BUSINESS PLAN EXAMPLE

Transcription

1 BUSINESS PLAN EXAMPLE A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO WRITING THE PERFECT BUSINESS PLAN BY CRAIG FRAZIER

2 Thank you for downloading the Business Plan Example Template Guide! This guide is meant to show you how a standard business plan can be laid out and what sections should be included. Use this template to develop your own ideas as you create your business plan. Getting Started Included in the example template: A sample layout of a business plan. The different sections of a business plan with a description and tips for each. Links to additional resources like the marketing summary you can use as an example. Where to find additional tools like editable files and spreadsheet templates. You get what you pay for... the FREE template you have downloaded is meant as a reference for those that just need some direction for getting started. If you want an actual business plan in Word format that you can edit and modify to fit your needs, along with all the spread sheets and tools for business planning, then I have a special package at a low price you can find here: Have questions about business planning? Visit us online at our facebook page to ask questions and get feedback from our community. I personally answer questions on the page as well. I value your feedback! Have a success story you want to share or simply some feedback about the resources? me at info@business-plan-examples.com. Congratulations on taking the first step toward writing your business plan. As a fellow business person I want to be a resource for you and to help you any way I can. There are few things as beneficial as planning for the success of your business by writing a business plan. I hope these tools help you along in your business plan writing process! To your success! PbC Publishing Company

3 Your Company Name Sample Business Plan 20XX Use this outline to better visualize the different parts of a business plan. This document is meant to be used as an example to aid in the development of a business plan for your small business. Small Business Plan Example & Outline

4 Table of Contents Executive Summary Objectives Mission Statement.. 3 Keys to Success... 3 Company Summary... 4 Product Summary... 4 Market Summary.. 4 Operations Strategy. 5 Financial Projections Pro-Forma. 6 Break-even Analysis. 6 Appendix References

5 Executive Summary C ontent in the executive summary should include the motivation and purpose of the business and serve as a overview of the entire business plan. This section should include at a minimum the objectives of the business, the company mission statement and the keys items necessary to achieve success. The Executive Summary should be short enough to be considered an overview while providing enough scope to give a prospective investor reason to continue reading the rest of the document. This is the sales pitch that explains why your business idea is a winner in two pages or less. Objectives - Objective #1 - Objective #2 - Objective #3 - Objective #4 - Objective #5 Mission Statement To create an inspiring mission statement that will describe the overall solution your company will provide to the marketplace, the level of service that will be the priority, and or the benefit to consumers for using your product. Keys to Success - Key item #1 - Key Item #2 - Key Item #3 (add more if you have them) To grab the Word version of my actual business plan in this format that you can use as a template simply follow this link. 3

6 Company Summary As the name suggests this is a summary specific to the company or business. This section allows you to explain the consumer benefits of having your company in the marketplace and how your company is different or better than what is currently available. Use this section to start building a visual for the reader about the business itself and continue to explain why this business idea is a good one. Each section should reinforce the opportunities your business would bring and the goals that need to be met to achieve them. A business plan can be a sales tool but it should NEVER contain fluff. Investors will want to see solid projections and achievable business goals / ideas. Save some time and grab my business plan in Word format that you can use as a guideline. Get it here. Product Summary Use this section to describe the product or service you will offer and what need that will fill in the marketplace. If everyone in your town is selling red widgets and blue widgets but you think green widgets would really take off then put that here and include what competitive advantage you will have and why. Perhaps you will offer a service that no one is currently providing or your manufacturing process allows you to save money creating your green widgets. Describe what you are offering and why it is a good idea here. Market Summary Describe the current state of the industry specific to your particular location and how your product or service will have relevance due to current or upcoming trends. This is where you can pull in some data points to backup your claims and possibly include a SWOT Analysis to show you have 4

7 thoroughly investigated the potential competition in relation to your potential advantage in the market. I posted an example Market Summary on my blog that you can use for reference. Including a nice block quote in the section helps to highlight a key point and provide a visual break. The industry trade group XYZ Association (XYZA) reports that the industry is not even set to peak until the year Use trade journals for industry forecasts, demographic studies, traffic volume metrics for your proposed location, or relevant data points from reputable resources online to communicate why this business will be a success. Decide what would be appropriate for your business and include it here. Firewall your business plan by laying out the documentation and research showing this to be a viable opportunity. I have copied the Market Summary section from my actual business plan and posted it here. You can use this as a resource and reference for creating your own Market Summary section. Operations Strategy This section is a great place to detail the operational advantages your company will have including the team of people leading the company. It is common to list profiles of the key leaders within the company including what skills and expertise they bring to the business. Keep it brief and include the full resumes (if necessary) in the appendix section. Do not be afraid to customize your plan. A startup may have a different focus than an existing business so modify your plan as needed to communicate a well rounded business strategy. Communicating the important information relative to your business is more important that sticking to a rigid template. That is why the template I provide on my website is in Word format and is fully customizable...your business plan should be your own and not someone else's. 5

8 Financial Projections One of the most important parts of the business plan is the financial projections. If you are trying to get funding, this section will be highly scrutinized. Accurately projecting your expenses vs. profits will mean the difference between success and failure of the business. Take the time to get this section right. For existing businesses an investor will want to see descriptions of revenue streams and current expenses as well as cash flow statements and balance sheet before deciding whether to invest. For a new business the startup costs will need to be accounted for as well. A standard for any business plan is the Pro forma financial statement which usually looks one, three or five years into the future to project profitability as well as the break-even analysis which shows investors when you can be profitable based on revenue projections. You will need to justify any assumptions. If you aren't sure how to do this yet don't worry. My business plan toolkit contains a one year Pro forma financial spreadsheet including formulas for calculating profit / loss built right in, as well as a break-even analysis tool perfect for showing investors when you can be profitable. But if you need more detailed financial reports... FREE BONUS If you really want to take your financial projections to the next level the easiest way is to visit ProjectionHub - simply fill in the blanks and easily create income statements, cash flows, balance sheets and more...all with perfect formatting and no formulas to calculate or manual errors to worry about! Access to this online tool is yours for FREE when you purchase the business plan toolkit for the ridiculously low limited time offer here. Read more about ProjectionHub here. 6

9 Appendix Use the appendix as a reference library for including the documents that support the rest of your business plan. Reference documents from your financials, resumes of the key individuals in the organization, or applicable market research documents (like a demographic report) should be included in the appendix. If you have a lot of information with a very detailed business plan it may be necessary to create a table of contents for the appendix. Order the included documents as they appear within the business plan. References The reference section may also be referred to as the Bibliography. It is important to document the resources you referenced and quoted in your business plan. Choose an appropriate academic citation style for the formatting of your sources (APA and MLA are two common styles). Depending on your source, the formatting and information included will vary. See the example of a website reference citation in MLA format below: LastName, FirstName Q. "Example." Reference.com. Publisher, 04 Aug Web. 08 Nov < Laying out the references in the right format based on whether it is a printed, online or journal entry can be confusing and time consuming. In my business plan toolkit I tell you exactly how to quickly and easily create a perfectly formatted reference section that will help you finish off your business plan accurately - without all the hassle. SPECIAL BONUSES: 7

10 Bonuses If you want my business plan toolkit including everything you need for creating each section of your business plan quickly and accurately simply click the link below to get immediate access to the editable templates and insider tips and I will give you the resources below for free as part of this special limited time offer: Here is what you get in my complete business plan toolkit: - Word format template for creating the perfect business plan. - Excel based tools for financial spreadsheet and break even analysis. - Free membership to ProjectionHub.com. - Insider tips from Adam Hoeksema on How To Secure a Microloan for Your Small Business. - The Elevator Pitch resource guide...learn how to sell your idea with a quick pitch. - The actual executive summary that netted Troy Lyndon millions of dollars in investor capital. Take advantage of this low price and grab your toolkit and bonus resources while they last here! 8