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Why companies spin off

Paddy Hirsch

Wailin Wong

Cooper Katz McKim

Kate Concannon

A drone show in advance of General Electric splitting into three companies: GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE Healthcare Gary Hershorn/Corbis News/Getty Images hide caption

A drone show in advance of General Electric splitting into three companies: GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE Healthcare

General Electric has been staggering along for years as a conglomerate. But recently, it's turned to a popular strategy to unlock new value ... spinning off. Just last week, GE spun off its clean energy business into a new company: GE Vernova. On today's show, we explore what a spin off is and why companies do them. Related Episodes: What happened to GE? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Music by Drop Electric . Find us: TikTok , Instagram , Facebook , Newsletter .

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• Business for Planet Modeling

business for planet modeling

Pivot your business in a finite world – securely and robustly, the changing climate impacts us all. for industry, financial services, and governments, it creates uncertainty, making it difficult to plan and invest with confidence..

Industrial corporates, public sector organizations, and the financial community face unprecedented change and uncertainty, making it increasingly difficult to take strategic investment decisions with confidence. According to Capgemini’s Sustainability Business Trends report , over 60% of executives now say that the business case for sustainability is clear, but how do you demonstrate it?    Shareholders, citizens, and investors expect strategic decisions that they can trust and which are backed up by facts. When it comes to considering the issues of planetary boundaries and systemic risk, while there may seem to be an abundance of readily available information, existing tools for modeling future scenarios and evaluating risk fall short. So how can you make choices that comprehensively consider the opportunities and risks to your business, your extended ecosystem, and ultimately the planet, while building  confidence and generating sustainable competitive advantage? 

Capgemini’s Business for Planet Modeling is a powerful answer with an interdisciplinary approach, designed for use by heads of sustainability, strategy, R&D, engineering, and risk management amongst others. Our advanced integrated assessment model transcends traditional approaches, by enabling strategy co-creation and validation across the business ecosystem, backed by the latest traceable algorithms from the scientific community to help you evaluate and, as necessary, pivot your strategies and investments.  

Pivot your business in a finite world .

“With Business for Planet Modeling, you can make fact-based business, investment, and transition decisions with greater precision and certainty, and stress-test your plans and strategies against a range of future scenarios more easily.”    Philippe Sottocasa, Business for Planet Modeling Program Director and VP Account CTO

A robust path through unprecedented challenges

Infinite business scenarios for a finite world

Business for Planet Modeling empowers organizations and their ecosystems to analyze a strategic digital twin model of their business scenarios and plans. We can then stress-test them against a variety of future states relating to predictions on climate, economy, energy and planetary boundaries in a secure fashion. 

This helps to evaluate the risk profile, resilience, and materiality of these scenarios, and quantify the risks and opportunities related to regulations, resources, population, the geopolitical landscape, the value chain, and ultimately the planet. The results are complete, auditable, and collaborative, with ease of deployment. 

“What if you could work with your ecosystem to align on transition scenarios and associated assumptions and outcomes? Business for Planet Modeling brings a dynamic approach for our clients to implement key sustainability priorities​ – such as process investments, portfolio transition, manufacturing flexibility,  and energy investments in plants and group wide.”     Corinne Jouanny, Head of Portfolio and Industry Centers of Excellence, Capgemini Engineering

Example use cases

The challenge: Identify zones of H2 mobility competitiveness against other competing technologies. The approach: We create a model of the ecosystem, including vehicle segmentation, engine types, fuel and energy production, and delivery, to the point of consumption (charging, fueling). By making a global multi-factor evaluation, we define the optimum scenarios and conditions of H2 cost and access versus other investment opportunities.

The challenge: To secure major long-term investment, evaluate the robustness of future products and assets in evolving market conditions, and how they’ll help meet decarbonization objectives. The approach: We create a model of a manufacturer’s portfolio of products/assets, and then assess against a variety of scenarios with parameters such as damage-adjusted GDP, emission taxies, carbon policies, energy mix and price, resource availability, land demand constraints, etc.

Financial services

Challenge : Banks and asset managers hold loans and shares in a portfolio of companies – with declared emissions. They want to reduce the financed emissions of their portfolio. How will their sectoral and business portfolio evolve with the risks and opportunities of the climate, energy, resources and tech transitions? Approach : We model the financed emissions of the portfolio, today and in the future, perform emissions and revenue generation forecasting for multiple sectors and multiple future scenarios, and stressttest portfolio against future climate transition risks.

Challenge : Ministries of economy, industry, energy, agriculture, low carbon and environment transition, build the policies for the future with the business sectors, the labor unions and  NGOS. Policies are quantified at best  in separate models and without consistency. The players do not see the consequences of their propositions. Approach : We create a platform where the consulted public and private players deposit their scenarios and targets. Interactions, costs and benefits for the country are instantly calculated. Specific specialized models from ministries can be consistently articulated.

Business for Planet Modeling: A combination of assets and services

Capgemini’s Business for Planet Modeling is a combination of:  

• Capgemini strategic consulting and engineering services to build a “strategic twin” model of a client’s transition scenarios
• An open-source simulation platform (SOS Trades) that’s agnostic, auditable and designed with the concept of “coopetition” in mind
• A global open-source integrated assessment model framework (WITNESS) that’s flexible and transparent
• Ongoing services to integrate the latest scientific algorithms into the interconnected models
• Plus new sources of information.  

Benchmarks are not goals but stepping stones. With Business for Planet Modeling, we do more than support sustainable transformation. We help position organizations as cutting-edge decarbonization leaders in their industries, enabling them to leverage all of the benefits of decarbonization and gain a competitive advantage. 

“Based on the WITNESS model and SoSTrades multidisciplinary platform, we believe that Business for Planet Modeling is one of the most promising solutions to have evolved from industry and the Linux organization working together.” Alain Chardon, Energy Transition Director, Capgemini Invent

Discover the corporate experience

Want to improve the ongoing planning of your energy transition with transparency and precision ask our experts for a demo or visit our page..

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Driving business and finance toward resilience and net zero, truman semans, os-climate’s ceo, and cyril garcia, capgemini’s group executive board member, and head of global sustainability services and corporate responsibility, discuss the power of open source collaboration..

With Truman Semans from OS-Climate, and Capgemini’s Cyril Garcia

Aiding the development of climate-aligned decision-making

Cyril garcia shares why capgemini joined the os-climate community, and how we intend to leverage open-source data and analytics in support of our clients..

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Sustainability trends 2023

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Perspective by Capgemini: Digital Twins – mirroring the real world for a better and sustainable performance

Meet our experts.

Philippe Sottocasa

Business for planet modeling program director and vp account cto.

Alain Chardon

Energy transition director.

Corinne Jouanny

Head of portfolio and industry centers of excellence.

Matthieu Meaux

Product manager and principal software engineer, business for planet modeling.

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Modeling and simulation fellow.

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Analysts Offer Insights on Industrial Goods Companies: Planet Labs PBC (PL) and Bloom Energy (BE)

Analysts have been eager to weigh in on the Industrial Goods sector with new ratings on Planet Labs PBC ( PL – Research Report ) and Bloom Energy ( BE – Research Report ).

Planet Labs PBC (PL)

In a report released today, Kristine Liwag from Morgan Stanley maintained a Hold rating on Planet Labs PBC, with a price target of $3.50 . The company’s shares closed last Tuesday at $2.12, close to its 52-week low of $1.99.

According to TipRanks.com , Liwag is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 6.3% and a 59.3% success rate. Liwag covers the Industrial Goods sector, focusing on stocks such as Raytheon Technologies, Spirit AeroSystems, and Northrop Grumman.

The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for Planet Labs PBC with a $4.57 average price target, representing an 116.6% upside. In a report issued on April 1, Craig-Hallum also maintained a Hold rating on the stock.

See Insiders’ Hot Stocks on TipRanks >>

Bloom Energy (BE)

In a report released today, Andrew Percoco from Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating on Bloom Energy, with a price target of $22.00 . The company’s shares closed last Tuesday at $11.93.

According to TipRanks.com , Percoco is a 1-star analyst with an average return of -6.9% and a 42.4% success rate. Percoco covers the Technology sector, focusing on stocks such as Sunnova Energy International, Shoals Technologies Group, and Array Technologies.

The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for Bloom Energy with a $14.79 average price target, which is a 23.3% upside from current levels. In a report issued on April 1, Evercore ISI also initiated coverage with a Buy rating on the stock with a $21.00 price target.

TipRanks has tracked 36,000 company insiders and found that a few of them are better than others when it comes to timing their transactions. See which 3 stocks are most likely to make moves following their insider activities.

Read More on PL:

• Planet Labs price target lowered to $3.90 from $4.50 at Citi
• Planet Labs price target lowered to $4 from $5 at Benchmark
• Planet Labs price target lowered to $4 from $5.50 at JMP Securities
• Planet Labs Announces Executive Reshuffle and Advisory Role
• Planet Labs sees Q1 revenue $58M-$61M, consensus $60.27M

Bloom Energy News MORE

Related stocks.

What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

Published: June 07, 2023

In an era where more than 20% of small enterprises fail in their first year, having a clear, defined, and well-thought-out business plan is a crucial first step for setting up a business for long-term success.

Business plans are a required tool for all entrepreneurs, business owners, business acquirers, and even business school students. But … what exactly is a business plan?

In this post, we'll explain what a business plan is, the reasons why you'd need one, identify different types of business plans, and what you should include in yours.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a documented strategy for a business that highlights its goals and its plans for achieving them. It outlines a company's go-to-market plan, financial projections, market research, business purpose, and mission statement. Key staff who are responsible for achieving the goals may also be included in the business plan along with a timeline.

The business plan is an undeniably critical component to getting any company off the ground. It's key to securing financing, documenting your business model, outlining your financial projections, and turning that nugget of a business idea into a reality.

What is a business plan used for?

The purpose of a business plan is three-fold: It summarizes the organization’s strategy in order to execute it long term, secures financing from investors, and helps forecast future business demands.

Business Plan Template [ Download Now ]

Working on your business plan? Try using our Business Plan Template . Pre-filled with the sections a great business plan needs, the template will give aspiring entrepreneurs a feel for what a business plan is, what should be in it, and how it can be used to establish and grow a business from the ground up.

Purposes of a Business Plan

Chances are, someone drafting a business plan will be doing so for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Securing financing from investors.

Since its contents revolve around how businesses succeed, break even, and turn a profit, a business plan is used as a tool for sourcing capital. This document is an entrepreneur's way of showing potential investors or lenders how their capital will be put to work and how it will help the business thrive.

All banks, investors, and venture capital firms will want to see a business plan before handing over their money, and investors typically expect a 10% ROI or more from the capital they invest in a business.

Therefore, these investors need to know if — and when — they'll be making their money back (and then some). Additionally, they'll want to read about the process and strategy for how the business will reach those financial goals, which is where the context provided by sales, marketing, and operations plans come into play.

2. Documenting a company's strategy and goals.

A business plan should leave no stone unturned.

Business plans can span dozens or even hundreds of pages, affording their drafters the opportunity to explain what a business' goals are and how the business will achieve them.

To show potential investors that they've addressed every question and thought through every possible scenario, entrepreneurs should thoroughly explain their marketing, sales, and operations strategies — from acquiring a physical location for the business to explaining a tactical approach for marketing penetration.

These explanations should ultimately lead to a business' break-even point supported by a sales forecast and financial projections, with the business plan writer being able to speak to the why behind anything outlined in the plan.

Free Business Plan Template

The essential document for starting a business -- custom built for your needs.

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Free Business Plan [Template]

Fill out the form to access your free business plan., 3. legitimizing a business idea..

Everyone's got a great idea for a company — until they put pen to paper and realize that it's not exactly feasible.

A business plan is an aspiring entrepreneur's way to prove that a business idea is actually worth pursuing.

As entrepreneurs document their go-to-market process, capital needs, and expected return on investment, entrepreneurs likely come across a few hiccups that will make them second guess their strategies and metrics — and that's exactly what the business plan is for.

It ensures an entrepreneur's ducks are in a row before bringing their business idea to the world and reassures the readers that whoever wrote the plan is serious about the idea, having put hours into thinking of the business idea, fleshing out growth tactics, and calculating financial projections.

4. Getting an A in your business class.

Speaking from personal experience, there's a chance you're here to get business plan ideas for your Business 101 class project.

If that's the case, might we suggest checking out this post on How to Write a Business Plan — providing a section-by-section guide on creating your plan?

What does a business plan need to include?

• Business Plan Subtitle
• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• The Business Opportunity
• Competitive Analysis
• Target Market
• Marketing Plan
• Financial Summary
• Funding Requirements

1. Business Plan Subtitle

Every great business plan starts with a captivating title and subtitle. You’ll want to make it clear that the document is, in fact, a business plan, but the subtitle can help tell the story of your business in just a short sentence.

2. Executive Summary

Although this is the last part of the business plan that you’ll write, it’s the first section (and maybe the only section) that stakeholders will read. The executive summary of a business plan sets the stage for the rest of the document. It includes your company’s mission or vision statement, value proposition, and long-term goals.

3. Company Description

This brief part of your business plan will detail your business name, years in operation, key offerings, and positioning statement. You might even add core values or a short history of the company. The company description’s role in a business plan is to introduce your business to the reader in a compelling and concise way.

4. The Business Opportunity

The business opportunity should convince investors that your organization meets the needs of the market in a way that no other company can. This section explains the specific problem your business solves within the marketplace and how it solves them. It will include your value proposition as well as some high-level information about your target market.

5. Competitive Analysis

Just about every industry has more than one player in the market. Even if your business owns the majority of the market share in your industry or your business concept is the first of its kind, you still have competition. In the competitive analysis section, you’ll take an objective look at the industry landscape to determine where your business fits. A SWOT analysis is an organized way to format this section.

6. Target Market

Who are the core customers of your business and why? The target market portion of your business plan outlines this in detail. The target market should explain the demographics, psychographics, behavioristics, and geographics of the ideal customer.

7. Marketing Plan

Marketing is expansive, and it’ll be tempting to cover every type of marketing possible, but a brief overview of how you’ll market your unique value proposition to your target audience, followed by a tactical plan will suffice.

Think broadly and narrow down from there: Will you focus on a slow-and-steady play where you make an upfront investment in organic customer acquisition? Or will you generate lots of quick customers using a pay-to-play advertising strategy? This kind of information should guide the marketing plan section of your business plan.

8. Financial Summary

Money doesn’t grow on trees and even the most digital, sustainable businesses have expenses. Outlining a financial summary of where your business is currently and where you’d like it to be in the future will substantiate this section. Consider including any monetary information that will give potential investors a glimpse into the financial health of your business. Assets, liabilities, expenses, debt, investments, revenue, and more are all useful adds here.

So, you’ve outlined some great goals, the business opportunity is valid, and the industry is ready for what you have to offer. Who’s responsible for turning all this high-level talk into results? The "team" section of your business plan answers that question by providing an overview of the roles responsible for each goal. Don’t worry if you don’t have every team member on board yet, knowing what roles to hire for is helpful as you seek funding from investors.

10. Funding Requirements

Remember that one of the goals of a business plan is to secure funding from investors, so you’ll need to include funding requirements you’d like them to fulfill. The amount your business needs, for what reasons, and for how long will meet the requirement for this section.

Types of Business Plans

• Startup Business Plan
• Feasibility Business Plan
• Internal Business Plan
• Strategic Business Plan
• Business Acquisition Plan
• Business Repositioning Plan
• Expansion or Growth Business Plan

There’s no one size fits all business plan as there are several types of businesses in the market today. From startups with just one founder to historic household names that need to stay competitive, every type of business needs a business plan that’s tailored to its needs. Below are a few of the most common types of business plans.

For even more examples, check out these sample business plans to help you write your own .

1. Startup Business Plan

As one of the most common types of business plans, a startup business plan is for new business ideas. This plan lays the foundation for the eventual success of a business.

The biggest challenge with the startup business plan is that it’s written completely from scratch. Startup business plans often reference existing industry data. They also explain unique business strategies and go-to-market plans.

Because startup business plans expand on an original idea, the contents will vary by the top priority goals.

For example, say a startup is looking for funding. If capital is a priority, this business plan might focus more on financial projections than marketing or company culture.

2. Feasibility Business Plan

This type of business plan focuses on a single essential aspect of the business — the product or service. It may be part of a startup business plan or a standalone plan for an existing organization. This comprehensive plan may include:

• A detailed product description
• Market analysis
• Technology needs
• Production needs
• Financial sources
• Production operations

According to CBInsights research, 35% of startups fail because of a lack of market need. Another 10% fail because of mistimed products.

Some businesses will complete a feasibility study to explore ideas and narrow product plans to the best choice. They conduct these studies before completing the feasibility business plan. Then the feasibility plan centers on that one product or service.

3. Internal Business Plan

Internal business plans help leaders communicate company goals, strategy, and performance. This helps the business align and work toward objectives more effectively.

Besides the typical elements in a startup business plan, an internal business plan may also include:

• Department-specific budgets
• Target demographic analysis
• Market size and share of voice analysis
• Action plans
• Sustainability plans

Most external-facing business plans focus on raising capital and support for a business. But an internal business plan helps keep the business mission consistent in the face of change.

4. Strategic Business Plan

Strategic business plans focus on long-term objectives for your business. They usually cover the first three to five years of operations. This is different from the typical startup business plan which focuses on the first one to three years. The audience for this plan is also primarily internal stakeholders.

These types of business plans may include:

• Relevant data and analysis
• Assessments of company resources
• Vision and mission statements

It's important to remember that, while many businesses create a strategic plan before launching, some business owners just jump in. So, this business plan can add value by outlining how your business plans to reach specific goals. This type of planning can also help a business anticipate future challenges.

5. Business Acquisition Plan

Investors use business plans to acquire existing businesses, too — not just new businesses.

A business acquisition plan may include costs, schedules, or management requirements. This data will come from an acquisition strategy.

A business plan for an existing company will explain:

• How an acquisition will change its operating model
• What will stay the same under new ownership
• Why things will change or stay the same
• Acquisition planning documentation
• Timelines for acquisition

Additionally, the business plan should speak to the current state of the business and why it's up for sale.

For example, if someone is purchasing a failing business, the business plan should explain why the business is being purchased. It should also include:

• What the new owner will do to turn the business around
• Historic business metrics
• Sales projections after the acquisition
• Justification for those projections

6. Business Repositioning Plan

When a business wants to avoid acquisition, reposition its brand, or try something new, CEOs or owners will develop a business repositioning plan.

This plan will:

• Acknowledge the current state of the company.
• State a vision for the future of the company.
• Explain why the business needs to reposition itself.
• Outline a process for how the company will adjust.

Companies planning for a business reposition often do so — proactively or retroactively — due to a shift in market trends and customer needs.

For example, shoe brand AllBirds plans to refocus its brand on core customers and shift its go-to-market strategy. These decisions are a reaction to lackluster sales following product changes and other missteps.

7. Expansion or Growth Business Plan

When your business is ready to expand, a growth business plan creates a useful structure for reaching specific targets.

For example, a successful business expanding into another location can use a growth business plan. This is because it may also mean the business needs to focus on a new target market or generate more capital.

This type of plan usually covers the next year or two of growth. It often references current sales, revenue, and successes. It may also include:

• SWOT analysis
• Growth opportunity studies
• Financial goals and plans
• Marketing plans
• Capability planning

These types of business plans will vary by business, but they can help businesses quickly rally around new priorities to drive growth.

Getting Started With Your Business Plan

At the end of the day, a business plan is simply an explanation of a business idea and why it will be successful. The more detail and thought you put into it, the more successful your plan — and the business it outlines — will be.

When writing your business plan, you’ll benefit from extensive research, feedback from your team or board of directors, and a solid template to organize your thoughts. If you need one of these, download HubSpot's Free Business Plan Template below to get started.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Plan Your Business

A well-written business plan is your path to a successful business. Learn to write, use, and improve your business plan with exclusive guides, templates, and examples.

What is a business plan?

• Types of plans
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Industry business plans

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How to Write a Business Plan

Noah Parsons

Apr. 10, 2024

Learn to write a detailed business plan that will impress investors and lenders—and provide a foundation to start, run, and grow a successful business.

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How to Write a Nonprofit Business Plan

Angelique O'Rourke

Oct. 27, 2023

While a nonprofit business plan isn’t all that different from a traditional plan—there are unique considerations around fundraising, partnerships, and promotions that must be made.

How to Write a One-Page Business Plan

Jan. 30, 2024

How to Write a Franchise Business Plan + Template

Elon Glucklich

Feb. 7, 2024

New to business planning? Start here

What should i include in my business plan.

You must have an executive summary, product/service description, market and competitive analysis, marketing and sales plan, operations overview, milestones, company overview, financial plan, and appendix.

Why should I write a business plan?

Businesses that write a business plan typically grow 30% faster because it helps them minimize risk, establish important milestones, track progress, and make more confident decisions.

What are the qualities of a good business plan?

A good business plan uses clear language, shows realistic goals, fits the needs of your business, and highlights any assumptions you’re making.

How long should my business plan be?

There is no target length for a business plan. It should be as long as you need it to be. A good rule of thumb is to go as short as possible, without missing any crucial information. You can always expand your business plan later.

How do I write a simple business plan?

Use a one-page business plan format to create a simple business plan. It includes all of the critical sections of a traditional business plan but can be completed in as little as 30 minutes.

What should I do before writing a business plan?

If you do anything before writing—figure out why you’re writing a business plan. You’ll save time and create a far more useful plan.

What is the first step in writing a business plan?

The first thing you’ll do when writing a business plan is describe the problem you’re solving and what your solution is.

What is the biggest mistake I can make when writing a business plan?

The worst thing you can do is not plan at all. You’ll miss potential issues and opportunities and struggle to make strategic decisions.

Business planning guides

Learn what a business plan is, why you need one, when to write it, and the fundamental elements that make it a unique tool for business success.

Types of business plans

Explore different business plan formats and determine which type best suits your needs.

How to write a business plan

A step-by-step guide to quickly create a working business plan.

Tips to write your business plan

A curated selection of business plan writing tips and best practices from our experienced in-house planning experts.

Explore industry-specific guides to learn what to focus on when writing your business plan.

Create your plan the paint by numbers way.

Business planning FAQ

What is business planning?

Business planning is the act of sitting down to establish goals, strategies, and actions you intend to take to successfully start, manage, and grow a business.

What are the 7 steps of a business plan?

The seven steps to write a business plan include:

• Craft a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services
• Conduct market research and compile data into a market analysis
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy
• Outline your organizational structure and management team
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow
• Add additional documents to your appendix

What should a business plan include?

A traditional business plan should include:

• An executive summary
• Description of your products and services
• Market analysis
• Competitive analysis
• Marketing and sales plan
• Overview of business operations
• Milestones and metrics
• Description of your organization and management team
• Financial plan and forecasts

Do you really need a business plan?

You are more likely to start and grow into a successful business if you write a business plan.

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Having a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

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