Executive summary (write last)
The executive summary is the most important page — and it should be written last. In one page, it must answer: what does the business do, who does it serve, how does it make money, how big is the market, and what's the ask (funding, visa approval, loan). Investors read this first and decide whether to continue.
Market analysis with UK-specific data
Use ONS, Companies House, IBISWorld, Statista, and Google Trends for UK market sizing. Show TAM (total addressable), SAM (serviceable addressable), and SOM (serviceable obtainable). For Innovator Founder visa plans, you must demonstrate UK-specific market opportunity.
Financial projections that make sense
Three-year minimum (five-year for visa and investor plans). Include P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet. Revenue projections must be bottom-up (units × price), not top-down (% of market). Include assumptions documentation — investors will challenge every number.
Innovator Founder visa: the three criteria
If writing for the Innovator Founder visa, explicitly map to: Innovation (what's genuinely new about your approach in the UK market), Viability (can this actually work — show customer evidence), and Scalability (how does this grow beyond the founder — hiring plan, market expansion).
Common mistakes to avoid
Generic market analysis not specific to the UK. Financial projections with no assumptions. Failing to address all three visa criteria explicitly. No customer evidence (even one letter of intent helps). Confusing "innovative" with "high-tech" — a novel business model is equally valid.