Illinois Investment Network

Business Plan Tips

What Investors Are Looking For In A Plan

Investors, whether angels or VC's, are looking for the same things when reading a business plan. They want to know how big the opportunity is, whether this is the right team to exploit the opportunity, who the competition is, what the risks are, and why they can expect this team to implement successfully. Your job in writing the business plan is to address these questions convincingly and clearly.

Emphasize Your Real Strengths

Highlight what your team brings to the table. If your business hinges on a particular competency (for example, understanding the procurement process), your plan will be more persuasive if one of your team members knows something about it and that is brought out in your plan. Rather than including generic resumes of team members, tailor the resumes to draw out the experience each member has that will make him or her a valuable contributor.

Get To The Point And Make It Clear And Comprehensive

Investors see many business plans. A 20-page plan which clearly lays out your business is far more likely to be read than a 100 page plan. Today, some entrepreneurs are using a 15 slide Powerpoint presentation. If your text is short and punchy, you won't need to repeat yourself, because the reader won't be bogged down keeping ten chapters in their head. Reading the same thing over and over, even if it's in different words, can get really tiring. The more you use brevity and give each concept a single home in your document, the more people will want to read it.

Write In Plain English

If you can't explain your idea in English, either you don't understand what you're talking about (What is a transaction enabled atomic journaling database server, anyway?) or you haven't simplified the idea enough. Think, revise, and try again.

Get Rid Of The Hype

Yes, we know you will be the "premier insert product category here of the Internet, achieving 99% market penetration with 60% customer retention in 3 months". Your product will reach "new heights in customer experience through the use of personalization and one-to-one profiling and customization". It will be "user friendly" because you will be creating a truly "ecstatic customer experience". It is a "quantum leap forward" in the marketplace for product category here. Um, yeah. Believe me, we've read it before. About a dozen times today, in fact. (And by the way, the phrase "quantum leap" really doesn't mean anything.) Stick to a tight, simple explanation of your idea. Convince your reader you'll be the best because your idea is the best, not because you can string a dozen buzzwords together.

Use Quantifiable Information

In each section, back up your assertions with solid facts. Even if you are a new venture and cannot give specific figures on the performance of your business, quote figures for the industry or your competitors. These real figures carry more weight than your assumed projections and give more reality to your plan.

Choose A Huge Market

Especially in the internet world, investors are looking more at the market than at the detailed specifics of your financials. Choose a market that is big enough to be an obvious good opportunity. A business which targets teenage girls who listen to music and has a reasonable chance of capturing 90% of the girls that are online is a huge opportunity. A business which targets net-savvy SAAB mechanics who need prosthetic limbs is not.

Illinois Investors

United States > Illinois

I have over 7 years in transportation brokerage and real estate investment

$50,000 to $150,000

United States > Illinois

We are an investment bank out of Scottsdale, Arizona. We work on two types of transactions. We do debt financing and equity funding for privately held, small to middle market companies. We also do mergers and acquuisitions, from an advisory standpoint whether it be from the buy of sell side.

$300,000 to $100,000,000

United States > Illinois

I am registered pharmacist and an entrepreneur dedicated to simplifying the pharmacy care experience for patients using specialty medications. I believe in the fundamental principal of providing patients with the choice to select their pharmacy and their pharmacist for their medications and pharmaceutical care needs. I am the founder and former CEO of company whose mission was to improve the patient experience by using technology to enable the next generation of care coordination between various industry stakeholders. I successfully built and sold the company in 2020 to an industry strategic. With my experience building a startup and taking it to a mid-market level with a successful exit, I can help entrepreneurs build their companies, scale technology with offshore resources, and help raise funds. I am forward to working with passionate founders with proven innovation and committed work-ethic.

$25,000 to $500,000

United States > Illinois

Lease fund provides 100% of cost for both to be built and to be renovated existing Special Purpose Entity in exchange for a lease. $10-300M USD Our lease funds and it’s affiliate, has a long history of providing competitively priced long-term commercial real estate financing for single tenant projects. The lease fund was formed by its affiliate as a conduit to provide a Special-Purpose Entity (“SPE”) for Strategic Alliance projects, wherein each SPE leases (1) the land and improvements to the Major Company or (2) to a JV between the Major Company and Project Operator. Under either option, the lessee buys out the SPE for $1.00 at the end of the lease term. The lease funds, with generally the lowest long-term commercial real estate interest rates in the country, are provided by its affiliate’s low-yield bond investors. Industries that qualify for the 100% SPE lease funding are: Manufacturing Facility Distribution Center Hospital Corporate Headquarters Retail Store (single tenant

$25,000,000 to $99,000,000

United States > Illinois

I have been involved in the lending arena for 14 years. I have done everything from residential to commercial deals. I represent private funding source's that will FUND up to 100 %, and fund any type of project based asset. Project must make sense!!! Funding takes approximatley 70 banking days to fund once project and all necessary paperwork has been submitted to investor.From 10 million and up!!! NO UP FRONT FEES!!!

$1,000,000 to $900,000,000

United States > Illinois

Several years in the Real Estate business as a investor and land lord I deal with a lot of Section 8 tenants, Ive done new constructions, buy & hold and flips. I know a good deal when I see it. Its all about the numbers and exit strategy!!

$100,000 to $1,000,000

United States > Illinois

I am a 39 y/o professional in the financial services industry. I am looking to invest in high growth people and companies, and bring a large network of investors/advisors with me. I can be passive or active in the individual investment.

$10,000 to $2,500,000

United States > Illinois

My firm takes private companies public by reverse merger. We have 140 IPO's and reverse mergers in our history, that include: Groupon for 700mm, GNC for 495mm, Spirit Airlines for 159mm, Dunkin Donuts for 640mm. Our Large Cap program has been retooled for small private companies. If you need to raise over 5mm, please contact us immediately. We will pay for every expense related to a public launch, and supply all legal work, at no cost to our clients. We take our fee in stock only. We are 100% vested in your public fundraising success. We offer a true "Public Launch Partnership"

$50,000,000 to $50,000,000