Business plan

Answer the following questions:

• Who exactly do you want to reach with your business plan?
• What are your objectives?

Tailor your business plan to the recipient. Pay attention to what you’re asking, your arguments, how you formulate things, and the supporting documents. If necessary, prepare several versions.

First impressions count, even when it comes to business plans.

• Present an attractive package, with meaningful and easy-to-understand supporting material.
• Use our business plan grid as a guide.
• Adapt the structure and content of your business plan to your own requirements.
  

Check that your business plan is internally consistent. For example:

• Can the sales targets be reached with the marketing activities and staff planning you've set out?
• Will adjustments to your infrastructure be able to keep pace with growth? Have all the costs and necessary investments been taken into account?
• Is the implementation timeline realistic?
  

We recommend that you always build various scenarios into your financial planning, such as:

• A realistic management case with your actual budgeted objectives.
• A worst-case scenario where, for example, everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much, but produces only half the revenues.
  

The business plan provides the necessary framework for monthly controlling. In other words, a rigorous target vs. performance comparison covering contact with clients, quotes, orders, revenues, costs, and – in particular – liquidity.

• Consider critical feedback and further questions from banks or other partners as opportunities to optimize your business plan.
• Update your business plan in line with current developments and new priorities.
• Integrate the insights you gain from monthly controlling into your business plan (at least once a year).