No, you do not need to prepare the entire business plan before asking Consultant to review the same.

It is completely fine to use AI tools to learn stuff and using AI in business planning is also fine. However, if you use direct or modified output of AI tools in your initial proposal or during business planning, then you need to disclose in which parts AI has been used. Also, if you fail to disclose where AI is used and you are not able to answer Consultant’s and Investors’ questions when they grill you deeper regarding what you have input (as they will assume you have not used AI in those sections), then it will become an integrity issue and your journey with Return40 will be ended by us in that case. Even if it doesn’t end, if the Consultant has doubts, there will be negative remarks made against your record in our systems. This business planning process is an assessment of your skills & talent, hence it is important for us to know where AI is used and where not. Guidance regarding how to disclose various types of AI usage has been given in the Business Plan Template.

You will need to go through a steep learning curve to handle the commercial aspects. The guidance given in the business and financial plan template will help you to some extent, along with Consultant’s support. However, at the end, this will just be miniscule compared to the overall learnings you will need to gain. So you will have to decide where and how you wish to learn. There are so many sources available these days.

You can if you wish to, however, remember that making even a single high quality business plan needs dedication and effort. It can be said that applying with us is like a “Long Term” career investment and not a “Short Term” trading akin to job hopping. The process of preparing business plans and financials will give you a lot of knowledge and value even in case you do not get selected.

Consultant will start preparing the Business Plan at his/her end only after investors show some interest in your version of the plan & pitch or if before that then after you reach a 100% score. Till then, Consultant will only be giving you guidance. Also, when Consultant does the business planning, it will take place in a copied version of your plan. You will have access to the Consultant version of the plan & financials after you have been recruited.

Not necessarily, especially if you can see on the Consultant’s LinkedIn profile that the Consultant is already deployed in another business. This does not mean your application is less worthy. All applications who reach a 100% score are considered equal by Return40. In many cases, you may have been mapped to the Consultant much later than other applicants, or the Consultant may have already selected an Applicant when you got mapped. It is important for us to create a pool of  deserving Applicants to reduce the time future investor capital has to wait, and to make investors feel welcome and wanting to invest with Return40’s support by showing them available opportunities. Most applicants who apply will not be working with the Consultant who helps them reach a 100% score. After new Consultants joining Return40 finish their training period, they will be checking out your plan and pitch in order to decide the applicant and business they wish to be themself involved in. However, your initially mapped Consultant may play an influential role in your selection.