BUSINESS PLANS

Before starting a new business or expanding an existing business, you should develop a business plan. The business plan will serve many purposes. It will help you evaluate the feasibility of your idea, define the purpose of your business and organize it. It will help you determine your business growth patterns, and it will help you anticipate problems before they arise, thus enabling you to more effectively deal with them. The business plan is an agreement on how your management team plans to carry out certain functions to achieve good results. It will serve as a means of measuring the company's performance. Lastly, the business plan is a document you will need when raising capital from banks, private investors, or other sources.

The following is an outline of what should be included in your business plan. See the links at the end of this page for online business plans samples, or look at our selection of books and videos on how to write a business plan.

You will also find a workbook style guide to writing your business plan in the Small Business Planning Guide page on this site.

Business Plan Outline

1. TITLE PAGE
   A. Name of Company
   B. Name of Company Contact Person(s)
   C. Address
   D. Telephone Number
   E. Copy Number (For example, Copy 1 of 10)
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
   The executive summary is a condensed version of the entire business plan. It should be no more than two pages. It may be easier to compose this section after the plan has been written in its entirety. You can then summarize the plan's most important points in these first two pages.
3. PURPOSE OF THE BUSINESS AND PERSONAL GOALS
4. THE INDUSTRY, THE COMPANY, AND ITS PRODUCTS
   A. The Industry (background, trends, future)
   B. The Company
   C. The Products or Services
5. OPERATIONS
   A. Geographic Location
   B. Occupancy Expense
   C. Facilities and Improvements
   D. Strategy and Plans
6. MANAGEMENT TEAM
   A. Organization
   B. Key Management Personnel
   C. Management Compensation and Ownership
   D. Board of Directors
   E. Management Assistance and Training Needs
   F. Supporting Professional Services
7. PERSONNEL
   A. Position Descriptions
   B. Number of Full and Part-time Employees
   C. Salaries and Wages
   D. Payroll Taxes and Benefits
8. MARKET RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
   A. Identify Customers
   B. Market Size and Trends
   C. Identify Competitors
   D. Estimated Market Share and Sales
   E. Ongoing Marketing Evaluation
9. MARKETING PLAN
   A. Overall Marketing Strategy
   B. Pricing
   C. Sales Tactics
   D. Distribution
   E. Advertising and Promotion
10. PRODUCT/SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
    A. Identify All Products/Services Offered
    B. Costs
11. FINANCIAL PLAN
    A. Capital Equipment Needed
    B. Start-up Expenses
    C. Projected Income Statement
    1. Discuss Assumptions
    2. Risks and Sensitivity
    D. Projected Cash Flow
    1. Discuss Assumptions
    2. Risks and Sensitivity
    3. Sources and Uses of Financing
    4. Balance Sheet
    E. Break-even Analysis
12. CRITICAL RISKS AND PROBLEMS
    A. Identify Risks
    B. Indicate Critical Assumptions or Problems
13. COMMUNITY BENEFITS (Include only if trying to obtain government or community monies)
    A. Potential Benefits
    1. Economic Benefits
    2. Human Development
    3. Community Development
    B. Compromises or Lags in Profitability
14. OVERALL SCHEDULE/TIMETABLE OF EVENTS
15. APPENDICES
    A. Management Team Resumes
    B. Personal Financial Statement
    C. Identify Professional References
    1. Banker
    2. Attorney
    3. Accountant
    D. Other Relevant Information

For more information on business plans select from these subjects:

I Don't Need A Business Plan MSWord or PDF
The Importance Of A Business Plan MSWord or PDF
Preparing A Business Plan MSWord or PDF
Tips On Writing A Business Plan MSWord or PDF

Related Internet sites:

http://www.cedcorp Business plann preparation, click on ActivePlans link to creat account, business plans, forms http://www.businessplans.org Busines planning, evaluation, strategy http://www.nebs.com/NASApp/nebsEcat/business_tools/bptemplate/index.jsp Business plan tool http://www.inc.com/guides/write_biz_plan/20660.html Build a Strong Business

Internet Links for Sample Business Plans

http://bizplan.com/index.html
http://www.bplans.com/
http://www.bplans.com/sp/index.cfm?a=bc
http://bedandbreakfast.hypermart.net/allplans.htm
http://www.business-plan-guide.biz/
http://www.smallbusinessmarketingmanagement.com/
http://www.business-plan-help.com/
http://www.sba.gov/library/sharewareroom.html
http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Industries/Hospitality/Consultants/
http://www.sbtv.com/resources/applegate/review.htm
http://www.chamberbiz.com/bizcenter/p98/P98_05_4053_ME.cfm
http://www.paloalto.com/ps/bp/?ac=overture,samplebusinessplan
http://www.sbishere.com/
http://www.brs-inc.com/plans.org/free.html
http://www.link-mail.com/30200.html
http://www.bizmove.com/msb/?AID=487819&PID=918945
http://mbadesk.com/
http://www.informationweek.com/786/whatshot.htm
http://www.liveplan.com/
http://www.bizplanit.com/free.htm