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 Overview
Our
Planning Services
Business
Plan Elements
Sample
Business Plan Outline
Business
Planning Resources |
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OVERVIEW
A
formal, written business plan is essential to the success of every
business. A good business plan will document the short-term and long-term
goals of the business and establish specific tasks for achieving
those goals. Additionally, it will keep management and key employees
focused on the major objective of your business.
Potential benefits realized from the
development of a business plan include:
- Improved understanding of
opportunities, problems and weaknesses;
- Greater control over your
organization;
- A valuable source of
information about your business that may be required by third
parties;
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- Improved use of your
company's resources;
- Education of your
company's personnel resulting from participation in the business
planning process.
- Increased employee
motivation;
- Increased profits and
sustained growth.
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OUR
PLANNING SERVICES
Our Business Planning Services are varied to
meet the needs of our clients and include the following:
Complete
Written Business Plan (Includes financial projections)
We will lead you through the entire planning process and provide you with a
complete written Business Plan. The Plan will include financial
projections.
Written
Business Plan (Without financial projections)
We will lead you through the entire planning process and provide you with a
written Business Plan that does not include financial projections.
Financial
Projections Only
We will prepare Financial Projections based on clearly defined assumptions,
suitable for inclusion in your Business Plan.
Collaboration
We will partner with you in developing and writing your Business Plan, providing
assistance to you based on your specific desire and needs.
Critique
Email your completed Business Plan to us. We will review and critique your
Plan, and provide you with a comprehensive report that will include suggestions
for improvement.
Research
We will undertake a special project to research and report to you information
and data on specific aspects of your Plan, such as:
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Competition
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Compensation
comparatives
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Industry data,
trends and forecasts
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Regional
economic data, trends and forecasts
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National
economic data, trends and forecasts
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Demographic
information
Our experience and background as CPA,
CFO and operating controller uniquely qualify us as expert in assisting clients
in both the planning process and the writing of an appropriate business plan.
To assess your Business Plan needs, please
complete our Business Planning Survey.
To request additional information on how we can help you in developing your
Business Plan, please contact us.
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BUSINESS PLAN ELEMENTS
A successful business plan must achieve the following:
- Be appropriately arranged, with an executive summary, a table of contents,
and its chapters in the correct order;
- Be the right length and have the right appearance;
- Give a sense of what you and your company expect to accomplish;
- Explain in quantitative and qualitative terms the benefits to the user of
your company's products and services;
- Present hard evidence of the marketability of the products and
services;
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- Justify financially the means chosen to sell the products and services;
- Describe the manufacturing or operating process and associated costs;
- Portray management as an experienced team with complementary business
skills;
- Contain believable financial projections; with key data explained and
documented;
- Show how investors (if applicable) can cash out in three to seven years,
with appropriate capital appreciation.
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SAMPLE OUTLINE OF A BUSINESS PLAN
I. Cover Sheet (name of
company, address, principals)
II. Table of Contents
III. Executive Summary (2-3 pages)
IV. The Business
A.
Description, history (including past performance)
1. Form
of business (if incorporated, show where)
2. Location of headquarters
3. Principals or owners
B.
Objectives of owners or managers
1.
Projections and forecasts
2. Current and proposed capital structure
C. Funding
required
1. Equity
2. Debt
D. Timing
and use of funds
1. When
capital needed
2. How funds will be used
V. The Product or Service
A.
Description of brand names, prices
B. Comparison with competitive products or service (e.g., competitive
advantages, weaknesses)
C. Research and development
D. Patents, trademarks, copyrights, franchises, and licensing agreements
VI. Marketing Plan
A. Overall
strategy and tactics including risks and pitfalls
B. Size and history of market including trends (growth vs. flat)
C. Profiles of customers and end-users; preferences and needs
D. Strengths and weaknesses of competitors
E. Product lines
F. Advertising and promotions
G. Pricing
H. Distribution channels: distributors, dealers, sales representatives,
associations, cooperatives
I. Regulatory requirements
VII. Production and Operations
A.
Description of operations (all facets from raw materials to finished product)
1.
Workforce (management, rank, and file)
2. Principal suppliers
B.
Facilities and equipment
1.
Existing
2. Required
C.
Material, labor, and supplies used
VIII. Financial Information
A. For
existing companies, provide a summary of historical financial data
B. Projected financial statements for three to five years
1. Cash
flow statements
2. Income statements
3. Balance sheets
C.
Significant financial assumptions (interest rates, profit margins, etc.)
D. Accounting policies (depreciation, inventory valuation, receivables,
collections, etc
E. Break-even analysis
IX. Supporting Documents
A.
Management biographies or resumes
B. Organizational chart
C. Historical financial statements for past three to five years
D. Employment contracts or agreements and loan covenants
E. Articles of incorporation
F. By-laws
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BUSINESS
PLANNING RESOURCES
For those who want to write their
own Business Plan, you will find an exhausting supply of information and
guidance on the Internet. Our Resource page
contains links to Web sites that offer an array of books, software,
planning tools, articles, planning checklists, sample plans, planning guides,
manuals, and other forms of guidance to assist you in your business planning.
If, on the other hand, you find
this approach daunting, we offer a range of business planning services to
accommodate your specific desires and needs.
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