| name | 02-company-overview |
| description | Use when producing or reviewing the 02 company overview component of a business plan; applies its specialist evidence, decisions, and acceptance tests instead of neighbouring pipeline skills. |
| metadata | {"portable":true,"compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]} |
Company Overview Skill
Overview
Generate Section 02 of the business plan: the company overview. Use this skill to define who the business is, why it exists, how it is structured, and why the reader should regard it as credible.
Use When
- Use when drafting or revising the company overview section of a business plan, proposal, or investor document.
- Use when the business needs a clear mission, vision, ownership, legal structure, and origin story.
- Use when later sections need a stable identity baseline for consistency.
Do Not Use When
- Do not use for the executive summary, product detail, or management-depth sections unless they directly affect company identity.
- Do not invent legal, ownership, or registration facts that the client has not provided.
- Do not turn this section into a generic mission-statement exercise with no commercial relevance.
Required Inputs
- Business name, founding stage, country, legal structure, and operating location
- Founder story, ownership details, key milestones, and current business stage
- Audience context where relevant: bank, investor, DFI, grant, or partner
- Any adjacent section drafts whose claims must align with the company identity narrative
Workflow
- Confirm the legal, commercial, and audience context for the business.
- Establish the founder's WHY, company identity, and current development stage.
- Draft the mission, vision, ownership, history, and milestones using the methods below.
- Check that legal structure, licensing logic, and tax assumptions align with country context and financial sections.
- Tighten the section so it reads as a credible business identity statement, not a motivational essay.
- Flag any missing registration, ownership, or governance facts that later sections will depend on.
Quality Bar
- The section states what the business is, why it exists, and how it is set up without vagueness.
- Mission, vision, and ownership logic are specific and commercially believable.
- Legal and structural claims are consistent with the country context and financial model.
- The narrative strengthens credibility rather than reading like generic branding copy.
Anti-Patterns
- Generic mission, vision, and values that could describe any SME.
- History sections that romanticise the founder but never clarify the business model.
- Ownership or legal claims that conflict with the funding, tax, or governance sections.
- Copying theory from references instead of converting it into a company-specific narrative.
Outputs
- A finished or revised Section 02 company overview
- Explicit assumptions or unresolved identity, ownership, or registration gaps
- Cross-skill notes for management, operations, funding, and financial consistency
Generate a comprehensive company description that establishes who the business is, why it exists, and its legal and operational foundation.
What to Generate
Required Elements
- Company name and legal structure Sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, partnership, cooperative
- Date of incorporation / founding When established or planned
- Mission statement What the company does and for whom (1-2 sentences)
- Vision statement Where the company aims to be in 5-10 years
- Core values 3-5 principles guiding decisions
- Company history Origin story, key pivots, evolution (or pre-launch narrative for startups)
- Key milestones Achievements to date with dates
- Location and facilities HQ, branches, operational sites
- Ownership structure Founders, equity splits, investor stakes
- Industry and NAICS/ISIC code Sector classification
For Startups vs. Established Businesses
Startups: Focus on founder motivation, problem discovery journey, pre-launch validation, and why now is the right time.
Established: Focus on track record, growth trajectory, pivots and lessons learned, and current market position.
Mission and Vision Methodology The Golden Circle
Use the Golden Circle framework (Sinek, 2009) to write compelling, authentic mission and vision statements. See references/mission-vision-why.md for the full framework. Key principles:
Three layers always write from inside out:
- WHY (inner): The belief or cause why the business exists beyond making money. "We believe that [people / community / world] deserves [something currently missing or wrong]."
- HOW (middle): The values and approach that bring the WHY to life expressed as verb phrases, not nouns (e.g., "we always listen before we advise", not "integrity").
- WHAT (outer): The products/services proof of the WHY, not the reason for it.
Common mistakes to avoid:
- Mission statements that are only WHAT ("We sell quality flour") no belief, no inspiration
- Generic virtue lists ("quality, innovation, integrity") not actionable, not differentiating
- Profit as the WHY ("to become the leading provider by 2030") results are not purpose
Discovering the WHY (for startups): Ask the founder: Why did you start this? What problem could you not ignore? What would be lost in your community if this business did not exist? The WHY comes from looking backwards at formative experience, not forwards at market opportunity.
The Celery Test: Every product, partnership, hire, or strategic decision should prove the WHY. If a decision cannot be connected to the stated WHY, it is either a short-term exception or the WHY is not yet clear.
Uganda/East Africa context: Compelling WHYs in this market often draw on Ubuntu values (collective wellbeing), family legacy, community uplift, or closing inequality gaps in access to services. These are not platitudes they are genuine motivators for most Ugandan founders and resonate with both commercial lenders (CAMPARI Character element) and development funders.
Entrepreneur Within Framework (Gerber)
Apply this framework when writing the company overview for any founder-led business. See references/awakening-entrepreneur-gerber.md for the full framework.
Founder Dimension Profile
Identify which of the four entrepreneurial dimensions dominates the founding team and which are missing:
| Dimension | Strength | Risk if absent |
|---|
| Dreamer | Original vision, sees what others miss | No differentiation copycat business |
| Thinker | Business model, financial logic, systems design | Investor scrutiny fails, projections unsound |
| Storyteller | Enrols customers, employees, investors | Cannot raise capital or attract talent |
| Leader | Execution, accountability, standards | Vision dies in implementation |
Note the gap: If a founder is a strong Dreamer/Storyteller but a weak Thinker, the overview should acknowledge a finance/systems advisory hire. If strong Thinker but weak Storyteller, the marketing section must compensate with a structured communication plan.
Dream Vision Purpose Mission Test
Before writing the overview narrative, confirm the founder can answer each level:
- Dream: What does the world look like when this business works exactly as envisioned?
- Vision: What specific kind of company will create that world?
- Purpose: Why does this matter beyond profit who is served?
- Mission: What specific steps, by when, with what resources?
Personal vs Impersonal Dream diagnostic: Ask "If the business hits its financial targets, and then what?" A personal-dream founder answers with consumption (house, travel, retirement). An impersonal-dream founder answers with expansion (more people served, a bigger problem tackled). Impersonal dreams sustain investor confidence in growth ventures; personal dreams are legitimate for lifestyle businesses but should be framed accordingly.
Business Stage Assessment
State the current stage (Gerber's three-stage framework):
- Stage 1 Getting Your House in Order: Basic systems absent; owner-dependent; key-man risk high
- Stage 2 Growing Your Business: Core systems in place; delegation becoming possible; management layer forming
- Stage 3 Getting Free of Your Business: Business operates independently of the owner; transferable, bankable, scalable
Most first-time loan applicants are Stage 1. Show the Stage 1 Stage 2 transition plan enabled by the funding being requested.
Business Identity and USP Tools (Pinskey)
Before writing the company overview narrative, confirm the business has its core identity elements in place. Use as a quick-audit checklist. See references/inbound-pr-self-promotion.md for full detail.
Business Name Test
The business name is the first marketing tool. Apply the two-question test:
- Can 10 people who don't know the founder guess what the business does from the name alone?
- Does it work as a domain name, social media handle, and sign?
For businesses with limited marketing budgets, a descriptive name (tells exactly what you do) outperforms an evocative name (creates an image but requires explanation). If the name is already fixed and fails the test, the company overview must open with a strong positioning statement that compensates.
USP Development (4 Steps)
- List every benefit the product or service provides
- Identify which benefits are unique competitors either cannot or do not claim them
- Select the benefit that matters most to the target client
- Express it in a single sentence
Positioning statement formula (Edwards):
"I help [specific client type] who struggle with [specific problem] to [specific outcome] without [common fear or obstacle]."
Uganda examples:
- "We help Kampala SME owners preparing for their first bank loan to build a bankable business plan without wasting months on formats the bank won't accept."
- "The only veterinary service in Wakiso district that comes to your farm no transport costs, no lost production time."
Mission Statement Formulas (Pinskey)
Mission: "[Company name] exists to [primary activity] for [client type] so that they can [outcome achieved]."
Vision: "By [year], [company name] will be [measurable position] in [market] recognised for [core quality]."
Pinskey's test: Read both aloud to a stranger. If they ask "what does that mean?", rewrite them.
Generation Process
- Ask for: business name, industry, country, founding date, legal structure
- Discover the WHY using founder questions (see above); draft WHY statement first
- Draft HOW as 35 verb-based principles; draft mission combining WHY + HOW + WHAT proof
- Draft vision as the future-state realisation of the WHY
- Apply the Celery Test to confirm all products/services prove the WHY
- Assess the founder against the Four Dimensions (Gerber); note gaps
- Apply the Dream Vision Purpose Mission test
- Identify the business's current Stage (1/2/3) and describe the transition plan
- Build the narrative arc from founding to current state
- List milestones chronologically
- Document ownership and legal details
Uganda-Specific Legal Structure Guidance
For Uganda business plans, the legal structure choice affects registration, tax regime, and bankability. See references/doing-business-uganda.md for full detail. Key points:
- Private Limited Company (Ltd): Most common SME structure; registered at URSB via OBRS; 250 shareholders; separate legal personality; preferred by banks for lending. Requires TIN (BRN from URSB), trading licence (KCCA or district), NSSF registration, annual audit, annual URSB return filing, and beneficial owners register filed within 14 days of incorporation.
- Single Member Company (SMC): One shareholder, up to 7 directors; requires Nominee and Alternate Director; no company secretary required. Good for sole owner seeking limited liability.
- Sole trader / partnership: No URSB company registration required, but must register business name; taxed as individual(s) on personal income tax rates; banks require more documentation for lending.
- TIN = NIN/BRN (2025 requirement): Individual directors must have a National ID (NIN) from NIRA before a company TIN can be assigned. This must be completed before any licence application.
State in the Company Overview: legal structure, URSB registration number, TIN, trading licence authority, and any sector-specific licences (NEMA, UNBS, NDA, UTB, BoU, etc.).
Reference Files
references/doing-business-uganda.md Business registration, legal structures, employment law, investment licensing, banking, economic overview (RSM Eastern Africa 2026; Baker Tilly 2024)references/mission-vision-why.md Golden Circle framework (Sinek, 2009): WHY/HOW/WHAT methodology, Celery Test, mission statement templates, Uganda/East Africa application guidancereferences/awakening-entrepreneur-gerber.md E-Myth / Fatal Assumption; Five Realities; Four Dimensions (Dreamer/Thinker/Storyteller/Leader); Personal vs Impersonal Dream; Dream Vision Purpose Mission cascade; Ten Pillars; Seven Centers of Management Attention; Three Stages of Owner Transformation; Business Model (Visual/Emotional/Functional/Financial); Leader's 10 Core Beliefs + 10 Operating Standards; Golden Pyramid Strategy (10 steps); Uganda/EA application notes Gerber (2008)../07-marketing-sales-strategy/references/inbound-pr-self-promotion.md Business naming test (descriptive vs evocative); 4-step USP development process; positioning statement formula ("I help [type] who struggle with [problem]..."); mission and vision statement formulas; Uganda USP examples Pinskey (1997); Edwards & Douglas (1991)
Quality Criteria
- Mission statement leads with WHY (belief/purpose), not WHAT (product) or profit
- WHY is authentic to the founder's experience not written for funders, but resonant with them
- HOW principles are expressed as verb phrases, not nouns
- WHAT (products/services) is described as proof of the WHY, not the other way around
- Vision is ambitious but credible describes a transformed future state
- All products and strategic choices pass the Celery Test against the stated WHY
- Founder Dimension profile is noted missing dimensions are addressed in advisory or hiring plan
- Dream Vision Purpose Mission cascade is traceable no stage is skipped
- Business stage (1/2/3) is stated with a transition plan to the next stage
- Company overview conveys an impersonal dream the world this business exists to change
- Ownership structure is transparent no ambiguity for investors
- History demonstrates learning and adaptability
- Legal structure is explicitly stated and consistent with the tax regime used in financial projections
July 2026 Portable Contract
Required Inputs
| Input artefact | Source/provider | Required | Behaviour when absent |
|---|
| Legal, ownership, location, history, mission, and licence evidence for 02 company overview | Client corporate records and verified registries | Yes | If absent, legal identity or ownership evidence is unavailable, mark the entity status unverified and stop claims that depend on it. |
| Finalised business brief, target reader, country, and stage | Client intake and engagement owner | Yes | Stop section decisions and route the missing context to client intake. |
| Reconciled upstream assumptions that this section consumes | Named pipeline owners | Conditional | Record the dependency, affected claim, owner, and recovery step; do not substitute an invented value. |
Outputs
| Artefact | Consumer | Observable acceptance condition |
|---|
| Company overview and compliance-status matrix | Plan author and target decision-maker | The artefact answers the section decision and traces each material conclusion to the supplied evidence. |
| 02 company overview exception and handoff note | Downstream section owners | Every blocked or conditional item names its consequence, owner, evidence request, and restart condition. |
| 02 company overview release record | Reviewer or plan assembler | Records the checks completed, failures, unassessed items, professional review required, and release state. |
Evidence Produced
| Evidence | Format | Acceptance condition |
|---|
| Entity fact sheet with registry or client-document provenance | Source-linked table, calculation, or annotated prose | The evidence is reproducible from named inputs and distinguishes verified fact, management assumption, and inference. |
| 02 company overview decision record | Decision note | States the selected action, rejected credible alternative, countercase, rationale, and risk accepted or avoided. |
| 02 company overview review trace | Gate entry | Identifies the date, input versions, reviewer role, failed checks, recovery owner, and any check that remains not assessed. |
Capability and Permission Boundaries
For 02 company overview, the controlling focus is legal identity, ownership, history, mission, operating scope, location, licences, and evidence-backed compliance status. This skill may analyse supplied corporate records and draft the overview; it may not certify incorporation, ownership, licences, or regulatory compliance without current documentary evidence. Its normal mode is read-only analysis and drafting. Any mutation, external communication, spending, certification, or professional conclusion outside that boundary requires explicit authority and must remain traceable to the approving role.
Degraded Mode
For 02 company overview, loss of evidence about 02 company overview evidence, decisions, failure thresholds, ownership, and downstream handoffs activates degraded mode. If the controlling 02 company overview evidence is unavailable, the same boundary applies. When legal identity or ownership evidence is unavailable, mark the entity status unverified and stop claims that depend on it. Return the verified subset, label the affected decision qualified or not assessed, explain the downstream consequence, and state the smallest evidence request or authorised action that permits recovery. Do not convert the missing check into a pass.
Decision Rules
| Choice or condition | Action | Failure or risk avoided |
|---|
| For 02 company overview, the aspirational mission conflicts with the operating model or legal scope | retain verified operating facts and return the mission statement for revision | Misstated corporate status or purpose creates diligence and compliance exposure |
| For 02 company overview, A current legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, market, or platform claim controls the 02 company overview decision | Verify the controlling source, effective date, jurisdiction, and reviewer status before release | Stale external facts become permanent plan assumptions |
| For 02 company overview, The evidence reconciles with neighbouring sections and the countercase does not overturn the choice | Complete company overview and compliance-status matrix, attach the evidence and release record, and hand off named dependencies | Premature release and repeated downstream rework |
Workflow
- Define the exact 02 company overview decision, intended reader, jurisdiction, business stage, and permission boundary.
- Collect legal, ownership, location, history, mission, and licence evidence and map each material conclusion to its source; stop the affected conclusion when an input could change it.
- Apply the specialist methods and directly linked references already contained in this skill, retaining its domain thresholds, calculations, and Uganda or East Africa context where applicable.
- Compare the credible alternatives, test the countercase and failure path, and apply the decision table rather than selecting a template default.
- Produce company overview and compliance-status matrix with the evidence, exception, and handoff records; reconcile every shared assumption with its owning section.
- Run the section quality checks, applicable finance or professional review, and anti-slop gate. If a gate fails, correct the evidence or decision and return to the responsible step.
Quality Standards
- Company overview and compliance-status matrix must answer a real decision for the named bank, investor, DFI, grant, board, or strategic-partner reader.
- Entity fact sheet with registry or client-document provenance must be source-linked, dated where facts can change, and sufficient for another reviewer to reproduce the conclusion.
- The section exposes its countercase, stop condition, recovery action, and effect on neighbouring sections.
- No unavailable source, calculation, tool, or professional review is reported as passed; finance and statutory judgements follow the governing doctrine.
- Language remains specific to 02 company overview, uses British English naturally, and passes the repository anti-slop gate without promotional filler.
Anti-Patterns
- In 02 company overview, treating an unavailable legal, ownership, location, history, mission, and licence evidence as confirmed. Correction: qualify the affected conclusion and issue the named evidence request.
- Producing company overview and compliance-status matrix that restates the brief but makes no choice. Correction: record the choice, rejected alternative, rationale, countercase, and implication.
- Ignoring a conflicting upstream assumption. Correction: return it to its owning section and resume only from a reconciled version.
- Reporting an unavailable check as passed. Correction: mark it not assessed and narrow the release state.
- Claiming compliance, assurance, bankability, or investor readiness from narrative quality. Correction: run the applicable gate and retain its evidence.
- Copying the worked example into a client plan. Correction: use the method only and replace every fact with verified engagement evidence.
Worked Example
The client calls the business a limited company but supplies only a trading-name certificate. Describe the operating business without asserting limited liability and request incorporation evidence.
References
- Use the verified project evidence register and the owning upstream pipeline section for 02 company overview; no local deep-dive reference is declared.
- For 02 company overview claims involving money, tax, grants, reserves, revenue, cost, valuation, or financial statements, apply the Chwezi finance doctrine and record the required professional-review state; illustrative figures never become client facts.
