We use business plans as a mentor-matching tool, as we have found that document review is the best way to get a dozen or more people to look at a company (with a goal of 2 or 3 of them engaging longer-term) in a way that works for everyone’s schedule.
Your plan should be sent to the MCN as a single file, ideally in Adobe PDF. Most plans we see are 16-24 pages long. We do not have a strict length limit, but text-heavy plans longer than 30 pages will probably annoy your reviewers. You may link to additional online resources in your business plan.
Email your plan to network@mentorcapitalnet.org as an attached file by your cohort deadline. (Current timelines are on this page.)
We do NOT have a specific plan format to suggest, because the most important thing is that you submit a document that you have written written to and for your leadership team, not for the MCN or someone else.
There are hundreds of business plan templates on the internet. Please make sure to cover the following basic items:
- What does your company produce or provide?
- Who pays for it?
- How do you find those people?
- What are your financial assumptions?
- What are the major risks involved?
- What advantages do you and your team have?
If you are seeking investment, do not include specific terms (e.g. repayment schedule, IRR, etc.), since not all of our reviewers are accredited investors. Do include:
- How much are you seeking?
- What will you do with the investment?
- How will those actions either make you profitable enough to pay back the investment, or get you to a stage that will attract further investment?
Cover Page Logistical Information
Please include the following logistical information for the MCN on either the cover page of your plan, or the in the text of the email to which your business plan is attached:
- Company name
- Name(s) of the lead contact individual(s), and email and telephone contact information.
- Physical address of the company.
- Website (if you have one), and any social media addresses that you are actively using.
- An answer to: “Where do you need the most help in making your company successful?”
- A list of any competitors that you want to make sure do not review your plan.
A note on language
All of the of the MCN reviewers are fluent in English. Many are fluent in French or Spanish. While several dozen other languages are represented in our reviewer/mentor community, we can only be sure of having a critical mass of reviewers in those three languages at this time. And we’ll need advance notice if you will need to conduct your video calls in French or Spanish. If the lead entrepreneur is not fluent in English, Spanish, or French, please make sure that someone who can translate into English is available for the video calls.