A business plan is not a thick document for a drawer. It is the answers to seven questions, written down so you can test them. If you can answer these on two pages, you have a better plan than most.
The seven questions
- Who is the customer? Not "everyone". Name a real person who would pay — a Dili office worker, a Baucau farmer, an NGO fleet manager.
- What problem do you solve for them? What do they do today without you, and what does that cost them?
- What exactly do you sell, and at what price? One clear offer beats ten vague ones.
- What does one sale cost you? Ingredients, transport, packaging, your hours. If the price doesn't cover it with room to spare, fix this first.
- How do customers find you? Word of mouth, the market, Facebook, WhatsApp, this platform — name the channel and who works it.
- What do you need to start — really? The smallest version of the business that can make its first sale. Start there, not at the dream version.
- What are the numbers for month 1, 6 and 12? Sales, costs, what's left. Honest guesses are fine — update them monthly against reality.
Test before you spend
Before borrowing or building, sell the smallest real version: ten portions at the market, one weekend of the service, a pre-order list. Ten real customers teach you more than ten months of planning.
Training programs from IADE, ILO/SIYB and the incubators on this platform teach exactly this — check the training calendar for the next course.