PlanInsta Business Glossary

Your quick reference for startup, legal, finance, marketing, and growth terminology — built for modern entrepreneurs.

Showing 100 terms

Business & Strategy

Business Model

A company's plan for making a profit by specifying products/services, target markets, and costs.

Business & Strategy

Value Proposition

The unique benefit a product or service provides to customers.

Business & Strategy

Revenue Stream

Sources from which a business earns money from its customers.

Business & Strategy

Competitive Advantage

A condition that puts a company in a superior position over its competitors.

Business & Strategy

Business Plan

A written document outlining a company's goals and the strategy to achieve them.

Business & Strategy

Go-to-Market Strategy

The plan used to deliver a product to end customers and gain competitive advantage.

Business & Strategy

Market Segmentation

Dividing a market into distinct groups with common needs or characteristics.

Business & Strategy

Pivot

A significant change in business direction based on market feedback.

Business & Strategy

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

A basic version of a product used to validate core ideas with early adopters.

Business & Strategy

Product-Market Fit

When a product satisfies a strong market demand.

Business & Strategy

Elevator Pitch

A brief, persuasive speech to spark interest in your business.

Business & Strategy

Strategic Alliance

An agreement between businesses to pursue mutual goals.

Business & Strategy

Bootstrapping

Starting a business with little to no external funding.

Business & Strategy

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A factor that differentiates a product from its competitors.

Business & Strategy

B2B (Business to Business)

A business model selling products/services to other businesses.

Finance & Metrics

ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)

Total revenue divided by the number of users in a period.

Finance & Metrics

LTV (Lifetime Value)

Average revenue a customer generates during their engagement.

Finance & Metrics

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

Cost to acquire a new customer.

Formula:

Total Marketing/Sales Spend ÷ New Customers Acquired

Finance & Metrics

Burn Rate

Monthly rate at which a company spends capital.

Finance & Metrics

Runway

Time until a startup runs out of money.

Formula:

Cash ÷ Monthly Burn Rate

Finance & Metrics

EBITDA

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization.

Finance & Metrics

Gross Margin

Revenue minus cost of goods sold.

Formula:

(Revenue - COGS) ÷ Revenue

Finance & Metrics

Operating Margin

Operating income divided by revenue.

Finance & Metrics

Churn Rate

Percentage of customers who stop doing business over a period.

Finance & Metrics

MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)

Predictable revenue a business expects each month.

Finance & Metrics

Break-Even Point

The point where total revenue equals total costs.

Finance & Metrics

Cash Flow

Net amount of cash being transferred in and out of a business.

Finance & Metrics

Working Capital

Current assets minus current liabilities.

Finance & Metrics

Deferred Revenue

Advance payments a business receives for products or services to be delivered in the future.

Finance & Metrics

Accounts Receivable

Money owed by customers for goods/services delivered.

Legal & Regulatory

LLC (Limited Liability Company)

A corporate structure that protects its owners from personal liability.

Legal & Regulatory

Private Limited Company

A privately held small business entity.

Legal & Regulatory

GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Indirect tax levied on supply of goods and services in India.

Legal & Regulatory

Compliance

Following applicable laws and regulations.

Legal & Regulatory

IPR (Intellectual Property Rights)

Legal rights given to creators for their inventions and artistic works.

Legal & Regulatory

Trademark

A recognizable sign/design identifying a product or service.

Legal & Regulatory

Copyright

Legal right that grants the creator of original work exclusive rights.

Legal & Regulatory

Patent

Exclusive right granted for an invention.

Legal & Regulatory

FSSAI License

License required for food businesses in India.

Legal & Regulatory

DSC (Digital Signature Certificate)

A secure digital key used for electronic document authentication.

Legal & Regulatory

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

A legal contract protecting confidential information.

Legal & Regulatory

Articles of Incorporation

Document filed to legally document a company's creation.

Legal & Regulatory

Business License

Legal authorization to operate a business.

Legal & Regulatory

Shareholders Agreement

Contract outlining shareholder rights and obligations.

Legal & Regulatory

MoA (Memorandum of Association)

Defines a company's relationship with the external world.

Marketing & Sales

Conversion Rate

Percentage of users who complete a desired action.

Formula:

Conversions ÷ Total Visitors

Marketing & Sales

Bounce Rate

Percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page.

Marketing & Sales

CPL (Cost per Lead)

Marketing cost to acquire a lead.

Formula:

Marketing Spend ÷ Number of Leads

Marketing & Sales

Lead

A potential customer who has shown interest in your product/service.

Marketing & Sales

Lead-to-Customer Rate

Leads that convert to paying customers.

Marketing & Sales

Retention Rate

Percentage of customers who continue to use the product over time.

Marketing & Sales

CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)

Same as LTV.

Marketing & Sales

Email Open Rate

Percentage of sent emails that are opened.

Marketing & Sales

Upselling

Encouraging customers to purchase a more expensive item.

Marketing & Sales

Cross-selling

Encouraging customers to buy related or complementary items.

Marketing & Sales

Brand Positioning

How a brand is perceived in the minds of the target market.

Marketing & Sales

Marketing Funnel

The journey customers go through from awareness to purchase.

Marketing & Sales

Customer Persona

A detailed description of a typical target customer.

Marketing & Sales

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A measure of customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Marketing & Sales

Referral Rate

Percentage of new customers acquired via existing customers.

Operations & HR

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

A measurable value that indicates how well an objective is being achieved.

Operations & HR

OKR (Objectives and Key Results)

A goal-setting framework used to define measurable goals.

Operations & HR

SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

Set of step-by-step instructions for operations.

Operations & HR

Onboarding

Process of integrating new employees.

Operations & HR

Turnover Rate

Rate at which employees leave a company.

Operations & HR

Employee Engagement

Emotional commitment of employees to the company.

Operations & HR

Time to Hire

Time taken to fill a job position.

Operations & HR

Offer Acceptance Rate

Percentage of job offers accepted.

Operations & HR

Remote Work Policy

Guidelines for employees working remotely.

Operations & HR

Freelancer Agreement

Contract for temporary, project-based workers.

Operations & HR

Procurement

Process of acquiring goods and services.

Operations & HR

Shift Planning

Scheduling employee work shifts.

Operations & HR

Exit Interview

Final interview to understand reasons for an employee's departure.

Operations & HR

HRIS (Human Resources Information System)

A system used to collect and manage HR data.

Operations & HR

360-Degree Feedback

A performance review system involving feedback from all directions.

Startup & Investment

Angel Investor

An individual who invests early-stage capital in startups.

Startup & Investment

Venture Capital

Financing provided to startups with high growth potential.

Startup & Investment

Seed Funding

Initial capital used to start a business.

Startup & Investment

Series A/B/C Funding

Stages of venture capital fundraising.

Startup & Investment

Equity Dilution

Reduction in ownership percentage due to new shares issued.

Startup & Investment

Cap Table

Table showing company ownership, equity dilution, and value.

Startup & Investment

SAFE Note

Simple Agreement for Future Equity.

Startup & Investment

Term Sheet

Non-binding agreement outlining the terms of an investment.

Startup & Investment

Valuation

The estimated worth of a company.

Startup & Investment

Exit Strategy

A plan for the founders/investors to sell their stake or exit the business.

Startup & Investment

Incubator

Organization that helps startups grow by offering resources.

Startup & Investment

Accelerator

A program that fast-tracks startups through mentoring and funding.

Startup & Investment

Bridge Round

Funding between two formal investment rounds.

Startup & Investment

Convertible Note

A loan that converts into equity at a later stage.

Startup & Investment

Due Diligence

The investigation of a business before an investment or acquisition.

Technology & Product

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of rules that allows software to interact.

Technology & Product

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Software hosted on the cloud and delivered via the internet.

Technology & Product

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

Basic product with core features used for early testing.

Technology & Product

Uptime

Percentage of time a system is operational.

Technology & Product

Downtime

Time when a system is unavailable.

Technology & Product

Deployment Frequency

Rate at which software updates are released.

Technology & Product

MTTR (Mean Time to Recovery)

Average time to restore service after failure.

Technology & Product

Bug Rate

Frequency of software bugs reported over a period.

Technology & Product

Version Control

System that records code changes (e.g., Git).

Technology & Product

Feature Adoption Rate

Percentage of users using a new product feature.