A Guide to Building a Minimum Viable Product. This guide is intended for the entrepreneur planning their next venture, the business owner who needs a "pivot' to a more optimized model, and anyone with a passion for new businesses, products and services, and wants to put their ideas on paper.

1. MVP Modeling Solutions
© 2018 by Thomas Associates Global, LLC
Guide to Building a Minimum Viable Product

2. Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
"A development technique in which a new product or website is developed
with sufficient features to satisfy early adopters. The final, complete set of
features is only designed and developed after considering feedback from
the product's initial users."
Thomas Associates Global has over 10 years experience building viability models, with a
Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Minnesota,
Carlson School of Management.
This guide is intended for the entrepreneur planning their next venture, the business owner
who needs a "pivot' to a more optimized model, and anyone with a passion for new
businesses, products and services, and wants to put their ideas on paper.
We hope this is an excellent educational resource for you and your business.
Please go to TAG-BLOCK.COM for information and services to elevate your brand!

3. OUTLINE
MVP
1 B U S I N E S S P L A N E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
2 M A N A G E M E N T & O R G A N I Z A T I O N
3 I N D U S T R Y / M A R K E T A N A L Y S I S
4 P R O D U C T / S E R V I C E D E S I G N
& O P E R A T I O N S P L A N
5 L E G A L S T A T U S , L E G A L A C T I O N S
& L O C A T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N
6 S W O T A N A L Y S I S
7 T H E O F F E R : F I N A N C I A L S & F U N D I N G
8 R E L E V A N T A P P E N D I C E S

4. Business Plan Executive Summary
Mission
Quote
Elevator
Your Mission Statement should comprise in one sentence what the purpose of your
company/organization/brand is. Avoid "buzzwords" and stick to the value that your
organization delivers. It should be clear what you are delivering to your customer.
It should also create emotional appeal and be memorable for the reader.
This is your TAGLINE. Your moto. Your mantra. It should be even shorter than your mission
statement. It should also reflect the main advantage your organization provides to your customer,
over the competition. How are you benefiting your customer? What is your differentiator that sets
you apart in your industry? Keep it simple and memorable.
The "Elevator Speech" is your sales pitch. It is what will make the readers and inquirers of your
minimum viable product turn the page and read on. This concept statement should be outlined
in descriptive sentences something like:
1. Actual Product/Service 4. Value Proposition
2. Differentiation 5. Sales Channels/Distribution
3. Customer Definition

5. Management & Organization
Management
Organization
Additional Staffing
This section should detail who is in charge of your organization. Management personnel should be
listed with titles and levels of authority. You should include any background information on
management personnel that is relevant to your organization in your Appendices. Remember, you're
selling your team and yourself, as well as your value proposition.
This is your "type of founding". Are you a corporation? for or non-profit? limited liability company?
Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit or something else? Do you give out W2's or are your employees all
1099 Contractors? Get specific, and let potential investors know what type of profit structure you have.
What additional personnel are necessary to get your MVP launched into a fully-funded operational
plan? Do you need contractors to perform specific tasks? Will you be needing a staff of employees?
What positions will you need to fill? Describe the additional fulfillment. Don't worry about writing what
you're going to pay them. That will be handled in your "financials & funding" section.

6. Industry/Market Analysis
The Market
Target Market
Competitive Analysis
Your Industry/Market Analysis should be detailed. Do your homework, because your analysis will be
crucial to defining your value proposition to investors and interested parties. It will also laser focus your
place in your market.
You need to detail your target market's demographics and key characteristics. Who is your
customer? What do they buy? What do they want and need?
"Analogs & Antilogs": organizations you want to be like & organizations who do poorly in your market
Profile of Real Competitors: identify and sum up their industry profile
Do your PEST Analysis: Political, Economic, Social, and Technological Factors
Describe your community and area, community support, and your benefits to the community
Why the current market is beneficial to your organization and your advantage in the market
Describe your "5 Forces": Suppliers, Customers, Rivals, Substitutes, and Potential Entrants to your market
Key Customers
Target market sizing, market forecasts, trends and changes in market

7. Product/Service Design & Operations Plan
Products/Services
Marketing & Sales
List any subsidiaries
List products/services with descriptions of each
What are the positions of products/services physically (where are they sold) and positioning in market?
Competitive evaluation of products/services: how do they measure up among your competition?
What is your main source of competition?
What are your secondary sources of competition (general sense)?
Will you have any future products/services?
What's your Marketing Strategy? What are your Tactics? What are your available marketing resources?
What's your Sales Strategy? What are your Tactics? What are your available sales resources?
How are you advertising, producing publicity, reaching your target customers?
Are you offering any promotions or incentives?
Are you connecting to your community or participating in any charities?

8. Legal Status, Legal Actions & Location Information
Legal Liability Issues and Concerns
Location Information
Formation steps to set up your company/organization legally
Any contractual risks or financial investments/risks associated with setting up and operating business
Describe your record keeping process and procedures. Also, outline who will handle it.
Are there any licenses or registrations required for your business to be set up and operate?
Does your business entity have or will it have any financial support? Are you being funded?
Give a brief description of your local target area demographics, along with where your product/service will
be physically located. Also list and describe any community support you have or will have.

9. SWOT Analysis
W
Strengths
Weaknesses S
What are your organization's strengths? List 10 things you do really well and show why you're a
differentiated business. Why 10? 5 is too few and 15 is too many. The text needs to be easily skimmed.
Be honest with yourself and your audience. In what areas does your organization need improvement? In
what areas does your business model need improvement? Your honesty should be as extensive as your
strengths (so list just as many, or 5-10). "None" is not an acceptable answer.
O T
Opportunities
Threats
What is your organization going after? Are there areas for the taking that are included in your company's
goals? Any plans to expand, partner, or seize anything? Are there any opportunities in your market you
would like to capture?
List your competition (not extensively, a snapshot). List any threats in your market and industry. Are
there any laws that make it more difficult for your MVP to succeed? What are your organization's fears?

10. The Offer: Financials & Funding
Business and Revenue Models
Good at crunching the numbers? (If not, you may want to hire a CPA for an hour or two)
This is your chance to proof financially that the numbers add up, your bottom line is reachable and your
business can become profitable.
Focus on describing in detail the following:
Cash Flows
Main Driver(s)
Profitability
Differentiators (attraction to sale)
Financial numbers data
Timeline from MVP to Market & Profitability
A spreadsheet with financial data is recommended in your "Appendices" Section. Make sure you reference
that appendix in this section. Your spreadsheet should include: Revenue, Cashflows, Profit and Loss, Cash,
and Profitability Projections (per month/quarter for at least one year).
And finally, how much does your MVP need to go to market? Be honest and specific.
"Our minimum viable product requires a total of $418,700 to go to market. We can expect return on investment (principle + interest)
within 18 months." NOT... "We need about $500 grand to get started"

11. Relevant Appendices
All additional reference information and
materials related to your company/organization
Legal Status References
Cited Laws Pertaining to Your Company/Organization Founding Status
Any Articles of Incorporation or Organizational Contracts
Any Applications and Related Information for Licenses and Registrations
Financials and Spreadsheet Data with Projections
Team/Organizational Background Information (Resumes) & Partnership Information
Any Blueprints, Brick & Mortar Plans, Website & Product Designs, and Location Information with Maps
Organization-owned media such as published works, logos, trademarks, and original artistic designs
Works Cited (Cite all background and educational information used to write your MVP)
Include the following:

12. Thank You
© 2018 by Thomas Associates Global, LLC
and please log on to TAG-BLOCK.COM for any
questions on how we can help you build your MVP