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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

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

We are a group of Investors with 30 years experience in structured project finance. We are all entrepreneurs and business owners as well. We have funded projects from $1M up to $1B+. We are always looking for new projects with a strong resume and make sense.

$1,000,000 to $10,000,000

United States > Illinois

I am a real estate investor that that practices in the areas of commercial and residential real estate law.

$0 to $1,000,000

United States > Illinois

An international investment banking firm dedicated to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism –provides corporate financial advisory services, mergers and acquisitions expertise, valuation services, and financial opinions to publicly and privately held businesses through our offices in North America, Asia, and Africa. Our professionals draw on specialized expertise in partnering with middle-market firms in all industry verticals and niche markets to achieve an optimal outcome through a variety of transactions. We precisely analyze each client’s needs to determine the best match between buyers and sellers, arrange cost-effective financing, and produce capitalization structures that maximize each clients’ potential. We remains a trusted partner and industry-leading provider of financial advisory services, M&A assistance, and business valuations.

$500,000 to $1,000,000,000

United States > Illinois

I am an CFO of technology start up that has raised over $40M. My background is accounting and M&A consulting, I hold CPA and CFA. My specialties are financial advising, financial and operating models and I currently oversee digital marketing strategy at my Company. I am looking to invest as a silent partner or for the right opportunity become more involved or get some of my many contacts involved in a new opportunity.

$5,000 to $400,000

United States > Illinois

My investment objective is to diversify after the meltdown of the mortgage industry. I was in that business for 10 plus years. I have a bacground in the mortgage banking industry also a degree in communication (radio&television). I'm investing as a private investor along with my grandfather.

$100,000 to $1,000,000

United States > Illinois

Work for one of the largest privately held real estate companies in the country.

$50,000,000 to $750,000,000

United States > Illinois

we provides financing and management assistance primarily to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through factoring in california and internationally. The company offers various factoring services, including international factoring, recourse factoring, non-recourse factoring, maturity factoring, indirect factoring, and full factoring, as well as financing for SMEs. It also involves in various leasing activities comprising nautical leasing, property leasing, equipment leasing, and vehicle leasing. In addition, the company provides Rendimax, an online savings account. It also serves large enterprises, business people, and private individuals.

$200,000 to $5,000,000