BDV4M – Entrepreneurs – The Electronic Venture
Culminating Activity Formatting
Your Venture Plan is an important business document and the level of professionalism it presents, on
your behalf to potential investors, is directly related. Simply stated: There is no room for disorganized
or missing information, nor is there any room for grammatical or typographic errors. A potential
investor who has doubts about the quality or attention to detail in your Venture Plan will be reluctant
to trust you with their money. The following are formatting guidelines to use in your Venture Plan –
and in virtually any business report.
Binding:
A Duo-Tang or slim 3-ring binder is recommended. Investors typically take the individual components
out for assessment by ‘specialists’ so stapling is not a good idea.
Type/Formatting:
Use 12 point Times or Arial font double spaced with 1” margins. For headings and sub-headings use
at least 16 point Bold or Bold Italic to differentiate the headings clearly for the readers. Bullet points
help the reader understand the relationships of groups of information more effectively.
Cover:
Should feature the Product/Service name, your name, date, course code and teacher’s name typed in
an organized layout. You may include a picture of the product, if you wish, but it is a cover, not an Ad.
Table of Contents:
Produce this after you have finished your document. It should list ALL the document sections –
including the Appendices where you include supplemental information. The Table of Contents should
be formatted with indented sub-points as found in text book tables of content and the Venture Plan
handout.
Executive Summary:
This is designed to give a BRIEF (half page) overview of your product/service and essentially ‘sets up
the sale’ for the reader. It must reflect your conviction that your product or service is a viable
investment opportunity for the reader, as the objective of your Venture Plan is to secure financing by
providing a comprehensive, in-depth description of how you plan to market your product or service.
The potential investor must be hooked, and the Executive Summary is critical.
Body of Venture Plan:
Each section should occupy at least one page of copy. Do not ‘double-up’ on sections to save paper.
Use headers on the document to indicate your name and page number. It is a professional touch. Be
sure to use headings and sub-heads properly. Pictures should only be used if they contribute to the
reader’s understanding of your product/service. Otherwise it is simply seen as ‘filler’ and treated as
such by the reader/investor. You DON’T want that!
Conclusion:
This is where you wrap up your pitch for investment in your product/service. Don’t beg!
Appendix:
Your survey results and any additional documentation should be included at the end of your Venture
Plan as an Appendix. You don’t want to ‘clutter up’ your Research section with this material – you
want to focus on the results.