Getting Started in Consulting, Third Edition

Appendix A. Business Plan to Attract Investment

Note: This is a general outline that can be filled in with your particular content. Steps 7 and 8 are usually the most important for a potential investor, and should contain considerable detail and analysis.

1. Company particulars: Name, address, legal entity (corporation, sub-chapter S corporation, limited liability company, and so forth), phone, fax, e-mail, web site.

2. Officers and stockholders: names, addresses, positions.

3. Brief description of the firm (for example, Acme Corporation is a consulting firm for midsize organizations, specializing in succession planning, benefits, and compensation.

4. History: When founded, under what circumstances, results to date, if any.

5. Core values: What the company stands for and its purpose (for example, respect for employees, integrity of financial systems, assisting in corporate growth through greater productivity of individuals, and so forth).

6. Vision/mission: What you are trying to accomplish (for example, to provide more productive workforces through intelligent pay-for-performance systems that benefit both employer and employee).

7. Market analysis: What value do you provide, who is likely to buy it, how do you plan to reach them, who is the competition, why are you superior to other approaches, what uniqueness do you bring to the market?

8. Projected revenues and expenses for the next five years: What are the sources of income, what is the probability of each source, what compensation will be paid to whom, ...