Business Plan Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Business Plan facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What does Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) measure? → The total cost spent to gain one new customer through marketing and sales
2. What role do key performance indicators (KPIs) play in a marketing strategy? → They measure the progress of marketing activities toward strategic goals
3. What is an angel investor? → A high-net-worth individual who provides early-stage capital in exchange for equity
4. What does a Porter's Five Forces analysis evaluate? → Competitive intensity and attractiveness of an industry
5. What is a capital expenditure (CapEx) in a business plan? → Funds spent on long-term assets like equipment or property
6. ________ the advantages and disadvantages of any businesses that compete with yours, and search for market opportunities. → Evaluate
7. Without a business strategy, organizations are more likely to fail, according to study. → True
8. What does 'fulfillment process' describe in an operations plan? → The steps taken to receive, process, and deliver customer orders
9. What is a go-to-market (GTM) strategy? → A plan for how a company will launch a product and reach its target customers
10. What is a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? → The specific benefit that makes a company's offering stand out from competitors
11. In a SWOT analysis used for marketing strategy, what does the 'T' stand for? → Threats
12. What does 'liability protection' mean for LLC or corporation owners? → Personal assets are legally protected from business debts and lawsuits
13. What is a customer persona in marketing strategy? → A semi-fictional profile of an ideal customer based on research and data
14. What does 'runway' mean for a startup in financial terms? → How long the company can operate before running out of cash
15. What is the 'hook' in an executive summary? → An opening statement that grabs the reader's attention
16. What does TAM stand for in market analysis? → Total Addressable Market
17. Which financial statement tracks the flow of cash in and out of a business? → Cash flow statement
18. You should describe your products and services and discuss the market that you are _____ → Targeting
19. What is market segmentation? → Dividing a broad market into subgroups with similar needs or characteristics
20. What does a staffing plan in a business plan outline? → Current and future hiring needs, roles, responsibilities, and associated labor costs
21. What does 'capacity planning' mean in a business operations plan? → Determining the resources needed to meet projected demand
22. What does 'lead time' mean in business operations? → The time between placing an order and receiving the goods or completing the service
23. What is a key performance indicator (KPI) in an operations context? → A measurable metric used to evaluate operational performance and progress toward goals
24. What is customer acquisition cost (CAC)? → The total cost to acquire one new customer
25. What is a customer persona in market research? → A fictional profile representing a typical target customer
26. What is the purpose of a sensitivity analysis in financial projections? → To test how outcomes change under different assumptions
27. What is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)? → A documented step-by-step process for completing a recurring task consistently
28. What does content marketing primarily involve? → Creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract a target audience
29. What constitutes a business plan's component? → All of the above
30. Why is the target market identified in the executive summary? → To show investors there is a real, defined customer base for the product