Business Plan > Start Business > Business Plan: What Should I Do?
Business Plan: What Should I Do?
Here are 30 important questions to consider when determining if your business idea is worth pursuing:
- Will you personally use your product?
- Can you find 10 or more people who are willing to pay for it now?
- What do you love to do? How different is it from your idea?
- How painful is the problem you intend to solve?
- Is your target market big enough to create a real business out of it?
- What is your revenue model, and how realistic is it?
- How well can the founders execute the plan?
- Can the founders identify what needs to be done beyond the obvious?
- How does the customer currently address the problem?
- What are the recent trends that make your solution feasible?
- What is the simplest version of this idea?
- How quickly can you take the idea to market?
- How soon can you build your prototype?
- What makes your product different from others?
- How much money is needed to build your first prototype?
- Customers prefer simple products. Can you explain yours in one sentence?
- Do you have any competitive advantages?
- Are you passionate enough about the idea to dedicate 1-2 years entirely to your business?
- How easily can you access 2-3 high-profile individuals who can advise you on succeeding in your target market?
- Can you convince 1-2 great people to work with you now?
- How soon can you scale your business?
- How will your product make the world a better place?
- In what way is your idea creative, innovative, and unique?
- What opportunities and risks do you face?
- What is the status of patents related to your product?
- What long-term goals have you set?
- How is the industry developing, and is the market growing?
- What are the key success factors for your business?
- Why should someone invest in your idea?
- How will your business survive and grow over the next five years?
- What problem are you truly solving, and is it a “must-solve” issue for your customers?
- How will you measure success in the first six months? One year?
- What is the cost of acquiring your first 100 customers?
- How will you retain those customers after the initial purchase?
- What key partnerships can you establish to strengthen your business?
- What is your marketing and sales strategy?
- How will you differentiate yourself if competitors quickly copy your idea?
- What is your fallback plan if your initial product or service doesn’t succeed?
- How will you generate consistent revenue over time?
- What is your strategy for building customer loyalty?
- What is your contingency plan for handling unexpected obstacles (e.g., economic downturn, regulatory changes)?
- Are there any ethical considerations associated with your product or service?
- How do you plan to adapt and evolve as technology changes?
- What legal structures or business registrations will be required?
- How will you ensure product or service quality while scaling?
- What are your fixed and variable costs, and how will you manage them?
- How can you turn your early customers into evangelists for your brand?
- How will you gather and act on customer feedback?
- What is your company’s mission and how does it align with your long-term vision?
- How will you protect your intellectual property (IP)?
- Do you have a roadmap for expanding into new markets or adding new products?
- How will you maintain work-life balance while building your business?
- How will you adapt your business model if customer needs or market conditions change?
- What is your strategy for financing future growth?
- Can your product/service be easily scaled internationally? What challenges might you face?
- What is your exit strategy if the business succeeds? (e.g., IPO, acquisition)
- How will you handle negative customer feedback or a product failure?
- How will you test your product’s pricing to ensure it’s sustainable and competitive?
- Are there any seasonal or cyclical factors that could impact your business?
- How will you ensure that your business practices are sustainable and environmentally friendly?
These questions help address a broad range of concerns—from customer acquisition and scaling to risk management and sustainability. This will give you a more comprehensive understanding of your business’s potential.