|
|
Starting with your business plan outline In their book, Your First Business Plan, Joseph Covello & Brian Hazelgren, state "A business plan helps entrepreneurs and business managers to think through their strategies, balance their enthusiasm with facts and recognize their limitations. It will help you avoid potentially disastrous errors like undercapitalizing, creating negative cash flow, hiring the wrong people, selecting the wrong location, and pursuing the wrong market....A business owner who fails to plan, plans to fail." All business plans start with an outline that must be filled in by the entrepreneur, executive, or manager. Plans must cover certain aspects of the proposed business, including: a description of the business; the marketing strategy; the management team; and a financial plan. Below you will find a sample outline that you can use for your business plan.
Business plan links In addition to the previous sample outline for your business plan, there are also many excellent sources on the Internet where you can get other ideas for your business plan outline, including: U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency formed by Congress to help entrepreneurs create and manage successful businesses. With offices in every state, the SBA provides advice, training and financing for business owners. Through its extensive Web site, the SBA delivers an excellent business plan outline for you to follow as you develop your business plan. According to the SBA, a business plan consists of four distinct sections:
Additionally, the SBA indicates a business plan should include an executive summary, supporting documents and financial projections. The American Express Web site, through is Small Business Exchange section, provides business planning and marketing advice for entrepreneurs. One area that is especially useful is the Business Plan Workshop, since it provides an interactive business plan outline for a ficticious company. According to American Express, "this workshop will help you create a business plan to guide your business through the start-up or growth phase, a search for capital, or any other endeavor your small business undertakes." Their business plan outline is divided into the following seven elements:
Network for Excellence in Manufacturing Online The Network for Excellence in Manufacturing Online (NEM Online) Web site was developed by Michigan State University "to support the activities of manufacturing assistance providers and manufacturers in the state of Michigan." Although NEM Online Web site has a manufacturing focus, there is a wide variety of business planning information that is useful for entrepreneurs in any business. The Business Plan section provides a series of templates that will help you to prepare your plan, including: Statement of Purpose; Business Information; Description of Business; Personnel; Market Analysis; Financial; and Supporting Documents. "When you have completed all the templates, then you will have a draft business plan. Rewrite this draft in final copy format for presentation to lenders, creditors, investors, employees, and anyone else to whom you wish to give information about your business development project."
|
|
|