2. Don’t write for you,
write for your audience.
It should be compelling
and clearly explained.
Make sure that your
heart and your head
spell out your goals in
equal measure.
3. Know who you are
competing against.
Showing in your business
plan that you know why
you are strong where
others fall short, and
how you are competitive
with your industry, will
show investors you
know how to grab your
part of the market
share.
4. Don’t be flowery. Every
professional is busy.
Don’t waste pages and
minutes of their time
with overly wordy
proposals. You want
your unique flavor, but
you don’t want to be so
detailed or expressive
that you lose the
interest of those
reading.
5. It’s good to be assertive,
but make your
projections realistic.
Always lean toward the
conservative and talk a
big game later. Investors
like to see someone who
will be cautious and
protective of the money,
and they are well-
versed in financials.
They will know when
you’re inflating numbers
to unrealistic levels.
6. Don’t get lost in
graphics and design
concepts. A well-laid
out, attractive proposal
is good, but a concise,
information-based
business plan is best.
Save the artwork and
the conceptual design
for after you’ve hooked
them with the data.
7. Pick up your plan from the
point of view of the bank,
investor, or landlord. What
will they see that concerns
them? Pick it apart with
fresh eyes. Write down
everything they may ask
you. Poke holes in your own
plan. If you don’t come up
with the answers, it’s not a
fully-formed plan. If you
can’t poke any holes, you’re
too close to the project
and will be underprepared.
There are ALWAYS concerns.
8. Don’t protect it. While
your business plan is the
lifeblood of getting
your business off the
ground and you should
be cautious with it, you
need to show it to
others for feedback.
Does it make sense? Does
sound convincing? You
can’t know until
someone else reads it.
9. Don’t be precious
about it. No business
plan is perfect on
the first draft. Work
it. Rework it. Take
out the things that
don’t play, even if
you love them. The
more you are open to
editing your business
plan, the better it
will be.