As long as you have the key facts figured out, putting your business plan on paper doesn’t have to be such a challenge.

Industry insiders agree that the most common reasons Plan Bs go straight to the shredder are the little things that give it away as an amateur production: unrealistic claims about competition or risk, misspellings, punctuation and grammar, content and format. errors, incomplete or vague information, etc.

Considering that your business plan is the first impression of your business, a sloppy piece of work will not be read seriously, especially by angels and venture capitalists who have to choose between several businesses competing for their attention.

Most plans are divided into standard sections to discuss the business proposition, management, the market, and unique marketing and operations strategies. The most critical information should be presented up front rather than buried in the pages, and the sections should be well balanced and interlinked.

That said, there is no set format for a business plan: sections are grouped based on their relevance to who is going to read the plan. For example, a plan for investors is quite different from one designed for internal purposes only.

Presentation is key so that the content is not unnecessarily complex or oversimplified: the plan should be easy to read and generate enthusiasm from logical reasoning and facts (not waffle). Along the way, a clearly emerging SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis should become apparent.

The executive summary at the beginning can be a hit or miss, so it should receive equal attention. Along with the investor presentation, you should do a good job of summarizing your entire plan, so even though it’s the first chapter, it should be written last.

Financial projections that can be backed by facts and actual market data will ensure that the practicalities are in place, as many investors can read nothing more than the executive summary and financial projections (although all other sections should be there to see). referral and due diligence once your business is shortlisted).

No matter what level you are at, ideally a proper business plan should never be written by one person; there are likely to be some holes that you somehow missed in all your excitement.

Business plan software and templates give you some broad areas to discuss, but you should spend your time on more focused answers. Instead of ‘filling in’ the sections with a hammer and chisel, try to find answers to the specific questions your potential investors will ask you.

Business consulting firms are often much more helpful than one-size-fits-all software or templates and can help you write a solid plan that gets results.

If you can give good answers to the consultants’ questions, you don’t have to worry about the presentation, since the documentation of your answers (with added value) is the responsibility of the consultant. Question and answer sessions will also help you build trust when you actually talk to investors.

Services provided typically include writing, market research, financial modeling, proofreading, editing, and proofreading. For a slightly higher budget, a serious firm will even provide consulting to develop your business strategy. However, you need to make sure that the consultant works closely with you so that the final result is not less than what you expected.

If you don’t have the extra investment to purchase these services, make sure your plan gets a good sanity check from your cohorts and is reviewed with a critical eye by at least one person outside of your business. And don’t forget to check your spelling and take care of your grammar.