Business Plan Project

The Business Plan Project is designed to immerse you in the role of an entrepreneur. Over the course of the first quarter you will develop a full business plan for a product or service of your own choosing and then pitch it to the class. This assignment combines research, writing and public speaking; by the end you should better understand how businesses articulate their mission, analyze markets, set up operations and plan for growth.

Seventy‑five percent of your project grade will come from a professional‑style written business plan. Your plan should be produced in a readable 11–12 point font with a title page listing the business name, your name and the date. Follow the dimension descriptions to organize your work: start with an executive summary (100–300 words) that briefly introduces your mission, product or service, leadership team and basic financial or growth goals; expand into a company description (200–400 words) that explains the problem your business solves and the customers you intend to serve; conduct a market analysis (>200 words) to demonstrate your understanding of the industry and competition; outline your organization and management (150–400 words) by describing the legal structure and key team members; describe your product or service line (150–400 words), marketing and sales strategies (200–400 words), funding request (100–300 words) and financial projections (200–500 words). An optional appendix can include supporting documents such as resumes, permits or product sketches. Altogether, the plan should fall between roughly 1 300 and 3 150 words. It will be assessed on style and grammar, thoroughness, thoughtfulness and completion, each accounting for 25 % of the written plan’s grade.

The remaining 25 % of your grade comes from a five‑minute presentation delivered during the final week of the quarter. Your goal is to convince your classmates that your idea merits a loan, so bring a polished visual aid—slides, a video, a prototype or another prop—to support your pitch. Presentations should be organized, comprehensive, professional and respectful; you will be scored equally on these four areas. Treat the presentation as if you were in front of real investors: be prepared, speak clearly, answer questions thoughtfully and show courtesy while your peers are presenting.