4 Ways to Improve Your Business Plan

When I assess Business Plans for clients, the first things I look at is not the costs, but the people.

Why?

Because I know the costs are negotiable and may change but the team is fixed. These are the people who will take our money and hopefully put it to good use.

Better Business Planning

You can improve your chance of getting funding by looking at the document not from the investment point of view, but a more human one.

• Cost – instead of looking for a fixed fee (or one time payment) see if you can be creative with the payment structure, for example, making the costs payable by quarter or be deliverable.

• Performance – print out the Service Level Agreement and show how you’ve met the criteria in the SLA in previous contracts, e.g. response time, and where you’ve excelled in your performance.

• Guarantees – if you’ve committed to specific targets, show where you’ve met these. If appropriate, quote communications that complimented your team’s dedication.

• Value - Demonstrate where you’ve added value in other projects. This could be offering advice or sharing resources beyond what was expected of you.

How can I persuade the reader that my team is worth the investment?

Note, not the product. It’s the team, their story, their hopes, and their drive that you want to convey.

If you get this right, the investors are more likely to give you the funding.