If you work in a business environment, the chances are that every so often you’ll see great ideas come and go.

‘Now why didn’t I think of that’? is a thought that has flashed across almost everyone’s mind at some time. But if you are lucky, or clever – or both – it might be you that has had the lightbulb moment and come up with a proposal that is just so great that it won’t go away.

It eats away at you. You know it’s good. A sure-fire winner. But you’re going to need help, guidance and money to get it fired up, coughing into life and moving down the road to success.

Time for a funding bid.

That’s easier said than done. You are going to need to put pen to paper and make things look great for your potential backers. So what’s next?

Assuming you have done your research and found that, yes, there is room for your brainchild in this chosen market, you’ll need to write a business plan that convinces other people you’ve done that too. This is a really important part of your journey to success because, without a clear business plan and funding bid, you might as well feed your brilliant inspiration to the pigs.

If you don’t get your ideas down in a clear, orderly manner and in a way that makes people – your potential partners – sit up and take notice, you stand little chance of getting your ideas up, let alone running.

Write clearly and don’t use jargon. Nobody likes to feel left out because they don’t know the latest buzz words you’re using. Keep everything positive, sharp and to the point as you walk through the reasons why you are asking for funding. Show how the person you are connecting with is right for your idea – it puts a link between you both and makes your potential backer feel important and wanted.

Demonstrate the problem or gap in the market that needs solving or filling and then show how your product is the solution. Be realistic with your vision of the future and keep everything light, uplifting and interesting. Too much background information or boggy detail will only end in disaster, as your hard-earned pitch document heads for the waste paper (or electronic) basket.

Done right, and using good, strong language that’s captivating and interesting to read, you’ll be well on the way to a successful bid.

Done wrong and that’s your plans, hopes and hard work out of the window in a stroke, and all because you hadn’t presented them right.

And that’s not the idea, is it?

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