Of course there are scenarios where a written business plan is not critical, but I haven’t seen one yet where a well-written 15-page document, or at least a 10-slide pitch, is a negative. Let’s look at some common scenarios, and put this into perspective for entrepreneurs:
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You don’t need or want investors or a loan. With bootstrapping, no business plan is expected by anyone. Yet I would suggest that creating one is still a valuable exercise, since you need the plan as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics, unless your management style makes this a waste of time.
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You have built a successful startup, and plan to use the same investors. If you have a proven track record, investors don’t have to see a written plan to believe you can do the job. In fact, they are probably in such a hurry to give you money that they don’t want you to waste time writing anything down and passing it along to new investors.
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You need funding, and plan to get it from friends and family. Hopefully you know your friends and family better than I do, so you decide when a business plan is required. If your rich uncle is an accountant, or has his own business, I recommend a good business plan. On the other hand, your mother probably won’t read one.
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You need an investor, and want a document to mass-mail to everyone. Creating a business plan for this purpose is a waste of time. In fact, the whole process is a waste of time. Most VCs and Angel investors don’t read unsolicited proposals, unless they have met you first, or have a glowing recommendation from another investor or acquaintance.
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You need money, and plan to do crowdfunding. Although technically the major crowd funding sites today, including Kickstarter and Indiegogo, don’t request a business plan, they do require essentially the same information in a project format. Thus building a business plan ahead of time will improve your application and chances of success.
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You need an investor, and want to solicit professionals online. Major platforms are available online to find Angel groups or VCs, including Gust and AngelList. These platforms, and every investor who uses them to find entrepreneurs, expects to find a good business plan posted. You won’t even be considered without a business plan.
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You find an interested investor, and need to close the deal. Most professional investors, even if they like your story, and were properly introduced by a friend, will ask for a business plan at the due diligence stage. They want to see if you have done your homework, have reasonable expectations, and are willing to commit to something.
You might fairly conclude from these points that a business plan is only “required” if you want to close funding from professional investors who don’t already know you or know your track record. Since the best VCs deal primarily with known and proven entrepreneurs, it’s easy for them to say that they don’t read business plans.
On the other hand, don’t forget Angel investors, who fund 60 times as many startups, to the tune of $20 billion last year, who start their search primarily from platforms like the ones mentioned above. A business plan may be a small investment to get a shot at that opportunity.
For the rest of you entrepreneurs, consider the value of a business plan when it is not required. Clemson University professor William B. Gartner looked at data a while back from the Panal Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, and found that writing a plan increased the chances by two and a half times that a person would actually go into business.
Of course, building a plan is not an alternative to getting out there and doing something. There is no substitute for knowing your customers first hand, and iterating on a minimum viable product to find the most marketable solution. Writing it down promotes both understanding and commitment.