Writing a Business Plan

[Dragizzane]

Im trying to write a business plan for a company... What information should I include, what shouldn't I include, etc.

Also are there any sample business plans that you guys would have links to? I just want to look at what an actual plan looks like.

[xtayle]

 Background

 Executive Summary

 Proposed Management Team

 Approach

 Commencement

 Break-even Point

 Marketing Plan

 Advertising and Promotion Plan

 Growth Trend

 Competition

 Profitability

 Financing Requirement

 Return on Investment (ROI)

 Investors’ Exit

 Intended Business Location

 Conclusion

 Cashflow (conservative) Projections for the first 2-5 years

 Projected Profit & Loss Account and balance sheet for the 2-5 depending on your investors exit plan.

[jflahiff]

Oh Dear Lord!
It took almost a page to put those categories. that is way over kill for most businesses.
I would take you weeks to fill that out. You can do a business plan in one day or less. as a matter of fact I wrote an article at http: //bit. ly/26U9dm

Every business plan will look different. Some common categories exist, like a vision, market analysis, and a plan for making money at it (also known as a business model, or monitization plan). But the form will depend on the purpose. The list above might be good for a major bank but if you are looking for Silicon Valley investors read Guy Kawasaki he says to not even start with a business plan (oh btw he is an investor so he knows of which he speaks). Guy suggests using the 10/20/30 method for developing a pitch. look it up.
Dragizzane, what is the purpose of YOUR business plan? What is your goal for doing it?
> Bank Loan
> Angel Investor
> VC
> Having a plan so you know what you are doing
> Because someone said you should have one...

That will guide you in what to include.

Wishing you success
Joseph Flahiff
The Entrepreneur Maker

[snguyen75094]

you will fail with a poor business plan. you difinently need a stong business plan.

[bizdev]

From SBA.gov:

Every successful business plan should include something about each of the following areas, since these are what make up the essentials of a good business plan:

Executive Summary
Market Analysis
Company Description
Organization & Management
Marketing & Sales Management
Service or Product Line
Funding Request
Financials
Appendix

BTW, you cannot write a business plan in a day or less. Sure, you can slap some words on a piece of paper and call it your one page business plan. But it's not going to help you secure funding or investors. If you need to request funding you need a formal business plan.

[byrneof]

Your business plan should be simple and straight forward. Do it in the form of a slide deck. No need for 60+ pages of text. Investors don't really care about anything other than traction. So, just go out there and do it.

[bizdev]

Your business plan should be simple and straight forward. Do it in the form of a slide deck. No need for 60+ pages of text. Investors don't really care about anything other than traction. So, just go out there and do it.

I would have to disagree with the suggestion of a slide deck. Sure, that's a more fun and interesting way to present your idea to friends or family if you're looking for angel investors. But if you are looking for funding from traditional lenders (banks, SBA) they are going to think that all of your pictures and graphics are a smoke screen and that you didn't put in the effort to create a "real" business plan. A banker wants to see a traditional business plan that follows the SBA recommended format.

The first business plan I ever handed to a loan officer was a simple 20 page plan that followed the SBA format. It was plain text for the essay portions and simple excel spreadsheets for the financials (and a couple of graphs). It was placed into a clear folder. Super simple. It was read on the spot and immediately forwarded to the SBA rep for recommended approval.

I had the same experience with every lender I ever presented a business plan to. The executive summary was the hook. It was only one page long but it was well written. You have to grab them with that first page.

Yes, go out there and do it. But do it right.

[bnelson]

Im trying to write a business plan for a company... What information should I include, what shouldn't I include, etc.

Also are there any sample business plans that you guys would have links to? I just want to look at what an actual plan looks like.

Check out Business Tools | SCORE

They have tons of resources, including templates for a business plan. Go to that link and click on "templates" and it will give you everything you need to get started. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[alisha34]

Hello

Wow.... Great. Thanks for sharing this informative information. This is very useful information for all.

Thanks
Have a nice time a head

[mjr]

Amazon.com: The Successful Business Plan, 4th Edition: Secrets and Strategies (Successful Business Plan Secrets and Strategies) (9780966963564): Rhonda Abrams: Books

best $14.08 you will ever spend

[Maxewhite]

A business plan should have its first target which is to make you sell in the business. But among the many plans of entrepreneurs, still, it should define on a new meaning. This quotation from Fred Gibbons may give another nice explanation:

"If you do all the things you're supposed to do in writing a business plan, you may decide at some point in the writing process that the business doesn't make as much sense as you'd anticipated. The market isn't growing as fast as you'd thought or the gross margins aren't as high as you'd expected. And you may decide not to pursue the business. In that event, the business plan has done you a favor--it has saved you the expense and grief of pursuing a business that wasn't really viable."