One-Page Plan
Can an investor or board member understand the bet, inspect the proof trail, see the economics, compare alternatives, and take the next action from one page?
The one-page plan is not a mini business plan. It is the compression artifact between source instruments and the investment package.
Primary audience: Investor / Board.
Founder/operator adaptation: keep the same structure, but replace investor language with the internal decision owner, resource ask, operating milestone, and stop rule.
Instrument Flow
Upstream
These instruments feed the one-page plan. Do not invent material on this page.
- Idea Capture
- Ideal Customer Profile
- Positioning Statement
- Go-To-Market Strategy
- Model Selection
- Unit Economics
- Cash Flow Projection
- ROI Analysis
- Operations Scorecard
Adjacent
These instruments strengthen, challenge, or qualify the plan.
- AI SWOT
- Opportunity Scanner
- Portfolio Review
- Lead Magnet Strategy
- Investor Map
- Cap Table
- Valuation Comps
Sibling — Venture Proposal Set
These four pages and the one-page plan together form the canonical venture proposal set. Each page does a different job for a different reader; cross-link from each so the reader can route to the right depth.
- Venture Overview Page — routes the cold visitor to the right downstream page in 30 seconds
- Venture Pitch Page — causes a reader on the persuasion ladder to commit to the next role-specific ask
- Venture Proof Page — converts interested to committed by stating the live offer + trust design
- Venture Intentions Page — causes a collaborator to claim the next dot and ship it
Downstream
These instruments consume the one-page plan.
Source Map
| One-page section | Primary source instrument | Supporting instrument | Downstream consumer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem | Idea Capture | ICP | Pitch Deck |
| Customer | ICP | GTM Strategy | Lead Magnet |
| Solution | Idea Capture | Model Selection | PRD Spec |
| Why Now | Opportunity Scanner | AI SWOT | Venture Presentation |
| Market | GTM Strategy | Investor Map | Pitch Deck |
| Model | Model Selection | Unit Economics | Data Room |
| Proof / Traction | Scorecard | Lead Magnet | Data Room |
| Competition | Positioning Statement | Portfolio Review | Pitch Deck |
| Numbers | Unit Economics / Cash Flow / ROI | Cap Table / Valuation Comps | Data Room |
| Ask | Investor Map | Cap Table | Pitch Deck |
| Kill Signal | Scorecard | Cash Flow | Portfolio Review |
Claim Tags
Every major claim must carry one tag:
FACT: observed, evidenced, or contractually true.ESTIMATE: calculated from known inputs.ASSUMPTION: required belief that has not been proven.UNKNOWN: open issue that affects the decision.
Use the tag inline: [FACT] 14 paying customers as of 2026-05-01, from Stripe export.
Number Rules
Every number needs:
- source instrument or source file
- source date
- confidence: high / medium / low
- status: proven / projected / inferred
Number format:
[ESTIMATE] CAC: $180 | source: Unit Economics | date: 2026-05-01 | confidence: medium | status: projected
Procedure
- Pull from completed source instruments. Do not write from scratch.
- Keep each section to one tight sentence, one short list, or one number block.
- Tag every major claim as
FACT,ESTIMATE,ASSUMPTION, orUNKNOWN. - Give every financial number source, date, confidence, and status.
- Include direct competitors, indirect alternatives, and the status quo.
- Make the ask decidable: amount or commitment, use of funds or resources, milestone unlocked, terms or decision owner, and deadline.
- Make the kill signal falsifiable and name what happens if triggered.
- Test: can a reader decide whether to take the meeting, fund the stage, or request the data room in 60 seconds?
The One Page
1. Company Purpose
[One sentence: why the company exists and what future it is trying to make real. Source: Idea Capture. Tag each claim.]
2. Audience + Decision
[Who is reading, what decision they must make, by when, and what happens next. Source: Investor Map or internal decision map.]
3. Problem
[Who has the problem, what it costs, and why current workarounds fail. Source: Idea Capture + ICP.]
4. Customer
[Primary buyer, user, urgency trigger, and budget owner. Source: ICP + GTM Strategy.]
5. Solution
[What the product/service does differently and what changes for the customer. Source: Idea Capture + Model Selection.]
6. Why Now
[Timing force: market, regulation, technology, distribution, cost curve, or behaviour shift. Source: Opportunity Scanner + AI SWOT.]
7. Market / Opportunity
[Reachable opportunity, not generic TAM. Include the segment, channel, and buying path. Source: GTM Strategy + Investor Map.]
8. Business Model
[How money flows, pricing, gross margin logic, and scaling constraint. Source: Model Selection + Unit Economics.]
9. Proof / Traction
[Evidence that the problem, solution, distribution, or economics are real. Source: Operations Scorecard + Lead Magnet Strategy.]
10. Competition / Alternatives
[Direct competitors, indirect alternatives, and status quo. Source: Positioning Statement + Portfolio Review.]
11. Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source | Date | Confidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price / ACV | $ | Unit Economics | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
| Gross margin | % | Unit Economics | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
| CAC / payback | $ / months | Unit Economics / ROI Analysis | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
| LTV:CAC / benefit:cost | ratio | Unit Economics / ROI Analysis | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
| Break-even | month | Cash Flow Projection | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
| 12-month revenue or benefit | $ | Cash Flow Projection | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
| Total investment needed | $ | ROI Analysis / Cap Table | YYYY-MM-DD | high / medium / low | proven / projected / inferred |
12. Team / Edge
[Why this team can win: unfair access, expertise, distribution, data, speed, trust, or operational advantage. Source: Idea Capture + Positioning Statement.]
13. Ask
[Amount or commitment, use of funds/resources, milestone unlocked, terms or decision owner, and deadline. Source: Investor Map + Cap Table.]
14. Kill Signal
[Falsifiable stop rule, measurement date, owner, and consequence. Source: Operations Scorecard + Cash Flow Projection.]
15. Next Action
[The next concrete action: meeting, diligence request, data room access, vote, pilot approval, or stage gate. Source: Ask + downstream consumer.]
Do Not Include
- Generic TAM with no reachable segment or buying path.
- "No competitors."
- Unsupported ROI, payback, or margin claims.
- A vague ask.
- Hidden assumptions.
- Numbers without source, date, confidence, and status.
- A kill signal that cannot actually kill the bet.
Scoring Rubric
Score each dimension from 1 to 5.
| Dimension | 1 | 3 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attention | Generic and slow. | Clear enough to keep reading. | The bet is visible in the first 10 seconds. |
| Decision clarity | No explicit decision. | Decision named but weakly framed. | Reader knows exactly what to approve, reject, or request. |
| Proof | Claims are mostly unsupported. | Some claims link to evidence. | Every major claim has a tag and source trail. |
| Economics | Numbers are missing or decorative. | Core numbers present. | Economics are sourced, dated, confidence-rated, and decision-useful. |
| Risk | Risks are softened. | Main risk named. | Alternatives, assumptions, and kill signal are explicit. |
| Action | Next step is vague. | Next step exists. | Next action has owner, deadline, and trigger. |
Investor/board standard: no dimension below 4.
Gold Standard
TradeBooks
1. Company Purpose
[ASSUMPTION] TradeBooks exists to make bookkeeping disappear for small NZ trade firms so owners can spend Friday on jobs and family instead of coding bank lines.
2. Audience + Decision
[FACT] This page is for angel investors deciding by 2026-06-15 whether to fund a $85K pre-seed stage that must prove 50 paying customers before a larger seed round.
3. Problem
[ESTIMATE] NZ trade business owners with 5-20 staff lose one working day per month on bookkeeping because horizontal tools do not understand trade-specific transactions.
Source: ICP + Idea Capture | date: 2026-05-01 | confidence: medium | status: inferred
4. Customer
[FACT] The first buyer is an owner-operator of a plumbing, electrical, or building firm in NZ who uses Xero and either does the books personally or pays at least $500/month for help.
Source: ICP interviews | date: 2026-04-28 | confidence: medium | status: proven
5. Solution
[ASSUMPTION] TradeBooks is an AI bookkeeper trained on trade-specific bank patterns: it reads the feed, codes transactions, flags anomalies, and exports to Xero.
Source: Idea Capture + Model Selection | date: 2026-05-01 | confidence: medium | status: projected
6. Why Now
[FACT] Small firms already trust Xero as the accounting system of record, and AI classification quality now makes narrow transaction coding cheap enough to test in a focused vertical.
Source: Opportunity Scanner + AI SWOT | date: 2026-05-02 | confidence: medium | status: inferred
7. Market / Opportunity
[ESTIMATE] Reachable wedge is 1,200 NZ trade firms with 5-20 staff reachable through trade associations, accountants, and Xero-adjacent referrals.
Source: GTM Strategy + Investor Map | date: 2026-05-02 | confidence: low | status: inferred
8. Business Model
[ESTIMATE] SaaS subscription at $99/month per business with no setup fee and an 88% projected gross margin after AI processing and support costs.
Source: Model Selection + Unit Economics | date: 2026-05-03 | confidence: medium | status: projected
9. Proof / Traction
[FACT] 14 owners joined the waitlist from two trade association posts; 6 completed discovery interviews; 3 shared anonymised bank exports for testing.
Source: Operations Scorecard + Lead Magnet Strategy | date: 2026-05-04 | confidence: high | status: proven
10. Competition / Alternatives
[FACT] Direct competitors are bookkeeping automation tools; indirect alternatives are outsourced bookkeepers and accountants; status quo is owner-coded Xero reconciliation after hours.
Source: Positioning Statement + Portfolio Review | date: 2026-05-02 | confidence: high | status: proven
11. Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source | Date | Confidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99/month | Unit Economics | 2026-05-03 | medium | projected |
| Cost per account | $12/month | Unit Economics | 2026-05-03 | medium | projected |
| Gross margin | 88% | Unit Economics | 2026-05-03 | medium | projected |
| CAC | $180 | Unit Economics | 2026-05-03 | low | projected |
| LTV:CAC | 8.2:1 | ROI Analysis | 2026-05-03 | low | projected |
| Break-even | Month 9 | Cash Flow Projection | 2026-05-03 | medium | projected |
| Total investment needed | $85K | ROI Analysis + Cap Table | 2026-05-03 | medium | projected |
12. Team / Edge
[FACT] The founding team combines trade operating experience with accounting automation skill, giving it faster access to real bank patterns than a horizontal SaaS entrant.
Source: Idea Capture + Positioning Statement | date: 2026-05-01 | confidence: medium | status: inferred
13. Ask
[ESTIMATE] Ask is $85K for 9 months of runway to ship the Xero-connected MVP, onboard 50 paying customers, and reach Month 9 break-even; proposed terms are 15% equity, decision by 2026-06-15.
Source: Investor Map + Cap Table | date: 2026-05-05 | confidence: medium | status: projected
14. Kill Signal
[ASSUMPTION] If TradeBooks has fewer than 20 paying customers after 6 months of active sales, stop new product spend, return unused capital, and convert the learning into a services-only bookkeeping automation offer.
Source: Operations Scorecard + Cash Flow Projection | date: 2026-05-05 | confidence: medium | status: projected
15. Next Action
[FACT] Send the data room by 2026-05-20, hold a 45-minute investor diligence call by 2026-05-27, and request written soft commitments by 2026-06-05.
Source: Investor Map + Data Room | date: 2026-05-05 | confidence: high | status: proven
That example is assembly, not invention. Every claim points backward to a source instrument and forward to a decision artifact.
Questions
- Which claim carries the most risk if it is wrong?
- Which number would a sceptical investor challenge first?
- Which alternative would the customer choose if this did not exist?
- If the kill signal triggered tomorrow, would you actually stop?