Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Building A Business Plan, Worksheet 4

I looked up from work yesterday, and yesterday was gone! It's amazing how we can allow ourselves to get so wrapped in our day to day operating that we lose sight of what on it's face is a crucial deliverable. Plans are great, but execution is key.

Luckily, out of errors come learning (and teaching) moments. Out of those moments can come great teams and great businesses. So, not surprisingly (especially for those of you who know me and how I love a dramatic moment and/or turn of phrase), today's worksheet focuses on the business itself. Lots of things make up a business per se, but the focus for our purpose in this exercise rests on these three questions:
  • What is it about your management team that makes it uniquely capable of executing on this business plan?
  • What are the primary risks facing your business opportunity?
  • What proprietary intellectual property does your company use, and what rights do you have to use that IP?
You can find the worksheet with these questions here, and I'm available for comments, feedback and assistance at the email address found here. To review the first three posts in the series, look here, here, and here.