Business Plan Tips

We want the most amount of details to be described in the least amount of words - so be concise. You can do it in a document format or in a presentation style. Elements of your business plan should include: Executive Summary This section is for you to give us a run down of everything in your business plan, but only in 1 page. Problem Statement Outline the problem(s) that exist currently, giving as much detail as you can give. It is important to articulate this well as this demonstrates your understanding of your market, product need and competitors. Solution This is where you get to introduce your product. Describe the value proposition of your solution, showing how it addresses a market need. It is also a good idea to give some use cases for your solution here. Market Potential Now its time to look into your potential customers. Identify your potential customer and create a profile for your target market. Create a top-down and bottom-up style market sizing to give a good idea of your market potential. Competitors This is where a lot of research comes in handy - identify your competition and profile them. List your competitors and show their disadvantages and advantages against yours. You may also care to perform a Strength / Weaknesses / Opportunities / Threats (SWOT) analysis here. Product/Service Time to get your hands dirty. Describe your product or service in as much detail as you can - feature, functionality, form factor, intellectual property, etc... If you can, provide a product roadmap here. Business Model So where is the money coming from? Describe your revenue model and your view to become profitable. Detail your pricing structure for all product types and variants. Also perform a sales forecast with realistic figures as indicated by your market research. Detail some existing customers and/or partners as well as your planned distribution model. Team So who is running the show - introduce your management team. Give their background, skills and fit for the position. Also introduce your board of directors and any advisor you may have. Financials Show me the money! This is where you give us some previous financial performance and/or projected financial records. Include in this section your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Capital Structure and your capital raising plans on gTrade. Appendices Put anything and everything you feel is required to support your document - but don't go overboard though.

What gTrade Wants

gTrade is looking for business with a view to profit. With that in mind, other key points we look for are:

• Web 2.0 Business / ICT Industry
• Early Stage/Startup
• Clear Solution Need
• Large Market Potential
• Thinking Outside the Square
• Customers
• Great Team
• Agile Structure
• Experience
• and of course: Passion

Capital Raising Targets

On the gTrade platform, what kind of capital should I be looking at to raise?

Pre-Seed: <$100,000
Seed: $100,000 - $250,000
Established Business $250,000+

What If I Don't Get Accepted?

If you don't get accepted on the gTrade platform there could be a myriad of reason - if we didn't give you a reason (which we should always do) then ask us. We will be more than happy to give you some feedback on your submission.

In most instances we recommend you keep with your idea if you are truly passionate - here are some ideas of what you can do to raise capital:

• Revise your idea and try again
• Check out Crunchbase for financial institutions
• Bootstrap the idea yourself
• Debt financing

Do I Need an NDA?

This is summed up best by Guy Kawasaki from Garage Technology Ventures on his Art of The Start blog here.

Are You Ready?

so what are you waiting for, submit your business plan now -

Submit Business Plan >>