On 22 April 2026, The Hague Student Investment Fund (HSIF) held a workshop together with BDO, focused on helping student entrepreneurs understand how to build a solid business plan. 🤩 A big part of the evening was spent on the fundamentals of revenue and costs, how to calculate them properly, present them clearly and make sure they actually hold up under scrutiny. The BDO team walked participants through the Cookie Factory case, a hands-on example showing how revenue, costs and capacity assumptions evolve as a business grows. From pricing decisions to hiring plans and operating expenses, attendees got a real feel for how a business plan is built step by step. Throughout the evening, participants were highly engaged and had a lot of great questions for the experts. A lot of the discussion revolved around what investors are actually looking for, how to present your numbers in the most convincing way, and what to keep in mind in specific situations, like when you want to sell your company or pitch your idea to external parties. The interactive format sparked some really valuable conversations and gave everyone a much clearer picture of how to approach their own business plans. At the end of the session, students were also walked through HSIF’s investment agreement, giving them a clear understanding of what an investment process with HSIF actually looks like, should they seek funding from HSIF. We are grateful to BDO for making this another valuable edition of our workshop series, and to everyone who joined us for such an engaged and curious evening!
The session gave student founders and aspiring entrepreneurs a practical introduction to what it really takes to convince an investor. Participants learned how a business plan functions as the financial translation of a business idea, covering profitability, capital expenditures, and the strategic reasoning behind every number on the page.
