Business Plan Outline

First, remember there is no industry standard for a business plan outline or format. The document can range from a few pages to a hundred pages. It all depends on the type of business in question. Startup businesses usually end up being shorter than existing concerns and service businesses are usually shorter than businesses selling products. The objective is to get your message across clearly and concisely and anticipate any questions the reader is likely to ask. My preference is to write seven main sections but there is no magic number. Some lending institutions may require a particular format so it’s not a bad idea to establish preliminary contact and ask if they expect a certain format. At any rate, the key areas to concentrate your efforts:

1) What is your business all about? How is your business offering different than your competitors?
Products and Services

2) How do you plan to sell your products/services? Direct selling, telephone, Internet, retailers, etc?
Sales Plan

3) How will you advertise, who's going to buy what you're offering and why? How do the four P’s apply to you? Who are your competitors and what are the risks?
Marketing Plan

4) What processes will be in place to get your product or service from the customer’s lips into the customer’s hands? What sort of controls will be in place to control costs, quality and schedules?
Operations Plan

5) Who's going to run the business? It’s highly unlikely you will be running the show by yourself. Who else will be involved?
Management Structure

6) What are your projected assets and liabilities? What are your projected profits (or losses)? What is your forecast for cash flow? If these terms are unfamiliar – read on!
Financial Statements

After you've done all the work and have your plan ready to go, write one last section: the Executive Summary . It goes right up front for those with short attention spans. It summarizes all the major points of the plan and will make the reader feel comfortable that you know what you're doing. Then come the details.

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