Business Plans

45-minute agenda

1. 0–5 min

   Warm-up

   Post: “If you had to explain your business idea on one index card, what would you write?”

2. 5–12 min

   Direct instruction

   Present the lesson slides. Make sure students leave with these points:

   • One page beats forty for a new business.
   • A plan is a list of assumptions to test.
   • Include risks and a plan B.
   • Update it monthly.

   Use the “See it” slide (The one-page business plan) to make the idea visual.

3. 12–17 min

   Worked example

   Walk through “Marcus's one-page plan” on the slides. Pause before the result and ask students to predict it.

4. 17–32 min

   One-Page Plan Sprint

   Format: small groups · 15 minutes

   1. Groups use the one-page plan sections from the lesson for a business idea from earlier lessons.
   2. Each section gets no more than three bullet points.
   3. Groups circle their riskiest assumption and write how they'd test it in two weeks.
   4. Groups swap plans and give one question and one suggestion.

   What to look for: Strong plans are specific, include numbers, name a riskiest assumption, and have a test with a deadline.

5. 32–37 min

   Check for understanding

   Use the question slides — or run them as a Four Corners game. Answers:

   1. What's the main purpose of a one-page business plan for a new business? — B. To write down clear assumptions you can test and update
   2. What should happen to your plan? — B. Update the revenue section to reflect what you learned
   3. Naming your biggest risks in a business plan makes the business look weaker, so it's better to leave them out. — False
6. 37–42 min

   Discussion

   • Which section of the one-page plan would be hardest for you to fill in? Why?
   • Why might a long, detailed plan be less useful than a short one early on?
7. 42–45 min

   Exit ticket

   Prompt: Why is a one-page plan better than a 40-page plan for a new business?

   Answer: It forces clear thinking, is quick to update, and focuses on assumptions to test.