Before launching into a detailed business plan, make sure you've considered all the key angles captured on the Lean Canvas (Ash Maurya) - http://leanstack.com/.

You might also care to check out the original business model canvas that inspired it - http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc.

Between them, you'll have at least nine of the critical aspects covered. Once you've done that you should consider whether you really need anything more than a focused slide-deck providing the next level of detail.

Ultimately you need to be clear on who is going to read your plan? and why? - then tailor it for their needs and the outcome you want.

Interestingly I took a look at Google just a few weeks ago...

Google has three important things going for it:

1 - a single mission - >91% of revenue is from advertising
2 - dominance (monopoly) - Google has 70% market share for web-search (Microsoft 20%, Yahoo 10%)
3 - Advertising is a huge market that is migrating on-line

Also, by partnering with hardware manufacturers [Samsung, LG etc] it is trying to keep in front of the users and be the entry point of choice. iOS has 43% market share but Android has 49%.

The trajectory is onward and upward!

Happy to throw out some other opinions but that about captures it for me...

Hi,

I've worked with start-ups, SMEs and corporates serving both the public and private sectors. I have 25 years of experience managing projects, programs, operations, engineering and technology-driven change and have served in both leadership and advisory roles internationally.

Here are some essential things to think about when prioritising ideas:

Why do it? | Does it align with vision, goals & values? | is it the most sensible next step (thinking holistically)? | is there something else with a better ROI | what's the opportunity cost (ie what can't be done if you do this)? | does this help remove critical uncertainties ie reduce risk? | is there an associated health, safety or environmental issue | when does it need to be completed? | will this help build momentum and commitment? | what are the dependencies? | can it be properly resourced? | are there clearly defined, measurable success criteria? | does this have the required level of executive support? | how well does it align with other initiatives? | do all key stakeholders agree on the emergent priorities?

Feel free to come back to me with questions. Also, if you have a particular context I can get more specific.

Cheers,
Trevor