While I was doing my MBA a few years ago I participated in numerous business plan competitions, including the very prestigious Asia Moot Corp Business Plan Competition, where my team and I continuously ended up among the top 3 finalists or even better – won the whole completion.

Why did we do it? For one, there is the thrill of presenting a business idea to a group of investors, entrepreneurs, and judges. Although it could be nerve racking, there is a certain high that you get from trying to persuade savvy business people to give you their money and invest in your business idea. However, this high is nothing compared to the thrill of winning such a competition, which gives validity to your business idea and even stronger motivation to continue forward with it. Of course, the cash prizes that came with winning these competitions were a very good incentive for me and my team members and a good reward for all the hard work that was involved in writing these wining business plans. In fact the cash prizes that I got from successfully writing and presenting numerous business plans is how I was able to pay for my MBA. Even though these competitions were more or less a game for me they taught me a great deal.

This was 5 years ago, when I also began working as a business consultant. Since then I have decided to learn everything there is to know about business plan writing. I met with many business leaders and investors, I have attended many networking events, asked many questions about venture capital funding, strategies, marketing concepts and much more, read and researched tons of literature on business plan writing and even though I am still learning I can confidently call myself a business plan expert. I have been invited on numerous occasions to be a judge at different business events and competitions, I have coached many entrepreneurs on their business plan presentations, and I have reviewed and done due diligence on hundreds of business plans for private investors. Additionally I have written over 50 business plans for clients, which translate in over $30 million dollars in funding for different start-up businesses.

In addition to business plans I am also interested in grant writing and strategic plan writing which all have something in common but at the same time are fundamentally different and require a whole different set of skills.

Here are some examples of topics of business plans that I have written: (The topics of all the business plans that I have reviewed, edited, or worked on one way or another are too vast to list here, that’s why I am focusing only on those that I have written myself from start to finish).

High tech, high growth businesses
Micro cooling devices
Genetic engineering – transgenic animals and gene therapy
Aroma technology for extracting aroma in-situ
Integrated online mortgage and lending
Digital signage
Self-service kiosks
iPhone applications

Small Businesses
Coffee and smoothie shop
Restaurants
Legal services
Vocational schools/surf schools, after school programs
Esthetic/cosmetic services
Convenient stores
Tourist attractions
All boy schools
Holistic Healing
Battery business

Mid to Large-Size Businesses
Eco tourism
Hotels
Bottled Water
Museum

Non-Profits
Workforce analysis
Industry association website – development and promotion
Virtual market place for Pacific Islands’ handcrafters

Government Projects
Strategic planning and business plans for university departments, including
College of Nursing
College of Education
School of Medicine
Deposit Beverage Container Program (Pacific Islands)
Solid Waste Management Program (Pacific Islands)