Target. Whose needs are not being met -- what are these people like and what exactly do they need?
Vision. Imagine you've solved the problem you're working on: how do things look now?
Solution
Product, Service, Other. What is your solution?
Value Proposition. What's the main benefit your solution brings?
Business Model. How does your solution work as a business and who will pay for what?
Core Team
Roles & Capabilities. What does each member bring to the table, who will be in charge of what, and which roles do you still need to fill?
Cultural Values. Why do you work together and what kind of “workplace” do you want?
VALIDATION
Prototesting
Prototype. What is the simplest version of your solution that can be tested with your target?
Testing. How did you test your prototype with users?
Refinement. What did you learn? How have you changed your solution based on testing?
Ecosystem
Advisors. Who can you convince to support your project by lending you credibility, opening new doors, and guiding your solution into being?
Resources. What are your sources of CAPTURE: Capital, Access to market, Production capacity, Talent, Users, Regulatory requirements, and Economic guidance?
Competitive Landscape
Competitors. Who’s competing to meet the need, and who else matters in the market? What are current and potential “next best” options and workarounds?
Differentiation / Disruption. What gets you taken seriously next to your competitors – and what sets your solution apart or changes the game?
Positioning Map. On a map of what matters most to the user, where are the competitors – and where’s the opportunity?
LAUNCH
Brand
Target Audience. Who is in your target audience and what do they care about? Which audience will adopt your solution more easily than others?
Core Belief. What does your solution stand for?
Brand Pillars. If your solution had a personality, what would be its main characteristics?
Version One
Core Use Cases. What specific uses go to the heart of your solution?
MVP. What’s the smallest version of your solution that proves its potential and that users will adopt?
Production & Resources. What resources do you need so you can produce and deliver your solution?
Go-to-Market Strategy
Sales Strategy. How will you get the solution into each customer’s hands?
Marketing Campaigns. Where should you put time and money to reach your target – and what campaigns will make it count?
Customer Acquisition. How many people need to know about the solution, at what cost, to build your market share?
SCALABILITY
Market Potential
Market Size. How big is the market, and how much of it is up for grabs? How much could you get?
Market Trends. What has changed or is changing to make the market ready for your solution?
Opportunities and Risks. What opportunities and risks matter most – and how can you exploit them?
IMPACT
Impact
Mission. Go back to your vision – what the world’s like when you’re done. What’s the mission you’re sending yourself on to make it happen?
Theory of Change. What concrete results spell the change you’re looking for? What will it take to generate them?
Results
Metrics. What results can you measure or gather?
Impact Scenarios. What alternative scenarios can you map out for impact metrics over time? What resources would you need in each scenario?
Social ROI. In each scenario how much funding will you need to generate how much measurable impact?
FINANCIALS
Margins
Revenues. For what will you charge, how many people will buy it, and how much will they pay?
Variable Costs. Each time someone pays for the solution, what does it cost – find them, make it, and get it to them?
Contribution. Each time someone pays, how much is left over after costs, to “contribute” to keeping the lights on – or use in other ways?
Cash Flow
Volume Scenarios. What are your best, worst, and base case scenarios for sales over time? What needs to happen, and what would it cost, for each one to play out?
Upfront Costs & Overhead. What costs are the same no matter how much you sell – including costs to get off the ground and fixed overhead?
Breakeven & Burn Rate. How much do you need to sell to pay your overhead – and how much cash will you burn each month till then?
Funding
Ask, Use, and Justification. What needs to happen before your funders get what they want, how much capital will you need to get to that point, and what will you use it for?
Comparables & Multiples. Looking up ventures that look a bit like yours and got acquired, what was their revenue or profit the year they sold, and how many times that did the buyer pay? For nonprofits, what comparable organizations achieved notable outcomes, how much funding did it take, and what justified the grants or donations? For borrowers, what did the reliable cash flows look like for others that got loans, and did they have collateral?
Returns to Investors. When you can pay your investors back through profits, sale, follow-on investments, or IPOs? How many times their investment will they get, and is this enough to make up for all the scenarios in which they lose? If you’re going for grants, how will grantors know their money achieved their aims? If you’re using debt, why can lenders be sure they’ll get their money back?
