Welcome to Your Pre Bureaucratic Meltdown (A.K.A. Is This Step Even Necessary?)
You, dear entrepreneurial maniac are moments away from that sweet horrifying Business Plan “incorporation” button. Maybe you’ve obsessed over business name generators (bonus points if it sounds like a failed indie band) or perhaps you just want to slap “LLC” after your nickname and call it destiny.
But wait before you ride the incorporation rollercoaster, people keep whispering about a “business plan.” Question: Is this real advice or just your mom projecting her own dashed startup dreams onto your caffeine fueled ambitions? Stay tuned while we turn existential dread into content!
Just Incorporate They Said. It’ll Be Fun They Said.” Why Plans Matter BEFORE The Paperwork
Spoiler: Technically, in the State of American Chaos, there is no Law demanding a business plan before you incorporate. You can absolutely YOLO right into an LLC before remembering what you actually plan to sell. The business plan? That’s for try hard right?
Wrong. Unless you want to end up:
- Broke but with official-looking paperwork!
- Answering “What’s your actual biz idea?” on Shark Tank with, “It’s more of a vibe, really”
- Cry laughing at receipts from useless subscriptions you didn’t plan for.
Let’s be honest: Filing without a plan is like buying running shoes for all those Tough Mudder races you’ll “definitely” start next week.
Reality Bite:
A business plan isn’t law but it’s the annoying GPS that helps you avoid those “unexpected” legal and financial potholes. The ones that ruin more dreams than TikTok copyright strikes.
“Vision Boards and Vibes”: What Most Startups Actually Plan On
So what happens when the average, caffeine riddled Millennial or Zoomer skips out on the business plan? You get “corporations” that:
- Only exist in bio sections and awkward Bumble convos.
- Spend half their budget on a logo nobody recognizes.
- Launch, pivot, dissolve and “rebrand” six times before becoming a meme.
Check this out Business Plan reality check:
- How many “incorporators” had a business plan before that pretty certificate? Enough to fill a We Work at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday.
- How many made money? Fewer than people who can explain an NFT to their grandma.
- How many saw “taxes” coming? Exactly zero.
What Actually Goes Wrong If You Skip the Plan?
It’s fun until you hit the adulting wall, my friend:
- Bank Accounts: “We just need a copy of your business plan.” (Cue the internal screaming.)
- Licenses: “So what is it you’re doing, again?” (Queue the external sweating.)
- Investors: “We’d need to review your projections.” (Queue the lying. Kidding sort of.)
- Co-founders: “Wait, what ARE we selling?” (Absolutely no queue, just chaos.)
Without a business plan focus keyword your brand new company:
- Spends cash like a Powerball winner.
- Misses permits, deadlines, and all the “fine print” because you didn’t have a planning page for “surprise state fees.”
- Hires your best friend then fires them after realizing you actually needed a developer not emotional support.
But hey, nice certificate!
“How to Actually Not Hate Yourself” (or: Planning That Doesn’t Suck)
Here’s the shocking twist: A business plan focus keyword can be fun. Or at least slightly less painful than skipping it.
How to make your pre-incorporation plan 50% less awful:
- Bullet points > Boring essays
- One page > Ten dusty Google Docs
- Actual numbers > Manifesting “six figures by next June”
- A TikTok worthy elevator pitch “It’s hard to explain but trust me it’s revolutionary
Your business plan focus keyword can look like:
- A budget (even if it’s a Post It note)
- A market check (“Is my product on Time already?”)
- A supply chain (Mom’s garage. Next question.)
- A launch plan (moon phases count if you’re desperate)
The point? You don’t need a Nobel prize in spreadsheet ology. You just need a map so you don’t end up founding a business called “Oopsie Doodle LLC.”
“But I’m Spontaneous!” The Case For Still Wing in’ It
Can you go from zero to filing’ with nothing but vibes and optimism? Yes.
Will your future therapist thank you if you write a business plan first? Also yes.
But sometimes you genuinely have nothing but a crazy good idea, a funky product, and the gall to make it real. Maybe your business plan is “Don’t Go Broke LLC” and your marketing budget is “Who needs ads when your dog is adorbs on TikTok?”
That’s okay. Just know:
Business plan or lack thereof won’t stop you from filling out those gorgeous, state mandated forms. But it will dictate whether you look smart at a bank meeting or if you click back every time an online form wants a description longer than “world domination, probably.”
TL DR Is a Pre Incorporation Business Plan for Overachievers or Survivors?
To sum up:
Writing a business plan before incorporating? Not required not even close.
Writing a business plan so you don’t wind up a meme on Sub stack’s “Startup Fails”? Highly recommended.
Your paperwork will go through either way; it’s your actual business that’ll prosper if you pause to plan even a little bit. No shade but every viral founder wished they’d outlined an expense section before buying that first ring light.
(P.S.: If you made it this far your attention span is better than most people’s business plans. Go reward yourself with overpriced coffee you earned it.)