This lecture presents tips, examples, techniques and tools for building the four essential communication documents for entrepreneurs including: -The Elevator Pitch -Executive Summary -Company Presentation -Business Plan Learn how to create these communication tools and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business.

1. The
Business
Plan
and
Other
Strategic
Communica7on
Tools

3. me
– Venture
capital
– Founder
– Opera1ng
execu1ve
– Investor
– Mentor

4. The purpose of business
is to create and keep a
customer.
- Peter Drucker

5. A
few
reasons
companies
fail
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Misunderstanding
what
customers
want
Underes1ma1ng
the
compe11on
Not
enough
differen1a1on
in
the
market
Underes1ma1ng
1me
and
effort
to
revenue
Lack
of
financial
planning
Poor
leadership
Bad
partners

6. Business
Planning
Helps
Avoid
Failure

7. Business
Planning
and
Communica7on
Tools
•
•
•
•
Elevator
Pitch
Execu1ve
Summary
Financials
Business
Plan

8. Principles
for
Business
Planning
and
Communica7on
Factual
Dynamic
Visually
compelling
Consistent,
concise,
clear
Audience-­‐centric
Easy
to
understand

9. The
Elevator
Pitch
 hMp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq0tan49rmc

10. The
Execu7ve
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
Most
important
part
of
a
business
plan
Write
it
last
1
–
2
pages
Tell
your
story!
Emphasize
the
business
opportunity
Capture
investor’s
imagina1on/interest
or
lose
them
forever

12. Essen1al
Parts
of
the
Business
Plan
Execu7ve
Summary
Financials
&
Projec7ons
Company
Overview
Market
Analysis
Team
Business
Plan
Customer
Analysis
Opera7ons
Plan
Marke7ng
Plan
Compe77ve
Analysis

13. Company
Overview
• “About
Us”
• Describe
clearly
and
concisely
• Make
sure
the
reader
understands
what
your
company
does

14. Market
Analysis
Research
market
Select
target
market
Project
Write
market
analysis

15. Customer
Analysis
The purpose of business is
to create and keep a
customer.
- Peter Drucker

16. Compe11ve
Analysis
List
of
Compe1tors
Compe1tor
Product
Summary
Compe1tor
Strengths
and
Weaknesses
Compe1tor
Strategies
and
Objec1ves

17. Marke1ng
Plan
-­‐
The
Four
Ps
Corporate
Objec1ves
Marke1ng
Strategy
Product
Promo1on
Price
Partnerships
Place

18. Opera1ons
Plan
Possible
Components
Opera1ng
facili1es
and
equipment
Produc1on
and
opera1ng
procedures
Compliance
with
regula1ons
Supplies,
prices,
terms,
condi1ons,
alternates
Inventory
management
Quality
control
Customer
service
Web
hos1ng
Website
development

19. The
Team

20. Financials
• Don’t
ignore
financials
–
they
are
CRITICAL
• It
isn’t
the
spreadsheet
that
is
important,
it
is
the
thinking
behind
it
• You
can’t
possibly
understand
your
business
poten1al
if
you
haven’t
forecasted
• Yes,
it’s
hard
to
forecast
for
an
early
stage
company
• Yes,
they’re
going
to
be
wrong
• Show
what
you
have
anyway
and
explain
your
assump1ons
• Be
able
to
explain
EVERY
number
instantaneously

21. Financials
con7nued…
• Must
be
able
to
show:
–
expected
revenues
– Expenses
– How
much
funding
company
needs
– When
you
need
funding
– How
lenders
will
be
paid
pack/investors
will
receive
a
return
on
their
investment

22. Things
you
ABSOLUTELY
MUST
REMEMBER

23. Jane’s
Rule
#1:
It’s
NOT
All
About
the
Technology

24. Jane’s
Rule
#2:
You
MUST
Understand
Your
Market

25. Jane’s
Rule
#3:
Yes,
You
Have
Compe77on

26. Jane’s
Rule
#4:
Think
Hard
About
Your
Exit
Strategy

27. Jane’s
Rule
#5:
Realis7c
Valua7on
is
Important

28. Jane’s
Rule
#6:
Don’t
Ignore
Milestones

29. Jane’s
Rule
#7:
Keep
Your
Wri7ng
Clu]er-­‐Free

30. Jane’s
Most
Important
Rule:
Tell
Your
Story!
“If a story is not about the
hearer, he will not listen. And
here I make a rule—a great
and interesting story is
about everyone or it will not
last.”
- John Steinbeck