Category: Business Model and Plan

11.1 Avoiding the “Field of Dreams” Approach Business models and business plans are tools involved in the strategic process of charting a path for your entrepreneurial venture. When starting a company, it’s best to avoid the Field of Dreams approach of building a business and hoping that customers will just show up. Innovation has been linked to entrepreneurship…

Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Unlike the brief or lean formats introduced so far, the business plan is a formal document used for the long-range planning of a company’s operation. It typically includes background information, financial information, and a summary of the business. Investors nearly always request a formal…

Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: As the name suggests, a feasibility analysis is designed to assess whether your entrepreneurial endeavor is, in fact, feasible or possible. By evaluating your management team, assessing the market for your concept, estimating financial viability, and identifying potential pitfalls, you can make an informed…

Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: According to Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur, the authors of Business Model Generation, a business model “describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers and captures value.” Nevertheless, there is no single definition of this term, and usage varies widely.29 In standard business usage, a business…

Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: In the 1989 film Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner plays an Iowa farmer who hears a voice that tells him, “If you build it, he will come.” Inspired by this vision, Costner’s character turns his cornfield into a baseball field (of dreams), and…

Figure 11.1 The initial plan for Vita Coco did not work for its founders, Michael Kirban and Ira Liran, but the coconut water found later success, ultimately becoming the market leader, by using customer-focused design throughout the entrepreneurial process. (credit: modification of “Vita Coco at Vitality Show” by Zeyus Media/Flickr, CC BY 2.0) Chapter Outline 11.1 Avoiding the…