Getting started in outsourcing requires a business plan. The plan might involve the extension of existing technology, goods or services already being provided to enterprise customers. Or the plan might involve a greenfield startup.
Uniqueness
Generic formats for a business plan for a new venture do not help much in dealing with the unique economic, geopolitical, legal, regulatory, human and technology frameworks necessary for success in providing outsourced services. Startups require a keen focus on these unique elements of outsourcing as a niche of the more generic services industry.
Completeness
Experience shows that the business plan may be appropriate, but it might not get off the ground unless the service provider has invested in its intellectual capital and the legal frameworks indispensable to gaining the confidence of sourcing consultants, in passing the triage process of the RFP and contract development, and in securing profitable, risk-balanced long-term services agreements.
Investor Relations in Early Stages
Early consultation with experienced outsourcing lawyers can not only support the business operation, it can facilitate the process of obtaining seed capital and subsequent rounds of venture capital. Not only will a well-devised operational structure help attract investors, it will attract more sophisticated investors who can add significant shareholder value in the advisory and governance phases of the investment relationship, since the investors can focus on market opportunities rather than fixing an incomplete process or other gaps in regulatory, legal, compliance or organizational infrastructures.