write a business plan

you've had the idea for months. maybe years. you can see it so clearly in your head — the product, the customers, the freedom. but it lives exclusively in your imagination.

time to drag it into reality.

why the plan matters

a business plan isn't some boring corporate formality. it's a stress test. it forces your beautiful, vague idea through a gauntlet of hard questions:

• who exactly is paying you money?
• why would they choose you over the alternative?
• how much does it cost to acquire a customer?
• what happens when things go wrong?

most ideas don't survive contact with a spreadsheet. and it's better to discover that on paper than after you've burned through your savings.

the basic structure

you don't need an MBA. follow this framework:

executive summary — your idea in one page. if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

problem and solution — what pain exists in the world and how does your thing fix it?

target market — who specifically has this problem and how many of them are there?

business model — how does money flow in? pricing, revenue streams, unit economics.

competitive landscape — who else is doing something similar? why are you different?

financial projections — revenue, costs, and when you expect to break even. be conservative.

team — who's executing this? what relevant experience do they bring?

get it torn apart

here's the part most people skip. once you've written the plan, put it in front of people who will be brutally honest. not your supportive friends — people with business experience who will poke holes in every assumption.

check out SCORE.org for free mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs. or pitch to angel investors even if you're not ready for funding — their feedback alone is worth it.

the real goal

the plan itself isn't the point. the thinking is. going through this process forces clarity, exposes blind spots, and either strengthens your conviction or saves you from a costly mistake.

either outcome is a win.

if this resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it.