How to write a BUSINESS PLAN and PITCH it -Includes template

Use a business plan as a template to run your business, outline objectives, and attract investors by showing viability and how you will reach your goals, in small chunks.

A business plan documents your business, outlining objectives, strategies, sales, marketing, and financial focus, while revealing flaws and guiding prioritization for investors.

Outline the structure of a business plan, detailing sections such as general information, executive summary, products or services, market, marketing strategy, operations, pricing, sales forecast, and key performance indicators.

Download the pdf template that accompanies the video lessons to guide your business plan writing, review the executive summary and marketing strategy, and follow along with the course resources.

Define the executive summary as the last section, summarizing the full business plan. Highlight the idea, leadership, financing needs, returns, unique selling points, market approach, exit strategy, and legal structure.

Explore ownership and the backgrounds of key players, including directors, shareholders, and a future ceo, with concise experience, qualifications, training, and cvs to strengthen your business plan.

Identify your range of products and services, highlight your unique selling point, and outline the business model and how products move from warehouse to customers, including intellectual property considerations.

Identify the market by confirming demand through research. Define your customers, whether b2c or b2b, and explain the value and buying factors.

Identify the market size, value, key players, and market share. Assess barriers to entry, including legal rights and Brexit, and data needs from primary and secondary sources.

Explore how to craft a marketing strategy within your business plan by detailing the marketing mix - price, promotion, place, and product - plus the sales funnel and tangible samples.

Analyze competitors using Porter’s five forces, assess barriers to entry, price, switching costs, and supplier and buyer power to map strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling points.

Define your business operations and logistics, detail tangible and intangible resources, acquisition methods, recruitment plans, supplier terms, and premises and equipment transport to build a solid, profitable plan.

Explore cost structures and pricing strategies to optimize profit margins, including penetration, price skimming, psychology, geographical, value, and premium pricing, while weighing market, rivals, variables, and financial risk.

Develop a twelve-month sales forecast with plan b, detailing revenue, cost of sales, gross profit, and cash flow, while presenting a personal survival budget to reassure investors.

Set targets and show what success looks like by presenting KPIs, including sales costs, cash flows, staff turnover, and customer feedback along the production-to-sales timeline to build investor confidence.

Outline how to use appendices in a business plan to support claims with relevant data, pictures, maps, and director CVs, while keeping the main body concise.

Learn to craft a concise elevator pitch that answers what you do, what your business is about, and why you start, in 30 seconds, with a Zuckerberg-inspired exercise.

Master the main pitch by crafting an attention-grabbing introduction with the product story, problem, and solution using visuals, then cover timescale, market, customers, competition, finances, and finish with a summary.

Learn top tips for pitches that respect time limits, present your executive summary with handouts, avoid acronyms, share financial details, rehearse, know your audience, manage questions, and seek feedback.

Conclude with actionable steps to develop a business plan, structure it with a template, and craft an elevator or main pitch, learning by doing and iterating.