{"id":618,"date":"2014-03-19T10:01:38","date_gmt":"2014-03-19T17:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gordonbenzie.com\/blog\/?p=618"},"modified":"2023-05-22T21:25:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T04:25:53","slug":"what-story-does-your-business-plan-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gordonbenzie.com\/blog\/what-story-does-your-business-plan-tell\/","title":{"rendered":"What Story Does your Business Plan Tell?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"what_is_story_of_your_business_plan\"<\/a>Most people have a pretty good idea of what a business plan is, and what should be included in it. If asked, I would suspect that many people could also tell you that a business plan should include an overview of the business, what the product or service is, the markets being pursued, the competition, as well as some sort of financial model.<\/p>\n

In the same way, if someone asked me how an airplane worked, I could tell you that lift was involved, and that the shape of the wings creates a vacuum, which that then helps the plane to get airborne. But, I don\u2019t think you would want me actually building an airplane \u2026<\/p>\n

In some ways, this analogy applies to business plans. There are subtleties involved as well as a good deal of work, which might preclude your ever getting the plan completed. In the end, if your being funded is dependent upon having a plan, it might be worth reaching out to someone who has actually written one before.<\/p>\n

As a business plan writer<\/a> who has written over 25 different plans, I understand that each one serves many needs and provides content for different audiences. For example, one of the sometimes overlooked attributes of a business plan is that it must tell a story \u2013 about you, your idea and your vision \u2013 and how new funding will make your story come true. If your reader can\u2019t quickly get the story, it is unlikely they will agree to fund your plan.<\/p>\n

The Vision<\/h3>\n

Business plans sell a \u201cvision\u201d or a \u201cdream\u201d of what you<\/i> see that a new business could be, could operate as and could deliver value to your target audience. Your initial audience are investors, potential partners and initial employees you will need to launch your vision.<\/p>\n

In this way, a business plan is really a marketing document that is written to pitch your idea to this group and get them excited about the prospect of \u201cgetting in\u201d on the ground floor. This sense of urgency of what a fantastic opportunity that awaits must be communicated. You need to tell a story of how your business can provide a greater good, or how it can help address a common challenge. And, if it is done right, your business could then earn everyone a nice profit at the same time.<\/p>\n

If this sounds like what is driving you to prepare a business plan, then you should recognize you have a story to tell. Just like a great Public Relations campaign, you have a story to get into your prospects (i.e. investor\u2019s) head. So, it is time to think like a PR professional, at least with regards to the structure and content you decide to put into your business plan.<\/p>\n

In my next post, I\u2019ll offer five ways to turn your business plan into a great story.<\/p>\n

Gordon Benzie<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0is a marketing communications professional and business plan adviser that specializes in preparing and executing upon business plans and marketing strategies. <\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most people have a pretty good idea of what a business plan is, and what should be included in it. If asked, I would suspect that many people could also tell you that a business plan should include an overview of the business, what the product or service is, the markets being pursued, the competition, … Continue reading What Story Does your Business Plan Tell?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,21,4,35],"tags":[68,70,27,74],"class_list":["post-618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-communications","category-business-plan","category-marketing-communications","category-public-relations","tag-business-plan-writer","tag-business-strategy","tag-messaging","tag-public-relations"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Story Does your Business Plan Tell? - Making Every Word Count<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gordonbenzie.com\/blog\/what-story-does-your-business-plan-tell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Story Does your Business Plan Tell? - Making Every Word Count\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most people have a pretty good idea of what a business plan is, and what should be included in it. 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