How to write Business Requirements Document as a First Time Founder

How to Write a BRD as a First-Time Founder

Let’s be honest: writing a Business Requirements Document (BRD) can sound like something out of a corporate playbook. But if you're a founder trying to bring a new product to life, it’s far more than a formality, it's your blueprint.

Skipping this step is one of the most common early-stage mistakes. Without a clear BRD, teams often run into misaligned expectations, half-baked features, shifting timelines, and confusion about what's actually being built. If you’ve got the vision, but not the product (yet), this guide is for you. It’s designed to help you write a BRD that’s simple, clear, and build-ready  without needing to be technical or bogged down in jargon.

What Is a BRD, Really?

A BRD (Business Requirements Document) outlines what your product is supposed to do, who it’s for, and how it should work  at a functional level. It’s not about UI design or picking a tech stack. It’s about the "what" and the "why."

If you’re working with a product team, freelancers, or outsourcing development, a BRD brings everyone onto the same page. It removes guesswork, avoids vague feature requests, and reduces the need for endless back-and-forth clarifications. When done well, it sets the foundation for clear, confident execution.

Where Most Founders Go Wrong

First-time founders usually miss the mark in one of two ways.

Some go too vague. They’ll say things like, “I want to build something like Airbnb, but for college events.” That’s a solid vision, but it leaves too many open questions. Which features are part of the MVP? Who are the different types of users? What does “Airbnb for college events” actually do in its first version?

Others go too deep. They dive head-first into technical rabbit holes, researching platforms or copying ticket formats from random SaaS projects. The result? A BRD that reads like a developer’s backlog is confusing, disconnected from real user needs, and overwhelming for anyone reviewing it.

The truth is, you don’t need to be technical. You just need to be clear.

What a Solid BRD Looks Like (in Practice)

We use a simple, effective structure when helping founders go from idea to execution. Here’s how you can apply the same approach:

1. Introduction

Start with the basics. What problem are you solving, and for whom? What will the product actually do? Write one or two short paragraphs explaining the core objective.

Then, outline what’s in scope for the MVP  and just as importantly, what’s not. Be specific. If you're building a marketplace, are messaging or reviews included in the first version? What gets left for phase two? These boundaries are critical.

2. User Workflows

Describe the product experience from the user’s perspective. Who will use your platform: customers, creators, admins? Map out the core actions each type of user can take. What happens after sign-up? What are the key flows: onboarding, content creation, booking, purchasing, etc.?

This is where founders often say, “We’ll figure that out later.” But early clarity here prevents costly rework when developers have to make assumptions mid-build.

3. Features & Content Types

List the major modules or components of the product. Not at the UI level  just what exists and what each feature enables. For example, will there be a newsfeed, messaging system, dashboard, or event listing?

Think about content types too. Will users upload videos, fill out forms, book services, or browse product catalogs? How is content created, moderated, or displayed? Keep it practical.

4. Tech Scope (Just the Essentials)

You don’t need to decide on every tool or stack  that’s your tech partner’s job. But it helps to provide some basic direction: Are you building a web app, mobile app, or both? Will the product integrate with existing platforms? Do you have any strong preferences (like AWS vs Google Cloud)?

Even a few lines of context here can streamline technical planning and reduce early back-and-forth.

5. Out of Scope (For Now)

Clearly call out which features are intentionally being left out of the MVP. For example: “User-to-user chat,” “Referral program,” or “Advanced analytics.” This keeps expectations realistic and avoids confusion later when someone inevitably asks, “Wait, weren’t we building that?”

Final Tips for Writing a BRD That Works

Use real-world references when you can. If you're imagining a YouTube-style homepage or a Notion-like dashboard, say it. Even better  include screenshots or links. Concrete examples reduce ambiguity.

Be brutally clear. Imagine you’re explaining the product to a smart person who knows nothing about your idea. Avoid buzzwords. Skip the fluff.

And don’t overdo it. Your BRD doesn’t need to be a 50-page spec doc. For most MVPs, 3 to 6 well-organized pages are more than enough.

Clarity Over Perfection

Don’t wait until you have every detail figured out. A BRD doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be clear enough to move the work forward.

Even 80% clarity can save you weeks of misalignment and thousands in rework. We've seen founders go from rough ideas to build-ready in under a week  just by taking the time to write things down properly. Once the foundation is clear, your product or dev partner can step in and help refine the details.