Is your marketing plan in order?  If you are seeking private equity funding like venture capital, you need to have a solid, focused marketing plan that VCs will find believable and accurate.

Any new business can swipe a marketing plan template from the internet and fill in the blanks and substitute information to suit their needs.  However, entrepreneurs with big business ideas that are worthy of venture capital investment must have a uniquely written and tightly honed business plan. 

The Elements of Your VC Business Plan

Business plans all have similar basic elements.  You should include:

• An Executive Summary
• Your business overview and objectives
• Marketing Plan and Strategy, including target markets, as well as your product and pricing strategies
• Competition Analysis
• Expense Budgets
• Sales Forecasts

Executive Summary – Your executive summary and business overview should highlight what your business idea is and how it will fill a niche in the industry.  You should also highlight the leadership team and their expertise. 

Marketing Plan – Your marketing section may be the longest part of your business plan.  You will need to reveal your market research conclusions and strategies for marketing to your target customer base.  Explain your promotional strategies for entering the market and how you plan to grow your customer base.  Reveal the unique positioning of your business and the competitive markets you plan to enter.

Competition Analysis – Be realistic about your competition.  Venture capitalists know that your business will not be the only one of its kind.  Honestly conduct your competitive analysis and reveal the obstacles you may encounter with other companies.

Financial Forecasting – The financials, including your expense and sales forecasts, are important for VCs who need to develop a good and accurate financial picture of your business success.  In this section, it is critical that you project accurate data and make conservative assumptions about your sales figures and planned expenses.  Remember, VCs want to invest in companies that will make money.  Be sure to show them just how well your company will perform and back up your estimations with good and solid data.  You can use industry averages, your competition’s revenues, and other figures, but always make sure that you are justifying why you are utilizing these calculations. 

One of the most important documents your new entrepreneurial venture needs is a solid business plan.  Work on it tirelessly.  Hone it so that it shines.  Make your business plan the crown jewel of your business to show venture capitalists, and you may find a lucrative start-up check to make your business dreams a reality.

Tags: angel investor, Find funding, venture capital, Venture Capital Marketing Plan, Venture Capitalist

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