A business plan will help you turn an idea into an investment opportunity. It requires you to think through all the parts of your investment opportunity to plan how it will all work. It will take a few weeks to write if you’re going to do it properly. Some parts will be easier to complete than others. You need to think things through to maximise your chances of success.
The best business plans are not long and complex; they explain only the most important information – what you want to achieve, how you will get there and the things you need to do along the way. Visuals and headline figures work well. It is important to show an investor that there is traction (e.g the intervention/programme/project has been piloted/pilot funded by government; or proof of excellence; other investors secured to cover human capital and marketing costs etc).
In this section, we introduce a framework to start your business plan and a pitch template to make the case for your projects to investors.
A pitch template to make a case to investors
- Idea: Put the idea behind the intervention/programme/project up front. Keep it simple.
- Problem: Visual showing size of problem, headline figures for the EU/country/region.
- Solution: Visual and words.
- How it works: Show you have the practicalities sorted out to implement the intervention / programme /project.
- Market: Headline figures e.g. % of people in EU with condition ‘x’, number of member states with relevant health programme, current uptake of health programme by eligible population, results of diagnosis at early stage.
- Market opportunity: you can highlight the “need” with an investor (public, private or charity), but make sure you focus on the “opportunity”.
- Business model: Show detailed financial projections or a diagram with revenue instruments you will rely on to generate income.
- Revenue model: Use a graph showing revenue expected to increase with 5 year projection. Also show how the intervention is going to scale. Demonstrate the returns on investment i.e. health impact, social impact, including potential environmental impact or added value that could improve growth prospects in a region or community.
- Team and partners: Proof of expertise and capacity to deliver.
- Advantages: list any advantages or added value you have.
- Competition and Traction: Summary of competition or alternatives provided by others. Show that you have traction with this intervention.
- What do we need from you? Headline investment figure. How it will be used e.g. Infrastructure, Human capital, Intervention tools, Team, Marketing.