Creating a Business Plan According to the Stanford Approach - Structure, Content & Instructions
Klaus Giller 5/4/2023
In this article, you will learn how to create a professional business plan and what to pay attention to.
Table of contents
- What is a business plan and how does a business plan differ from a business model?
- Who needs a business plan and what for?
- What should be considered before developing a business plan?
- How is a business plan structured and what does it contain?
- Value-Creation-Model (How is value created for end customers?)
- Profit Model
- Business Logic
- Concluding Remarks
- 10 typische Fehler beim Erstellen eines Businessplans
- Beispiel eines professionellen Businessplans und Vorlage
- Fazit
Creating a business plan is one of the most important tasks when implementing a new business idea. Our guest author Klaus Giller refers in the following to an approach taught as part of the Stanford Lead Program.
Additionally you will receive:
- a free template you can use to create your own business plan
- a already completed professional business plan using an example
What is a business plan and how does a business plan differ from a business model?
A business model describes how an organization creates value (Value) for end customers and how a portion of this value is extracted in the form of revenue.
A business model consists of:
- Value-Creation-Model or value creation model: how is value created for end customers?
- Profit Model: How is revenue generated?
- Business Logic also called Business Flywheel: What is the business goal and how do you achieve it?
The business model is the core of the business plan, but the business plan also includes additional elements such as:
- Detailed marketing strategy including market entry strategy
- Detailed financial planning
- Test plan
- Risk and Mitigation Plan (Risk and Risk Mitigation Plan)
To put it succinctly, a business model describes how an idea can be successful on paper, while the business plan describes how this idea is implemented in reality.
Who needs a business plan and what for?
A business plan is a step-by-step guide that describes how a business idea is successfully implemented in reality. A business plan can either be created for a new company to be founded (start-up), or as an expansion of an existing organization (such as Disney's decision to enter the streaming business).
Thus, a business plan is needed by:
- Entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs
- Banks (as a basis for credit decisions)
- Investors (as a basis for investment decisions)
- C-Level (as a decision basis whether a business idea should actually be implemented)
- Support funds for young entrepreneurs
What should be considered before developing a business plan?
The concept of a business plan is intimidating to many entrepreneurs, mainly for two reasons:
- Large time investment
- Unexpected challenges
Regarding the first point, time investment: For a professional business plan, time must be invested. In addition, a business plan is a living document. You will gain new insights while writing the business plan that will need to be incorporated.
Regarding the second point, unexpected challenges: You will inevitably encounter things while writing a business plan that you hadn't previously thought of and that will force you to critically examine your business idea. At the same time, you will also identify new opportunities.
How is a business plan structured and what does it contain?
At the core of the business plan is always the business model. As mentioned above, a business model consists of:
- The Value-Creation-Model
- The Profit Model
- The Business Logic
Imagine a business model like a house, and you are the architect. The Value-Creation-Model and the Profit Model form the foundation of the house. The Business Logic is the roof.
Source: Depiction of the Core Business Models based on Stanford Lead Program, Business Model Architecture
We now want to take a closer look at these three elements of the business model.
NOTE: To make the creation of a business plan more practical, I frequently refer to a fictional startup in the following passages, for which I developed a business plan as part of the Stanford program:
Traveltoyourroots.com: The business idea is traveltoyourroots.com, a DNA travel agency, which plans a unique journey into the past based on an analysis of your DNA. An ancestry analysis identifies the ethnic mix of individuals and a journey to your origins is planned.
The business plan for the fictional startup is also available in its entirety for viewing.
Value-Creation-Model (How is value created for end customers?)
1. Who are your customers?
A target group definition corresponds to a profile of your core target group. The core target group is the group of people for whom your business idea creates a great deal of value and at the same time this group of people must also be large enough to provide scalability to the business idea.
It is also important that your target group definition goes beyond demographic characteristics. This means that you must also examine how these people tick. Why does your solution make a big difference to them in particular?
The target group definition using the example of traveltoyourroots.com:
The hobby genealogists: an older audience (50+) interested in their family history. They have the money and the time to travel. For them, this journey is not just a vacation. It is a journey that fills the gaps in their family history and lets them feel connected to their ancestors. They don't look for an identity, they want to add flavor to their lives and gather stories to tell. They view themselves as one leaf on the big tree.
The identity-seeking millennials: Millennials significantly differ from hobby genealogists. Unlike hobby genealogists, they don't respond to the idea of exploring their family history by screaming “I have waited for that my whole life!” They need a reason. They must understand how exploring one's origins can add meaning to their life.
2. What is your offer?
Here you explain in a few words your product or service offer. How does your solution work?
Again, the fictional startup traveltoyourroots.com serves as an example:
My idea is to start a travel agency specialized in DNA journeys. The user would share the DNA results with my travel agency who would then plan a trip for the customer to the places his/her origins can be traced back to. By not only sharing the DNA results but also sharing the family tree from sites such as ancestry.com or myheritage.com our genealogists can make the journey even more meaningful by analyzing the tree and finding places of significance that the customer can visit. This is the most personal journey a person could embark on.
3. How is value created?
Here you combine the two points mentioned above - target group and offer. How does your offer create value for the defined target group?
This is one of the most important points in a business plan. An approach that can help you answer this essential question in a business plan is to define a Point of View Statement (POV). A Point of View Statement consists of three elements:
- It describes the end customers for whom the solutions are intended
- His or her needs
- The insight that explains why this need is so urgent
Here an example from BipSync, a Stanford Start-up Garage team. BipSync has interviewed more than 20 investment analysts and after a long process they have come to the following Point of View Statement (Source: Stanford Lead Program, Design Thinking From Insights to Viability):
- DAVID the disorganized analyst who is good at what he does, but is really bad about staying organized and following workflow productivity best practices
- NEEDs to save the time he wastes in gathering, finding, and recreating knowledge that already exists
- BECAUSE he spends too much of his day on activities that frustrate him and prevent him from making money by looking at more ideas.
In general, there are 4 archetypes of how a product or service offering can create value for users that differs from other companies:
- Operational Excellence: This includes companies that manage to minimize the costs of a product or service offering. Examples of this are Walmart or Aldi in Germany.
- Product/Service Innovation: this category includes product or service offerings that offer consumers a unique user experience through innovation. Most tech startups fall into this category. Many Apple products like the iPod or even iTunes can serve as examples here. Another example is Valve's Steam, a video game digital distribution service, which set new standards in the video game industry at the time of its introduction.
- Customer Intimacy: Some companies create value by knowing their customers better than the competition, as this enables them to offer customers solutions that are perfectly tailored to their needs. Many data companies fall into this category, as the generation and analysis of data is used to create individual offers instead of generic solutions that customers are willing to pay a premium for.
- Value-Chain-Coordination: Companies can also create value by coordinating elements of a value chain. This sounds very abstract now, but an example will clarify what is meant. eBay is an online platform that allows buyers and sellers to trade. The direct added value is created by platform users, but eBay facilitates contact and business completion between buyers and sellers. eBay thus creates value by simplifying business processes, reducing transaction costs and minimizing product search effort. Another example of the value chain archetype are dating platforms.
4. What does your value chain look like?
Here you have to sketch and explain your company's value chain, showing which parts of the value chain you own, which parts of the value chain you do not own but control, and which parts of the value chain are outside your sphere of influence.
What is a value chain or value chain? A value chain is the entire life cycle of a product or service, from the procurement of raw materials, through production, to consumption of the product and subsequent recycling.
We distinguish between elements of a value chain that are owned (owned), controlled (controlled) and neither owned nor controlled. The more elements of a value chain you own and control, the more profitable is the value chain.
Here is an example of a value chain for our fictional travel start-up:
Example of a value chain
5. What does your market entry strategy look like and how do you want to scale?
First of all. "If you build it, they will come" never works in reality. Unfortunately, many good ideas fail because there is no effective strategy to create enough "awareness" or they fail to make the leap from the niche market of early adopters to the mass market.
When creating the market entry strategy, you should therefore heed the following points:
- Focus on your core target group: For which group of consumers (B2C) or companies (B2B) does your solution provide the greatest benefit?
- Define your start market: since your resources and your marketing budget will be very limited at the beginning, you should focus on a market (segment or geography) that you know.
- User Research: You must know your customers like the back of your hand. The importance of user research cannot be emphasized enough. Surveys, 1:1 interviews, focus groups. The best insights and marketing messages always come directly from the customers.
The leap from niche to mass market - scaling - is a major challenge. Therefore, it is important to think about how the so-called "adoption curve" should look from an early stage.
What is the adoption curve or adoption lifecycle: The adoption curve describes the acceptance of a novel product or service among different customer segments on a time scale.
There are five different segments:
- Innovators: these are people who are always looking for the latest innovations and have strong influencer effects on other users. This customer segment tests products already in early access or beta stage and often helps with feedback for fine-tuning.
- Early Adopters: these are users for whom innovation is important in order to stay ahead in a competitive world. This customer group is not very price sensitive, but unlike innovators, they already demand a high product and service quality, including customer support.
- Early Majority: these are pragmatists who prefer to let other users test a product and wait until they are sure that it meets their own requirements. This segment relies heavily on the recommendations of the customer groups mentioned above. These are not the users who sleep in front of the Apple Stores to get the new iPhone first, but those users who maybe wait for half a year to make sure that the purchase is the right decision.
- Late Majority: this customer segment is very price sensitive, very risk averse and will only become active when the product has received many positive reviews and the risk of a bad buy is minimal.
- Laggards: Skeptics who are only very difficult to convince of new solutions and often only jump on the bandwagon when the product lifecycle is well advanced.
When designing the adoption curve it is important to show how to move from one segment to another. Here is an example based on our fictional start-up traveltoyourroots.com:
Example of an Adoption Curve
Profit Model
1. Where does your revenue come from?
In this part of the business plan you describe the revenue streams or revenue streams in your business model. Basically there are three categories of revenue streams:
1. Transactional: Customers pay a fixed price for a unit, such as a pair of shoes, or a liter of milk. Within the transaction-based model, two special cases are distinguished:
- Input-based: here the price depends on the amount of resources used during production. An example is cloud computing services, where the price depends on how long a server is used.
- Output-based: in this model the output or parts of the output are counted and a price is calculated using a formula. An example of this is online marketing, where publishers are paid based on the number of ad impressions served using a CPM formula.
2. Subscription or subscription service: Customers pay a fixed fee in this model and in return receive a defined number of product units (e.g. newspaper subscription) or unlimited access to a service (e.g. Disney Plus, Netflix etc.).
3. Licensing or Licensing: this revenue model is particularly prevalent in the IP (Intellectual Property) and B2B sectors. Customers pay a licensing fee that allows them to use, copy, or sell products. This model is very common in the software sector.
2. What does your cost structure look like?
We generally distinguish between fixed costs (costs that are incurred regardless of the level of activity, such as rent or insurance) and variable costs (costs that are dependent on the activity level of a company, such as electricity or packaging material).
The distinction between fixed costs and variable costs is of great importance as it largely defines how scalable your business concept is. Basically, the higher your fixed cost share, the more scalable is the business idea.
3. What are your unit economics?
The concept of unit economics breaks down the profitability of a company to the smallest common denominator, the unit of business. This is a main factor for the scalability of a company's concept, as it allows for good calculation of how the overall profitability changes with a different number of business units.
An example will clarify the concept: Take Lime Microbility. You certainly know all the electric scooters that are currently flooding European cities. The concept is quite simple: A user downloads an app, which shows him where a scooter is available nearby and he can rent it immediately. It then charges a minimum fee plus costs per time unit. If Lime now buys an additional E-Roller instead of 100. What costs come for Lime?
- The purchase costs for the scooter itself
- The maintenance costs for the additional scooter including any repairs
- The costs for charging the scooter
- Possibly insurance costs for the scooter (in case it is stolen or destroyed)
There are probably more costs that need to be considered. What is important is that only high-level fixed costs such as employees in the headquarters, or office costs should not be considered in the unit economics, as these costs will be incurred regardless of whether an additional unit is added or not.
4. How do you become profitable?
The analysis of the unit economics also helps you understand how many units you need to become profitable. Or in other words: the break even point is reached when the sum of the gross margins of the business units cover the fixed costs of the company. Accordingly, this gross margin per business unit is a very essential factor for profitability. But there are also other factors that play an important role as profitability drivers, such as the marketing investment needed to win new customers, or the price sensitivity of customers.
Business Logic
My favorite part of a business model is the business logic. Because here the entire complex business model is broken down to the most elementary components.
Two questions are at the center of business logic:
- What is your business goal?
- How do you achieve this goal?
What is your business goal?
For this, the planning horizon must first be defined and clear priorities set. These priorities look different depending on the type of company: For profit-oriented organizations, reaching the break-even point as quickly as possible is the top priority, while a non-profit organization might focus on raising awareness for a particular problem.
How do you achieve this goal?
Here we introduce the concept of the Virtuous Cycle, also known as the "Flywheel".
Let's take our fictional startup traveltoyourroots.com. Our goal is to provide customers with a unique user experience to establish a new way of traveling.
And this is what our Flywheel looks like:
And this is what our Flywheel looks like:
Example of a Flywheel
More happy customers > more word of mouth > leads to category growth > leads to more site traffic > leads to more bookings > leads to more revenue > more revenue allows us to invest more in marketing and more in the user experience > more happy customers and the cycle starts anew.
Here are two other well-known examples: Walmart and ebay
Walmart: Walmart's goal is profit maximization through operational excellence, i.e. minimizing end consumer prices through state-of-the-art technologies and state-of-the-art inventory management.
This is what Walmart's Flywheel looks like:
Walmart Flywheel. Source: Stanford Lead Program, Business Model Architecture: Business Models - A Quick Introduction
Low costs > Best price guarantee > Higher volume > Faster by sale and better return on inventory > Further investment in processes and technologies > lower costs
Amazon: another well-known example of a successful "Flywheel" is Amazon:
Source: Amazon
In this video the former Amazon CEO Jeff Wilke explains the famous Amazon Flywheel
From Business Model to Business Plan
- We have now discussed all elements of the Business Model:
- Value-Creation-Model
- Profit Model
Business Logic
The business model is the core of the business plan and describes how an idea can be successful on paper, while the business plan describes how this idea will be implemented in reality.
We will therefore now discuss the elements that complete the business model and make a complete business plan:
- Source: Presentation of the Business Plan Cornerstones based on Stanford Lead Program, Business Model ArchitectureBackgound & Summary
- (Executive Overview & Goal/ Industry) Context
- Competitive Analysis
- SAM & SAM Growth
- Financial Model
- Long Term Outlook
- Risks and Mitigation Plan
- Experimentation Plan
Concluding Remarks
Background & Summary
In this part you explain the industry and context of the project. You should add any information that helps outsiders better understand the business model. In the example of our start-up traveltoyourroots.com we are operating in both the travel industry and the human genetics industry.
It therefore makes sense to look at the latter in a bit more detail, as it can be assumed that the recipients of the business plan - for example investors - are not necessarily familiar with this very special industry.
In general, you should avoid business jargon and acronyms that are not understandable to ordinary people.
Executive Overview
In the Executive Overview, you briefly present your idea, the problem you are solving, for whom you are solving it, why the time is right for your idea (for example because external factors are particularly favorable at the moment, such as Corona and video chat tools), and what your business goal is.
With the business goal, you should not think too strictly in terms of revenue or profit, but rather talk about your vision: In the case of a mental health app, the goal could be to provide people with mental problems with access to qualified psychologists at any time and from anywhere. Think more in terms of:
why do I want to found? In most cases you probably had an idea of how a problem could be solved. This is what you should focus on. After all, you also have to tell a story with a business plan.
Industry Context
- You should always assume that the recipients of your business plan - such as investors - are not or not as deeply familiar with the industries in which your business idea is rooted. This makes it all the more important to provide context:
- How big is the industry?
- How does it develop?
What trends are relevant in this context? (Corona, recession, demographic development of end customers etc.)
Competitive Analysis
A careful competitive analysis is a mandatory part of every professional business plan. It is important to consider not only direct competitors today, but also potential competitors that could emerge in the coming years. These include companies that operate in the same industry, but with different business models. SemrushA tool I often use for competition analysis is , but alternatives such as ,
or
also help to get a quick overview of the competition.
Value chains drawing: I rely on
, which also offers a free version.
Create pitch deck:
is a great, intuitive design tool that allows you to create high-quality pitch decks, provided you have rudimentary design skills.Error-free English: is a real life saver when writing English business plans. The free version of Grammarly is usually sufficient here, the paid version also offers other helpful features that elevate your business plan to a professional language level.
ConclusionYou may be dreading the challenge of having to write a business plan. And yes, the time investment should not be underestimated and you will encounter things when writing that will question your business model. Now comes the big but: Writing a business plan also holds enormous opportunities. Because only when you illuminate every aspect of a business idea, when you face every challenge, will you gain the confidence needed to convince investors and other stakeholders of your own idea. You will probably even come across new opportunities while writing your business plan that you were not initially aware of.The comparison with a house always helped me to realize what a successful business model consists of:Value Creation Model and Profit Model form the foundation, the Business Logic the roof. If you implement these parts solidly in your business plan, you increase the likelihood of making your business idea a reality many times over. So, good luck and no shortcuts! mag es auch geografische Beschränkungen geben, die es verhindern, den Streamingdienst anzubieten.
China ist etwa aufgrund diverser Beschränkungen (Stichwort: the great firewall) für Unternehmen trotz des immensen Potenzials häufig nicht zugänglich.
Die Konsequenz ist, dass der SAM immer kleiner ist als der TAM:
Der SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market) ist relevanter als der TAM (Total-Addressable-Market)
Du solltest, wenn möglich, immer den SAM heranziehen, um das Marktpotenzial darzustellen.
Financial Model
Ein Finanzmodell sollte ebenfalls Teil deines Business-Plans sein. Das Finanzmodell sollte einerseits deine geplante Kostenstruktur abbilden, sowie den Break-even Punkt – wann dein Start-up voraussichtlich zum ersten Mal profitabel sein wird – und andererseits dient das Finanzmodell auch dazu zu zeigen, welchen Einfluss die Veränderung bestimmter Variablen wie Markt Penetration oder Marketing Conversionraten auf dein gesamtes Geschäftsmodell und dessen Profitabilität hat.
Ein Beispiel, wie so ein Modell aussehen kann, findest du in dem Businessplan, den ich diesem Artikel beigefügt habe. Zum Thema des Planungshorizonts kommen häufig Fragen. Ich empfehle, 3 Jahre detailliert zu planen und maximal 10 Jahre mit groben Wachstumsprognosen. Die langfristige Planung dient eher dazu, das langfristige Potenzial zu zeigen.
Long Term Outlook
Im Businessplan muss man sowohl das kurzfristige als auch das langfristige Potenzial einer Geschäftsidee berücksichtigen. Insbesondere muss deine Geschäftsidee im Kontext eines sich verändernden Marktes gesehen werden. Dieser Punkt geht häufig Hand in Hand mit dem SAM, da im Zuge der SAM-Kalkulation meistens auch die Wachstumsprognosen des Marktpotenzials behandelt werden. Gerade in neuen Märkten muss der Punkt Long Term Outlook länger behandelt werden, da es hier größere Year over Year Wachstumsraten gibt, während sich das Marktpotenzial in einem bereits erwachsenen Markt nur minimal von Jahr zu Jahr verändert.
Risks & Mitigation Plan
Jeder neuen Geschäftsidee wohnt eine gewisse Volatilität inne. Sprich, es gibt eine Reihe von externen Faktoren, die dem Erfolg im Wege stehen. Diese Risiken müssen von dir identifiziert werden, und es muss ein Plan ausgearbeitet werden, wie man diesen Herausforderungen begegnet, sollten diese tatsächlich eintreten.
Beispiele von Risiken: Hackerangriffe, geopolitische Konflikte (siehe Krieg in der Ukraine), Lieferengpässe, Pandemien (Corona) etc.
Im Bereich der Mitigation unterscheidet man 4 Arten:
- Risk-Acceptance: hier wird ein Risiko bewusst in Kauf genommen, beispielsweise weil die Koste für das Vermeiden des Risikos zu hoch sind
- Risk-Avoidance: idealerweise sollten Risiken vermieden werden, indem die notwendigen Vorkehrungen getroffen werden, sofern die Kosten für die Vorkehrungen den potenziellen Schaden nicht überschreiten
- Risk-Limitation: hier kann ein Risiko zwar nicht komplett vermieden, aber zumindest limitiert werden
- Risk-Transference: hier wird ein Risiko übergeben, beispielsweise in Form einer Versicherung
Experimentation-Plan
Bei neuen Geschäftsmodellen ist natürlich vieles auf Hypothesen gebaut. Das Testen dieser Annahmen ist ein ganz essenzieller Teil des Start-up-Lebens. Nichts ist in Stein gemeißelt und du solltet datengetrieben an dein Geschäftsmodell herangehen und nicht zu emotional an frühen Ideen hängen. Siehe auch Pivot. Was getestet werden soll, musst du dir genau überlegen, denn deine Ressourcen sind gerade in der frühen Gründungsphase begrenzt. Deshalb ist es wichtig, sich sehr bewusst zu sein, was die wesentlichsten Hypothesen sind, auf denen dein Geschäftsmodell fußt und wo du Antworten am dringendsten benötigst.
Getestet werden können:
- User Expectations
- Preispunkte
- Zielgruppen
- etc.
Hier ein Beispiel eines rudimentären Experimentation-Plans anhand unseres Start-ups traveltoyourroots.com:
Beispiel eines Experimentation-Plans
Concluding Remarks
Wenn ein* Investor*in deinen Businessplan bis zu diesem Punkt liest, hast du schon viel gewonnen. Hier kannst du nochmals deine Idee verkaufen und den oder die Adressaten mit einem positiven Gefühl zurücklassen.
10 typische Fehler beim Erstellen eines Businessplans
1. Businessplan wird nicht aktualisiert
Ein Businessplan ist ein lebendiges Dokument. Einen Businessplan einmal zu schreiben und erst dann wieder hervorzuholen, wenn etwa ein potenzieller Investor danach fragt, ist zu wenig. Der Businessplan sollte Veränderungen im Geschäftsmodell aufgrund beispielsweise von externen Faktoren oder weil neue Einblicke in die Zielgruppen gewonnen werden konnten, abbilden.
2. Businessplan wird zu spät begonnen
Der Prozess einen Businessplan zu schreiben – zumindest eine Rohfassung – sollte relativ früh starten. Ein Grund dafür ist, dass man zu Beginn noch nicht so sehr in die eigene Idee verliebt ist, und Schwachpunkte, Risiken, und Potenziale objektiver beurteilen kann. Beim Schreiben eines Businessplans kannst du nämlich auch zur Erkenntnis gelangen, dass die Zeit vielleicht noch nicht reif für deine Idee ist, bzw. dass die Herausforderungen unterschätzt wurden. Und diese Erkenntnis macht man lieber früher als zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt, wenn vielleicht schon viel Zeit und Ressourcen in das Projekt geflossen sind.
3. Pitch-Deck wird vor dem Businessplan erstellt
Ein Pitch-Deck sollte stets auf einem Businessplan fußen und nicht umgekehrt, da das Pitch-Deck ein Exzerpt des Businessplans darstellt. Ohne Businessplan fehlt dem Pitch-Deck das Fundament.
4. Executive Summary wird unterschätzt
Du solltest nicht davon ausgehen, dass die Adressaten deines Businessplans diesen wie einen Roman von Anfang bis Ende verschlingen. Viele, insbesondere Investoren, werden NUR die Executive Summary lesen. Deshalb sollte diese alle elementaren Bestandteile enthalten:
- Welches Problem löst deine Geschäftsidee?
- Wer ist deine Zielgruppe?
- Wieso ist jetzt die richtige Zeit zu investieren?
5. Unzureichende Wettbewerbsanalyse
Häufig wird zu wenig Zeit für eine umfassende Wettbewerbsanalyse investiert. Wichtig ist, dass nicht nur der unmittelbare Wettbewerb Stand heute berücksichtigt wird, sondern auch der potenzielle Wettbewerb von Unternehmen, die sich entschließen könnten, ein Geschäftsmodell ähnlich dem deinen auf den Markt zu bringen. Gerade von Investoren-Seite wird auf diesen Teil viel Wert gelegt.
6. Keine nachvollziehbaren Annahmen
Eines ist klar: du wirst in einem Businessplan sehr viel mit Annahmen arbeiten. Und das ist okay. Wichtig ist jedoch, dass diese Annahmen nachvollziehbar sind und auf seriösen Quellen fußen.
Ein Beispiel: wenn du dem Finanzplan eine Wachstumsrate zugrunde legst, die deutlich über dem Durchschnitt von Start-ups liegt, kann das für Investor*innen ein Problem darstellen, da die Seriosität des Businessplans dadurch infrage gestellt wird. Also, lieber konservativ kalkulieren und immer seriöse Quellen heranziehen.
7. Zu oberflächliche Zielgruppenanalyse
Wichtig ist, sich stets vor Augen zu führen, für wen man ein neues Produkt oder einen neuen Service entwickelt. Wie bereits beschrieben, reicht eine simple demografische Eingrenzung der Zielgruppe nicht aus. Wichtiger sind die Motive, weshalb User-Research absolute Prio in der Frühphase der Entwicklung einer Geschäftsidee haben sollte.
8. Unrealistische Kostenstruktur
Je größer der Anteil der Fixkosten, desto leichter ist eine Idee skalierbar. Leider kann dieses Wissen dazu führen, dass man den Anteil der Fixkosten unrealistisch hoch schätzt. Lieber realistisch einschätzen und vergesst nicht, dass das Gründerteam nicht für lau arbeiten kann.
9. Nur einer der Gründer*innen schreibt den Businessplan
Da der Businessplan eine elementare Entscheidungsgrundlage für Investor*innen, Kreditgeber*innen und andere Stakeholder darstellt, müssen alle Mitglieder des Gründungsteams daran arbeiten bzw. muss der Businessplan zumindest von allen Mitgliedern bestätigt und für gut befunden werden. Der Businessplan darf kein Solo-Projekt sein, es sei denn, das Gründungsteam besteht tatsächlich nur aus einer Person. In diesem Fall sollte man jedoch auf jeden Fall einen*eine Sparringspartner*in hinzuziehen.
10. Kundenakquise wird unterschätzt
Gerade Gründer*innen mit einem technischen Hintergrund unterschätzen häufig, wie wichtig es ist, plausibel darzustellen, wie Neukund*innen akquiriert werden sollen. Wie zuvor bereits erläutert, „If you build it, they will come“ funktioniert nicht. Es macht deshalb Sinn, sich Hilfe von Marketingexpert*innen zu holen, sofern man keinen CMO im Team hat.
Beispiel eines professionellen Businessplans und Vorlage
Hier findest du ein Beispiel eines Businessplans, den ich für das Stanford Lead Programm „Business Model Architecture“ erstellt habe. Außerdem gebe ich dir eine Vorlage an die Hand, mit der du selbst einen Businessplan erstellen kannst.
Software Tools für das Erstellen eines Businessplans:
- Wettbewerbsanalyse: ich setze hier vor allem auf Semrush (Jetzt kostenlos testen), doch auch Alternativen wie Seobility, Sistrix oder Ahrefs helfen dabei, sich einen raschen Überblick vom Wettbewerb zu machen.
- Wertschöpfungsketten zeichnen: ich greife hier auf Miro (Jetzt kostenlos anmelden) zurück, welches auch eine Gratisversion bietet.
- Pitch-Deck erstellen: Figma (Jetzt kostenlos bei Figma anmelden) ist ein tolles, intuitives Design-Tool, mit dem du hochwertige Pitch-Decks erstellen kannst, rudimentäre Design-Kenntnisse vorausgesetzt.
- Fehlerfreies Englisch: Grammarly ist ein echter Lebensretter beim Schreiben von englischen Businessplänen. Auch hier reicht die Gratisversion von Grammarly meist aus, die bezahlte Version bietet zudem noch weitere hilfreiche Features, die deinen Businessplan auf ein professionelles Sprachniveau hieven.
Fazit
Dir graut es vielleicht vor der Herausforderung, einen Businessplan schreiben zu müssen. Und ja, der Zeitaufwand sollte nicht unterschätzt werden und du wirst beim Schreiben auf Dinge stoßen, die dein Geschäftsmodell infrage stellen werden. Jetzt kommt das große Aber: Das Schreiben eines Businessplans birgt auch enorme Chancen. Denn erst, wenn man jeden Aspekt einer Geschäftsidee beleuchtet, wenn man sich jeder Herausforderung stellt, wird man die Sicherheit gewinnen, die notwendig ist, um Investoren und andere Stakeholder von der eigenen Idee zu überzeugen. Du wirst wahrscheinlich beim Schreiben deines Businessplans sogar auf neue Chancen stoßen, deren du dir anfangs gar nicht bewusst warst.
Mir hat der Vergleich mit einem Haus immer geholfen, mir zu vergegenwärtigen, woraus ein erfolgreiches Business Model besteht:
Value Creation Model und Profit Model bilden das Fundament, die Business Logic das Dach. Setzt du diese Teile in deinem Businessplan solide um, steigerst du die Wahrscheinlichkeit, deine Geschäftsidee Wirklichkeit werden zu lassen, um ein Vielfaches. Also, gutes Gelingen und keine Shortcuts!
Author
Klaus Giller
Author
Klaus Giller
Klaus Giller ist Gründer der auf analytische Kundenakquise spezialisierten Marketingberatung “mrkt’in” und hilft Unternehmen dabei, nachhaltige Wachstumsstrategien zu entwickeln. Er hat selbst in unterschiedlichen Unternehmen Wachstumsstrategien entwickelt und umgesetzt. Beispielsweise als Head of Marketing für den internationalen Wettanbieter “bet-at-home”, als Marketing-Lead für den amerikanischen Human Genetics Konzern “Ancestry” und als Vice President Marketing für das Pet Tech-Unternehmen “Tractive.” Er ist zudem Absolvent und Preisträger des renommierten Stanford LEAD Programms.
