There is no official template, but strong plans follow a similar structure, because every section has to feed one of the three tests. Here is the structure we use and what each part must prove.
- Executive summary: the business, the innovation and the ask, in one page. Write it last.
- The founder(s): background, skills and why you are the right person. This supports viability.
- The problem: who has it, how painful it is and the evidence that it exists.
- The solution and innovation: what you are building and exactly how it differs from existing options.
- Market research: UK market size, target segments and cited sources, not guesses.
- Competitor analysis: named competitors and a clear comparison.
- Business model: how you make money, pricing and unit economics.
- Go-to-market: how you will find and win your first customers.
- Operations and team: suppliers, technology, premises and hiring plan, which together show scalability.
- Milestones: dated, measurable goals for years one to three. These are checked at contact points.
- Financial forecast: three years of revenue, costs, cash flow and funding, with every assumption stated.
- Risks and mitigation: what could go wrong and what you will do about it.
Show, do not just tell
The strongest plans attach evidence: survey results, letters of intent, pilot results, and above all a working prototype. A product an assessor can click through says more about viability than pages of description.
Common mistakes
- Writing for a bank instead of for an endorsing body. The three tests must be explicit.
- Financials that do not match the narrative, such as hiring ten people with revenue for two.
- Uncited market figures.
- A plan the founder cannot explain in interview.
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