Posted: December 7th, 2022

BUS 120

BUS 120
Sample Business Plan Template

Business Plan

Company name

Company address

Company phone number

Web address

Name, title, address of owner(s)

Month and year plan was created

Number of the copy of the plan

Confidentiality statement

Table of Contents

Executive Summary…………………………………………….xx
Management Team Plan
Key Executives
Key Advisors
Service Providers
Company Description…………………………………………..xx
Motivations
Business History
Business Concept
Product or Service Plan……………………………………….xx
Products or Services
Unique Selling Proposition
Competitive Products or Services
Product Development Milestones
Vision and Mission Statements……………………………xx
Vision Statement
Mission Statement
Industry Overview……………………………………………..xx
Competitive Set
External Environment
Product Life Cycle
Barriers to Entry
Market Analysis……………………………………………….xx
Demographic Profile
Psychographic Profile
Customer Behaviors
Target Market Opportunity
Competitive Analysis………………………………………..xx
Direct and Indirect Competitors
Value Proposition
Strengths and Weaknesses
Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Marketing Plan………………………………………………..xx
Total Product Experience
Place Strategy
Promotion Strategy
Promotion Plan
Pricing Plan
Operational Plan……………………………………………..xx
Location Criteria
Facilities and Equipment
Product Development Process
Operational Logistics
Organizational Plan…………………………………………..xx
Job Descriptions
Human Resources
Legal Structure
Insurance
Financial Plan……………………………………………….xx
Sources and Uses of Funds
Cash Flow
Income Statement
Balance Sheet
Break-even Analysis
Financial Analysis
Sales Revenue
Cost of Goods Sold
Expenses
Assumptions
Growth Plan………………………………………………….xx
Growth Strategy
Affects of Growth
Contingency Plan……………………………………………..xx
Risks
Supporting Documents………………………………………xx

Executive Summary

Introduction
Describe the products or services your company provides. Briefly summarize the company’s vision and mission statements. Explain how you plan to implement the mission and why the business is positioned to reach it.

Current Situation
Explain the current status of the business, the unique opportunity that exists that prompted this business plan, and why you are seeking help from investors.

Management Qualifications
List the key members of your management team and explain why they are uniquely qualified to make the venture a success.

Seeking Investors
Explain your current sources of funds and how much additional funding is required to reach your mission. Describe what the additional funding will allow the company to do. Then, explain how the business will repay investors.

Closing Statement
Write a statement explaining how the company will grow financially through this investment and what return investors can expect to achieve. Explain how investors can exit the venture.

Management Team Plan

Key Executives
Describe the management team that will help you achieve your business goals. Explain the duties and the salary of each team member. Provide a list of benefits that each person will provide the venture including previous experience, skill sets, and personal traits.

Key Advisors
Describe the advisors who will guide your management team in policy decisions. Provide a list of benefits that each person will provide the venture including their previous experience, skill sets, and personal traits.

Service Providers
Explain the service providers you will hire and the advantages they bring to the venture.

Company Description

Motivations
Explain the reasons and motivations you have for starting or expanding this business.

Entrepreneurial Opportunity
Describe the entrepreneurial opportunity and the unique selling proposition your company will have to capitalize on the opportunity.

Business History
If the company is currently in operation, describe the current status of the business including how long it has been in business and the history of growth in sales, market share, and profits.

Business Concept
Explain the products and services your company will provide and the markets you will target to sell them.

Product or Service Plan

Products and Services
Describe the characteristics of your products or services. For products, include how the products will be created and produced and who will manufacture them.

Unique Selling Proposition
Describe the features, benefits, and unique selling proposition of your products or services.

Competitive Products or Services
Describe the features, benefits, and unique selling proposition of your competitors’ products or services. Explain how your products and services will be unique and positioned in the market.

Product Development Milestones
Explain the steps you will take to conceive, design, test, and evaluate your products and services.

Vision and Mission Statements

Vision Statement
Write your company’s vision statement.

Mission Statement
Write your company’s mission statement.

Industry Overview

Projected Industry Sales and Profits
Explain the projected growth in sales and profits for your industry sector. Include line graphs depicting the historical and projected growth for both.

Competitive Set
Describe your company’s competitive set including direct and indirect competitors.

External Environment
Describe any external factors that may impact your economic sector.

Product Life Cycle
Describe the product life cycle for your products or services. Explain what strategies will be taken as they go through the life cycle.

Barriers to Entry
Explain any barriers to entry that might inhibit you from introducing your products or services. Include economics, legal or political, regulatory, and competitive barriers. Detail the strategies you will use to counteract the barriers.

Market Analysis

Demographic Profile
Explain the demographic characteristics of your target market.

Psychographic Profile
Create a psychographic profile of your target markets. Name each group and describe its characteristics.

Customer Behaviors
Describe the behaviors of your target market and their motivations for purchasing.

Target Market Opportunity
Explain how your business will capitalize on the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your target market.

Competitive Analysis

Direct and Indirect Competitors
Describe your direct and indirect competitors.

Value Proposition
Describe the value proposition for each of your competitors.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Describe the strengths and weaknesses of each of your competitors and explain the opportunities and threats that your competitors pose to your business.

Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Summarize the competitive environment in your market and describe your company’s sustainable competitive advantage.

Marketing Plan

Total Product Experience
Describe your total product experience including the primary, tangible, and intangible features as well as the auxiliary dimension of your products or services.

Place Strategy
Describe your overall distribution strategy.

Promotion Strategy
Write your promotional goals and explain the strategies you will employ to implement it.

Promotion Plan
Describe the media you will use to communicate your promotional message. Explain how you will monitor and evaluate their effectiveness.

Pricing Plan
Describe your pricing strategies.

Operational Plan

Location Criteria
Explain the criteria you used to determine the location(s) of your business.

Facilities and Equipment
Describe the facilities and equipment required to operate the business.

Product Development Process
Explain the process you will use to design and create your products. For a service, explain how you will obtain any materials necessary to perform your service.

Operational Logistics
Describe the inbound and outbound logistics of your company. In addition, describe the order fulfillment process and customer service policies.

Organizational Plan

Job Descriptions
Summarize the job descriptions of key department heads and managers. Provide an organizational chart for these key people.

Human Resources
Describe your human resources policies.

Legal Structure
Explain the legal structure for your business and why you chose it. In addition, explain any legal agreements and government regulations that will affect your business.

Insurance
Describe the insurance needs of your company and who will provide the coverage.

Financial Plan

Sources and Uses of Funds
Summarize the funds required to start and maintain the operations. List the sources and uses of the funds required.

Cash Flow
Summarize your cash flow projections for the first three years.

Income Statement
Summarize the projected sales revenue, expenses, and profitability of the operation for the first three years.

Balance Sheet
Summarize the assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity of the business for the first three years of operation.

Break-Even Analysis
Explain the point at which the operation will break even. Include a graph depicting this point.

Financial Analysis
Summarize the key financial measures for the first three years of operation compared to industry standards.

Product Development Costs
Describe the expenses associated with developing your product or service before manufacturing it.

Manufacturing Costs
Describe the expenses associated with manufacturing your product.

Sales Revenue
Explain the rationale for the sales projections for the first three years of operation.

Cost of Goods Sold
Summarize the cost of goods sold for the first three years of operation.

Capital Equipment
Summarize the cost of capital equipment that will be required and explain the method for depreciation.

Salary and Wages
Summarize the cost of salaries and wages for the first three years of operation.

Selling and Marketing Expenses
Summarize the cost of selling and marketing for the first three years of operation.

Operating Expenses
Summarize the operating expenses for the first three years of operation.

Other Expenses
Explain any additional expenses associated with the business.

Assumptions
List your assumptions used to create the pro forma financials.

Growth Plan

Growth Strategy
Describe your goals for growth and the strategies you will use to achieve them.

Effects of Growth
Describe the effects that growth will have on your company and the resources needed to accommodate the growth. Also explain how this growth will affect operational and strategic issues.

Contingency Plan

Risks
Describe the risks associated with your business plan and explain the courses of action you can take to minimize them.

Exist Strategy
Describe the plan to close the business or to deal with the loss of one or more investors.

Supporting Documents

The information provided in the Supporting Documents section will vary. Below is a list of documents and information that you may want to include.

Management Team Plan
Résumés of key executives
Personal financial statements from key executives
Detailed résumés of key advisors
Detailed résumés of service providers
Letters of recommendation
Company Description
Franchise contracts
Partnership or joint venture agreements
Product and Service Plan
License contracts
Copyrights, trademarks, and patents
Product diagrams or photos
Packaging design
Manufacturing specifications
Customer Relations Plan
Customer Service Flow Chart
Layout of Manufacturing Facility
Floor plans for retail store
Résumés of subcontractors
Contracts with subcontractors
Industry Overview
Detailed industry financial data
Assumptions used for projections
Market Analysis
Primary research results
Results from prototype testing
Results from field tests
Relevant secondary research reports
Demographic profiles of each target market
Market projections and trends
Competitive Analysis
Financial or sales reports from competitors
Detailed analysis of each competitor
Complete SWOT analysis
Detailed competitive price analysis
Marketing Plan
Résumés of channel intermediaries
Detailed media plan
Promotional pieces
Sales territory plan
Sales force compensation plan
Web site host
Web site designs
Other third party web partners
Press releases
Community involvement plan
Strategic partnership plans
Operational Plan
Blueprints or photos of facilities
Property and vehicle titles
Lease agreements
Purchase agreements
Specifications of equipment used
Labor analysis
Résumés of subcontractors
Contracts with subcontractors
Résumés of logistics providers
Manufacturing flow-chart
Cost-saving production techniques
Inventory management system
Software specifications for operations
Hardware specifications
Retail issues
Use of merchandising specialists
Visual display specialists
Broker contracts
Organizational Plan
Articles of incorporation
Partnership agreements
Limited partnership agreements
Insurance policies
Financial Plan
Cost of goods analysis
Sales revenue analysis
Accounts receivable assumptions
Accounts payable assumptions
Detailed sales and marketing cost analysis
Detail of administrative costs
Credit reports
Current loan contracts
Growth Plan
Assumptions used to project growth
Detail for alternative strategies and proposals
Flow-chart of options and alternative strategies for growth
Contingency Plan

Adapted from Business Plan Project Workbook, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2007.

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