Business Plan Guide
Structuring your business plan. Here is what you need to consider.
Section | What to include or consider |
Cover or title page | · Name of business
· Business registration number (if available) · Contact details (telephone, email and website address · Date of preparation |
Contents page | · Table of contents
· Number your pages · Consider adding a version control. This will help you identify the latest version of your business plan |
Executive summary | · Purpose of the business plan
· Brief highlights of the plan · Brief description of your business (product or service) · Summary of your key management team · Summary of the marketing strategy · Summary of the funding requirements: · The amount of funds required · The source of the funds (debt, equity, grants) · How will the funds will be used? · How will the fund be repaid? · Key projected operating results
|
Industry analysis | · A description of the industry in which your business will operate
· Where has the industry come from? · Where is the industry now? · Where is the industry going? What are the trends and future prospects?
|
SWOT analysis | · What are the strengths?
· What are the weaknesses? · What are the opportunities? · What are the threats? |
Your business | · What business are you in?
· What products and/ or services will you sell? · General description of your business · What is your competitive advantage? · Where will your business be located and why? · What is the performance and financial position of your business to date? |
The stated aims of your business | · Your business vision
· Your business mission · The need that your business will seek to satisfy |
Your management team | · Key people involved
· Roles, responsibilities and background · Skills · Formal qualifications required · Key advisors to your business · Strategic alliances |
Market analysis | · Description of marketplace
· Past, present and future trends · Size of the market · Demographics · Analysis of customer groups and their needs, wants, preferences, characteristics and buying habits · Assessment of the direct and indirect competition. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your competition? · A forecast of your sales and estimated market share
|
Marketing Plan | · What is your target market?
· What will be your marketing strategy? · How are you going to position your products? · How will your products be distributed? What distribution channels are you going to use? · How will you set the pricing for your products? What pricing strategy are you going to use |
Organisational plan | · Provide an organogram for your business
· Provide a manpower plan or forecast · What are the staffing needs? · What training is required? |
Operating plan | · How will the day to day operations of your business be carried out?
· Requirements for property, plant and equipment · Scheduling of workflow · Quality control systems · Management Information System · Enterprise resource planning |
Financial plan | · Historical financial information, where available, for the past 3 years
· Business viability and timeline for profitability · Business capital needs · Property, plant and equipment/ CAPEX/ Fixed Assets · Working capital · Start – up capital · Break-even analysis · Funding mix · Debt funding · Equity funding · Grant funding · Budgets taking into consideration the planned sales, expenses · Taxation assumptions · Debt reduction and repayment plan · Financial projections · Assumptions for the underlying projections · Statement of financial performance projections · Statement of financial position projections · Cash flow projections · Key financial ratios · Profitability ratios · Liquidity ratios · Efficiency ratios · Solvency ratios |
Action plan | · Timelines for implementing the key elements of the plan |
Appendices | · Documents to support the business plan
· Appendices can include: · Certificate of incorporation · Brochures · Market research results · Resumes of key personnel · Technical drawings · Patents |