Why do you make a business plan? To pitch the idea of your dreams and turn it into reality. But what if this business plan does the exact opposite? You will be crushed to see your years and years of hard work and excitement going down the drain just because of few loopholes that were not paid attention to. The whole world talks about what to do when you make a business plan, but we will talk about what not to do while making the plan.
Let’s together ponder upon a few mistakes that are repeatedly made by the entrepreneur while writing their startup business plan and be sure of learning our lessons.
Don’t Conduct A Half-hearted Research
The Colosseum in Rome has been standing tall since forever. It has been made possible only and only by the solid foundation that was laid for it. Similarly, a good, productive, and detailed research is something that will provide the strongest of the bases to your business and help it stay in the market longer than whatever you are hoping for. Bad or wrong research which is not reviewed or double-checked can make things go haywire. Be wary of it, and always double-check your sources.
Don’t Present Unrealistic Financial Goals
We all know nobody is a fool these days. When we talk about financial goals, investors observe keenly. Nobody likes to show a dreamy picture which is far from reality. Avoid being over the top and tell them about the real financial trajectory. Tell them how and what you have planned for a particular business in order to make it successful. The more real you are, the higher are the chances for you to get the funding.
Don’t Be Unaware Of Your Target Consumer
Can you sell maternity clothes to office going men? No, right? It is of extreme importance to who does your product/service target. Make it very clear in your business plan the kind of audience you intend to target and the demographics you are going for. Always remember, only after defining your target audience can you move further with conducting the secondary and tertiary market research.
Don’t Publicize Unnecessarily
Don’t try to amaze them with what they want to hear, rather show them the power of your vision. We know you believe in your business idea but how do you plan on making others develop the same kind of faith? By using the abused adjectives of all times like greatest, mind-blowing, promising, hottest, worth your while, or by presenting your extensive research and the growth trajectory to back your excitement up? Only and only the latter will be able to help you solidify your claims.
Don’t Underestimate The Competition
They say keep your friends close and enemies even closer and we don't see anything wrong in this. Never forget to talk about the competition in your business plan or business pitch. Your investors will not appreciate your confidence where you completely scraped the competition section out of the business plan. Even if you don’t think you have any competition just because you have a brand new idea that has not been touched yet. Think about how, if you become successful, people would want to copy you and encash the opportunity. Think about how you are going to deal with the competition then. Think about what is unthought-of and always be prepared.
Writing a business is a tough job and needs a lot of factors to be considered before finally it is shown to the investors or prospective partners to gain their trust and sentiment. Your plan should be designed in a way that paints a coherent and realistic picture with a hint of your enthusiasm and determination to make it work.
