Show Your Plan to the World Writing and Presenting a Business Plan Chapter 4

Who are your key audience groups? Investors Venture Capitalists vs. Angels Bankers Potential Partners Employees Supplies Customers

Slides support Content Objectives Eight content objectives to consider Introducing your company Justifying proposed market demand Solving problems for customers Explaining how the product/service works Outlining Competition Forecasting Financials Setting milestones Organizing Question and Answer Sessions

Content Objectives Introducing your company Explain your industry if new or not common knowledge, such as restaurants or retail Justifying proposed market demand Show how your business serves market trends Explain geographic diversity of your market Solving problems for customers Detail consequences of leaving problems unsolved Show how your product/service makes life easier

Content Objectives Explaining how the product/service works Detail patents and/or processes Demonstrate product whenever possible Outlining Competition What are alternatives to your product/service? Does competition come from multiple industries? Forecasting Financials Move from general to specific Explain your reasoning (assumptions) for making estimates Avoid overwhelming your audience with data

Content Objectives Setting milestones Organizing Q&A Sessions Show timeline for reaching goals Justify dates Avoid specific dates, instead use quarters Project 3 to 5 years forward Organizing Q&A Sessions Anticipate likely questions and prepare slides to answer Organize supplemental slides by category (i.e. marketing) for easy access Personalize Q&A sessions to audience

Organizing your Presentation Cover Slide Problem/Solution description Executive Summary /Mission Statement Description of Product/Service Description of Market Overview of Competition Go-to-Market Strategy Timeline for Milestones Financial Forecast Management Team Exit Strategy The ASK (may be moved higher) Conclusion Call for Question

Finishing Touches Review your slides for five critical factors: Readability Visual Impact Information, Animation, or Audio Overload Completeness Clutter