Are you in the process of translating your idea into reality? What is your blueprint upon which you are building your ideas? If you have none, then it is high time to make things right by knowing how to write a business plan for a startup. The sooner you learn to make your unique business plan, the higher you stand a chance to be among 10% of startups that survive more than five years in the USA.
1. Know the structure of a business plan
Before penning down anything regarding your business plan, you need familiarization with the key components of the business structure. A good business plan for the startup must contain the following:
- An Executive Summary
- A business Description
- A comprehensive Market Research
- Your business Products or Services description
- The structure of Management & Operation
- A detailed Financial Plan
2. Understand the value of a startup business plan
It would be a waste of time and resources to start planning without knowing why your startup needs a business plan. Notably, stats from national.biz indicates that because of poor planning, among other factors, most startups(more than 70%) in the USA collapse by the 5th year since the commencement of operations. However, your business could beat these odds only if you understand that a business plan will be of the following advantages to your business:
- A business plan will offer clarity to your business mission and vision.
- Increases the success rate for your business by more than 16%, as indicated in the Harvard business review
- Crete more chances for your startup funding
- Limit your budget to the most crucial aspects of your business
- Understand the market gaps for the product or service your business offers
- Understand the prevailing competition and how to overcome it.
3. Keep your startup brief
Having known the structure and importance of a business plan, you need to get to it immediately. But take this precaution into consideration; do not be too wordy and ambiguous! A business plan is no just meant for you alone. It is a document for your team of managers and your potential investors. Other readers must find value in your document.
Therefore, try to articulate facts in a simple way. If evidence to support your facts is extensive, please append it at the end in the appendices section. That way, your business plan will be valid and captivating.
4. Carry out extensive research
Every business must always be unique, and so should your business plan. You cannot take what anyone else is using as their plan and struggle to implement the same. Automatically, you will fail because you can never do it perfectly like the original owner.
Instead, get out and research about every aspect you wish to integrate into your business plan. That is;
- Research about the nature of your market
- Know the competitors
- Understand the dynamics of the market
- Bring out the existing
- Know the target audience for your product and the best marketing design to adopt
- Establish the probable and practical sources of financing for your business
- Know the potential business partners or suppliers
5. Test your ideas and re-plan when necessary
The first copy of your plan will not eventually become a reality all of a sudden; some changes will have to be effected along the way. Hence it is always necessary to test your business plan before any huge implementation is officially made. By testing, get practically into the initial stages of starting a business.
An implication, have your physical store in place and the initial setups in process. Then you will readjust some factors in the plan, especially the financial, management, and marketing strategy. Remember, commencement is necessary to re-sharpen your startup business plan.
6. Redefine your goals and mission
Whereas this has been done in the initial stage of writing a business plan for your startup, there is a need to reshape your goals, especially with the little experience from testing the business plan. Therefore, with a clear mind about your business’s expectations, go ahead and pen down your mission and then narrow it down to the vision.
The secret to being relevant in this section is making sure that you are brief as much as possible, detailed, and exhaustive in all your statements. Also, be realistic by basing your ideas on empirical facts. Remember, your goals are the backbone of your business, and without clear and realistic goals, your business will not go anywhere beyond the initial stages.
7. Pen down your final draft of the business plan
At this point, you have all the facts and details you need to finalize your business plan. Go ahead and jot down all the details in chronological order within the structure of a business plan. If you are not sure about the details you have, invoke an expert in writing a business plan for a startup. Nonetheless, it is an easy process, and you will bring out the most outstanding plan that suits your business niche.
8. Master the courage to commence
At this juncture, you have accomplished the most curial aspects of a business plan. All you need is the courage to translate your plan into reality. Get yourself out into proceeding with the implementation of all that’s within your business plan.
Make proposals to potential investors with your plan in place and begin striking deals where possible.
During this stage, it is usually normal to feel nervous and unsure of what will come out at the end. All you need is to master the courage and confront everything with all your effort like a pro. Remember, the majority of the entrepreneurs have limited or no business knowledge, just like you. But they are thriving more than some who have business knowledge.
It is always about the passion and resilience in you that matters in business success. Therefore be you, be original, be authentic, and be courageous just like a lion, and maneuver your way to find a position in the business world. With this 8 crucial factors on how to write a business plan for a startup, you will never go wrong.
