Review sample business plans for a manufacturer, service business, or a retailer

• South Mill, Inc. - sample business plan for a clothing manufacturer.
• Sales Training Group, LLC. - sample business plan for a service business that provides training for sales personnel.
• Super Sound & Video - sample business plan for a retailer of high quality audio and video equipment.

Here you will find three sample business plans: South Mill, a clothing manufacturer; Sales Training Group, a service business that provides training for sales personnel; and Super Sound & Video, a retailer of high quality audio and video equipment. Since all three plans are based on different types of businesses, you will note differences in strategy, format, content, and language between the three plans.

For instance, if you are considering a professional service business, such as an accounting or law firm, note that customers are referred to clients and the actual work is called client engagements. South Mill, the clothing manufacturer, devotes a considerable portion of its plan to its manufacturing process, which would not be applicable to the professional services firm or the retailer. Super Sound & Video, a retailer, outlines how its advertising strategy will be tied into its new store expansion plans.

One of the best places to find business plan content, that is relevant to the current environment, is in the "S-1" documents filed by companies that are going through the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Since these companies are trying to raise money from the public, they must pass a rigorous registration process with the government that involves describing their business, competitive environment, and strategies in detail. Best of all, these documents are available online through a couple of Web sites.

IPO Central

IPO Central describes itself as "the ultimate source of IPO information," and has a wealth of information on its Web site, including a search feature that allows you to find IPOs by company name, keyword, underwriter, state or metro area. The list of companies you can find on this site goes back to May 6, 1996, the date after which companies were required to begin electronic filing with the SEC. Through this site, you can also get information from Hoover's Company Profiles and EDGAR Online.

EDGAR Online

As mentioned earlier, the Internet puts information at your fingertips that previously could only be found in specialized libraries and government archives. 

For your own plan, find companies at these Web sites that are as close to yours as possible. Don't be discouraged when you first look at the beginning of the "S-1" documents and see nothing but technical financial information. Find the Table of Contents, and locate the pages that correspond with "Description of Business," or "Industry Analysis," or "Competition," etc.