PlanAI Business Plan Manual (Extended Edition)

Version: 1.1 Intended use: Copy into Word/Google Docs and customize

Table of Contents

1. Purpose and Outcomes
2. How PlanAI Organizes Your Plan
3. Quick Setup and Workflow Overview
4. Market Research (Deep Dive)
5. Business Model Canvas (Deep Dive)
6. Strategy: SWOT, Porter, PESTEL
7. Go‑To‑Market and Marketing Plan
8. Financial Plan and Unit Economics
9. Pitch Deck Alignment
10. Executive Summary (Write Last)
11. Scenario‑Based Export (PDF)
12. Quality Review and Final Checks
13. Appendices: Data Checklist, Prompt Library, Glossary

1) Purpose and Outcomes

This manual guides you from zero to a polished, investor‑ready business plan using PlanAI. You will:

• Produce a comprehensive plan PDF assembled from your best scenarios
• Create audience‑specific variants (investor, lender, internal)
• Maintain reusable scenarios you can refine and re‑export quickly
• Align narrative, metrics, and milestones across all modules

Key principles:

• Draft fast, refine twice: “good first, great later”
• Build with scenarios: Base, Conservative, Aggressive
• Keep the story and the numbers in sync

2) How PlanAI Organizes Your Plan

Modules (Plan → Assess → Process):

• Research: Market/competitor insights and validation
• Business Model: Value prop, revenue streams, costs, partners
• Strategy: SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL
• Marketing/GTM: ICPs, channels, funnel, campaign plan
• Financials: Projections, unit economics, runway
• Pitch Deck: Slide content aligned to your plan
• Executive Summary: One‑page story written last

Scenarios (your building blocks):

• Save multiple versions per module (e.g., “Base Case”, “Conservative”, “Aggressive”)
• Mark one “Best Case” per module for easy export defaults
• Mix‑and‑match to tailor exports for different audiences

Industry Templates:

• If you select an industry at company creation, default scenarios in Business Model, SWOT, and Pitch Deck populate with sector‑relevant guidance you can customize.

3) Quick Setup and Workflow Overview

Time‑boxed workflow (First pass: 60–90 min; Second pass: 2–4 hours)

• Setup (5 min): Create company, select industry, add description
• Research (20–40 min): Draft market size, ICPs, trends, competitors
• Business Model (20–30 min): Use template; customize 9 blocks
• Strategy (30–45 min): Do SWOT fully; Porter/PESTEL highlights
• GTM (20–40 min): Channels, funnel, messaging, 90‑day plan
• Financials (45–90 min): Monthly/annual projections; unit economics
• Pitch Deck (30–60 min): Optional but recommended; align slides
• Executive Summary (10–20 min): Write last; crisp story and ask
• Export (5–10 min): Pick scenarios; brand; generate PDF

Naming convention (helps exporting and versioning):

• “Market – Core ICP v1”, “BMC – v1”, “SWOT – Current”, “Financials – Base/Conservative/Aggressive”, “GTM – Launch 0–6 mo”

4) Market Research (Deep Dive)

Goal: Prove you understand customers, market size, and the competitive landscape.

Deliverables:

• ICP profiles (roles, pains, buying criteria)
• Market size (TAM/SAM/SOM) with cited sources
• Trends (3–5) that create tailwinds/headwinds
• Competitor map and positioning notes

Steps:

• Define ICPs: segment by role, company size, industry, geography
• Quantify market: cite reports; triangulate from bottom‑up if needed
• Map competitors: list top 5–10; note pricing, strengths, gaps
• Summarize trends: regulation, tech shifts, buyer behavior

Evidence to collect:

• Analyst/industry reports, academic articles, credible media
• Customer interviews or pilot feedback (quotes)

AI prompt starters:

• “Summarize top 5 trends in [industry] affecting [ICP] over next 24 months.”
• “Triangulate TAM/SAM/SOM for [product] using [segments] with sources.”
• “Create a competitor grid with pricing tiers and key differentiators.”

Quality bar:

• All figures have sources; assumptions are explicit
• ICP pains tie directly to your solution and value proposition

Pitfalls:

• Vague ICPs; market sizes without citations; ignoring buying constraints

5) Business Model Canvas (Deep Dive)

Goal: Coherent system of value creation, delivery, and capture.

Nine blocks to complete:

• Value Propositions: specific pains solved; quantifiable benefits
• Customer Segments: ICPs you commit to serve first
• Channels: how you acquire, convert, and retain
• Customer Relationships: support, community, self‑serve vs. high‑touch
• Revenue Streams: pricing model, ARPU/ACV, upsells
• Key Resources: tech, data, brand, partnerships
• Key Activities: build, sell, support, analyze
• Key Partnerships: distribution, data, compliance, manufacturing
• Cost Structure: COGS, CAC drivers, headcount, tooling

Actions:

• Start from template if available; edit for specificity
• Link revenue streams and channels to your GTM and Financials
• Note dependencies (e.g., compliance partner required by Q3)

AI prompt starters:

• “Given this BMC draft, find 3 gaps and propose concrete fixes: [paste].”
• “Suggest 2 alternative pricing models and discuss trade‑offs.”

Quality bar:

• Clear linkage between pains → value prop → channels → revenue
• Costs and resources align with financial assumptions

Pitfalls:

• Generic value propositions; channels without unit economics; costs missing

6) Strategy: SWOT, Porter, PESTEL

Purpose: Stress‑test your model against internal/external realities.

SWOT (required):

• Strengths: unfair advantages; moats; traction
• Weaknesses: capability gaps; resource constraints
• Opportunities: market openings, underserved ICPs, adjacencies
• Threats: strong incumbents, regulation, substitutes

Porter’s Five Forces (optional but valuable):

• Competitive Rivalry; Threat of New Entrants; Threat of Substitutes; Supplier Power; Buyer Power
• Outcome: strategic posture and defensive plays

PESTEL Highlights:

• Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal factors
• Outcome: external risks/accelerants to address in plan

AI prompt starters:

• “Given this market and model, list top 5 risks and mitigations.”
• “Draft Porter’s summary for [geo/segment] with 2 implications each.”

Quality bar:

• Risks have owner, mitigation, and trigger thresholds
• Strategy informs GTM priorities and product roadmap

7) Go‑To‑Market and Marketing Plan

Goal: A credible path from attention → revenue with measurable KPIs.

Components:

• Positioning & Messaging: who you’re for, why different, proof points
• Channels: paid (search/social), organic (SEO/content), partnerships, outbound
• Funnel: awareness → consideration → trial → conversion → expansion
• KPIs: CPA/CAC, conversion rates, sales cycle, retention, expansion
• 90‑Day Launch Plan: time‑boxed experiments with owners and targets

Steps:

• Select 1–2 primary channels for focus (don’t boil the ocean)
• Define funnel metrics and targets by stage
• Create 6–8 key messages matched to ICP pains
• Draft 90‑day plan with weekly checkpoints

AI prompt starters:

• “Draft a 90‑day GTM plan for [channel mix] with weekly KPIs.”
• “Create 3 messaging variants for [ICP] emphasizing [benefit].”

Quality bar:

• Channel math ties to Financials (CAC, payback)
• Clear hypotheses, owners, budgets, and learning loop

Pitfalls:

• Channel sprawl; no ICP alignment; unfunded campaigns; no KPI targets

8) Financial Plan and Unit Economics

Goal: Credible projections, validated unit economics, visible runway.

Core elements:

• Assumptions: pricing, churn, expansion, CAC, headcount, margins
• Projections: monthly P&L; annual summary; cash flow runway
• Scenarios: Base, Conservative, Aggressive with key levers
• Unit Economics: LTV, CAC, CAC payback, gross margin

Steps:

• Start with Base Case; clone to Conservative/Aggressive
• Validate revenue drivers vs. GTM (traffic, CVRs, ACV)
• Sanity‑check margins, hiring dates, vendor costs
• Highlight runway needs and funding plan

AI prompt starters:

• “Check these unit economics; flag risks: CAC=[x], LTV=[y], GM=[z]%.”
• “Propose 2 sensitivity toggles that materially affect runway.”

Quality bar:

• CAC payback period in a reasonable range for your sector
• Conservative case still viable (no magical assumptions)

Pitfalls:

• Top‑down revenue without bottoms‑up drivers; hidden headcount costs; churn ignored

9) Pitch Deck Alignment

Goal: Ensure the deck and plan reinforce each other.

Slides (typical set):

• Problem → Solution → Market → Product → Traction → Business Model → Competition → Go‑To‑Market → Team → Financials → Ask

Actions:

• Pull key content directly from modules (don’t reinvent)
• Keep each slide focused on one insight; support with metrics
• “Ask” slide: amount, use of funds, milestones unlocked

AI prompt starters:

• “Rewrite this Problem slide to be more specific and quantifiable.”
• “Investor‑style feedback on these 3 slides: [paste].”

Quality bar:

• Deck tells a crisp story that your plan substantiates
• Key metrics (growth, margins, retention) are consistent with Financials

10) Executive Summary (Write Last)

Goal: One‑page narrative that previews the plan.

Structure:

• One‑liner: who/what/why now
• Problem → Solution fit in 2–3 sentences
• Market: size + timing; 1–2 trend citations
• Traction: revenue/users/pilots; proof points
• Business Model: pricing, unit economics highlights
• Strategy & GTM: how you win and scale
• Team: why you’ll execute
• Financials: topline; runway; path to milestones
• Ask: amount and specific uses tied to milestones

AI prompt starters:

• “Condense this into a compelling 180‑word executive summary.”
• “Make this ‘Ask’ section sharper and milestone‑driven.”

Quality bar:

• 200–300 words; concrete; answer ‘why now’ and ‘why us’

11) Scenario‑Based Export (PDF)

Route: /dashboard/export

Steps:

• Completion Check: fill missing sections first
• Open Sections: expand each; review saved scenarios
• Select Scenarios: choose one per section (Best Case auto‑selects)
• Inline Edits: quick tweaks; save updates
• Branding: add logo/colors if available; choose included sections
• Export: click “Export PDF (X sections)”; use smart filename

Variants (examples):

• Investor: Exec Summary, Market, Business Model, Strategy, Traction, Financials
• Bank/Lender: Exec Summary, Market, Financials (detail), Risk/Collateral
• Internal: All sections + Operations, Roadmap, Hiring Plan

Naming conventions:

• CompanyName_Plan_YYYY‑MM‑DD_[Audience].pdf

Troubleshooting:

• Missing scenario? Verify it’s saved for that module; refresh
• Templates not applied? Ensure industry selected and default scenario empty
• Export fails? Reduce oversized sections; sign out/in and retry

12) Quality Review and Final Checks

Narrative Coherence:

• Story flows from customer pain → product → GTM → revenue → milestones
• No contradictions between sections (e.g., pricing mismatches)

Numbers Alignment:

• BMC revenue ↔ GTM funnel math ↔ Financial projections
• Unit economics logical for your sector (benchmark if possible)

Risk and Mitigation:

• Top 5 risks named; clear mitigations; triggers; owners

Readability & Polish:

• Headings scannable; bullet points concise; avoid jargon
• Consistent tone and voice; proofread for typos

Acceptance Criteria (ready to share):

• Single‑page executive summary complete
• Base + Conservative financial scenarios validated
• Exported PDF reads cleanly; no “lorem ipsum”; branding applied

13) Appendices

A) Data Checklist (abridged)

• Company: mission, team bios
• Market: ICPs, TAM/SAM/SOM, trends, competitors with sources
• Model: pricing, revenue streams, cost drivers
• GTM: channels, funnel CVRs, messages, 90‑day plan
• Financials: CAC, LTV, churn, GM, headcount plan, runway
• Risks: top 5 with mitigations

Full checklist: docs/checklists/business-plan-data-checklist.md

B) Prompt Library (examples)

• “Create a competitor table with pricing tiers and differentiators for [market].”
• “Draft 3 positioning statements for [ICP] emphasizing [benefit].”
• “Given this funnel, estimate monthly revenue under Base/Conservative: [paste].”
• “Review these assumptions and suggest conservative alternatives: [paste].”

C) Glossary (quick)

• ICP: Ideal Customer Profile
• CAC: Customer Acquisition Cost
• LTV: Lifetime Value
• CVR: Conversion Rate
• GM: Gross Margin
• TAM/SAM/SOM: Total/Serviceable/Obtainable Market

Copy & Formatting Tips for Word

• Paste as “Keep Text Only” to remove web styles
• Apply Heading 1/2 styles for navigation pane
• Insert page breaks before major sections (Ctrl+Enter)
• Use 11–12pt body font; 1.15–1.3 line spacing for readability
• Add a cover page with company logo, date, and contact info

Final Note

Your plan is a living document. Update scenarios as you learn, then re‑export in minutes. Start simple, focus on clarity, and let the numbers and narrative reinforce each other.

*** End of Manual ***