Students, start-ups, innovators, SMEs, support institutions, development agencies and other institutions conducting education in entrepreneurship; Up until now more than 1800 participants partook in the education programme
The tool is aimed at everybody that wants to write (or learn how to write) a quality business plan. The tool facilitates the creation of a business plan with detailed guidelines for business plan writing, as well as an automated financial section, which helps avoid calculation errors. The methodology has been tested on more than 1800 business plans and is also used by support institutions and development agencies in Croatia.
The “e-learning tool” web application is a one-stop-shop for easy and efficient business plan writing. The application is aimed at everybody that wants to write (or learn how to write) a quality business plan and provides the option to choose mentoring services within the application.
The app is available 24/7 in three languages (Croatian, English and Hungarian), anytime and any day. It facilitates the business plan writing process, as well as mentoring. Users can write multiple business plans simultaneously and send them individually for a review to the chosen mentor. Moreover, the application contains guidelines on how to fill out each section of the business plan, which are based on a business plan writing manual. The financial section is automated to avoid calculation errors. Based on individual amount inputs, the application automatically calculates certain financial indicators wherever it is possible, i.e., profit and loss account. Also, the integrated control fields indicate incorrectly entered amounts by comparing them to previously defined parameters.
Mentors can review business plans anytime. Communication between the user and the assigned mentor is also enabled through the app. Both parties get notified by email on a message received within the application or a change of the business plan status (unfinished, under revision, accepted).
Users can download their business plans in the .pdf format anytime, and use it regardless of the application. Furthermore, users can upload various types of documents and images such as logotypes, CVs, certain completed forms and other documentation that is not necessarily related to the business plan. Mentors also have an insight into the attached documentation and an option to download it.
Besides personal computers, the application can be used on other smart devices. Due to the generated tool, users can create and download a poster for their business plan and use it to present their business idea. Mentors can effortlessly create different types of reports on all registered users and business plans and compare them based on a variety of criteria.
Every year, TERA organises Be the Role ModelTM, a competition in business plan writing, which is held within an international exhibition of innovations, prototypes and business plans Be the Role ModelTM/Inova®. The participants write their business plans with the help of the e-learning tool and participate in various training sessions conducted by TERA mentors. The finalists present their business plans to the members of the jury and win all kinds of rewards. TERA has been holding the competition since 2005, and up until now, more 1800 participants partook in the education programme.
The Be the Role ModelTM competition was recognised by the European Commission and was a national winner of the European Enterprise Promotion Award 2017 (EEPA 2017), in the Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit category, as well as a national winner of the same award in 2018, in the Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills category.