Ever wonder why most business plans fall flat with investors or banks? What if you could walk into any room with a plan that actually gets taken seriously, not because it looks pretty, but because it’s built on real numbers and a clear story? That’s what this episode is all about.

Meet Joel Lowy. Joel is the founder of Kavana Business Deliverables, where he and his team create business plans and investor decks that get funded. Before launching Kavana, he spent years at B&H Photo preparing executives for high-stakes meetings with billion-dollar partners, learning how to cut through the noise and focus on what really matters.

In this deep-dive conversation, Meny Hoffman sits down with Joel to uncover how to turn big ideas into bankable plans, what investors actually look for, and how entrepreneurs can avoid the mistakes that kill funding before it starts.

You’ll discover:
👉 Why most business plans fail — and how to fix yours
👉 The “passport” mindset that makes investors say yes
👉 How to balance numbers and narrative in a pitch deck
👉 What to include (and what to leave out) if you want funding
👉 How Joel scaled his own service business by removing bottlenecks

If you’re a founder trying to raise money, a leader working to align partners, or anyone who wants to put their business on paper the right way, this conversation is essential listening.

👉 Subscribe for more deep-dive conversations with real builders and leaders.
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🎥 Watch & Connect:
🔗 Listen to the Full Episode Here: https://youtu.be/UPP1_CioXTM?si=rsTuM7viW0rJRskp
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🔗 Episode Links:
👤 Connect with Joel on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/joellowy
🌐 Learn More About Kavana: https://kavanaservices.com

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💡 Practical Pointers from this Episode (Meny Hoffman’s Takeaways):
1. Get it down on paper. A clear plan aligns partners and gives investors something real to react to.
2. Clarity beats clever. Plain language and real numbers win every time.
3. Plans are living documents. Things will change, the process itself sharpens your thinking.
4. Build systems you can trust. Checklists and reviews keep quality high and stop you from being the bottleneck.
5. Lead with values. Delegation only works if your team knows the standards and feels ownership.
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Episode Timestamps:
00:00 – Joel’s “passport” analogy for business plans
01:22 – Joel’s backstory and early business career
04:47 – Lessons from B&H Photo and high-stakes meetings
09:01 – How Kavana helps businesses get funded
13:01 – The reality check every founder needs
20:55 – Creating a business plan that actually works
27:50 – Handling changes and evolving plans
35:14 – Scaling a service business with systems
39:53 – Delegating without losing control
43:05 – Rapid fire questions
44:25 – Meny’s key takeaways