A business plan for a company or startup serves as a roadmap, detailing the actions needed to reach milestones and reduce uncertainty. C-level executives and entrepreneurs use it to determine the required capital and execution strategy. Although preparing a business plan requires significant time and resources, it is essential for both short-term and long-term success, enabling the company to perform better.

A business plan

Market Research

When creating a professional business plan, market research is crucial. We provide invaluable information to a company, helping to design a unique product or solution tailored to customers' needs. Answering the question, "Who are your customers?" becomes clearer through thorough research. Poor market research can mislead a company or a startup, potentially ending the venture. Therefore, organizing the process is essential.

During the market research phase, preliminary research will proactively generate meaningful information. This includes interviews with industry key players, service providers, and customers, as well as online surveys and questionnaires in targeted groups.

Secondary information complements initial findings and is often available for free or purchase.

Our extensive research helps in developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in the subsequent stages of business plan creation.

SWOT

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning model used to identify a venture’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It summarizes the research phase and internal aspects of the business plan.

The SWOT model is used in the early stages of decision-making to outline the company’s goals and identify internal and external factors affecting those goals. Strengths and weaknesses are typically internal, while opportunities and threats are external.

Strengths: Advantages over the competition.
Weaknesses: Disadvantages compared to competitors.
Opportunities: Market elements the business can exploit.
Threats: Environmental factors that could cause problems.

During the business plan development, detailed profiles of competitors are created, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses through SWOT analysis. This includes examining competitors' expense structures, revenue models, and histories.

Competitors Analysis

Analyzing competitors is crucial in building a business plan. Competitors' websites provide valuable information about their products, services, technologies, and pricing. Tools like AppsFlyer, SimilarWeb, and Alexa offer insights into competitors' sites and potential customers, with some services available for free and others requiring a subscription.

Key issues we consider when analyzing competitors include:

Detailed analysis of competing products/services
Strengths and weaknesses compared to your offerings
Company size and sales turnover
Target markets and market share
Marketing strategies
Recruitment rounds and scope

The goal is to gain market knowledge, identify key players, and show that there is room for a new competitor. We examine your product's competitive advantage and evaluete whether it will be able to attract potential customers.

Business Model

When building a business plan, it's important to distinguish between a "business model" and a "revenue model." A business model encompasses all factors contributing to the business' success, such as customers, suppliers, and employees. In contrast, a revenue model is a part of the business model and focuses on how the company will generate revenue based on the value it provides.

The revenue model can be simple, like selling a product or SaaS subscriptions, or complex, like information trading or affiliation. Calculating the Total Addressable Market (TAM) in the business and financial plans relies heavily on the chosen revenue model, making market and competitor research crucial.

Common revenue models include:

SaaS subscription fees
Advertising
Billing for advanced freemium to premium features
Payment per use
Price per unit
Monetization
Information trading

We assist entrepreneurs and managers in formulating optimal business and revenue models through comprehensive market research.

Go-To-Market strategy / Expansion plan

The Go-To-Market strategy / Expansion plan includes marketing and sales, distribution, pricing, brand development, and understanding customer needs, providing a roadmap to reach customers for new or existing products.

Comprehensive business planning can take weeks or even months, and successful implementation may take one to two years or longer. It's a long-term approach to establishing profitability, reducing customer acquisition costs, and enhancing the customer experience.

We build robust strategies for business expansion or market penetration, essential for deciding where to compete for customer attention. This approach helps entrepreneurs and managers adapt to market changes and improve products based on quick feedback, integrating the GTM program into the overall business plan.

Financial Model

A financial model, found in the final section of a business plan, numerically represents the business model using linked Excel sheets. This model forecasts a company's financials and simulates the impact of various variables through sensitivity analysis. For startups, its main purpose is to project expected cash flow and required budgets for specific milestones.

The financial model consists of eight main sub-models, including:

G&A: General and administrative expenses, including operational costs and relevant personnel.
R&D: Development expenses, including research and development personnel and outsourcing costs.
M&S: Marketing and sales expenses, including marketing personnel.
CAPEX: Fixed assets investments for technological or production infrastructure.

These sub-models together constitute the total expenses and budget for a defined period.

In the business plan, only a summary table of the financial model is included, with detailed data provided in a separate Excel file.

Key components include:

CAPEX: Fixed assets investments.
G&A: General and administrative expenses.
R&D: Research and development expenses.
M&S: Marketing and sales expenses.
REVENUE: Revenue model.
CASH FLOW: Revenue minus total expenses (CAPEX, G&A, R&D, M&S).
Budget: Budget for 12-18 months of company activity.

Executive Summary

An Executive Summary of a Business Plan provides a concise overview of the document. Its purpose is to highlight key points, save time, and prepare readers for the full content. It must be clear, concise, and enticing to ensure the reader continues.

Often considered the most important part of a business plan, the executive summary needs to capture the reader’s attention, especially if the plan is aimed at raising funds. However, fundraising is not the only purpose; there are other important reasons for creating a business plan.

How we can help

With over 12 years of business planning expertise, we've collaborated with 200+ startups and businesses spanning various industries. Our planning services cater to leaders, entrepreneurs, and companies aiming to secure funding and optimize their paths to success.