business plan ideas

Start-ups can be tricky and caught in a haze of competition after the initiation if proper precautions aren’t taken. However, like other businesses, even a start-up requires different things at different points and it is the entrepreneur’s duty to make sure that all the requisites are met. However, it might be the first time for an entrepreneur as well and s/he might need guidance as well.

Never ignore things that you think can mess with the image of your company. If something is absolutely necessary, the entrepreneur should make sure that the start-up has it.

Here are 5 things entrepreneurs need to take care of:

1. Analyse the risks

It is crucial for an entrepreneur to analyse the risks before venturing into any market and actually setting up a start-up. The industry one is venturing in might be targeting only a niche audience which means lesser demand and this could lead to the company fizzling out due to less orders. One needs to take calculated risks and create back-up options for better functioning of a start-up.

2. Do your market research well

Always do your research extensively about the market you’re going to venture into, the competitors and customers’ responses through surveys. This will help in gaining better business insights and also come handy while expanding the business. Without proper research in place, you can end up making incorrect assumptions and hasty decisions which can be harmful for your venture.

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3. Have a proper Business plan

A business plan is important for any business as it contains information about the company, the team, industry, risks, the marketing plan and the financial plan. Internally, it’ll help the start-up in being more organised and an entrepreneur can keep a track of goals that are accomplished. Externally, it’s easier to get loans from banks, show to VCs and build strategic alliances if you have a proper business plan.

4. Get legal advice

You might think that a business plan is enough to establish a company but there are certain rules and regulations one needs to keep in mind and follow. There are many Government regulated bodies and statutory bodies looking after stuff like patents, copyrights, taxes etc. To be aware of the rules existing in your sector, it is important to hire a lawyer and have his expert advice before starting-up.

5. Set aside a budget for marketing

Marketing and advertising is very important in today’s day and time and the way you market your venture can make or break it. It is absolutely crucial to have a marketing plan which helps you reach out to your target audience better. And, for these plans to work, one needs to set aside a certain budget. An entrepreneur also needs to decide what tactics and channels of marketing he’ll be using- social media, websites, ads on Facebook/Google, billboard advertising etc.

Happy starting up!

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What are the most common mistakes when writing a business plan? Here is a list of the ones to make sure you avoid. While including the necessary items in a business plan is important, you also want to make sure you don’t commit any of the following common business plan mistakes:

1. Putting it off

Too many businesses make business plans only when they have no choice in the matter. Unless the bank or the investors want a plan, there is no plan.

Don’t wait to write your plan until you think you’ll have enough time. “I can’t plan. I’m too busy getting things done,” business people say. The busier you are, the more you need to plan. If you are always putting out fires, you should build firebreaks or a sprinkler system. You can lose the whole forest for paying too much attention to the individual burning trees.

2. Cash flow casualness

Most people think in terms of profits instead of cash. When you imagine a new business, you think of what it would cost to make the product, what you could sell it for, and what the profits per unit might be. We are trained to think of business as sales minus costs and expenses, which equal profits. Unfortunately, we don’t spend the profits in a business. We spend cash. So understanding cash flow is critical. If you have only one table in your business plan, make it the cash flow table.

3. Idea inflation

Don’t overestimate the importance of the idea. You don’t need a great idea to start a business; you need time, money, perseverance, and common sense. Few successful businesses are based entirely on new ideas. A new idea is harder to sell than an existing one, because people don’t understand a new idea and they are often unsure if it will work.
You don’t need a great idea to start a business; you need time, money, perseverance, and common sense.

Plans don’t sell new business ideas to investors. People do. Investors invest in people, not ideas. The plan, though necessary, is only a way to present information. So make sure you’re ready to wow your prospective investors with your knowledge and leadership skills, and don’t expect your business idea—or the business plan you explain it in—to do the work for you.

4. Fear and dread

Doing a business plan isn’t as hard as you might think. You don’t have to write a doctoral thesis or a novel. There are good books to help, many advisors among the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), business schools, and there is software available to help you (such as LivePlan, and others).

5. Spongy, vague goals

Leave out the vague and the meaningless babble of business phrases (such as “being the best”) because they are simply hype. Remember that the objective of a plan is its results, and for results, you need tracking and follow up. You need specific dates, management responsibilities, budgets, and milestones. Then you can follow up. No matter how well thought out or brilliantly presented, it means nothing unless it produces results.

6. One size fits all

Tailor your plan to its real business purpose. Business plans can be different things: they are often just sales documents to sell an idea for a new business. They can also be detailed action plans, financial plans, marketing plans, and even personnel plans. They can be used to start a business, or just run a business better.

7. Diluted priorities

Remember, strategy is focus. A priority list with 3-4 items is focus. A priority list with 20 items is certainly not strategic, and rarely if ever effective. The more items on the list, the less the importance of each.

8. “Hockey stick” shaped growth projections

Sales grow slowly at first, but then shoot up boldly with huge growth rates, as soon as “something” happens. Have projections that are conservative so you can defend them. When in doubt, be less optimistic.

Which business planning mistakes have you made while writing your business plan?

This article was originally published in bplans.com

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