YoungUpstarts

MARCH 15, 2017

by Hal Shelton, SCORE mentor, angel investor, and author of “ The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan: A Pro Shares A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Plan That Gets Results “ Running a business without a plan is like running down the street with a blindfold on. What Is a Business Plan?

Business Plan 113

Business Plan Angel Investor Audience Forecast 113

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2023

It’s time to speak of some sort of business plan. As a professional investor in early-stage companies, I have long discounted long, detailed business plans in favor of a concise “executive summary” followed by a believable spreadsheet-based financial forecast projecting three to five years into the future.

Forecast 62

Forecast Early Stage Business Plan Revenue 62

Up and Running

AUGUST 20, 2018

This article is part of our “ Business Planning Guide “ —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! What is a business plan? In its simplest form, a business plan is a guide—a roadmap for your business that outlines goals and details how you plan to achieve those goals.

Business Plan 119

Business Plan Technical Review Lean Forecast 119

NZ Entrepreneur

OCTOBER 10, 2019

What do investors want to see in a business plan? Early stage business investors such as angel investors or venture capital companies are generally only interested in companies with great potential for success and a high return on investment. How large is the target market? Which markets can be opened up?

Business Plan 51

Business Plan Forecast Venture Capital Angel Investor 51

Up and Running

JANUARY 16, 2013

Our thanks to Small Business Trends and the Young Entrepreneur Council 10 Reasons Why You Should Write A Business Plan. the fact is that a business plan — even just a one-pager with a few financial projections — can be a valuable internal tool. A roadmap for even the smallest or earliest-stage idea.

Business Plan 96

Business Plan LLC Forecast Early Stage 96

Small Business Force

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

It never ceases to amaze me, the amount of time early stage entrepreneurs spend creating a business plan that's, often, a combination graduate thesis, Pulitzer-Prize-winning book, with graphics that would dazzle the folks at Pixar. What early stage entrepreneurs really need is a "battle plan."

Early Stage 36

Early Stage Business Plan Entrepreneur Forecast 36

Gust

JANUARY 4, 2012

(It’s often possible to “ design around ” a patent to operate a business that achieves similar results in different ways.) Most investors will assume that if the business plan is solid and a large market opportunity exists, there will be vigorous competition from other players. Creating product mock-ups , wireframes, etc.

Intellectual Property 143

Intellectual Property IP Startup United States 143

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

When’s the right time for business planning? Given the increasing pace of change, and the needs of a business to anticipate, track, and manage that change, the right kind of business planning is something that happens regularly, and continues forever. Don’t worry about having a finished plan.

Business Plan 82

Business Plan Forecast Early Stage Matching 82

Up and Running

MARCH 6, 2015

Most of those people are at the very early stages of starting a business and as such, are looking to see what others have done. Some have already decided and are in the process of writing a business plan. They’re asking questions: What should a tutoring agency include in their business plan?

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Technical Review eCommerce Connecticut 60

Up and Running

MAY 3, 2012

Sean Seton-Rogers of PROfounders Capital recently claimed that of the more than 3,500 business plans they had received, his London, U.K. And besides, obtaining early-stage investment is no guarantee of success, either. based venture capital fund had just invested in 17 companies. Surely we can do better?

Entrepreneur 82

Entrepreneur Technical Review Silicon Valley Lean 82

Up and Running

MAY 9, 2016

Whether you want to be your area’s next big general contractor, or you believe you can build a successful small construction company in a specific niche, getting into the construction business is a process. What will you need in your business plan? A construction company is a capital-intensive business. But fear not.

SBA 60

SBA Demand Forecast Balance Sheet 60

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Entrepreneur Homepage Startups Starting a Business Home How-To Guides Startup Basics Business Ideas Business Planning Startup Financing Success Stories Home-Based Business Starting a Business Play Video How to Take a New Product from Just an Idea to a Business (Video).

Sweat Equity 55

Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

Up and Running

JULY 28, 2020

With these forms of loans, it is important that you have a solid business plan in place before applying. tech, medical, online) and usually require your business to be somewhat disruptive and primed for growth. If this route seems like a good option for you, then a solid business plan and pitch deck are vital here.

Small Business 118

Small Business SBA Bootstrapping Venture Capital 118

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Write a business plan. After you’ve come up with answers concerning your future company and product, it’s high time to map out the business in a concrete and viable way. A business plan is a must for every startup. If you’ve never written anything like that, browse the Net for business plan samples and templates.

Startup 160

Startup Social Media Forecast Early Stage 160

Berkonomics

MAY 11, 2017

It’s time to speak of some sort of business plan. As a professional investor in early stage companies, I have long discounted long, detailed business plans in favor of a concise “executive summary” followed by a believable spreadsheet-based financial forecast projecting three to five years into the future.

Forecast 97

Forecast Early Stage Business Plan Revenue 97

SoCal CTO

MAY 19, 2010

In his recent post, Top 10 Ways to Win a Business Plan Competition , he says: #4 I wanted to push this further down the list, but I just bristle at this: the revenue forecast. My 4 plans get increasingly more incredible, ranging from $50M, $60M, $70M to $161M in year 5! These are so detached from reality. So get real.

Hockey Stick 205

Hockey Stick NPV IRR Valuation 205

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 12, 2011

Build a financial model that forecasts the P&L. Tie the P&L forecast to the Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement and generate snapshots of what the Financial Statements will look like each year for the next 5 years. QuickBooks allows you to forecast expenses. as a C-Corp in Delaware. historical data).

Balance Sheet 136

Balance Sheet Forecast Cap Table Early Stage 136

Up and Running

AUGUST 21, 2018

This article is part of our Business Planning Guide —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! Today, I want to introduce a new approach to business planning: Lean Planning. Lean Planning is simpler and faster than writing a traditional business plan.

Lean 134

Lean Forecast Software Review Business Plan 134

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

I hate business plan competitions. I Love Business Plan Competitions I had a breakfast with a friend who has founded a few companies in Thailand and started the New Ventures Program at one of their universities. For all the reasons why business plan competitions are wonderful for students from outside the U.S.,

Business Plan 145

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital 145

Up and Running

OCTOBER 22, 2014

So, you’ve been asked to write a business plan. It’s likely that your mind is filling with images of long documents, bad memories of writing term papers, and worries about doing market research and creating financial forecasts. But first, let’s talk about why you’re writing a business plan. Take a deep breath.

Business Plan 130

Business Plan Elevator Pitch Forecast Partner 130

Up and Running

DECEMBER 4, 2014

Start by documenting your key assumptions about your business. When you’re first considering a new business idea, skip the formal business plan and start with a one-page business plan or a simple elevator pitch to jot down the basic components of your idea. What’s your mission? How is your solution better?

Forecast 152

Forecast Elevator Pitch Lean Silicon Valley 152

Up and Running

AUGUST 20, 2014

Businesses can use the cash flow statement to record what has occurred to cash or to project into the future in order to determine future needs for cash. You will need to include a cash flow statement in your business plan document and you will need to keep an eye on cash flow so long as your doors remain open for trading.

Forecast 135

Forecast .Net Dividend Finance 135

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Step 1: Start with a lean plan. Instead of sitting down to write a 40-page business plan, start with a one-page pitch. It’s the fastest way to get your idea onto paper, and it’s the very first step in the lean planning process, which is much easier and more iterative than traditional business planning methods.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Up and Running

JUNE 25, 2014

Then on the planned side, I know many of you work with Palo Alto and BPlans on new business plans, obviously a startup. For a new business, you’re going through that process, you’re planning and you want to get funding to get your business started. They help businesses with their business plans.

Small Business 89

Small Business SBA Finance Bankruptcy 89

Up and Running

DECEMBER 6, 2012

It starts with “Plan-As-You-Go” instead of detailed, formal business plans. Lean Planning started with Tim Berry ‘s 2008 “ Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan ” which was a new way for entrepreneurs to think about planning. The business plan should no longer be just a single event.

Lean 147

Lean Silicon Valley Forecast Technical Review 147

Up and Running

DECEMBER 5, 2017

If you’ve been procrastinating when it comes to putting together your business plan, there are a few easy ways to jumpstart the process. Second, skip everything else you’ve heard people talk about and jump right into your sales forecast. A quick caveat: The process for creating this sales forecast was for just one product.

Forecast 84

Forecast Sales Advertising Social Media 84

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2018

Innovative products and business models are the foundations of a promising startup. However, you’ll also need a steady flow of funds, especially in the early stages, to turn those ideas into reality. Write a business plan. Your business plan also needs to have a realistic financial forecast.

SBA 84

SBA Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

The Entrepreneurial Mind

AUGUST 23, 2011

So now the forecasting fun begins. We have fully implemented the shift in our curriculum to the business modeling approach. While business plans are still part of what they learn, they are positioned simply as a tool to communicate the business model to investors.

Entrepreneur 72

Entrepreneur Nashville Forecast Early Stage 72

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 5, 2009

Certainly venture-backed startups don’t have this luxury – every business plan has a model in it. Companies that reliably fail to make their forecasted numbers are exceptionally prone to “management retooling.&# Just because entrepreneurs tend to forget about these models doesn’t mean their investors do.

San Francisco 102

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment Startup 102

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 16, 2009

It’s time to speak of some sort of business plan.

Forecast 59

Forecast Early Stage Business Plan Revenue 59

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Through a network of Delivery Partner organisations, the Start Up Loans programme provides pre-loan support to help applicants to develop a business plan, a fixed-interest loan of up to £25,000 to start or develop their business, and mentoring to support new loan recipients throughout the early stages of their business journey.

Early Stage 107

Early Stage Forecast Small Business Business Plan 107

Steve Blank

AUGUST 27, 2009

Concept and Seed Stage In the Concept and Seed Stage, founders capture their passion and vision for the new company and turn them into a set of key ideas, which quickly becomes a business plan, sometimes on the back of the proverbial napkin. The first thing captured and wrestled to paper is the company’s vision.

Silicon Valley 266

Silicon Valley Product Startup Product Development 266

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

3]   However, if they are built bottom up, they demonstrate and make explicit a range of business model assumptions the entrepreneur is using to think about his business and its revenue model.   In a bottom up approach, the forecast is built from actual user projections. Resources for startups.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Seeing Both Sides

OCTOBER 24, 2015

The problem is that many early-stage companies have no idea what their average, long-term churn rate really is because they are simply too young. Many early stage companies don't yet have experienced CFOs who can help them with precise gross margin calculations, so they assume a gross margin that is too high.

Churn Rate 20

Churn Rate Early Stage Revenue Metrics 20

Up and Running

APRIL 22, 2019

When you build out your SaaS company’s business plan , spend some time modeling different subscription-based sales forecast scenarios so you can see how reducing churn (the number of canceled subscribers) and other variables can affect your path to profitability. We call this approach a Lean Plan. Just start.

Software 94

Software Intellectual Property Cloud Seattle 94

Up and Running

JULY 14, 2015

Or what if a new brilliant idea that you hadn’t considered when you were planning emerges? Build in fluidity to your business plans. I’d implemented a business plan including marketing, engagement, sales strategy and realized a few months in that it wasn’t servicing a key influence or in the sales process.

Incubator 60

Incubator Email Startup Oregon 60

Up and Running

AUGUST 16, 2016

The good thing is that you don’t need to write a complete, detailed business plan to figure out if your idea is good or not. That would take too much time and be a pretty useless exercise at this early stage of turning your idea into a business. Now’s the time to start scheduling next steps for your business.

Forecast 60

Forecast Early Stage Salary Business Plan 60