I am currently working on a business plan for my tiny start-up (haven’t launched yet). At first, the business plan was only for me as a planning/goal guide, but now I have a couple of people interested in viewing it. I am updating it and cleaning it up, but I need more guidance as to what a small eCommerce should emphasize.

Carla Rose

Owner, Green and Chic

the best approach is to write your plan based on the target audience. If you want something that’s a little more generic, you basically need to put together a plan that shows that you:
-have thought out your model
-have metrics, milestones or some other decision points for mitigating risk
(ie: you have a way of knowing when you’re successful or when to throw in the towel and recover what’s left of their money)
-understand your market
-have considered your competition
-know what money you need and when
-have a plan for reimbursing your investors.

Basically, you need to convince your audience that you know what you’re doing and you aren’t going to flush their money down the toilet.

If you haven’t got much experience with Business Plans, I would recommend using a tool like Business Plan Pro (http://www.paloalto.com/) to walk you through the process (at least the first time). It’s an investment that you won’t regret