Kyle's Blog
ICC Explained
What is a business plan?
The business plan is that all-important first impression.
It is the appeal for money, an opportunity to promote the company, and the reason for someone to pick your deal to invest in over the all of the others.
Is the blueprint for asking questions and conducting due diligence.
It is the execution plan of your strategy for being successful.
The financials are a numerical representation of all sections in the plan.
The ICC uses 2 templates for business plans: The seed stage and the venture stage. The difference in the two being the stage of the company and how much money the company is seeking. They suggest that you start with the "Seed Stage Business Plan Guidelines" and then proceed to the "Venture Stage Business Plan Guidelines" as your company evolves and seeks Venture Capital. Download the "Seed Stage Business Plan Guidelines". Download the "Venture Stage Business Plan Guideliens". A few helpful hints to consider while writing your business plan: This is not for a thesis review committee.The ultimate audience is an investor who is much more interested in the business opportunity than in the technology. Use your space and their time wisely. Dedicate the plan to the potential investor, not to your peers who will be impressed with your product. Consider that investors are interested in only one thing: getting out with a lot more money than they put in. No, they do not have to understand the technology to invest in it. First impressions are lasting impressions. Do not sink your plan by including incorrect spelling, bad grammar or punctuation; the use of unprofessional language; numbers that do not total, or poor organization. Avoid “slick” plans that are perceived to be “form over substance” and a waste of scarce resources. To look “professional” consider a binding that permits easy updates and a cover that looks good and includes all contact data. Include a date for the plan, contact information, a detailed table of contents, numbered pages and identify each plan with a control number. The Business Plan should not exceed 30 pages (and 20 is much better) including the Executive Summary. Imagine your reader is flying out of state and is going to take five plans with her. She will pick the skinny ones that can fit in her brief case. Those 50 page plans will stay back in her office until she “finds time” for really long plans. The lesson: Get to the point. Present results not research. You should know that most investors only read the executive summary on the first scan.Once you have passed that step, they will focus on the whole plan.What does this tell you?