Create an evidence-based business plan for the opportunity below. Do not invent customers, market size, contracts, revenue, traction, costs, legal compliance, competitor facts, or financial results. Treat unsupported figures as assumptions to validate, not facts. Inputs - Business idea, product, stage, and decision I need to make: [BUSINESS IDEA] - Target customer, problem, current alternatives, and evidence: [CUSTOMER EVIDENCE] - Business model, pricing, channels, operations, and resources: [BUSINESS MODEL] - Known numbers, research, competitors, constraints, and risks: [KNOWN DATA] - Plan audience and planning horizon: [AUDIENCE AND HORIZON] Produce a 1,500–2,000 word plan with these sections: executive decision; customer problem and segment; value proposition; market boundaries and alternatives; go-to-market; operating plan; economics; milestones; risks; and recommendation. For economics, show the formula and assumptions behind revenue, gross margin, customer acquisition cost, payback period, runway, and break-even where the inputs allow. If inputs are absent, create an assumption table with a low, base, and high case rather than false precision. Separate facts from assumptions and identify the one or two assumptions most likely to break the plan. Present two viable strategic options, including a do-not-proceed or narrower test if warranted, then recommend one based on [AUDIENCE AND HORIZON]. End with a 90-day validation plan that names the hypothesis, test, success threshold, owner, and decision triggered by the result. Before answering, check for unit mismatches, double-counted revenue, unsupported market claims, and milestones that do not reduce a meaningful risk. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [BUSINESS IDEA] | Describe the product or service, its stage, and the decision this plan should support. | A subscription service that helps independent dental practices recover missed calls with AI-assisted text follow-up; pilot stage; decide whether to fund a six-month launch. |
| [CUSTOMER EVIDENCE] | Define the customer, their problem, current alternatives, and interviews, usage data, or other evidence. | Practice owners lose appointment requests after hours; 12 interviews and two pilot practices report 25–40 missed calls weekly; current options are front-desk staff, voicemail, and general SMS tools. |
| [BUSINESS MODEL] | Explain pricing, revenue model, channels, operating needs, and resources available. | $349 per location monthly plus $0.15 per message; sell through direct outreach and dental consultants; two founders can support the first 50 locations. |
| [KNOWN DATA] | Provide verified figures, market research, competitor information, budget limits, and major risks. | Pilot conversion data is incomplete; software costs estimated at $38 per active location monthly; $60,000 budget; HIPAA and consent requirements need legal review. |
| [AUDIENCE AND HORIZON] | State who will read the plan and the time period it must cover. | Two founders and an angel investor; 12-month plan with a 90-day validation decision. |
How to use
- Paste only figures and evidence you can trace to a source, customer interview, contract, or operating record.
- Choose a narrow customer segment first; a plan that serves every possible buyer cannot test a real sales motion.
- Review the assumption table and replace estimates with measured inputs as soon as you have them.
- Follow up with: “Turn the 90-day plan into a weekly experiment board. Keep the same success thresholds and identify the data source for each metric.”
Variations
Investor memo
Use this when preparing a concise first-pass investor document.
Write a two-page investor memo for [COMPANY] using [TRACTION], [CUSTOMER EVIDENCE], [MARKET NOTES], [TEAM], and [FUNDING ASK]. Include problem, solution, customer, business model, traction, go-to-market, use of funds, milestones, and key risks. Distinguish verified data from projections. State the funding ask and what milestone it buys, but do not invent market size, investor returns, customer quotes, or signed commitments. Check that every claimed metric has a source and that use of funds ties to a measurable milestone.
Financial model assumptions
Use this before building a spreadsheet forecast.
Create a financial-model assumption sheet for [BUSINESS MODEL] over [TIME HORIZON]. Known inputs are [KNOWN NUMBERS]; unknowns are [UNKNOWNS]. Output tables for pricing, customer acquisition, conversion, churn, revenue recognition, direct costs, payroll, operating expenses, cash timing, and capital needs. For every input, provide a unit, source or rationale, low/base/high range, and sensitivity. Do not fill unknowns with asserted facts. Check that revenue units match customer counts and that cash collection timing is distinct from booked revenue.
Customer validation plan
Use this before building or expanding a product.
Design a customer-validation plan for [BUSINESS IDEA] aimed at [TARGET CUSTOMER]. The evidence so far is [CURRENT EVIDENCE], and the riskiest assumptions are [ASSUMPTIONS]. Produce five ordered experiments with the hypothesis, participant criteria, method, sample target, interview questions or measurement, success threshold, time cost, and decision rule. Favor tests that reveal willingness to pay or behavior over stated enthusiasm. Do not claim results before testing. Check that each experiment can disprove an assumption and that no test exposes participants to unnecessary privacy or financial risk.
Tips
- Define the market as the customers you can realistically reach with a specific problem and channel, not every organization that could theoretically buy.
- Use contribution margin, not revenue alone, to judge whether growth helps; include support, delivery, payment, and channel costs.
- A good 90-day milestone changes a decision: continue, narrow the segment, change pricing, or stop. Activity counts alone rarely do.
- Keep a separate assumptions register with owner, evidence, next test, threshold, and date; it stops projections from becoming mistaken facts.
FAQ
Can AI write a business plan from a short idea?
It can create a structure and surface assumptions, but the plan is only as credible as the customer evidence, costs, and operating constraints you provide.
Should a business plan include market-size numbers?
Include them only when you can show the source and method. For an early plan, reachable customers and a credible route to them are often more useful than a large top-down estimate.
Can AI make financial projections?
It can organize formulas and scenarios, but a founder, accountant, or finance professional should validate important projections, tax treatment, and legal or regulatory assumptions.