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Business Plan Outline
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The following pages provide a suggested outline of the material
to be included in your business plan. Your final plan may vary according
to your specific needs or individual requirements. The Business Plan
should be 20-30 pages long excluding Supporting Documents (see below). The
idea should involve a reasonable amount of Market Research and/or Survey
Results.
This outline has been adapted from documents available at
http://www.business-plan.com. |
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I. |
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COVER SHEET:
Serves as the title page of your business plan.
(1 page) |
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Name,
address, and phone number of the company. |
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Name,
title, address, phone number of owners/corporate officers. |
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Month
and year your plan was prepared. |
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Name of
preparer. |
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II. |
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
(2 pages) |
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This is the thesis statement and states business plan objectives.
Use the
key word approach
(who, what,
where, when, why, how, how much) to summarize the following: |
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Your
Company (who, what, where, when). |
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Who is
your management is and What their strengths are. |
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What
your objectives are and Why you will be successful. |
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Note: Do not write the statement of purpose until you have
completed your business plan! It is a summary and reflects the contents of
the finished plan. |
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III. |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Quick reference to major topics covered in your plan) (1 page) |
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IV. |
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PART I: THE ORGANIZATIONAL
PLAN
(6-10 pages) |
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What is included? This section should include a "summary
description of your business" statement followed by information on the
"administrative" end of your company. |
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A. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS |
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In a paragraph or two give a broad overview of the nature of your
business, telling when and why the company was formed. Then complete the
summary by briefly addressing: |
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mission
(projecting short- and long-term goals) |
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business model
(describe your company's model and why it is unique to your industry) |
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strategy
(give an overview of the strategy, focusing on short- and long-term
objectives) |
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strategic relationships
(tell about any existing strategic relationships) |
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SWOT Analysis
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that your company
will face, both internal and external) |
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If
you are the manufacturer and/or wholesale distributor of a product:
Describe your products. Tell briefly about your manufacturing process.
Include information on suppliers and availability of materials. |
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If
you are a retailer and/or an e-tailer:
Describe the products you sell. Include information about your sources
and handling of inventory and fulfillment. |
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If
you provide a service:
Describe your services List future products or services you plan to
provide. |
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Address
Copyrights, Trademarks, and Patents |
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Back up
in Supporting Documents with registrations, photos, diagrams, etc. |
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Describe your projected or current location. |
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Project
costs associated with the location. |
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Include
legal agreements, utilities forecasts, etc. in Supporting Documents. |
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Note: If location is important to marketing, cover in Part II –
The Marketing Plan. |
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E. MANAGEMENT AND PERSONNEL |
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List
the people who are (or will be) running the business. |
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Describe their responsibilities and abilities. |
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Project
their salaries. |
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How
many employees will you have in what positions? |
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What
are the necessary qualifications? |
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How
many hours will they work and at what wage? |
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Project
future needs for adding employees. |
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(Include resumes in Supporting Documents) |
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What
kinds of insurance will you carry? (Property & Liability, Life & Health) |
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What
will it cost and who will you use for a carrier? |
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Address
security in terms of inventory control and theft of information (online
and off). |
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Project
related costs. |
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V. |
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PART II: THE MARKETING PLAN
(6-10 pages) |
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What is a marketing plan? The Marketing Plan defines all of the
components of your marketing strategy. You will address the details of
your market analysis, sales, advertising, and public relations campaigns.
The fPlan should also integrate traditional (offline) programs with new
media (online) strategies. |
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A. OVERVIEW AND GOALS OF YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY |
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Target
Market (identify with demographics, psychographics, and niche market
specifics). |
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Competition (describe major competitors assessing their strengths and
weaknesses. |
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Market
Trends (identify industry trends and customer trends). |
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Market
Research (describe methods of research, database analysis, and results
summary). |
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General
Description (budget % allocations on- and off-line with expected ROIs). |
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Method
of Sales and Distribution (stores, offices, kiosks, catalogs, d/mail,
website). |
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Packaging (quality considerations and packaging). |
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Pricing
(price strategy and competitive position. |
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Branding. |
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Database Marketing (Personalization). |
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Sales
Strategies (direct sales, direct mail, email, affiliate, reciprocal, and
viral marketing). |
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Sales
Incentives/Promotions (samples, coupons, online promo, add-ons, rebates,
etc.). |
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Advertising Strategies (traditional, web/new media, long-term
sponsorships). |
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Public
Relations (online presence, events, press releases, interviews). |
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Networking (memberships and leadership positions). |
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Description of Customer Service Activities. |
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Expected Outcomes of Achieving Excellence. |
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E. IMPLEMENTATION OF MARKETING STRATEGY |
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In-House Responsibilities. |
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Out-Sourced Functions (advertising, public relations, marketing firms,
ad networks, etc.). |
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VI. |
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PART III: FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
(4-6 pages) |
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The quantitative part of your plan.
This section of the business plan is the quantitative interpretation of
everything you stated in the organizational and marketing plans. Do not do
this part of your plan until you have finished those two sections.
Financial documents are the records used to show projected finances. The
following are the major documents you will want to include in your
Business Plan. The work is much easier if they are done in the order
presented because they build on each other, utilizing information from the
ones previously developed. |
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A. SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL NEEDS |
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This is an outline giving the following information: |
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(1) Why you are applying for financing.
(2) How Much capital you need
(3) Tell How you intend to disperse the loan funds
(4) Back Up your statement with supporting data |
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C. PRO FORMA CASH FLOW STATEMENT (BUDGET) |
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This document projects what your Business Plan means in
terms of rupees. It shows cash inflow and outflow over a period of time
and is used for internal planning. It is of prime interest to the lender.
Cash flow statements show both how much and when cash must
flow in and out of your business. |
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D. THREE-YEAR INCOME PROJECTION |
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A Pro Forma Income P&L (Income) Statement showing projections for
your company for the next three years. Use the revenue and expense totals
from the Pro Forma Cash Flow Statement for the 1st year's figures and
project for the next two years according to expected economic and industry
trends. |
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E. PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET |
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Projection of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth of your company
at end of next fiscal year. |
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The break-even point is the point at which a company's expenses
exactly match the sales or service volume. It can be expressed in: (1)
Total rupees or revenue exactly offset by total expenses -or- (2) Total
units of production (cost of which exactly equals the income derived by
their sales). This analysis can be done either mathematically or
graphically. Revenue and expense figures are drawn from the three-year
income projection. |
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VII. |
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PART IV: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
(The length of this section does not contribute towards the
required length of the document) |
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This section of your plan will contain all of the records that
back up the statements and decisions made in the three main parts of your
business plan. The most common supporting documents are: |
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Include resumes for the management. A resume should be a one-page
document. Include: work history, educational background, professional
affiliations and honors, and a focus on special skills relating to the
company position. |
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B. OWNERS' FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
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A statement of personal assets and liabilities. For a new
business owner, this will be part of your financial section. |
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Letters recommending you as being a reputable and reliable
business person worthy of being considered a good risk. (both business and
personal references) |
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D. MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS |
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All other documents which have been referred to, but not included
in the main body of the plan. (for example, location plans, demographics,
competition analysis, advertising rate sheets, cost analysis, etc.). |
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PUTTING YOUR PLAN TOGETHER |
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When You Are Finished: Your Business Plan should look professional. A
business plan will be the best indicator that can be used to judge your
potential for success. It should be no more than 20 to 30 pages in length,
excluding supporting documents. Have your plan neatly bound at your local
print shop or in blue, black or brown covers purchased from the stationery
store. |
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