new areas of customer interest,
to continually update service features, etc.

The processes that a company uses to serve its customers are what transform a
business plan from concept to reality. Anyone can have a concept. And more
importantly, investors do not invest in concepts -- they invest in reality. Reality is
proving that the management team can execute the concept better than anyone else,
and the Operations Plan is where the plan proves this.

While the Marketing Plan lays out the plan for attracting customers, the Operations Plan
should lay out the key operational processes for serving them. Charts supplemented
with text are often the best way to explain the key relationships between the parties
involved in ultimately serving the customers. These parties could include departments
within an organization, partners, suppliers, distributors/resellers, etc.

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Business Milestones (Long-Term Processes)

The second piece of the Operations Plan is proving that the team will execute the long-
term company vision. This is best presented as a chart. On the left side, list the key
milestones that the Company must reach and on the right, the target date for achieving
them. Like the chart in the Company Analysis (detailing past accomplishments) these
new milestones should include expected dates when:

 New products and services will be introduced to the marketplace

 Revenue milestones will be attained (e.g., date when sales will surpass million
dollar mark)
 Key partnerships will be executed
 Key customer contracts will be secured
 Key financial events will occur (future funding rounds, IPO, etc.)
 Key employees will be hired

Additional text should be used, where necessary, to support the projections laid out in
the chart.

The milestone projections presented in the Operations Plan must be consistent with the
projections in the Financial Plan. In both areas, it is important to be aggressive but
credible. Presenting a plan in which the company grows too quickly will show the naiveté
of the management team, while presenting too conservative a growth plan will often fail
to excite the potential investor (who will require a high rate of return over a relatively
short time period).

Once again, establishing credible milestones is key. Savvy investors and lenders know
how quickly companies grow and if you are unrealistically aggressive, you will lose
credibility. Having worked with over 2,000 companies, Growthink’s consultants can work
with you to create credible milestone projections.

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Management Team

Even the best new concept or existing plan will fail if executed poorly. The Management
Team section of the business plan must prove to the investor why the key company
personnel are “eminently qualified” to execute on the business model.

Description of Key Team Members

The Management Team section should include biographies of “Team member

key team members and detail their responsibilities. Biographies biographies
should include the past positions that the individuals have held should be
and specific successes in each. These successes could include tailored to the
launching and growing new businesses or managing divisions of company’s
established companies. Biographies should also include growth stage.
educational backgrounds and other pertinent information.

Team member biographies should be tailored to the company’s growth stage. For
instance, a start-up company should emphasize its management’s success launching
and growing companies. A more mature company should emphasize how team
members have successfully operated within the framework of larger enterprises.

Management Team Gaps

Depending upon the stage of the company, key functional areas may be missing from
the team. This is acceptable provided that the plan clearly defines the roles that these
individuals will play and identifies the key characteristics of the individuals that will be
hired. However, it is generally not favorable if personnel are missing for ultra-critical
roles. For example, a plan that is fundamentally a marketing play should not seek
financing without a stellar marketing team.

Description of Board Members

The Management Team section should also include biographies of the company’s
Advisory Board and/or Board of Directors. While having well-known advisors/board
members adds credibility, it is highly effective to explain how these advisors will directly
impact the company through strategic advice and/or providing conduits to key clients,
partners, suppliers, etc.

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Financial Plan

The Financial Plan explains how the execution of the company’s vision will reap great
financial rewards for the investor. As such, it is the section that investors often spend the
most time scrutinizing.

Detailed Revenue Streams

The Financial Plan should verbally present the revenue model of the company including
each area in which the company derives revenue. These revenue streams could include,
among others:

 Sales of products/services
 Referral revenues
 Advertising sales
 Licensing/royalty/commission fees
 Data sales

The relative importance and timeliness of each revenue stream should be noted to help
investors better judge the company. For instance, the investor may not believe in the
company’s ability to immediately generate significant sales of its data. This would be a
problem if this were the company’s core revenue stream. However, by noting in the plan
that data sales will only comprise 2% of total revenue and will not commence until Year
3, the investor’s concerns would be alleviated.

The Pro-Forma Financial Statements

The Financial Plan must numerically detail the revenue model through past (if
applicable) and pro-forma (projected) Income Statements, Balance Sheets and Cash
Flow Statements. It is critical that the figures used in these statement flow from the
analyses in every other section of the business plan. For instance, the relevant
market size (Industry Analysis) should be reflected, as should competitors’ operating
margins (Competitive Analysis), customer acquisition costs (Marketing Plan), employee
requirements (Operations Plan), etc.

A summary of the financial projections should be presented in the text portion of the
plan, while full projections should appear in the Appendix. For existing companies, the
Financial Plan should note any significant deviations (e.g., increases in margins)
between past and projected results.

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Creating your pro-forma financial statements from scratch could take upwards of 50
hours if you know how to create financial statements. If not, it could require you to spend
thousands of dollars with an accounting firm.

However, Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template has already done all the work
for you. That is, we have already created pro-forma financial statements for your
business. All you need to do is input basic information such as the price of your product
or service, management salaries, etc., and your financial results are automatically
calculated for you.

Validating Assumptions and Projections

The Financial Plan must also detail the key assumptions such as penetration rates,
operating margins, headcount, etc. It is critical that these assumptions are feasible. For
instance, if the company is categorized as a networking infrastructure firm, and the
business plan projects 80% operating margins, investors will raise a red flag. This is
because investors can readily access the operating margins of publicly-traded
networking infrastructure firms and find that none have operating margins this high.

As mentioned in the Competitive Analysis section, while every company is unique, each
bears similarities to other companies. Accessing and basing financial projections on
those of similar firms will greatly validate the realism and maturity of the financial
projections.

Sources and Uses of Funds

The Financial Plan should detail the sources and uses of funds. The sources of funds
primarily include outside investments (e.g., equity investments, bank loans, etc.) and
operating revenues. Uses of funds could include expenses involved with marketing,
staffing, technology development, office space, etc.

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Exit Strategy

All equity investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear

picture of the company’s exit strategy, or the timing and method “All investors are
through which they can “cash in” on their investment. This picture motivated by a
best comes into focus when the key valuation and liquidity drivers clear picture of
of the company are clearly delineated. An excellent method to the company’s
accomplish this is through descriptions of comparable firms that exit strategy.”
have had successful liquidity events, either through acquisition,
merger of public offerings.

The most common exit strategies in business plans are IPOs or acquisitions. While the
method of exit is not always crucial, the investor often wants to see the decision to
understand the team’s motivation and commitment to building long-term value.

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Business Plan Appendix

The Appendix is used to support the rest of the business plan. Every business plan
should have a full set of financial projections in the Appendix, with the summary of these
financials in the Executive Summary and the Financial Plan.

Other documentation that could appear in the Appendix include:

 Technology: Technical drawings, patent information, etc.

 Partnership and/or Customer Letters: Letters from partners and/or customers

stating their interest in working with the company can add enormous credibility
and validation.

 Expanded Competitor Reviews: Most companies have several direct and/or

indirect competitors. While the Competitive Analysis section of the plan reviews
the most direct competitors, adding a more thorough list and description in the
Appendix shows that management truly understands the players in the market.

 Customer Lists: Including a list of key customers that the company is serving in
addition to their status and/or type or quantity of product/service being offered.

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Additional Resources

The following Growthink products/services have proven to be critical in helping

entrepreneurs like you achieve their funding and growth objectives.

1. Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template

2. Growthink Business Plan Consulting

1. Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily create an
expert business plan that raises capital and positions you to grow a successful business.

Among other things, benefits of Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template include:

 Save Time: Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template has already done all
the hard work for you. All you must do is quickly and easily modify our Microsoft
Word® template by following our simple step-by-step instructions. Creating your
financial projections is even easier – you simply need to enter a few numbers into
our Microsoft Excel® financial template.

 Save Money: Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template is priced extremely

reasonably, particularly when you consider the time it saves you, and its track
record of success.

 Accelerate Your Business’ Success: Not only will Growthink’s Ultimate

Business Plan Template influence investors and lenders to write you checks, but
it will give you a roadmap for growing a successful business. Specifically, our
template educates you and guides you through the key questions about the
customers you serve, your marketing tactics, and the amount you will charge - all
the focal points that are a MUST for a successful business in terms of actual
revenues and sales. And once you quickly update this information into the
template, you have a proven roadmap to successfully grow your business.

Click below to download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template:

http://www.growthink.com/template

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2. Growthink’s Professional Business Development Services

If you don’t have time to create your own business plan, Growthink can complete your
entire business plan for you. As a result, you get an expert business plan that raises
capital and/or positions you to grow a successful business.

In fact, over the past decade, Growthink’s consulting team has helped over 4,000
entrepreneurs like you to create successful business plans. Our clients have raised over
$2.5 Billion in funding and, more importantly, they’ve gone on to build numerous multi-
million-dollar empires.

Importantly, the Growthink consultants that will work with you have been in your shoes.
Specifically, our team members have launched, grown, acquired and sold businesses,
raised investment capital, and have served in senior management and operating
executive positions at small, mid-sized and large corporations.

Specific benefits of Growthink’s consulting include the following:

 Raise Capital: Growthink clients have raised over $1 Billion in growth capital. In
addition to giving you an investor-ready business plan, Growthink consultants will
also help you determine the right type(s) of capital to raise for your business, and
appropriately position your business plan for these capital sources.

 Save Time and Effort: When you let us complete your business plan for you,
you’ll save time and effort, so you can spend more time growing your business.

 Expert Market Research: Growthink’s consulting team has great expertise and
resources that allow us to conduct expert industry, customer and competitive
research. We work with clients to assess the strategic implications of this
research and to use it to create winning strategies and business plans.

 Accelerate Your Business’ Success: Growthink works with you to create

proven business strategies so you can grow a successful business. You gain our
unique knowledge of the mistakes most companies make. You get the same
expertise that we provided to companies like Integreon, who came to Growthink
with a 4-person team and has since raised millions of dollars in funding and now
has 2,000+ employees in 11 worldwide offices.

 Work with The Best: Growthink’s project managers are successful

entrepreneurs who have been in your shoes. They have raised capital and grown
successful companies. And they have attained advanced degrees from top

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 universities, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell,
University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, UCLA, University of Michigan,
and more.

 We Know Your Stage & Industry: Growthink has successfully developed

business plans for clients in over 500 industries. These clients have ranged from
startups to Fortune 100 firms. So, we know how to develop a winning plan for
you regardless of your industry or stage of development.

Click to learn more about Growthink’s Professional Business Development Service:

http://www.growthink.com/business-plan

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