Define your Idea. Plan your Business. Find an Investor
Every business starts with an idea. Making it clearer will serve two purposes: to gain confidence in the feasibility and the potential of the idea, and to make it attractive and credible in front of a potential investor, if you need one.
When having the business idea, did you consider the same questions we have? We guide you to find your own answers before starting the Company Journey.
Is my business idea clear enough?
A clear business idea already sets your first Company Journey destination and improves the focus of your team to reach it.
You may feel frustration when explaining your idea to somebody and not sparking the enthusiasm you would expect from that person. Maybe he or she didn’t understand it, or didn’t understand its potential. Was your presentation clear enough? Is it clear enough for you?
Do I have the right team for building the idea and the company?
You are not starting the Company Journey alone. You need a team to set up the company, to make it run. There are a lot of challenges in the beginning, and having the right people, with the right skills, the right attitude and mindset will make the difference.
Is my business plan attractive to me and to all stakeholders?
The business plan contains not only qualitative aspects (like market aspects or positioning, portfolio or people aspects) but also quantitative aspects, especially the needed resources to make the business fly and stable.
Determining the amount of resources (“the fuel”) and when they are needed are a key aspect in deciding whether to start the Company Journey, and if so whether to do it alone or with the help of additional investors.
Many great business ideas, having great teams committed, eventually failed by running out of financial resources, so you must careful plan the investment, consider emergency plans and increase the chance of survival of the business in the first Company Journey part.
How can I find the right investor(s) to finance the business idea?
If the founding team’s resources are not enough, there is always the option of finding additional investors. This process is a lot about preparation. The attractive business plan defined before is the central element in attracting the right investors.
Another aspect is deciding which investor profile is best for Company Journey. At one extreme, you may find an investor that is focused only on money, short term results. A more likely profile might be of a more “professional” investor, that understands your business, the industry, and who can support and help you not only with the financial resources, but also with business steering aspects. How much involvement you need for the additional investors is, in the end, yours to decide.
The Results
Through our guidance, coaching and direct involvement, in this stage of your Company Journey you will achieve the following results:
Positioning
Clear vision, mid-term and long-term goals.
Well defined, realistic strategy to achieve the envisioned goals.
Contact with the right investors interested in financing and supporting your business idea.
Portfolio
Well defined portfolio elements, with specific go-to-market approaches.
People
The defined people aspects (e.g. skills, teams, etc.) that will be necessary to start the business and implement the envisioned strategy.
Processes
The list of core and support processes required for setting up the business, defined in a pragmatic way, especially the go-to-market related ones.
Performance
A well documented business plan in the form of an investment memorandum, backed up by financial numbers and documented assumptions, to be used as baseline for business monitoring and steering