Business Plan IMPORTANT NOTE If you have any important note, write here. Version: [Day Month Year] [Contact Details]
Company Information Company Name Contact Person /Position Business Address Telephone / Fax Number E-Mail / Web Address Shareholders Executives / Managers Accountants Registered Tax Office Tax Number Business Sector Business Definition Business Start Date Business Phase Resources Used Resource Requirements Business Plan Page 2 Version: [Insert Date]
Table of Contents Company Information... 2 Table of Contents... 3 1. Executive Summary... 4 2. Business Opportunity and Objectives... 4 3. Products /Services General Overview... 4 4. Products /Services Business Implementation Plan... 4 5. Market General Overview... 4 6. Target Customers... 4 7. Competitors... 5 8. Sales & Marketing... 5 9. Management Team... 5 10. Strategic Partners and Partnerships... 5 11. Financial Information... 6 12. Resource Requirements... 7 13. Operations... 7 14. Product/Service Development... 7 15. Business Phases... 8 16. SWOT Analysis... 8 17. Innovation Details... 8 18. Exit Plan... 8 Annexes... 8 Business Plan Page 3 Version: [Insert Date]
1. Executive Summary Please note that this is just a recommended business plan format. You may make any changes you think would best suit your needs. In the executive summary section, you need to provide answers for the basic questions below: Rationale of the Business Idea Purpose and Objectives of the Business Idea Implementation of the Business Idea Description, Size and Opportunities of the Target Market and the Existing Market Competitors Advantages of the Business Idea and Consequent Opportunities 2. Business Opportunity and Objectives This section outlines the rationale behind the business idea and the business opportunities offered by the business idea as well as the purpose of the project. 3. Products /Services General Overview The purpose of this section is to describe the characteristics and benefits of the goods or services to be offered. 4. Products /Services Business Implementation Plan This section details the business implementation plan for the goods or services to be offered. 5. Market General Overview This section examines the current status of the existing market in detail: - Market Survey: Information on the market/industry structure, general trends and developments - Market Demand: Why do you think there is a demand for the product or service you offer? In addition to above information, in this section you may also analyze the total market potential and market share, and illustrate your projections for the future periods (6 month, 1 year, 2 year, 5 year). 6. Target Customers Customer Analysis: This section includes information about and analyses of the profiles of the individual/corporate customers who will use the goods or services. (e.g. Detailed descriptions of different customer segments) Business Plan Page 4 Version: [Insert Date]
7. Competitors Competitor Analysis: This section provides general overview for the direct and indirect competition and information on existing competitors. You may find below an example Competitor Analysis Table. [If it will occupy too much space, you may put it in the annex section.] Competitor Name Market Coverage Details (Strengths / Weaknesses) Price Comparisons 8. Sales & Marketing Sales and Marketing: Provide details on your promotion strategy (e-mail, public relations, advertisement, network, online promotions, sponsorships, flyers, guerilla marketing, etc), and distribution channels, etc. Marketing Objectives: Define your objectives by taking the market segmentations, profitability analysis, demographic structure, ethical standards etc. into consideration. Pricing Policy: This section provides information on the pricing policy for your product or service and is generally a combination of two methods; (a) Cost-Plus (Determining the sales price as a multiple of the production cost.) (b) Market Expectations (Determining the price in comparison to the competitors price and according to what customers are willing to pay ) 9. Management Team This section provides information on the knowledge, skills, and business background of each team member. Experience/expertise in related fields should be emphasized. CV s should be presented in the Annexes section. 10. Strategic Partners and Partnerships This section provides details relating to the suppliers, vendors, subcontractors or other outsource companies. Business Plan Page 5 Version: [Insert Date]
11. Financial Information The tables below are provided as examples. Based on your needs you may also present your financial information in Excel tables. 200x 200x 200x Sales Gross Profit General Expenses Profit Before Tax Key Performance Indicators e.g.: Number of Customers and/or Products Sold 200x 200x 200x Maximum Annual Cash Deficit Year End Cash Balance Shareholder Funds This section provides the following financial details. Cash Flow and Resource Requirements This section describes how to find the required resources to meet the following needs: Capital Expenditures (Resources required to invest in, equipments, technology etc) Cash Flow (incoming/outgoing cash; monthly/annually) Income and Profit/Loss Forecasts This section details sales and profit/loss forecasts prepared under different assumptions. Financial Resources This section details the financial resources coming from different sources, if any: Personal investment Foreign Investment (Foreign Shareholders) Bank Loans Mortgage Leasing Debtors Business Plan Page 6 Version: [Insert Date]
Sensitivity Analysis This section analyzes the financial forecasts: Breakeven Analysis: What should the sales figures be in order to breakeven in the first year? Sensitivity Analysis Example: o What if the sales are 10-20% below the forecasted figures? (Correlate with the cash flow) o What if the sales are 10-20% above the forecasted figures? (Correlate with the cash flow) 12. Resource Requirement This section outlines the total capital requirement and the forecasted budget. 13. Operations This section describes the main operational processes such as production, human resources, and distribution. Processes related with the project/business idea should be given as follows. 1. Production Process - Production stages and requirements 2. Human Resources - Organizational Structure (Reporting, Roles and Job Definitions) - Personnel Requirements - Trainings (Required trainings) 3. Investment Process - Lands (Detailed information on land(s) on which your business will operate: i.e. current status of the land, procurement, rental, leasing etc.) - Property, Plant and Equipment (Properties, plants and equipments which might be required for the business) 4. Distribution - Distribution and supply of products/services 5. Information Technologies - Information Technologies, infrastructure, security, support, database management 6. Web Site Design and Development - Details relating to hosting and web site design 14. Product/Service Development Business Plan Page 7 Version: [Insert Date]
Opportunities and plans for business development. 15. Business Phases The purpose of this section is to describe the current phase of the business idea when this Business Plan is being prepared. 16. SWOT Analysis SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis details the project s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and potential threats. 1. Strengths 2. Weaknesses 3. Opportunities 4. Threats 17. Innovation Details This section provides detailed information and patent information etc on the innovation, if any. 18. Exit Plan This section explains how you would exit the business after you turned your business idea into a real business and established a company. i.e. Swap, mergers/acquisitions, initial public offering, taking on a new partners etc. Annexes This section covers other detailed information and tables etc relating to the business plan. For instance: Financial Forecasts Sales Contracts Promotional Materials Detailed resumes of the management team Sample Business Cases Introductions/Advertisements Commercial References Copies of Patents Business Plan Page 8 Version: [Insert Date]