HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN

7 points to note when writing a business plan

Executive Summary
Within the overall outline of the business plan, the
executive summary will follow the title page. The
summary should tell the reader what you want. This is
very important. All too often, what the business owner
desires is buried on page eight. Clearly state what
you're asking for in the summary.

Business Description
The business description usually begins with a short
description of the industry. When describing the
industry, discuss the present outlook as well as future
possibilities. You should also provide information on
all the various markets within the industry, including
any new products or developments that will benefit or
adversely affect your business.

Market Strategies
Market strategies are the result of a meticulous market
analysis. A market analysis forces the entrepreneur to
become familiar with all aspects of the market so that
the target market can be defined and the company can
be positioned in order to garner its share of sales.

Competitive Analysis
The purpose of the competitive analysis is to determine
the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors within
your market, strategies that will provide you with a
distinct advantage, the barriers that can be developed
in order to prevent competition from entering your
market, and any weaknesses that can be exploited
within the product development cycle.

Design & Development Plan
The purpose of the design and development plan
section is to provide investors with a description of the
product's design, chart its development within the
context of production, marketing and the company
itself, and create a development budget that will enable
the company to reach its goals.

Operations & Management Plan
The operations and management plan is designed to
describe just how the business functions on a
continuing basis. The operations plan will highlight the
logistics of the organization such as the various
responsibilities of the management team, the tasks
assigned to each division within the company, and
capital and expense requirements related to the
operations of the business.

Financial Factors
Financial data is always at the back of the business
plan, but that doesn't mean it's any less important than
up-front material such as the business concept and the
management team.