BUSINESS PLAN

Answers the question “How your business will be created

(expanded) and how it will be successful”

Putting the pieces together in a logical manner: Is internal logic of your proposal consistent ? Do the pieces fit together?

Creating a blueprint for action: The more specific your business plan, the easier to implement

it A two-stage process. The first stage is creating the plan and

the second is implementing the plan.  A business plan is worthless if it is not properly implemented.

Focuses on founders/management team Presents issues in an organized manner. It tends to bring

structure to a process that may be become chaotic.

Obtaining financing: Often used to obtain financing from banks or other

lenders. business plan is a promotional piece to present and describe your business venture

Basic premise is to show that you know what you are doing and why your business will be successful.

Look upon lenders as partners.  They can point out shortcomings and deficiencies of the plan.  Lenders’ concerns about financing your business should be looked upon as opportunities to strengthen your project and increase its chances of success.

Understand the lenders role in your project, lenders purpose is to generate returns for the lending institution while protecting their investment.

Attracting equity investment

Attracting key managers/employees

Obtaining contracts

Creating joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions

Leeds to action Builds a shared vision Is an inclusive and participatory process in which

the team can claim ownership Holds individuals accountable to the organization

and stakeholders Is both externally and internally focused and

sensitive to the organization’s enviroment Is based on quality data Requires openness to questioning the status quo Is a key part of effective management

Business plan should be written in plain, easy-to-read language.

Short simple sentences and easy to understand terms.

Determine what you want to cover in your business plan and make headings for each of the items.

Begin each major section on a new page with the appropriate title (e.g. Marketing Plan)

Fine tune your business plan: review, revise and rewrite.

The business plan is a promotional document. Consider the viewpoint of others you are writing the plan for (banker, investor, customer, etc.).

Represent your company’s image and convince the reader you understand all aspects of the business.

Be honest. Do not be overly optimistic or try to hide limitations or weaknesses.

Good idea to have someone proofread your business plan who is not involved in the project. Help you identify aspects of your business plan that may need additional clarification and explanation.

Be sure to support the goals and the claims you make in the business plan. Include supporting evidence. (statistics, studies,research report etc.)

Goals are important. Set your short-term and long term goals.

Goals affect everything – “Painted white lines, keep you on the road”

Quantify your goals

▪ Be Specisif: ex: achieve a gross profit margin of %55 or greater, have the products in 5000 retail outlets by year 5 of the buiness plan

▪ Be Realistic: Establish targets reasonable and achievableex: opening a fast-food restaurant and to say “Want to be bigger than McDonald’s within six months” is not a realistic.

▪ Be Aggressive: Don’t set goals that are too easily achieved. Don’t sell yourself short. ex: “Want to be bigger than McDonald’s within 20 years”

▪ Be Consistent: Avoid setting inconsistent goals.

Business plan needs to be tailored to the reader. Businesses have several types of stakeholders Different stakeholders have different priorities. Priorities

need to be balanced in the business plan.

Check list of the plan1. Who are we?2. What do we do? 3. What do we have to offer and to whom? 4. Why will someone pay for our product/service?5. What resources do we have?6. Why will we be successful?7. Why would someone finance/invest?8. How will we measure performance?

There are ten broad business planning categories.Each broad category contains sub-categories

Help you identify the type of information to include.

Don’t be scared off by the large number of categories and subcategories.

Complete only those subcategories that are relevant to your situation and skip that are not relevant.

I. Cover SheetII. Table of ContentsIII. Executive SummaryIV. Company OverviewV. Product and Service DescriptionVI. Market AnalysisVI. Marketing and Sales StrategyVII. Management and Personnel PlanVIII. Operational PlanIX. Financial Projections X. Appendix

Should include:

Full legal name of business

Location of buiness, telephone numbers

Date of the business plan

Main contact person(s), titles

A brief business paragraph giving your promotional description of business goals, potential and outlook

Include the amount and type of funding request, how it will be used, why it will help the business profitable the lender will know immediatly what you are asking for.

Keep as simple as possible, identify yourself, your business, to the institution, party

Provides lender a road map

Give impression that you are organised

Ables to manage the big picture

Type of the table of contents and include accurate page numbers

Encapsulates the business plan by giving the most brief statement about the nature and objectives of the business.

“Crystallizaion” of the entire business plan in a quick overview format.

Write this section last. Make it between 2-5 pages Make it enthusiastic, professional, complete, and concise. Provide a comprehensive summary,many topics need to be

covered(each topic should be covered 1 or 2 sentences)

The company (project)▪ Name▪ When founded (started)▪ What does it do (expect to do) ▪ What is the legal organization (expected legal

organization)▪ Where is it located (expected to be located) 

Business model (essence of what the business does and how it functions)

Business/project stage(s) (the stages covered by the business plan) (Investigation, Seed, Start-up,Consolidation/merge )

Purpose(s) of the business plan▪ Implementation guide ▪ Attract equity investment

Vision and mission (broad terms)▪ Where do you want to go

▪ How will you get there

Description of the product, market and competition▪ Describe the function and attributes of the product. ▪ What is the target market and who are the target customers. ▪ Describe why the target market customers will buy your

product. ▪ Describe the product distribution structure.

 Founders and management team▪ Names ▪ Background/experience/education ▪ Role in company (project) ▪ Describe why the founders/managers will succeed

Location and description▪ Offices ▪ Facilities ▪ Technology

Summary of financial projections▪ Production, processing, distribution and/or marketing

budgets. ▪ Sales projections ▪ Cash flow budgets ▪ Pro forma income statements ▪ Pro forma net worth statements

Why will the business be successful?

Provide information on your company who you are, where you have been, where you plan on going, how your company fits into your industry and marketplace.

Identify and discuss following: Precise nature of your business Brief history of business (How you developed your products and

service) How your facilities will be able to handle your future growth Organizational details, including legal structure of your

business Your growth potential

Describe your business concept. Should include those elements:

Business/Project Description and Background

Mission Statement,Vision Statement, Goals and

Objectives

Business Structure

Products/Services

Research and Development

Business/Project Description Briefly describe the business or project.  What type of business are you planning (production, processing,

manufacturing, marketing, service, other)? Describe the strengths of your business or project and its

core competencies (what are you good at doing). The results of any business or project analysis that has been

conducted like a feasibility study, market assessment, etc. Mission Statement,Vision Statement, Goals and

Objectives Vision: mental picture of what you want to achieve Mission: defines how you will achieve your vision. Goal: What you need to achieve to accomplish the vision Objective: specific time-sensitive milestone used to

measure your progress towards achieving your goals and vision.

Business Structure Describe the business model (how the business

functions and how it will make money). Why will the business be successful? What is the existing or proposed legal structure –

new generation cooperative, Limited Liability Company, corporation, etc.?

What is the organizational structure? Include any joint venture partners, subsidiaries,

affiliates, or other important stakeholders. Describe your overall business strategy (e.g. low

cost producer, differentiated product, niche market, etc.).  Will the company focus on growth or cash returns to investors)? 

Products/Services

Describe the product or service and its features. Is the product ready for the market or in

development (if so, what stage of development and what obstacles remain)?

Is the product a consumer product, ingredient, commodity, etc.?

Describe what is unique or different about your product/service.

Compare the product and its features to those of competitors.

Describe how the product will be packaged and any specific features of the package.

Research and Development

Describe plans for ongoing research and development (e.g. plans for process improvement or new product development). 

Identify the extent to which resources will be committed to future research and development. 

How will research and development efforts be inter-connected with customer needs (e.g. ISO)? 

Identify the use of third parties and any strategies related to the outsourcing of future research and development capabilities. 

Determine who you are targeting? Describe and define the market.  Is it a specialty or niche market?  What sets the market apart from other markets?  Describe the current size, the forces driving the

market and the speed at which it is growing.  Identify major customer segments and key

customers in this market. Determine who your competitor is

Target Market▪ Will the product be sold into a commodity or

differentiated product/service market?  ▪ Will the product be sold to consumers or as an

ingredient in another market?  ▪ If you are targeting a niche market, identify the relevant

market segments and how they are defined.   ▪ Describe the demand and usage trends of the target

market in which the proposed product will be offered.  ▪ Who are your target market customers (consumers,

manufacturers, retailers, etc.)?  ▪ What need does your product fill in the target market? ▪ Examine the potential for emerging, niche or segmented

market opportunities.  ▪ Assess the opportunity and potential for a branded

product.  ▪ Assess potential market usage.  ▪ What share of the market do you expect to capture?

Customer Analysis

▪ What type of customer will you focus on – consumers, retailers, manufacturers, etc. 

▪ Name specific potential customers (or types of customers) for this product. 

▪ Are customers dissatisfied with the current products in the market?  

▪ Identify any trials or tests of your product currently being conducted by potential customers. 

▪ Describe any on-going contract negotiations with potential customers. 

▪ What will motivate their buying decisions – product quality, price, public relations, etc.?

Competitive Assessment Identify similar products/services in the market that are

direct competitors to your product/service.   Compare your product/service to these products/services

(ie. features, service, quality, price, distribution, brand, etc.). 

Describe the companies that produce these products/services. 

Describe the concentration within the market (ie. large number of small players or small number of large players). 

Describe the current competitive intensity within the market (cutthroat competition or live and let-live). 

Describe the ease of entry of competitors into this market (can competitors easily enter the market and drive prices down). 

Describe how you will compete against these competitors and their products – ie. low cost, niche market, product differentiation, etc.

Access to Market Outlets: Will the product/service be sold directly to

consumers or directly to wholesalers/retailers? Will an intermediary such as a broker,

distributor or marketer be used? Identify the potential intermediate and end

buyers of the product/service and the associated marketing costs to access each. 

Outline the product/service distribution system and the costs involved. 

Any strategic marketing partners that will be used to reach key customers (for example, brokers, other manufacturers, distributors.) 

Pricing Plan: Explain how you set your selling price.    Why will customers pay this price? How does your price compare to that of competitors? Why

should it be different? Will your pricing plan include selling on credit? How will you

manage accounts receivable? Marketing Message and Promotion

Establish marketing objectives describe how you will promote your product.  Identify

marketing themes or product propositions that will be utilized with key customer segments. 

Describe the use of third parties to be used in the development or deployment of marketing messages (eg, advertising agencies, consultants, etc.). 

Describe the selling strategies to be used by sales or marketing personnel

Marketing Message and Promotion (Con’t)

Describe advertising and communications programs that will be deployed, and the media in which they will be deployed. 

Identify strategic selling partners (e. g. entities that will co-promote your product, include it within their sales bundle, etc.). 

Identify any plans for marketing research to assess customer acceptance of the sales strategy. 

For very large potential customers, identify specific market development objectives for those customers. 

Identify marketing and sales incentives to be used for third parties and for sales staff.

Show that your management team is capable of managing the business Project Leadership▪ List the leaders/founders of the project. ▪ Provide resumes of their background and experience ▪ Lists advisors and consultants used in the project and their

qualifications. (Accounting, legal services,industry consultants/service providers

Business Management▪ Describe the primary management skills that will be required ▪ Prepare an organizational chart showing lines of authority

and responsibilities. ▪ Identify the key management positions (CEO, CFO, COO)▪ Present expected salaries for key positions  ▪ Incentives,reward systems for management

* Show how you will supply your product/service to the marketplace.

Facility Requirements and Site Selection:

▪ Describe the access to markets.  ▪ Describe the access to raw materials.   ▪ Describe the access to transportation. ▪ Describe the access to labor supply.  ▪ Describe the access to production inputs (electricity, natural gas, water,

etc.).▪ Describe the general design and technical requirements.▪ Outline the size and type of production facilities. ▪ What is the need for related buildings, equipment, rolling-stock, other.

Technical Analysis

▪ Current Industry State of the Art ▪ Technology to be Utilized ▪ Suitability of Production Technology ▪ Proprietary Protection/Rights/Claims

Operations Plan:* Describes how you will deliver value to your customer. As a result, it is closely linked to your marketing plan.

▪ Outline the operations activities of your business. ▪ What activities will be conducted in-house and which will be

outsourced (make or buy decisions). ▪ Describe your relationship with venders, suppliers, others. ▪ Are there any contracts or letters of intent in place? ▪ Describe how operations will meet the needs of the customers in

your target market. ▪ Specify how operations will deliver dimensions such as quality, cost,

timeliness, service, flexibility, etc. ▪ If your operations plan gives you a competitive advantage, describe

it.   ▪ Describe the general design and technical requirements. ▪ Determine the size and type of production facilities. ▪ Assess the need for related buildings, equipment, rolling-stock, etc.

Labor Plan ▪ Describe the type and amount of labor needed for the business.  ▪ Determine the accessibility of labor including wage rates, skills level,

etc.  ▪ Describe any labor training programs you plan to provide.  ▪ Describe the projected wage rate and benefits programs you plan to

provide.  ▪ Describe the extent to which organized labor may be a potential

issue for the business. Regulatory and Environmental Requirements

▪ Licensing and bonding requirements▪ Permits▪ Health, workplace, or environmental regulations▪ Special regulations covering your industry or profession▪ Zoning or building code requirements▪ Insurance coverage▪ Trademarks, copyrights, or patents (pending, existing, or purchased)

Show that your business make money

Budget Projection

Capital and Contingency Plans

Financing Plan

Financial Data and Analysis

Economic Variability and Risk

Management

Budget Projections Operations Budgeting: Budgets for production,

processing, distribution/transportation, marketing, entire supply chain, others.

Volume-Cost-Profit Analysis: Analysis for computing the volume of sales needed to break-even. 

Capital Budgeting: Analyzing investment decisions through Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return.

Cash-Flow Budgeting: Projecting the expected sources and uses of cash during various time periods.

Capital and Contingency Plans Capital Plans

▪ Project the capital cost of major facilities, equipment and peripheral facilities. Make a list of these items.

▪ Project the capital cost of working capital including inventories, etc.

▪ Project the capital cost for the marketing plan. Contingency Plans

▪ Identify risk factors▪ Identify and assess internal weaknesses of the business▪ Use sensitivity and what-if analysis to identify

deficiencies. ▪ Develop plans or alternative courses of action in case

these weaknesses or deficiencies occur.

Financial Data and Analysis Forecast Information during Start-Up & Under Full

Production▪ Balance Sheet▪ Income Statement▪ Cash Flow Statement (monthly) ▪ Sources and Uses of Funds Statement

Sensitivity Analysis▪ What are the key variables affecting profitability and cash-

flow?  ▪ Identify the levels of these variables (worst case, best case,

expected).  ▪ Project profitability and cash-flow under various combinations

of these variables.  ▪ Project profitability and cash-flow breakeven under various

assumptions.  ▪ Conduct Monte Carlo simulation

External Risk Factors Input and output price volatility.  Shortages of production inputs and raw materials  Price cutting by competitors  Unfavorable industry trends  Unfavorable legislation  Unavailability of trained labor 

Internal Weaknesses and Risk Factors Construction delays and/or cost over-runs Plant specifications not met  Production capacity goals not met Inferior management  Sales projections not achieved.  Difficulties in obtaining credit 

Risk Management Tools Input&Output , construction and performance contracts,

insurance, hedging.

Supporting documents Graphs and charts Copies of contracts and agreements Biographies and résumes Glossary of terms References: Lenders, investors, or other bankers, suppliers,

trade creditors, etc., who can give positive feedback on your past performance

Brochures and product information sheets Media information Surveys Bibliographies

* Do not overload your appendix with too much information. Include only what is relevant, and add value to your business plan.

The main difference between a feasibility report and a business plan is purpose.

• A feasibility study is not a business plan. The feasibility study provides an investigating function.

• It addresses the question of “Is this a viable business venture?”

FEASIBILITY REPORT

• Outlines and analyzes several alternatives or methods of achieving business success.

• feasibility study helps to narrow the scope of the project to identify the best business model.

• Helps to narrow the scope of the project to identify and define two or three scenarios or alternatives.

• The feasibility study is conducted before the business plan.

BUSINESS PLAN

• Provides a planning function. Outlines the actions needed to take the proposal from “idea” to “reality.”

• Deals with only one alternative or scenario.

• Business plan is prepared only after the business venture has been deemed to be feasible.

• If a proposed business venture is considered to be feasible, a business plan is usually constructed next that provides a “roadmap” of how the business will be created and developed.

• The business plan provides the “blueprint” for project implementation.

http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/businessplans/a/feasibilitystud.htm

http://www.readyplanning.com/home/how-to-write-a-business-plan/feasibility-report

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-65.html

http://www.togetherworks.org.uk/index.php?q=node/61

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w6864e/w6864e09.htm#TopOfPage

http://bestentrepreneur.murdoch.edu.au/Business_Feasibility_Study_Outline.pdf

http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~sme/CSC340F/slides/05-feasibility.pdf

Thank you …Thank you …