Introduction to Private Equity: Venture, Growth, LBO and Turn-Around Capital, 2nd Edition

Template 6 (Company)

BUSINESS PLAN

Note: this template is for illustration only, and does not replace professional advice in the conception of such documents. This document is adapted from a template of the Australian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (http://www.avcal.com.au/looking-for-capital/preparing-a-business-plan). The page also provides advice to structure an elevator pitch.1

The business plan is the defining document to convince investors (who view hundreds of these documents per year) that the company and its management team have the ability to achieve their goals within a specified timeframe matching the investors’. This document should explain:

• The nature of the business.
• What the management wants to achieve.
• How the company is going reach this goal.

The management of the company prepares the business plan, which should set ambitious but achievable targets.

Business plans range from 30 to more than a 100 pages. They should address a rather broad public of investors, executives (current or would-be), stakeholders (including potentially banks, leasing companies, etc.), and thus be understandable by an educated but non-specialised public. It should hence avoid jargon and also baseless statements (i.e., all affirmations should be based on facts and figures).

This document should be revised regularly to reflect the progresses, the obstacles encountered, and the new targets of the company. These update cycles are the occasion to reflect on past projections ...