Home
>
Strategic Planning
>
To Go or No Go, That Is The Question

To Go or No Go, That Is The Question

Last week we talked about a few of the ways to test the feasibility of a business idea to help determine if the idea really had merit or just looked good on the surface. To recap, I said don't bet the farm on the opinions of friends and family, consult with knowledgeable business experts, and conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis. This week let's take it a step further and talk about the creation of a formal Feasibility Plan which will help you determine the true feasibility of your big business idea.

A feasibility plan is just that: a written plan that is created for the sole purpose of validating the feasibility of a business idea. Some call it a "Go/No Go" plan, because the results of a well-constructed feasibility plan will tell you whether or not the idea has a chance for success (that's a Go) or if this idea would be best left on the drawing board (that's a No Go).

Many entrepreneurs would rather have their front teeth pulled without anesthetic than go to the time and trouble of creating a feasibility plan; often because they are afraid of what it will reveal.

The last thing an entrepreneur (particularly one without prior business experience) wants to hear is that their business idea won't fly, so they put on blinders and resist testing the idea using real world information.

In an entrepreneur's head every idea is a good one, every hit is a home run, and every story ends with the hero sitting on a beach drinking Mai Tai's and lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills. No one wants to imagine the story ending any other way and many would rather bury their heads in the sand and hope for the best than to test out their ideas before execution. Trust me. I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt and paid the bill. Not a smart thing to do.

Writing a detailed feasibility plan will force you to take off the rose colored glasses and look at the idea honestly and entirely. It will help you define your market, identify your customers, potential partners and competitors, recognize opportunities and warn of potential threats.

Starting a business without testing its feasibility is like teaching your kids to swim by chucking them in the lake. It might be fun to try with your sister's kids, but not your own? just not a good idea.

Writing a feasibility plan is much like writing a mini-business plan. The end result should be a formal document that includes an executive summary, a product or service plan, a marketing plan, a price and profitability plan, and a plan for further action. Let's take a look at each section.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is the first section of the plan and sums up the high points detailed throughout the remainder of the plan. The Executive Summary should include a brief, but thorough description of the idea, an overview of the products or services to be offered, the target market and target customer, startup costs, and pricing and profitability. Keep the Executive Summary to one page. I have seen Executive Summaries that rambled on for pages and pages. Keep each topic to one or two tight paragraphs and go into further detail in the individual sections of the plan.

Product and Service Plan

This section details the product or service the business will offer. The point of the feasibility plan is not only to determine the Go/No Go result, but to get you really thinking about the idea from all angles. What is the purpose of the product or service? What stage of development is the idea in? What are the limitations of the product or service? Is there intellectual property involved? Are there government regulations or product liability issues to be considered? Are there opportunities for future expansion or spin offs?

Marketing Plan

The marketing plan is one of the most important sections of the feasibility plan because it is here that you identify your market, your customer, and your competition. You will need to do market research to gather the information required to develop a realistic marketing plan. Just opening up the Yellow Pages to see what similar businesses are listed is not enough. You must have a clear handle on the size of your market, growth potential, and trends. You should identify all manner of competition (direct and indirect), and detail the advantages and disadvantages that your idea has when compared to competitors. You should also profile your target customer and tell why the customer would buy from you and not someone else.

Pricing and Profitability

The pricing and profitability section should include information on how the price of your product or service was determined and the expected profitability. Many entrepreneurs have no clue how to determine the price for their product. Some use what I call the "Shrek Method," whereby the price is pulled out of their ear (see the movie, get the joke). There are a number of ways to determine pricing, but that's another column. Once you have pricing data in hand, include it in this section along with details on sales estimates, costs of goods sold, gross margins, operating expense estimates, start up costs, capital expenditures, etc. The pricing section is where many ideas are abandoned because the entrepreneur discovers that the cost to deliver the goods is just too high and the profit margins just too low to merit execution.

Plan for Further Action

This final section of the feasibility plan simply details the next steps in executing the plan if a "Go" decision has been reached. Do you need capital for start up expenses? If so, how much and where will it come from? Is there a location to consider and equipment to be purchased? What role will you play in the operation of the business? Is there a business plan in work? Are there licenses that must be obtained or legal tasks like forming a corporation to be taken care of? Are there partnerships to be formed or key team members to be recruited?

Finally, don't fear the outcome of the feasibility plan. If the feasibility plan reveals that your idea was a dud, i.e. a "No Go," it is better to know that before spending thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars executing an idea that would have been better off left bouncing around inside your head.

Writing a feasibility plan is a pain in the neck, but so is losing your house to a failed business venture.

Take the time to do the plan. If it helps, feel free to cuss me while you're doing it, but remember to thank me when it's over.

Here's to your success!

Tim Knox

Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim serves as the president and CEO of three successful technology companies and is the founder of DropshipWholesale.net, an online organization dedicated to the success of online and eBay entrepreneurs.

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

To Go or No Go, That Is The Question

Strategic Planning