Presenting Your Plan

From Business Plan Essentials: How to Write a Business Plan

Turn a Plan into a Persuasive Conversation

A great business plan earns the right to be heard. A great presentation earns the “yes.” This chapter shows how to present your plan across formats—written submission, committee meetings, and investor pitches—while staying consistent with your numbers and operational logic.

1) Choose the Right Format for the Audience

• Lenders & Immigration: Prioritize written clarity, conservative assumptions, cash flow coverage, and well-labeled appendices.
• Investors & Partners: Lead with the opportunity, scalability, moat, team, and realistic upside—supported by a clean model.

2) Document Design & Layout That Helps You Win

• Consistent headings, white space, and a two-level hierarchy (H2/H3) improve readability.
• Use tables and charts for KPIs, drivers, and scenarios—avoid walls of text.
• Add an appendix index with cross-references (e.g., “See Appx C-2 Supplier Quote”).

3) Build a 10–12 Slide Pitch Deck

1. Title & One-Liner
2. Problem & Urgency
3. Solution & Value Proposition
4. Market & Customer
5. Competition & Edge
6. Business Model
7. Traction / Validation
8. Go-to-Market
9. Financials & Unit Economics
10. Team
11. Funding / Use of Funds / Timeline
12. Risks & Mitigations

4) Deliver with Credibility: Tone, Pace, and Structure

• Open: 20–30 seconds to frame the business, the opportunity, and the ask.
• Middle: Tell a logical story that links customer, capacity, and cash flow.
• Close: Reiterate ask, next steps, and the primary evidence that supports approval.

5) Anticipate Questions—And Welcome Them

Great Q&A demonstrates control. Prepare concise, sourced answers for:

• Demand: Market size, conversion, price sensitivity, and early validation.
• Unit Economics: Gross margin drivers, capacity constraints, break-even.
• Cash & Risk: Working capital needs, downside scenario, contingency plans.
• Execution: Hiring calendar, supplier terms, fulfillment timeline.

6) Evidence Pack & Leave-Behinds

Provide a tidy bundle that mirrors your talk:

• 2-page executive summary
• KPI sheet (units, ARPU/ASP, GM%, CAC/LTV if relevant)
• Appendix index with hyperlinks (PDF bookmarks help)
• One-page implementation timeline and risk log

7) Follow-Up Strategy

• Send a same-day recap: decisions taken, open items, and next steps with dates.
• Attach requested exhibits with clear filenames (e.g., Appx-B-2_Supplier-Quote.pdf).
• Keep momentum: propose a specific date for the next checkpoint.

Presenter’s Checklist

• Audience-first opener (what/why/ask) in under 30 seconds.
• Slides are visual; the details live in your narrative and appendices.
• Numbers reconcile across P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet.
• Downside scenario and mitigations are addressed proactively.
• Close with dated next steps and an owner for each action.