🧩 Week 3 – Simple Business Plan

You already have an idea and know who it’s for.
Now it’s time to make it real — by planning how it actually works.

Think of a business plan not as a boring document, but as a map of your idea:
where it starts, who it helps, how it earns, and how it grows.

🗺️ Step 1 – What Do You Offer?

The first question of every business:

“What exactly am I offering, and why would someone care?”

Keep it short.
Imagine you’re explaining to a friend between classes.

Example:

“QuickLunch helps students pre-order school meals to skip waiting lines.”

That’s it — one line that says:

what you do,
for whom,
and what problem it solves.

A student writing one-line business descriptions on sticky notes, like 'QuickLunch – skip the line' and 'EcoPrint – sustainable notebooks'. — The best ideas are easy to explain. If your friend gets it in 10 seconds, you’re on the right track.

👥 Step 2 – Who Are Your Customers?

Every plan needs a clear audience.
You already explored it in Market Research — now write it down.

Question	Example Answer
Who are they?	Students aged 14–18
Where do they spend time?	School cafeteria, Instagram
What do they want?	Save time at lunch
What do they dislike?	Long lines, slow service

Keep your answers short — this is your Customer Snapshot.

💰 Step 3 – How Will You Earn Money?

Let’s demystify “business models”.
It’s just how money flows in and out.

Here are 3 common examples:

Direct Sales – you sell something (snacks, art, clothes).
Subscription – people pay regularly (study app, tutoring).
Commission – you connect buyers & sellers, and take a small cut.

Pick one that fits your idea.

Example:

QuickLunch earns a small fee from each meal pre-ordered.

A classroom whiteboard showing arrows labeled Money In and Money Out, with icons for Sales, Subscription, and Commission. — Business models are just flows — think of money moving through your idea like water through a pipe.

💸 Step 4 – Know Your Costs

Every idea costs something — time, materials, or even attention.

Type	Example	Estimated Cost
Materials	Cups, napkins, lemons	$15
Marketing	Posters, flyers	$5
Tools	Online form builder	Free (trial)

That’s already a mini cost table!
And once you know your expenses, you can estimate your profit.

🧮 Formula:
Profit = Revenue – Costs

If your lemonade stand sells $40 and spends $20,
your profit is $20. That’s half your revenue — great start!

📊 Step 5 – Visualize It All Together

A simple business plan can fit on one page.

Section	Your Answer
Idea	QuickLunch – pre-order school meals
Problem	Long lunch lines
Solution	App to order in advance
Target Audience	Students, 14–18
Revenue Model	Fee per meal
Costs	Printing flyers, small app hosting
Profit Goal	$20/month in first test

Looks simple, right?
But that’s already what real founders do in early stages.

A friendly classroom poster showing a one-page business plan template with colorful sections for Idea, Problem, Solution, Audience, Revenue, and Costs. — A one-page plan helps you see the big picture — and makes your idea easier to explain to others.

🧠 Step 6 – Real Example: “SnackBot”

Problem: Students forget snacks for study sessions.
Idea: A vending robot inside the library.
Customers: Students staying late after school.
Revenue: $1 profit per snack sold.
Costs: Maintenance, restocking, payment system.
Result: 100 snacks/week × $1 = $100 profit potential.

When you see numbers, your idea becomes real.
That’s when you start to think like a founder.

✅ Your Challenge

Fill your own one-page plan (you can use our template →).
Check your idea’s logic — does every piece connect?
Share it with a friend and ask: “Does this make sense?”

Your goal: clarity over perfection.

🧭 Coming Next

In Week 4, you’ll learn to pitch your business —
how to tell your story confidently and answer tough questions.

👉 Continue to Pitch Simulation →