Ask HN: What is the best way to make business plan when we are in Idea stage? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What is the best way to make business plan when we are in Idea stage?

Many people have idea to make out something big and useful but any incubator or accelerator demands business plan. So how can one make a good business plan?

What is the best way to answer this question : "Describe the financial projection, including how much money you need and how much money you will profit."

Are there any good sample of business plan available?

Atleast first few pages of google are just filled with click bait and full of ads website.

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Hi, firstly you're not alone when struggling with the financials part of a business plan... I most certainly did.

What I suggest is getting a second hand copy of Timmons' "New Venture Creation" book and look at (and copy) the Business Plan template.

You can pick up this book for $5 via Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/New-Venture-Creation-Entrepreneurship-...) and IMHO it'll be the best $5 investment you can make to assess your idea and build a 'formal' bplan (aka what an investor or incubator/accelerator will most likely want to see).

The template is quite comprehensive but just skip the bits that don't apply to your opportunity. Follow Timmons' examples as to how to work out the financials (and copy the example layouts given).

Good luck, btw read that book front to back... it's one of the only entrepreneurial books that has stood the test of time for me and I have gone to it through several different start ups.

I am from India. And Unfortunately amazon.com doesnt ship to India and .in has it for 200$!

Let me checkout if I could find it some where.

Anyway I can see any of your business plan sample if they are available in public domain.

Edit: Thanks for tip.

This link will get you started:

http://edumall.pxq.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Entrepreneu...

Leave me your email and I promise I will scan in some other sections I think you'll need into a PDF and email it to you by the weekend.

I would start by describing a few different scenarios to help sell your investors on the business' potential, and show them how different levels of investment will affect the outcome.

Presumably you've already done some amount of this work for your partners/engineers, right?

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