« Wow – That Was Intense | Startup Visa – One Step Forward, One Step Back »
Business Plans Are An Historical Artifact
This article (Business Plans Are An Historical Artifact) first appeared last week in the Wall Street Journal The Accelerators Column, which I’m contributing to on a regular basis.
In 1987 when I started my first company (Feld Technologies), I wrote a business plan for a course at MIT that I was in called 15.375: New Enterprises. The textbook for the course was Jeffry A. Timmons’ classic book “New Venture Creation” and the course ended with the submission of a written business plan.
I went on to create a company, with my partner Dave Jilk, that bore very little resemblance to that business plan. When I reread the plan several years ago for amusement, it motivated me to go dig up plans for other successful companies that I was a co-founder of or early investor in, including NetGenesis and Harmonix. In each case, the business plans were big, long, serious documents that had only a minor semblance to actual business that got created.
In the 1990s, business plan competitions were all the rage. I was a judge early on at the MIT $10k Competition (now the $100k Competition) and read lots and lots of business plans. By 1997, when I started investing as a venture capital investor, I was no longer reading business plans. And I don’t think I have since then.
Today, it’s clear to me that business plans for startup companies are a historical artifact that represented the best approach at the time to define a business for potential investors. In the past decade, we’ve shifted from a “tell me about it” approach (the business plan) to a “show me” approach (the Lean Startup). Rather than write long exhaustive documents, entrepreneurs can rapidly prototype their product and get immediate user and market feedback. They can use Steve Blank’s Lean LaunchPad approach to get out of the building and actually incorporate customer development early into the definition of their business. And they can learn the lesson we teach over and over again in TechStars – “show don’t tell.”
While “business plan competitions” are still around, some are rapidly evolving into “business creation competitions.” CU Boulder is at the forefront of this with their New Venture Challenge, which is experimenting with new things each year. And activities like Startup Weekend are teaching a new generation of entrepreneurs how to envision, create, and launch a startup in a weekend, and then incorporating Blank’s Lean LaunchPad into a month-long process called SWNext.
As an entrepreneur, I encourage you to reject the notion of a classical business plan from the 1970′s. You should still thinking deeply about the business you are creating and communicate clearly what you are doing to investors – just use contemporary approaches that are much more deeply incorporated into the actual creation of your product and business.
















Pingback: Business Plans Are An Historical Artifact
Pingback: Business Plan or Not? – Definately a Plan « D2 Ventures
Pingback: It’s Good to say “thank you”
Pingback: Evaluating by Doing
Pingback: 5 Steps For An Effective Book Business Plan | Self Publishing Advocate
Pingback: TAG Business Launch Competition — Not Only Luck
Pingback: xbox 360
Pingback: does penis advantage work
Pingback: the truth about six pack abs
Pingback: Ha Treusdell
Pingback: penis advantage scam
Pingback: buy edu links
Pingback: hostgator 1 cent coupon
Pingback: get a free ipad
Pingback: best led tv deals
Pingback: penisadvantage
Pingback: free xbox 360
Pingback: portable car dvd player
Pingback: the truth about abs
Pingback: the truth about abs review
Pingback: penis advantage review
Pingback: does penis advantage work
Pingback: Mica Lacer
Pingback: Edmond Wortham
Pingback: Danilo Overholt
Pingback: cheap edu links
Pingback: buy quality backlinks
Pingback: xbox giveaway
Pingback: cheap portable dvd player
Pingback: the truth about six pack abs
Pingback: penis advantage reviews
Pingback: Sandi Diefenderfer
Pingback: Cary Sleaford
Pingback: Katheryn Silleman
Pingback: Burt Rochell
Pingback: Buck Dacunto
Pingback: Jone Huyard
Pingback: Deja Tuell
Pingback: Stephen Degrandpre
Pingback: Hiroko Prestidge
Pingback: Cecile Gerson
Pingback: Bart Karry
Pingback: Pamella Hohensee
Pingback: Yvette Beeching
Pingback: Twila Balasa
Pingback: Porfirio Hinckson
Pingback: Delphine Santangelo
Pingback: tao of badass
Pingback: Flossie Zupancic
Pingback: Anglea Morganfield
Pingback: Lupe Henslee
Pingback: Jacquie Matheny
Pingback: Trenton Dewick
Pingback: Twila Balasa
Pingback: Mauricio Hartwigsen
Pingback: Florine Tatge
Pingback: Willa Balogun
Pingback: Herman Stampe
Pingback: Ignacia Toolsiram
Pingback: Renato Holloman
Pingback: Luciano Lavigna
Pingback: Carrol Honie
Pingback: Edmund Rolf
Pingback: Fred Warburton
Pingback: Marcellus Zanetti
Pingback: June Sary
Pingback: Wilber Piskura
Pingback: Lakisha Vanderboom
Pingback: Oliver Shenton
Pingback: Wilmer Cringle
Pingback: Maya Roehrman
Pingback: Hector Sheline
Pingback: Terry Vandamme
Pingback: Corene Pinnock
Pingback: Laronda Foster
Pingback: Fransisca Waychowsky
Pingback: Alica Graci
Pingback: Delia Recchia
Pingback: Glenn Gillooly
Pingback: Len Bourgois
Pingback: Pasquale Majuste
Pingback: Sandy Besong
Pingback: Antony Ianniello
Pingback: Antwan Driesenga
Pingback: iOs
Pingback: Eric Lauber
Pingback: Micah Mantanona
Pingback: Sharie Stauss
Pingback: Valentin Rolison
Pingback: Rana Scheidler
Pingback: Meg Nemard
Pingback: Dennis Voorhies
Pingback: Milford Joya
Pingback: Leonard Palumbo
Pingback: Candra Hempe
Pingback: Norman Mcduffie
Pingback: Anton Fermo
Pingback: Lanette Crouter
Pingback: Ferdinand Rothmiller
Pingback: Sacha Guynup
Pingback: Cristen Duda
Pingback: Miyoko Demas
Pingback: Calvin Hubbert
Pingback: Lucius Gumina
Pingback: Kim Wessler
Pingback: Cristine Zarucki
Pingback: North Carolina
Pingback: Rogelio Romito
Pingback: Owen Mignone
Pingback: Quinn Corpening
Pingback: Simone Therien
Pingback: Ward Spierling
Pingback: Samara Mrotz
Pingback: Nicky Seikel
Pingback: Pat Brabant
Pingback: Fernanda Trigo
Pingback: Ariel Gilcrease
Pingback: Marylouise Fenison
Pingback: Francesco Geiselman
Pingback: Blythe Ussery
Pingback: Natalya Carlsley
Pingback: Ervin Schwander
Pingback: Luciano Gasquet
Pingback: Miyoko Saracco
Pingback: Renaldo Seda
Pingback: Huong Guardado
Pingback: Brigitte Prioletti
Pingback: Bennett Stilley
Pingback: Alfonzo Enwright
Pingback: Yi Costanzo
Pingback: Verdell Ronne
Pingback: Irvin Ulicki
Pingback: Noah Hooks
Pingback: Deon Hudnall
Pingback: Winfred Plyler
Pingback: Shaun Rigdon
Pingback: Will Russler
Pingback: Roseann Cassette
Pingback: Lucila Gerton
Pingback: Karyl Dargenio
Pingback: Suzanna Lorkowski
Pingback: Samual Adamec
Pingback: http://208.93.61.111/groups/england/wiki/90190/Exactly_what_Every_body_Must_Find_out_about_the_Truth_about_Six_Pack_Abs.html
Pingback: Alejandra Taschler
Pingback: http://058177216022.ctinets.com/groups/testingwikiserver/wiki/ee693/Unlock_your_outstanding_new_music_expertise_while_using_greatest_defeat_producing_applications.html
Pingback: Vernon Retana
Pingback: Shonta Dante
Pingback: http://idc.mdx.ac.uk/groups/spellitrite/wiki/d71c8/Just_what_One_and_all_Has_to_Learn_about_the_Truth_about_Six_Pack_Abs.html
Pingback: Andre Deller
Pingback: Cinderella Organista
Pingback: Phillis Luby
Pingback: Freda Strazisar
Pingback: Susy Miramontes
Pingback: Olin Obanner
Pingback: http://173-164-158-161-sfba.hfc.comcastbusiness.net/groups/thisisthedifferencebetweenawikiandablog/wiki/964bc/The_magic_of_creating_as_many_as_get_the_ex_again.html
Pingback: http://static-dsl-83.87-197-104.telecom.sk/groups/test/wiki/dc9de/The_magic_of_constructing_nearly_get_the_ex_back_again.html
Pingback: Kris Isita
Pingback: Shara Worsfold
Pingback: Tia Krzan
Pingback: Kristen Catanach
Pingback: Isreal Pickette
Pingback: Demetrice Oms
Pingback: Scott Boniello
Pingback: Jesse Sautter
Pingback: Frederick Clarno
Pingback: Nichol Agundez
Pingback: Jimmie Salee
Pingback: Carlos Walther
Pingback: Devin Winley
Pingback: Amos Mewborn
Pingback: Rosetta Ruffing
Pingback: Kassandra Cagey
Pingback: Cassondra Velazques
Pingback: Bernarda Ancelet
Pingback: Travis Czerkies
Pingback: Tonja Magness
Pingback: Thad Vanert
Pingback: Janella Raul
Pingback: Carry Venus
Pingback: Keven Kolber
Pingback: Anthony Pickerell
Pingback: Toshiko Engelkemier
Pingback: Marguerite Katz
Pingback: Christoper Spangenberg
Pingback: Rick Fedora
Pingback: Omega Hustus
Pingback: Emory Naab
Pingback: Abe Weinburg
Pingback: Trey Bubolz
Pingback: Buster Leithoff
Pingback: Shalanda Halajian
Pingback: Darron Mcgloster
Pingback: Edmond Willims
Pingback: Harley Strauss
Pingback: Madalyn Uniacke
Pingback: Dennis Sylve
Pingback: Brady Fiorilli
Pingback: Sean Haustein
Pingback: Oralee Dial
Pingback: Laurence Meisenheimer
Pingback: Reynaldo Sonka
Pingback: Lisandra Pavelec
Pingback: Waltraud Moretta
Pingback: Val Lazarz
Pingback: Cortez Vassie
Pingback: vpn
Pingback: Nathanael Glander
Pingback: Weldon Vogelsberg
Pingback: Stephen Tuccio
Pingback: Gerry Noullet
Pingback: Talitha Littlefield
Pingback: Reyes Steines
Pingback: Antonetta Mazzucco