Business Plan Writer

What this skill does

# Business Plan Writer

Expert business plan creation system that helps you develop comprehensive business plans, financial projections, market analysis, and strategic documents for fundraising, partnerships, or internal planning. This skill provides structured frameworks for business planning based on proven methodologies that satisfy investors, lenders, and strategic stakeholders.

A strong business plan is your roadmap and your pitch. This skill helps you think through your business model, validate market opportunity, project financials realistically, and communicate your vision compellingly. Whether you're raising venture capital, securing a bank loan, or planning strategic growth, this provides the structure and rigor required.

Built on business planning best practices from leading accelerators, investors, and strategic consultants, this skill combines market analysis, financial modeling, and strategic thinking to create plans that drive action and secure resources.

## Core Workflows

### Workflow 1: Business Plan Structure
**Standard business plan outline (20-40 pages typical)**

1. **Executive Summary (1-2 pages)**
   - Company overview and mission
   - Problem and solution
   - Market opportunity (TAM, SAM, SOM)
   - Business model and revenue streams
   - Competitive advantage
   - Financial highlights (3-year projections)
   - Funding ask and use of funds
   - Write this LAST (summarize entire plan)

2. **Company Description (2-3 pages)**
   - Company history and background
   - Legal structure (LLC, C-corp, etc.)
   - Location and facilities
   - Mission, vision, values
   - Key milestones achieved
   - Current stage (pre-revenue, early revenue, growth)

3. **Products & Services (3-5 pages)**
   - Detailed product/service descriptions
   - Features and benefits
   - Intellectual property (patents, trademarks)
   - Product roadmap and R&D
   - Pricing strategy
   - Competitive positioning

4. **Market Analysis (5-7 pages)**
   - Industry overview and trends
   - Target market definition
   - Market size (TAM, SAM, SOM)
   - Customer segments and personas
   - Market trends and drivers
   - Regulatory environment

5. **Competitive Analysis (3-4 pages)**
   - Direct and indirect competitors
   - Competitive landscape matrix
   - Strengths and weaknesses analysis
   - Competitive advantages (moats)
   - Barriers to entry

6. **Marketing & Sales Strategy (4-5 pages)**
   - Go-to-market strategy
   - Marketing channels and tactics
   - Sales process and methodology
   - Customer acquisition strategy
   - Customer retention strategy
   - Pricing and positioning

7. **Operations Plan (3-4 pages)**
   - Production/service delivery process
   - Suppliers and vendors
   - Facilities and equipment
   - Technology and systems
   - Quality control
   - Scalability plan

8. **Management Team (2-3 pages)**
   - Organizational structure
   - Leadership team bios
   - Key advisors and board members
   - Talent acquisition plan
   - Compensation philosophy

9. **Financial Projections (5-7 pages)**
   - Income statement (3-5 year projections)
   - Cash flow statement
   - Balance sheet
   - Key assumptions
   - Break-even analysis
   - Unit economics

10. **Funding Request (2-3 pages)** *(if raising capital)*
    - Amount seeking
    - Use of funds (detailed breakdown)
    - Type of funding (equity, debt, convertible note)
    - Terms sought
    - Exit strategy

11. **Appendix**
    - Detailed financials
    - Market research data
    - Product specs
    - Letters of intent from customers
    - Resumes of key team members

### Workflow 2: Market Analysis & Sizing
**Validate market opportunity with data**

1. **Market Segmentation**
   - **TAM (Total Addressable Market)**: Total market demand
     - Example: All email marketing software globally = $5B
   - **SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market)**: Market you can serve
     - Example: Email marketing for SMBs in US = $1B
   - **SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market)**: Market you can capture
     - Example: Realistic 5% market share = $50M

2. **Market Research Methods**
   - **Primary Research**: Surveys, interviews, focus groups
   - **Secondary Research**: Industry reports (Gartner, Forrester, IBISWorld)
   - **Competitive Analysis**: Competitor revenue estimates, market share
   - **Government Data**: Census, industry statistics
   - **Trade Associations**: Industry reports and benchmarks

3. **Customer Segmentation**
   - Define 2-3 target customer segments
   - Create detailed personas:
     - Demographics (age, income, location, role)
     - Psychographics (values, motivations, pain points)
     - Behavior (buying patterns, media consumption)
     - Needs and goals
   - Quantify each segment size and value

4. **Market Trends**
   - Growth rate and trajectory
   - Technology disruptions
   - Regulatory changes
   - Demographic shifts
   - Macro-economic factors

### Workflow 3: Financial Projections & Modeling
**Build credible 3-5 year financial forecasts**

1. **Revenue Model**
   Choose appropriate model for your business:
   - **SaaS**: MRR × # of customers
   - **E-commerce**: Units sold × Average order value
   - **Marketplace**: GMV × Take rate
   - **Freemium**: Free users × Conversion rate × ARPU
   - **Service**: Billable hours × Hourly rate × Utilization

2. **Revenue Projections**
   - Start with bottom-up model:
     - Month 1: X customers at $Y/month = $Z
     - Assume X% MoM growth
     - Project 36-60 months forward
   - Validate with top-down:
     - If capturing 1% of $1B market = $10M (achievable?)
   - Build multiple scenarios: Conservative, Base, Optimistic

3. **Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)**
   - Direct costs tied to revenue
   - Variable costs that scale with sales
   - Examples: Hosting, payment processing, manufacturing, shipping
   - Calculate gross margin % (Revenue - COGS) / Revenue
   - Target gross margins by industry:
     - SaaS: 75-90%
     - E-commerce: 30-50%
     - Services: 50-70%

4. **Operating Expenses**
   - **Salaries & Benefits**: Headcount plan × average salary
   - **Marketing & Sales**: CAC × new customers, campaigns
   - **Rent & Facilities**: Office space, utilities
   - **Software & Tools**: SaaS subscriptions, licenses
   - **Professional Services**: Legal, accounting
   - **R&D**: Product development, engineering
   - Model month-by-month for Year 1, quarterly for Years 2-3

5. **Cash Flow Projections**
   ```
   Starting Cash
   + Revenue collected (consider payment terms: Net 30)
   - COGS paid
   - Operating expenses paid
   - CapEx (equipment, buildout)
   = Ending Cash
   ```
   - Identify cash flow gaps (when do you run out of cash?)
   - Determine funding needed to reach profitability or next milestone

6. **Key Metrics to Calculate**
   - **Break-even point**: When revenue = total costs
   - **Burn rate**: Monthly cash spent
   - **Runway**: Months of cash remaining
   - **CAC**: Customer acquisition cost
   - **LTV**: Customer lifetime value
   - **LTV:CAC ratio** (target: 3:1 or higher)
   - **Payback period**: Months to recover CAC
   - **Rule of 40**: (Growth rate % + Profit margin %) ≥ 40 (for SaaS)

### Workflow 4: Competitive Analysis
**Understand competitive landscape and differentiation**

1. **Competitor Identification**
   - **Direct Competitors**: Same product, same market
   - **Indirect Competitors**: Different solution to same problem
   - **Future Competitors**: Adjacent players who could enter
   - Identify top 5-10 competitors to analyze

2. **Competitive Matrix**
   Create table comparing you vs. competitors on:
   - Product features
   - Pricing
   - Target market
   - Distribution channels
   - Strengths and weaknesses
   - Market share/revenue (estimated)

3. **Competitive Advantages (Moats)**
   Identify sustainable advantages:
   - **Technology**: Proprietary technology, patents
   - **Network Effects**: Value increases with users
   - **Brand**: Strong brand recognition and loyalty
   - **Switching Costs**: Hard for custom