Business Plan & Model Review Checklist

Review it before they do.

A funder reads a plan and a model with one question in mind: can this business do what it says, and what happens if it cannot? Most weaknesses are visible to a careful reader within minutes. This checklist is for owners and finance leads preparing a plan and a model for a lender, an investor, a buyer or the board. Work through it as a reviewer would, mark what you find, and fix it before the document goes out.

What it covers

1. Executive summary and the ask
2. Market, customers and strategy
3. Operations, people and risk
4. Model structure and hygiene
5. Assumptions and forecasts
6. Cash flow, funding and returns
7. Scenarios and sensitivities
8. Red flags reviewers notice first

About this guide

Written by the BlackLeaf team, this is the 2026 edition: 11 pages, free to read online or download as a PDF. It is general information for South African owners, boards and families, and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Speak to a qualified adviser before you act on it.

How BlackLeaf can help

BlackLeaf advises owner-managed and mid-market groups on capital structure, group architecture, valuation methods and shareholder arrangements.

Corporate advisory and valuations