Released on: March 10, 2008, 8:36 pm

Press Release Author: Mahender Singh

Industry: Management

Press Release Summary: How long should a business plan be? A business plan needs to
be whatever length is required to excite the investor, prove that management truly
understands the market, and detail the execution strategy. From surveys of investor
needs, Growthink has found that 15 to 25 pages of text is the optimum length in
which to accomplish this. Anymore and the time-constrained investor will be forced
to skim certain sections of the plan, even if they are generally interested, which
could lead them to miss essential elements. Any less and the investor will think
that the business has not been fully thought through, or will simply not have enough
information to make an investment decision.

Press Release Body: How long should a business plan be? A business plan needs to be
whatever length is required to excite the investor, prove that management truly
understands the market, and detail the execution strategy. From surveys of investor
needs, Growthink has found that 15 to 25 pages of text is the optimum length in
which to accomplish this. Anymore and the time-constrained investor will be forced
to skim certain sections of the plan, even if they are generally interested, which
could lead them to miss essential elements. Any less and the investor will think
that the business has not been fully thought through, or will simply not have enough
information to make an investment decision.

Many management teams feel that their company is too complex to describe in 15 to 25
pages. While this is sometimes true, the business plan is not meant to tell the
whole story. Rather, the company must be boiled down into its essential elements. If
the investor is interested, there will be plenty of additional time to tell the
whole story.

Business plans, like other marketing communications documents, should be visually
appealing and easy-to-read. This can be accomplished by using charts and graphics
and by formatting the plan for readability. Effectively using these techniques will
enable the investor to more quickly and easily understand the company's value
proposition within fewer pages.

While the body of the business plan should be 15 to 25 pages, the Appendix can be
used for supplemental information. The Appendix should include a full set of
financial projections, and as appropriate, technical and/or operational drawings,
partnership and/or customer agreements, expanded competitor reviews, and lists of
key customers among others.

If the Appendix is long, a divider should be used to separate it from the body of
the plan, or a separate Appendix document should be prepared. These techniques
ensure that the investor is not handed a thick business plan, which will make them
queasy before even opening it up.

To summarize, the goal of the business plan is to create interest not to have an
investor write you a check. In creating interest, the full story of your company
need not be told. Rather, the plan should include the essential elements regarding
why an investor should invest and spend more time examining the business
opportunity. The shorter length does not mean that your business plan should take
less time to prepare. Rather, it will take more time. As Mark Twain once said, If I
had more time, I would write a shorter story. Likewise, condensing your business
plan to a concise, compelling document is challenging and time consuming.
Fortunately the rewards are significant.


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