Algorithm for drawing up a business plan. Rules for compiling a business plan for beginners, a calculation method for providing investors. New anti-cafe promotion strategy

I know a lot about business planning. Planned and opened 3 family businesses. Drafted 4 business plans for grants and one subsidy from the Employment Center. Helped a few friends formulate their ideas, edited dozens of documents for clients, reviewed hundreds of submissions from business loan applicants.

For two years I worked in a credit institution that financed a business. Beginners and experienced entrepreneurs applied for funds, and we assessed the prospects and payback of the idea, drew up a business plan or corrected the client's existing calculations. Information about the applicant was presented at a meeting of the credit committee, where they collectively made a decision to issue the requested amount or to refuse.

In order to convince all loan officers to vote “yes” for financing, it was necessary to analyze all the possible risks of the project and find solutions for any situation, protect the lender’s money from all sides, and provide exit options if everything goes according to a negative scenario.

The discussion of business projects at the credit committee was structured as follows:

- And what if he divorces his wife, who will sell in his store, because now she herself is behind the counter?

- Hire a second salesperson. By the way, for a loan, the wife acts as a guarantor, so she will take on half of the debt during a divorce.

- What will happen to the debt when the “off season” for sales comes?

– In the off-season, in the schedule, I propose to reduce monthly payments so that the client “pulls” this amount during a period of reduced profits.

“And if his warehouse is robbed?”

“The warehouse is guarded, but we still insure the inventory – this insurance company pays out a refund within a couple of weeks without quibbles and delays, so the client will quickly recover the losses and be able to order a new batch of goods.

Become such a strict commission for your own project and go through all the weak points of the business to find a plan B and C for any situation. Discuss the idea and brainstorm with friends. It is better to find possible problems and think over their solutions on paper even before opening a company than to take risks and incur unnecessary costs later.

Quite everyday situations can turn into a disaster for a micro business and problems for a large enterprise. Take this into account when planning so that you don’t suddenly go into the negative.

My experience will help you draw up a business plan and get funding for it. It can be used to approach private investors, apply for a bank loan, or apply for a grant for start-up entrepreneurs from the local government.

Using the example of my new family business - a small blacksmith shop - I will show you how to create a business plan to raise funds from the budget.

A business plan is a document that comprehensively describes the idea, project, work and results of such work. It takes into account everything from the launch schedule and recruitment to different development scenarios and payback periods. The full version of the document lists possible risks and options for minimizing them.

What is the difference from TEO?

A feasibility study is a feasibility study for launching a project. The calculations in it relate only to the necessary investments, upcoming costs, expected income, payback period. It calculates the financial benefit from the planned activities. A feasibility study can be drawn up when a separate issue is being resolved, for example, about transferring accounting to.

A business plan, compared to a feasibility study, covers a wider range of issues, including promotion and marketing of the project, organizational arrangements, risk assessment. The social component of a startup is also considered here. A business plan is a more comprehensive document; it is needed when opening a restaurant or store.

Why do you need a business plan

The business plan shows the seriousness of the entrepreneur's intentions and the depth of his immersion in the topic. He needs this himself in order to understand what awaits in the process, how to avoid problems and get.

But this document is most important when raising funds. Without a business plan, an investor, loan officer or administration employee will not discuss the possibility of issuing loans or budgetary funds.

Let's go back to our forge. My husband and I need a business plan for internal use - in order to understand what launch costs will be needed, how much and what will have to be purchased, what and how to arrange for legal work, what income is possible, what to produce and how to sell.

But another purpose of compiling a BP is to apply for a grant. At the district level, budgetary funds are distributed to support start-up entrepreneurs. It is possible to receive up to 300,000 rubles free of charge when passing a competitive selection, during which the commission evaluates the business plan and its performance. To get around and get, you need to correctly compose this document and correctly present your project.

Internal - for acceptance management decisions. A businessman needs such a document for himself, for partners, for employees.

External - to attract funding and state support, search for an investor. It is compiled to communicate with banks, apply to the district / city administration for a grant or subsidy, and negotiate with potential partners.

The tasks that different business plans solve are different. It is impossible to draw up one document and go with it for a loan, and for budget support, and in search of a private investor.

1. Money from the budget

Tasks of the business plan when attracting budgetary funds:

• Demonstrate your vision of the project, convince officials distributing funds that you understand the chosen area and understand where to start. They do not care how and what you will do in the course of work, the main thing is that your business stays afloat for at least 3-5 years. That is how much they track the fate of support recipients.
• Choose a priority direction of development: to make and sell what the market needs, to deal with those services that are lacking in the area, to satisfy the demand of different categories of the population. This is important, again, to improve statistics in the area, so that the authorities can report that the consumer market is developing.
• Confirm the social significance of the project: creating jobs and employing the unemployed, youth, disabled people, parents with many children - the more workers a business needs, the better. The number of new jobs is one of the project evaluation criteria.
• Calculate the budgetary efficiency of the business - the volume of tax and non-tax revenues, including insurance premiums for employees and the more you plan to pay the state, the higher the likelihood of a grant. Ideally, these revenues should cover the cost of providing you with a grant in a couple of years, and then cover them.

Consider all these points when drawing up a business plan in order to correctly place the accents.

All indicators of the business plan and forecasts will be checked after the issuance of budget funds - once a quarter, six months or a year, the commission will go to the site and request financial documentation and reporting from you, and compare the indicators with the planned ones. If you do not hire employees or start delivering products to local stores as promised, then you may be forced to return the money, as you have not fulfilled your obligations under the contract. Therefore, on paper, do not overestimate the numbers and do not embellish anything, approach planning more realistically.

2. Bank loan

If you decide to apply for money to a bank, then a business plan for a loan will perform other tasks:

• To prove understanding of the project by the entrepreneur himself, to give a calendar plan that will help to draw up a debt repayment schedule.
• Calculate the amount of income and expenses, taking into account mandatory payments to repay the loan.
• List the risks of non-repayment of the loan and suggest possible ways to minimize them - surety, insurance, pledge of property.

The lender needs the client to reach the planned income and be able to fulfill his obligations without delays and failures, even in case of emergency. In the business plan for the bank, it is necessary to focus on this. He does not care about the number of jobs created or the amount of taxes paid, more important is the financial stability of the borrower.

3. Investor funds

For the investor, the financial component of the project is also important, he needs information about the payback period of investments. When investing his money, he must understand how quickly he will get some results - a return of money, part of the profit.

The business plan should immediately provide for options for distributing profits between investors, providing them with a share in the company, and the degree of involvement in the work.

4. Internal resources

A business plan “for yourself” can perform any tasks and contain a wide variety of information about a future or existing enterprise. With it, you can prepare a report for management and shareholders with calculations and arguments in favor of expanding production, opening a new outlet, entering the market of another region, developing a product line.

In such a document, you can delve into the details, paint all the nuances and take into account not only financial questions, but also organizational work, marketing policy, production moments.

There is no universal business plan, you always need to understand what and for whom it is intended and draw it up with this in mind.

• To receive a grant, the business plan of the forge must tell more about what it will give to the district, what benefits the budget will receive from its opening.
• So, be sure to indicate that the nearest forge is located in another area of ​​the region 200 km away, so the opening of a new enterprise will provide local residents with affordable products. And it will be suitable for domestic needs and satisfy the needs of all categories of the population - hardware tools, interior items, furniture.
• It should be emphasized that in the first year the entrepreneur-blacksmith himself will be employed, and in the second year it is planned to hire one more employee as assistants. This will create 2 jobs.
• It is also worth calculating in detail how much insurance premiums a self-employed entrepreneur will pay for himself, and how much for an employee next year.
• The salary of an employee must necessarily exceed the average level of salary in the relevant industry in the region. So, in the Novgorod region, statistics say that workers in the manufacturing sector receive an average of 32,000 rubles. Payments to the employee in the calculations must be indicated not less than this amount.
• This will need to be mentioned in the brief description of the project - that part of the business plan that will be read and carefully studied by all members of the competition committee.
• If we went to the bank for a loan, then the emphasis would be on other details - payback, stable income, profitability, which allows you to repay the requested amount with interest.

The main sections of the business plan

Any business plan should contain a comprehensive description of the project so as not to miss important information. The main sections can be called differently, be combined or divided into additional subsections, but their content must be in the document.

What sections does a business plan include

Detailed content of business plan sections

What to write about in the main points of this document in order to get a complete picture of the development of the company?

Business Description

date of creation, official registration of IP or legal entity.

Distribution of shares in the company between partners, co-founders, investors.

Businessman experience before that - education, experience as an employee. It is not necessary to indicate the entire working biography and attach diplomas, unless this directly relates to a new project. So, when a businessman planning to open a cafe has worked for several years as a manager in a catering business, this will be his plus. If he graduated from the university with a degree in the restaurant business, then this is another point in the treasury of his experience. And if he has been twisting the nuts in a car service all his life, he has learned to be a veterinarian and then suddenly swung at opening a bar, information about education and experience will be superfluous.

Place of registration, area of ​​business. You need to specify not only the address, but also the general coverage of the territory.

Goals and objectives of the project. Here you need to describe the field of activity, as well as measurable results - open 1 cafe for 30 seats, sell 500 kg of pastries daily, etc.

I will show you how to describe an enterprise in a business plan, using the example of a forge. The Project Description section contains the following information:

• The date of registration of IP is May 2018.
• Business - the entrepreneur will conduct independently, without the involvement of partners. The employee will be hired in the spring of 2019.
• The entrepreneur was engaged in forging in his home workshop for a year. In the spring of 2018, he rented a room for a forge on the production site, equipped it and continued to work.
• At the end of 2017, he completed a three-month course “Hand Artistic Forging” at the Academy of Metalworking (St. Petersburg) and received the qualification of “blacksmith” (a copy of the certificate of education is attached).
• The goal of the project is to open a forge in the N district for the production and sale of forged products to the population.
• By 2019, it is planned to produce products worth 250,000 rubles a month.

Sales market assessment. You need to estimate the size of the market, the population, the number of potential customers. It is quite difficult to do this without full-fledged marketing research. Therefore, it is worth looking for ready-made results of such an assessment for your region. In the extreme case, you can predict effective demand approximately.

The main thing is to formulate sales tasks for yourself: will you work only within the microdistrict, open outlets throughout the city, take products for sale throughout the region or deliver outside of it.

How exactly you plan to reach your target audience, how you will choose suitable promotion channels, you will describe in detail in the “Marketing Plan” section, now indicate only the direction.

Competitors. Make a list of your competitors who are already operating in this market.

Not only direct competitors offering similar goods and services are taken into account, but also those companies that produce replacement products and provide alternative services. If your city does not have a specialized tea boutique, this does not mean that the market is clear of competitors: you will have to fight for customers with those department stores and supermarkets that also sell various varieties of tea.

• There are no other blacksmiths involved in artistic forging on the territory of the district center itself and neighboring districts. Nearest company selling similar products handmade located at a distance of 250 km (in the regional center).
• Hardware and factory-made entrenching tools - pokers, staples, machetes, axes, accessories - are offered in 6 hardware stores in the district, but consumers complain about their low quality, and monitoring of goods has shown that such goods do not last long. Forged handmade products are more durable, and a local blacksmith can compete with factory suppliers, guaranteeing not only high quality, but also tool sharpening, repair, and custom-made manufacturing with the right dimensions. Forged decorative interior elements and household items - door handles, hooks for gates and gate hinges, hangers and coat hooks - are rare in stores, mainly plastic products are sold. Forged garden furniture - benches, gazebos, lanterns, tables - is not sold in the area.
• These products are in steady demand among the local population. Products of manual artistic forging are bought not only by rural residents for their village houses, but also by summer residents, owners of tourist camps and country cafes.
• The forge will supply goods to the market of the N-sky district, conclude contracts with shops for the supply of products for sale, and participate in craft fairs in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Production plan

Business processes. Write a list of equipment, tools, raw materials and materials that are required to create the selected range of goods and services. Calculate the optimal production volumes that your equipment can handle. Specify which employees and with what load you will need.

Products. List the products, services and works that you will offer to customers. Calculations on the costs of organizing business processes will allow you to find out the cost and draw up a price list.

Starting investments. Calculate how much money you will need to start the project. Sum up the cost of all assets, fixed assets, repairs, materials and other costs that will be required to start production.

For example, this section might look like this:

• For work, the forge must be equipped with ventilation, a forge, an anvil with a hammer, a vice, a table for cutting metal, a spray booth for processing finished products with heat-resistant paint, anti-rust and other coatings. All this has already been done by the entrepreneur himself.
• The following equipment and tools will increase the efficiency and productivity of the following equipment and tools: a grinder for sharpening blades (40,000 rubles), a grinder for cutting metal (5,000 rubles), a grinder for processing forged products (10,000 rubles), a welding machine (20,000 rubles). .), mechanical hammer (from 150,000 rubles). The total cost of equipping the forge is 225,000 rubles.
• In the manufacture of products, metal is used - a profile, sheet iron, fittings, wire. Raw materials are purchased in small bulk at a metal depot in a neighboring area, delivery is carried out by the supplier's transport. The cost of a batch of raw materials and materials, including delivery, is 10,000 rubles. In a month, taking into account the load and the amount of work, there can be 2-4 batches.
• Forging requires coal and gas in cylinders. Combined hearth allows you to process metal by heating it with coal or gas. The average consumption of these types of fuel per month is 1,500 rubles and 2,000 rubles, respectively.
• Ventilation supply and exhaust, electric. It is used to maintain the desired temperature in the hearth and remove combustion products from the room. Electricity consumption is accounted for by a separate meter in the forge and reaches the amount of 2,500 rubles per month.
• During the first 9-10 months, the blacksmith will work alone, then it will be necessary to hire a worker to help.
• The forge is located on the territory of the carpentry shop, so there are problems with the manufacture of mixed products - from wood with forged elements will not.
• List of products: benches, tables, bar stools, flower stands, fireplace sets (poker, scoop, stand for them), floor and wall hangers, coat hooks, latches and hinges for wickets and gates, door handles and cabinets, lamps , stands for the kitchen for hot or cutting boards, sickles, machetes, scrapers, knives.
• The forge is already working, but not at full capacity. Grant funds are needed to purchase additional equipment. Replenishment of current assets and payment of current expenses will be made at own expense.

organizational plan

Organizational and legal form. Whether an individual entrepreneur or LLC, or some other form of organization, is suitable for the implementation of the selected project. What is the rationale for the choice. What system of taxation is chosen, why is it suitable.

Distribution of founders' roles. If there are several partners, their role in the management and operation of the company is described. What will they do, what will they be responsible for.

Staff. What employees will be needed, who should be hired, who should be temporarily involved, what functions can be outsourced or performed independently.

Settlements with counterparties. how it is planned to receive money from customers, whether it is necessary to open, buy an online cash register, or are there options to make payments somehow differently.

Calendar plan project. What needs to be done and when, what issues should be resolved immediately, which ones later. It is desirable to calculate the cost of each stage in order to clearly show when and how much funding is required.

• For a forge, it is enough for a self-employed blacksmith to be an individual entrepreneur. This simplifies accounting and reporting. The accounting is carried out by the entrepreneur himself, using the appropriate online services provided to him by the bank.
• For settlements with customers and suppliers, a current account is used, and a cash desk will also be purchased, although goods can be sold at fairs without it. When buying a cash register, a special deduction will be used.
• After hiring an employee, it will be necessary to register with extra-budgetary funds as an employer, before that it is enough to regularly pay insurance premiums to extra-budgetary funds.
• The activity is already underway. Upon receipt of the grant, equipment will be purchased, which will increase production volumes.
• When issuing budget funds in July, within a month everything will be purchased and installed necessary equipment according to the list (by 225,000 rubles), from August the productivity of the forge will increase several times. The hiring of a worker is planned in the spring of next year - in March-April, before that the blacksmith will work independently.

This section is devoted to channels and methods of promotion, the necessary actions to increase sales, and advertising costs.

Promotion channels. Advertisements in newspapers, commercials on radio and TV, online advertising, creation of your own website and group in social networks, advertising in local publics and forums, participation in exhibitions and fairs.

The target audience. Who do you focus on when marketing? Who is your client - by age, gender, occupation, income level. Where to find him and how to contact him.

Promotion cost. How much will it cost to search and attract target audience. How often you will have to run ads, what options it is advisable to choose.

In our example business plan, this section would look like this:

Financial indicators

It is necessary to calculate the cost of production, the planned sales volumes, the necessary costs, the projected income and profit, the profitability of the project. If there are many and different products, it is not necessary to provide all the calculations in the business plan, they can be placed in a separate application, and all indicators are calculated based on the average cost value. You need to show your own contribution to the project, the need for borrowed funds. If necessary, repay the loan - an approximate repayment schedule. When paying to an investor - calculation of his share of profits.

Risk assessment

External factors. Emergency and natural disasters, the negative impact of local authorities, a new competitor, a change in the economic situation and a drop in incomes of the population.

Internal factors. Misjudgment of the market, delivery delays, personnel problems, production errors, problems with renting premises, accidents at work.

Risk Mitigation Options. Life, health, property, third party liability insurance. Opportunity to reduce prices, change the assortment, switch to other products, change the circle of potential customers, expand the sales market and find new customers outside the area, region or country. Arrangements with partners and contractors, good personal relations with the authorities, a large number of skilled workers in the market who are looking for work, etc.

Something like this will look like the study of part of the risks for the forge:

• At first, the income of the forge will depend entirely on the entrepreneur himself. Health problems or injuries will negatively affect the volume of work and profits. Accidents at work can be prevented by observing safety regulations. Then it is planned to hire an employee who will remove the increased workload from the blacksmith himself.
• Fire, accidents, equipment breakdowns, natural disasters - the damage from these accidents will be covered by property insurance, which will be issued for the rented premises, equipment and tools in the forge at their market value. The forge had already passed a fire inspection, and representatives of the energy company were also there, they checked the electrical wiring, the extractor at the furnace, ventilation and fire alarms. There were comments, but all the shortcomings were immediately eliminated. The room itself with a separate entrance is located in a brick building and meets the general requirements for production safety.
• In case of problems with the lease, it is possible to quickly move the forge to another place - there are enough suitable empty production areas in the area, the equipment is easily dismantled and can be installed in another place within 1-2 days.
• With low demand for products and small trade turnover, the sales market will be expanded, agreements will be obtained for the supply of products for sale in hardware stores in other districts of the region, the most popular goods will be selected, the assortment policy. There is no need to change equipment or restructure work - it is enough to purchase other raw materials and materials for the production of other products, for example, forged fences, window bars, gates and wickets, entrance groups and canopies over the porch.
• If another competitor appears on the market, then the entrepreneur will choose the most profitable niche and will produce products that the new market participant will not have, or change the sales strategy and supply finished products to other markets.

Project Summary

This section contains the most important things: the essence of the project, the necessary investments, the results after the launch, development prospects, possible risks and ways to reduce them. The remaining sections with details will be read only if the summary of the business plan is of interest to an investor, creditor, official. Therefore, remember once again what the goal of your project is and indicate important indicators that meet this goal. Repeat what you will produce, how much income you plan to receive, what expenses will be required, how much money you invest yourself, and how much you need to attract.

Common mistakes when writing a business plan

• Very optimistic. Insufficient knowledge of the market. Lack of adequate risk assessment.
• Copying other people's calculations. Using data without reference to reality and to the specifics of the business.
• Without considering the purpose and addressee. Lack of important indicators. A lot of unnecessary information and "water".
• Poor design, illiterate presentation of information, negligence in calculations. Confusing presentation and lack of a clear structure.

How to get money for a business plan

Studying the design requirements

When contacting a bank or municipal government to raise funding, ask for application rules. Often this is a simple and understandable list of required documents, as well as a list of requirements for the content and design of a business plan. Sometimes even a template of this document is given with sections and subsections already indicated. where you just need to enter your information. There are also wishes for its volume, a list of questions for project analysis, a list of important indicators that you must calculate.

Business plan protection

In some cases, it is necessary not only to draw up this document, but also to defend it before the commission. Bank employees will make a decision on issuing a loan. Officials will evaluate your level of information proficiency in order to rate you for participation in the competitive selection for a grant, . The investor will get acquainted with your plans and decide whether he needs to participate in this.

With such protection, it is enough to retell the “Project Summary” section and speak the main indicators of the business aloud, answer the questions of the commission members in order to convince them of your readiness and ability to use the funds raised in accordance with the plan.

Download ready-made business plans

Above, we have provided you with the key points that you should rely on when drawing up a competent business plan, however, depending on where you want to provide a business plan, the requirements for its design and content change. Below you will find examples (samples) of ready-made business plans (40 pieces), which you can download absolutely free of charge.

Use them to create your business plan, model the most interesting and compelling places, see what numbers and calculations are used, market research, competitor analysis and try to calculate your own project as well. Also below you will find additional business plan support documents from the Industrial Development Fund, Ministry of Investment and Innovation.

INSTRUCTIONS For ease of searching, all business plans are sorted alphabetically. Click on the desired letter and a list of finished projects will open in front of you.

The modern world requires a clear structure for every business. Only in this case he will receive the right to development. But in order to do this, it is necessary to draw up a business plan that will describe in stages all the activities of the company. Almost anyone can write it by referring to special sources, as well as peeping the idea from competitors. But how to make sure that its implementation is as successful as possible, and investors give money for development? Today we will cover this issue in more detail.

Why do you need a business plan?

A business plan is a well-developed concept of a future company written on a sheet. At its core, it is a tool that allows you to analyze in detail own idea in terms of success. By step by step developing the entire path of interaction within the future organization, you can understand whether it can compete with similar companies.

For investors, this is an opportunity for deep analytics, as well as a means of calculating subsequent profits. When an entrepreneur understands the mechanisms of his "brainchild", then investors will be ready to give their money, because the project is called to become successful from the very beginning.

Most businessmen without experience do not understand the need for a business plan, believing that just one idea will be enough to start. In fact, this is far from the case. If at the very beginning you are not ready to work out the idea, then there is a high probability that it will not work out. This is especially true for business options such as:

• Coffee houses;
• Beauty Salons;
• Confectionery;
• cleaning companies;
• Internet shops;
• Production.

All these business options require careful study, otherwise they simply will not survive among competitors, and even among those who are not doing very well. It is quite difficult to calculate the risks; if the structure is correctly drawn up, it will allow you to see all possible development options, and therefore calculate all the negative aspects.

How to write a business plan - step by step instructions with an example

Drawing up a business plan is a laborious process that requires a detailed study of the issue. Here it is necessary to take into account all the nuances of your business, so that investors have no doubts about the reliability of investments.

You can do the whole process yourself, or contact a special organization that provides such services. It is better to make a plan for yourself - this way you will get the highest quality result, which will take into account all the nuances of entrepreneurial activity in a particular area.

For each specific solution, it is necessary to think over an individual structure. There is no single scheme from which consist business plan, but you can borrow the structure from organizations that have already received investment when using their calculation.

Where to start and what is relevant?

The first thing to do is decide on a niche. Try to choose a direction that will be relevant for at least a few years. So you are guaranteed to receive funds from investors and be able to compete in a narrowly focused niche.

To date, the following options are especially popular:

• Coffee houses. The demand for them is growing rapidly every year, therefore, by choosing this niche, you can be sure of the success of the opening;
• Confectionery. Sweet products have been popular for many years, and every year it only scales;
• Industrial enterprises. Of course, this will require a colossal amount of time, but the profit will be ten times higher. The relevance of factories is high, especially in the field of processing.

There are a large number of niches where it is enough to simply compete with the rest of the market participants, so choosing your direction, it will not be difficult to start working. The main thing is to work out the idea to the smallest detail so that after the presentation, the contributors do not have any questions left.

Types of business plans

There are various types of business plans designed for certain types of activities. The key ones are:

• Company's internal plan. Such a decision is necessary for the restructuring of the company, as well as the development of new interaction mechanisms;
• Business plan for obtaining a loan. The essence of such a plan is solely in the fact that the financial institution will give a loan. What is used in fraudulent schemes, which causes more and more mistrust;
• Investment format is necessary in order to invest in promising areas. It is worth considering all the nuances of such activities, since the idea of ​​an investment project must fully convince investors of its veracity and prospects;
• Company financial recovery plan. This suggests that with the funds raised it will be necessary to create such conditions for small businesses (most likely large companies), at which it will begin to fully function again. This option is unlikely to be suitable for an individual entrepreneur, unless the entrepreneur's activities number hundreds.

Let's analyze each type in more detail.

It is important to know! You should decide in advance who you are going to provide the business plan to. It is worth relying on this decision, since the appointment of the final investor is crucial.

Firm's internal business plan

Such a plan, first of all, is necessary not for the investor, but for the founder of the company. It can form all aspects of the activities within the organization. This includes confidential data, which is financial statistics and a further development plan.

The need to develop such documentation is obvious - the owner sees the full picture of what is happening, on the basis of which he is able to make an informed decision related to the future fate of the company.

In short, the inner plane is normative document, which reflects the current situation in a particular company, thanks to which you can conduct in-depth analytics and identify unwanted actions that lead to losses.

Business plan for obtaining a loan

Most entrepreneurs need a loan, and this option is most favorable for them. Compared to the regular plan, there are a number of significant differences that reduce the number of borrowers. The main nuances include:

• You will have to convince the bank that you are taking money for your business. This is not easy to do, as irrefutable evidence will be required;
• You need to explain to the bank why you need financing right now. The need for money must be really acute, otherwise you can get a refusal as soon as possible;
• Among other things, the document must convince the bank of the solvency of the entrepreneur. Need to provide financial statements, by which the bank will be able to verify the reliability of the future partner.

For beginners, this process is extremely complicated and incomprehensible, so some of them turn to professional companies that resolve this issue as soon as possible. The cost of work depends on the complexity of the project, but on average it is 5-15% of the loan amount.

Investment business plan

The name itself suggests that everything is compiled for investment in a certain type of activity. For example, buying a digital software may well be part of such an idea if it is subsequently adapted to Russian realities.

According to this principle, you can acquire not only software, but also various foreign ideas for entrepreneurial activity. The main thing is to be able to adapt them to our legislation, then the project will in any case be of interest to investors.

When working out this option, you should calculate the break-even point, as well as the time to implement the project. It is necessary to indicate such a period for which you can really achieve results, and not the one that investors want to see. It is important to understand this in advance, otherwise there may be big problems at the implementation stage.

Company financial recovery plan

Putting up such a plan is necessary in order for the company to be able to swim out of the debt hole and begin to fully function again. Convincing investors that a company can get out of a difficult situation is extremely difficult, but there are some tricks. In fact, there are only two ways out of difficulties:

• Restructure the company. Most often, problems arise due to wasteful spending associated with a large number of employees performing the same function. Restructuring allows you to optimize processes so that with a reduced staff, the business can perform tasks in the same volume. Budget savings directly affect the number and quality of employees, so you will have to leave only those who are really valuable to the company;
• Transfer to another activity. The company can change the direction of work, or start producing the most liquid products. In this case, it will be necessary to conduct analytics for the relevance of certain products, depending on the direction of the company.

Both of these options involve improving the situation of the company, through the competent distribution of financial resources, as well as optimizing the internal component. It is important to understand that the reduction in staff must be objective, otherwise you can lose key employees who bring high income to the entire organization.

Structure and content of the business plan

A business plan is a document in which the work process is described to the smallest detail, which allows you to assess the likelihood of your own business on the market. In order to compose structured material, certain knowledge in this area will be required. We have selected an approximate structure, which can change depending on your needs and goals.

Section 1. "Opportunities of the company (summary)"

This section is the basis of the entire document, so its formation should be approached most carefully. In order for this paragraph to be as effective as possible, it must answer two key questions - what is the investor's benefit and what are the risks of loss?

If the answer is worked out briefly and clearly, then the chances of getting the treasured funds increase significantly. Some companies claim that there is a certain technology for writing a resume, which includes all the necessary requirements of investors. In fact, none of this exists. Write the way you see fit. stick business style- this will help emphasize your focus on the idea.

The information must be specific and reliable. For example, if you produce a certain product, then highlight its cost, as well as customer interest, based on market analysis in the selected category. So you can get data close to real, and investors get statistics, according to which risks and income are calculated.

It is also necessary to indicate information about the industry affiliation of the company. Showing the primary strategy is essential in order to understand whether you should give money.

The strategy should have the following structure:

• How will the entry into the Russian market take place;
• What methods will be used to attract sales volumes;
• How production will develop (stages, interaction with external companies).

All these factors are extremely important in order to have an initial opinion about the submitted idea. If investors are interested in the proposal, then all that remains is to explain the essence, and the rest of the plans may not be read at all. But, if in doubt, then be prepared for a thorough analysis of each item.

Section 2. "General description of the company"

Once the legal plan is fully developed, an organizational plan should be created that includes:

• Information about the general director, director and key management positions;
• Do you have work experience in this area, as well as work experience, if any;
• If support is from reputable sources, which, in the event of force majeure, will help resolve the issue as soon as possible at minimal cost.

Almost always at the start CEO takes matters into his own hands and gradually delegates tasks as needed. This decision is the most correct, since at first all the mechanisms are calculated independently, and after the delegation of cases, control over the implementation is established in the form of KPIs or other key indicators.

Support from reputable sources means financial institutions, insurance companies and other firms in the list of which you are listed as a potential client. This question is solved by calling these companies and preliminary consultation on all issues with data exchange.

Section 9. "Risk and insurance assessment"

This paragraph is intended to explain to investors that the risks of investing are minimal. The entrepreneur must work out the structure so that investors have an understanding of reliability, otherwise all the previous points will be meaningless.

Here you need to provide information about:

• Possible risks and taking measures to eliminate them;
• High-probability and low-probability risks present in such a segment;
• Identification of the source of risk, as well as methods for its elimination at an early stage;
• Minimization of costs in the event of risks;
• Budgeting insurance policies, as well as full business insurance, in case of increased risk.

All these factors play a key role in the development of a business. In any area, there are a large number of problems that need to be addressed at the stage of formation, otherwise in the future they can accumulate in a big lump and hinder development.

Important! Call the insurance companies for a possible interaction. It may turn out that when opening a business, insurance agents simply will not insure you due to the extremely high risks associated with an unfavorable start in the market. Take this into account and clarify all the nuances in advance.

Section 10. "Financial plan"

Forecast financial results- this is the part of the business plan that I look forward to the most. Here you paint the possible profit of the company, as well as share revenue. Do not write exorbitant amounts, proceed from previous data.

The period of financial planning is from 3 to 5 years, depending on the direction of the company.

Labor costs are being worked out, as well as for new production, thanks to which the range of goods will significantly increase, and then the coverage of the target audience.

Everything is taken into account here: sales proceeds, shares, dividend payments, possible non-liquidity of products.

The more precisely composed financial plan, the less risk of being left without Money. If planned large enterprise, then it is recommended to make calculations together with an experienced accountant who can suggest input data for maximum efficiency.

The purpose of this paragraph is to fully determine the movement of funds, and, if possible, to make this process automated in order to reduce the cost of employees.

Section 11 Funding Strategy

The purpose of this section is for the investor to understand where the income will come from and how the entrepreneur will deal with losses. Key figures in this paragraph can be:

• Credit institutions that issue short-term and long-term loans;
• Clients purchasing shares of the company;
• Working capital, the gross margin from which goes to the development of the enterprise and increase sales.

A company's assets create cash inflows, while its liabilities create losses. Reading profit is calculated as the difference between these two concepts, which is available even to a schoolboy.

Based on this, it is necessary to operate with all the data specified at the stage of building a business plan in order to form a clear and concise report on possible profits and cash flow.

How to draw up a business plan?

On Facebook and Instagram there is a huge amount of materials on this subject, where examples of hundreds of successful cases are analyzed. You can get a lot of information from social networks.

To get started, you need to title page, which is the face of the whole project. It is recommended to draw it up in accordance with GOST, so that the document is completely similar to other legal documents.

The most comfortable plan size is 30 A4 sheets. It is in this volume that all the necessary information should be placed. There is no need to paint everything in the form of a diploma, it is enough to submit information in a structured and clear way.

Break all the information into sections and subparagraphs, and also prepare brief description sections. For some contributors, the initial information is enough to make a decision.

The key focus should be on the competitiveness of your enterprise. If the product is truly unique in its segment, then the probability of success is extremely high. The rest depends on well-thought-out operations and a financial plan.

Determine the course of action to achieve the result. This will be the starting point, following which success will not be long in coming.

Drawing up a business plan requires deep analytics and time. You should think through everything to the smallest detail if you plan to receive large investments in your business. Provide information in a structured and understandable way so that there are no additional questions in the process of familiarization. Minimize risks and provide a development strategy that will be the most successful among other competitors. Such a decision will help create a truly high-quality company with unique products that can stay afloat on the Russian and international markets for a long time without any problems.

We present detailed instructions from business institute experts, which will help you draw up the right and effective business plan for your business.

How to create a business plan from scratch? To get started, do a little analysis of your project, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and set specific goals. Based on this, you will draw up a development strategy.

The list of preliminary studies includes the following sections:

Research of the chosen market niche, be it industry, trade, services.

Study thoroughly manufacturing process , demand for products, features of pricing.

Competitor analysis. Who else works in your field, produces the same goods, is located near your establishment?

Carefully study what they offer and at what price. Your task is to offer consumers better conditions and prices than competitors.

Research of requests and needs of buyers. Think about what is most important for them when choosing a product or service (price, quality, service, discounts, wholesale opportunities, etc.).

For yourself, you need to develop a table with an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your enterprise, or the so-called SWOT analysis. This will help strengthen your strengths and deal with your weaknesses.

In the Strengths line, write down your strengths, Weakness - vulnerable, Opportunities - opportunities and prospects (for example, the ability to significantly reduce the cost of products, create a whole network of enterprises, etc.), Threats - threats (what threatens the corporation).

The last point will help you find ways to solve possible problems in the future, plus these obstacles will not come as a surprise to you.

Business plan structure

Below is a sample of a clear structure that will allow you to step by step describe the scheme for opening a company.

The main components of a business plan

• Project summary;
• Description of activity;
• Marketing plan;
• Industrial;
• Organizational;
• Financial calculation;
• Risk assessment;
• Appendix.

Summary

The section gives a general idea of ​​the project: what the organization does, what resources it uses (for example, raw materials), what schedule it works in, how much money it plans to invest and bail out, what are the payback periods.

It is worth specifying what results the company wants to achieve, for what period of time.

Usually investors decide on the summary, whether it is worth continuing reading, considering the offer and investing your money in the business. A business plan summary consists of 5-7 sentences.

Company Description

This part is a kind of short pomace» from the entire document describing the project.

Its structure:

1. Industry (e.g. clothing store, kitchenware, app development, etc.);
2. A brief description of the manufactured products or services (names, scope, features);
3. Areas of work;
4. Advantages and used innovations;
5. Structural structure of the organization (departments, subdivisions);
6. Available licenses and certificates.

Let's analyze in detail the main and most important points of a business plan.

Marketing plan

well-formed marketing strategy will allow you to successfully start in the market and make good profits from the very beginning.

It uses the research and market analysis that was carried out prior to the drafting of the document.

Description of activity

To be successful in trading, you need to think through a number of issues.

Features and geography of the sales market. In which region do you plan to work or where to supply products? Does demand depend on the season, political or economic situation?

For example, if demand falls during a crisis period, you should think in advance about ways to reduce the cost of a product, to stimulate sales (for example, promotions and bonuses from the category “Third product as a gift”, “Installment plan for regular wholesale customers”, etc.).

Competitor analysis. What do they offer and how are they progressing? What features of them can be used in your own business, how to move forward better?

It is worth adopting all the advantages from competitors and analyzing their disadvantages in order to avoid other people's mistakes. This will give you additional competitive advantages.

Buyer portrait. gender, age, financial position your main audience, their needs and interests.

Thanks to this information, the most profitable proposition for a particular category of the population, the benefits that may be of interest to them. Appropriate advertising channels are also selected.

How to draw up a business plan yourself, taking into account the portrait of the consumer?

Example : The average youth prefers to purchase clothes and accessories through online stores with delivery. The selection criteria are a low price, a large and frequently updated assortment, the presence of sales, and a pleasant design of the store site itself.

Main advertising channel– Internet (direct advertising, communities in social networks). Depending on the gender of the buyer, the design of the store, salon, website, advertising slogans and offers is selected, and an assortment is formed.

For wholesale buyers, low prices, fast delivery, possible installments, etc. are important.

Consumer characteristics of the goods. Describe in detail the properties of the products or services provided, their availability. Why they are useful and unique, what needs they satisfy, why you should choose them. This will help in the preparation of advertising texts.

Sales promotion

Your business plan must contain ways to stimulate demand and sales.

This includes various promotions (promotions, discounts, tastings, leaflet distribution, sponsorship at events and festivals, "guerrilla marketing"), unique offers for customers, marketing techniques, such as the correct layout of products in the store.

Manufacturing program

This item carefully considers the entire production process, technology and innovation, the necessary equipment, procurement, storage. This is true for any type of activity..

If the company is engaged in wholesale purchases and retail resale, then the emphasis is on suppliers (analysis of the best offers, selection criteria, terms of cooperation), storage of goods, methods of sale.

How to draw up a business plan for the production part? Main sections:

• Location of the enterprise, requirements for the premises, necessary communications, repairs (list of works and calculation of their cost);
• Technological process, if we are talking about production;
• Required equipment. Here you should list all the machines, machines, apparatus, equipment, indicating their cost and brand of the manufacturer. What capacities will you need, will you have to increase them later? Describe the process of installing the equipment (sequence), how much time and money it will take.
• Volumes of output and/or sales of goods and services;
• Raw materials, where they are purchased and in what volumes. For stores, purchases of necessary products for resale are prescribed here. For the service sector - consumables. A scheme is needed for the delivery of raw materials and consumables to the factory, store, salon, etc .;
• Calculation of the cost of goods and services;
• Storage of products and raw materials (where, under what conditions);
• Will the dynamics of production or sales increase over time? Describe how and what is required.

A good business plan includes various schemes, tables, diagrams. In this form, it is worthwhile to draw up data on production volumes, deliveries, and repair activities. They can be placed in the Appendix.

Mandatory schedule production / sales, clearly illustrating the required volumes of output and sales for 3, 6 and 12 months of work.

Organizational program

All details related to the organization of the case, the internal structure of the organization, personnel and work schedule are given in this section.

It will become a kind of scheme according to which you will create a company.

General structure of this section

To open a business questions need to be addressed:

1. Legal form (IP, LLC, etc.), OKVED codes, the best way of taxation;
2. Permissive papers: licenses, certificates. List the services with which you will need to sign service agreements (disinfection, disinsection, garbage collection, etc.);
3. Organization structure: division into departments, management staff, number of employees in each department;
4. Possible personnel training system;
5. Information about partners;
6. List of products or offers;
7. Schedule.

To write a business plan yourself, you need to consider some points in more detail.

Legal support

In addition to registration and permit documentation, need to prepare the charter of the company, product patents, quality certificates, licenses for engineering supply, lease or purchase / sale of premises, agreements with partners and suppliers.

At this stage, the prospects for participation in government programs, tenders, obtaining grants for benefits and reducing the cost of starting a business are considered.

Personnel management

We consider the internal structure of the company, the interaction of its departments, the selection of personnel and contact with them.

Internal structure of the company

Describe in detail all departments of the company: their number and names, responsibilities, number of employees, what goals they must achieve for the stable development of the company as a whole.

Specify what employees are needed(heads, managers, workers, their profile) for each position in the company.

Write them down official duties and qualification requirements, selection criteria.

Are on-site training and staff development planned, in what way, with what regularity and at what cost?

Also, describe the internal regulations, work schedule, possible penalties and fines for non-compliance with the rules.

Employee salaries and incentives

Here we determine the size wages for each position, form of payment (rate, percentage), bonuses (conditions of receipt and size), other tangible and non-material incentives.

With this item, the entrepreneur can easily calculate the payroll.

Work Schedule

Even in order to draw up a business plan, you will need to make a table with a project launch schedule. It is necessary to describe the sequence of actions (registration, purchase of equipment, hiring personnel, etc.), what resources and investments are required.

The table will help you plan the launch, control the preparatory process, make changes in time and, if possible, accelerate the course of events.

Financial plan

This includes all financial transactions of the company., ranging from obtaining a loan and paying taxes and ending with utility bills. This part brings together all sections of the business plan.

If a loan is required to start, the first step is to indicate the bank and the conditions for obtaining a loan, repayment terms. We need data on insurance, what amount is planned as a "buffer" - for unforeseen expenses and risk coverage.

Design Two Tables: for one-time and recurring costs.

1. One-time expenses (fixed assets ) is the money to open a business. This includes the lease or purchase of premises, equipment, registration and permits, outdoor advertising, investments in the Internet site and advertising printed or souvenir paraphernalia.
2. Recurring costs (working capital ) is the company's monthly expenses for the purchase of raw materials, rent, salaries, taxes and other payments (utilities, loans), advertising, transportation costs, etc.

How to write a business plan for a project with a profit calculation? To do this, you need to specify the sales volumes and calculate the break-even point.

This is the number of sales that will be able to cover regular expenses. Upon reaching it, the business will begin to make a profit. A successful project reaches this indicator in a few months.

The next step is to calculate the payback period. When capital investments in opening a company are fully covered by net profit, the business pays off.

The table-scheme for calculating profits consists of the following points:

• Organizational costs (or prime cost);
• Total revenues;
• net income;
• Payback periods.

Risks and how to overcome them

Every idea comes with certain risks.. To avoid bankruptcy and loss of invested money, think in advance what could threaten your corporation and how to deal with it.

Uncontrolled risks. These are factors beyond the control of the entrepreneur: natural disasters, changes in the political and economic situation, various force majeure. To mitigate the consequences, develop an insurance system, a scheme to attract additional funds from investors.

It is realistic to predict other problems and develop ways to overcome them.

The most frequent situations:

1. Exceeding the planned budget. Usually this figure reaches 5-15% of the planned costs. The solution is to initially budget 15% more after all calculations have been made;
2. Too high cost, insufficient volume of production or sales. It is necessary to develop "backup" options for the supply of raw materials, options for increasing production capacity, campaigns to stimulate sales. You must be prepared to reduce the cost of the product without prejudice to yourself;
3. Decrease in the relevance of the presented product or service, increased competition. Powerful marketing tools are required to keep the audience interested (advertising, promotions, sales) and the opportunity to improve your product or move to a new direction.

Applications

The development of a business plan involves the preparation of graphs, charts, tables, charts for visualization and convenient calculation.

This also includes copies of certificates, licenses, contracts, photographs of products, diagrams and drawings of premises and communications. In the text, place references to the documents in the appendix.

This is a detailed description of how to make a business plan yourself with calculations and development forecasts.

Many people come up with ideas for business - the question is what are these ideas worth. That is why, if you are going to turn an idea into a business, it is worth creating a business plan in which you can detail your concept and prove its effectiveness, both organizationally and financially.

A business plan is a document that outlines your business in general terms. In it, you talk about what exactly you will be doing, about the structure of the business, the state of the market, how you plan to sell your product or service, what resources you need, what your financial forecast is, as well as permits, leases and any other necessary documentation.

In fact, a business plan helps you prove to yourself and others whether your business idea is worth developing. This is the best way to take a step back, consider the idea from all sides and protect yourself from possible problems for years to come.

In this article, we share tips for writing a successful business plan, describe the points to include in the plan, and provide examples.

The translation of the article was prepared with the support of the online school of English. Before we get into the details, let's start with some basic, general tips.

Focus on your features

Before diving headlong into writing a business plan, you should carefully consider what makes your business unique. For example, if you're about to start a sportswear brand, you need a way to stand out from the many other sportswear brands that are already on the market.

What makes your brand stand out from the rest? Do you plan to create clothing for a specific type of training and activity, such as yoga, tennis or hiking? Do you use environmentally friendly materials? Do you donate part of your proceeds to charity? Does the brand promote a positive body image?

Remember: you're selling more than just a product or service - you're selling a product, value, and brand experience. Consider and answer these important questions before diving into the details of research for your business plan.

Be brief

The modern business plan is required to be shorter and more concise than ever before. Resist the temptation to include all of your marketing research, go into detail about each product you plan to sell, and describe in detail what your site will look like. In the format of a business plan, this information will not be of particular use, rather the opposite.

All of the above details are important to collect and keep in mind, but the business plan itself should include only the most important. Otherwise, readers may lose interest in you.

Make a good layout

Your business plan should not only be easy to read - it is important that the reader can understand the essence without delving into the details. Formatting plays a big role here. Use headings and bulleted lists, highlight with bold text or color those key points and indicators that you want to draw the attention of readers. Can even be used in a document (both digital and printed version) shortcuts and bookmarks for ease of use.

Edit as you write

Remember that your plan is a living, breathing document, which means you can edit it as you go along. For example, update the plan a year or two after starting a business, before submitting a new funding request.

Here key elements in a business plan template:

1. Marketing and sales plan
2. Appendix

Let's take a closer look at what is included in each of the elements of a business plan:

The purpose of this section is to give readers a clear understanding of the company and the market before you get into the details. Tip: Sometimes it's worth writing the main points after you've put together the rest of the business plan so you can easily pick out the key points.

The main provisions should occupy about a page. Spend 1-2 paragraphs on each of the following points:

• Overview: Tell us briefly about what your company is like, where it will be located, what exactly and to whom you are going to sell.
• About the company: Describe the structure of your business, tell us about the owner, what experience and skills you already have and who you are going to hire first.
• Goods and/or services: Briefly describe what you will be selling.
• Market: Summarize the key findings of the market research.
• Financial forecast: Tell us how you plan to receive funding and what your financial expectations are.

An example of the section "Basic provisions"

Startup Jolly's Java and Bakery (JJB) is a coffee and bakery store located in southwest Washington. JJB plans to gain an audience regular customers offering them a rich selection of coffee and confectionery. The company plans to take a strong market position in the city thanks to professional experience partners and the mild competitive climate in the region.

JJB strives to offer products at a competitive price in order to meet the demand in the market among residents of the area and tourists with middle and upper incomes.

The next item in the plan is a description of the company. Here you can describe what your company does, state its mission, tell about the structure of the company and its owners, location, as well as the needs of the market that your company is trying to meet and how exactly you are going to do it.

Example of a "Company Description" section

NALB Creative Center is a startup that is entering the market this summer. We will offer customers a wide range of art and craft products, primarily products that are not currently available on the island of Hawaii. The Internet remains our competitor, as artists usually buy familiar products online. We will supply goods not necessarily well known to local artists. We will also continue to monitor prices and include items available online in price comparisons.

We will conduct master classes on working with new materials and techniques.

We also organize the tourist program "Artist's Oasis". We will provide local bed and breakfast reservations, plein air maps and itineraries, easel and supplies rentals, paint and other supplies sales, and delivery of finished artworks to clients once the canvases have dried.

In the future, the store will turn into an art center that will combine: an art gallery where you can buy original works of art at wholesale prices; studio space with musical instruments; classrooms for music and art lessons; literature on music and art; coffee bar with live music; handicrafts such as branded t-shirts, badges, postcards, pottery for trade with tourists.

One of the first questions to ask yourself when testing a business idea is whether there is a place for it in the market. It is the market that will dictate how successful your business will be. Decide which audience you are targeting and why customers will want to buy from you.

Add specifics. Let's say you sell bedding. You should not include in your target audience everyone who sleeps in bed. First, define a small target group of customers for yourself. This may be, for example, adolescents from families with an average income level. Having decided on the target audience, try to answer the following questions:

• How many adolescents from middle-income families live in your country?
• What accessories do they need?
• Is the market growing or staying the same?

When analyzing the market, take into account both the research that is already available, conducted by others, and the primary data that you have collected yourself, through surveys, interviews, or in any other way.

This also includes competitor analysis. In our example, one might ask questions such as: how many other bedding companies already have market share, and who are these companies? Describe strengths and weak sides your potential competitors, as well as strategies that will give you a competitive edge.

An example of a summary section "Market Analysis"

Green Investments has identified two separate target client groups, which differ in terms of family wealth. One group included clients with a household income of less than a million dollars, the other - with an income of more than a million. The main thing that characterizes both of these groups and makes them attractive to us as a company is their desire to change the world for the better by making financial investments with environmental considerations in mind.

In the industry financial services there are many different niches. Some advisors provide general investment services. Others offer only one type of investment, such as mutual funds or bonds. Some service providers focus on a specific niche, such as technology or socially responsible business.

Market segmentation

Green Investments segmented the target audience into two separate categories, according to the level of wealth of the family: more and less than 1 million dollars.

• <1 миллиона долларов (семейный бюджет): представители среднего класса, которых волнуют проблемы окружающей среды и которые вносят личный вклад в ее защиту, приобретая акции компаний, которые демонстрируют высокие экономические и экологические показатели. Так как свободных денег у таких людей немного, они предпочитают инвестировать в акции без особого риска. В целом акции составляют 35%-45% от общего портфеля.
• $1 million (family budget): These clients are average or above average income. They have saved over a million dollars and are investing quite carefully (either themselves or people they hire). Such people are usually concerned about return on investment, but they are also concerned about environmental issues.

Here you can delve into the details of what exactly you sell and what your advantage for customers is. If you can't articulate exactly how you can be of service to customers, your business idea may not be that great.

Start by describing the problem your business is solving. Then focus on how you plan to solve the problem and how well your product or service fits into the big picture. Finally, think about the competitive landscape: what other companies are providing solutions to this particular problem, and how is your solution different?

An example of the "Products and Services" section

AMT provides computer related products and services to help small businesses. We mainly provide network equipment and network maintenance for small and medium businesses. These include both LAN-based computer systems and server-managed minicomputer-based systems. Our services include development and installation of network systems, training and support.

Description of goods and services

In the field of personal computers, we support three main areas:

1. Super Home is our smallest and least expensive line of computers that are originally marketed as home computers by the manufacturer. We mainly use them as inexpensive workstations for small businesses. Specifications include… [additional details omitted]
2. Power User is our main premium level business. It is our flagship system for high performance home workstations and mainstream small business workstations, thanks to… Key System Benefits… Specifications include… [additional details omitted]
3. Business Special is a middle-level system, an intermediate link in positioning. Its specifications include… [additional details omitted]

As for peripherals, accessories and other hardware, here we provide a complete set of necessary equipment, from cables to molds and mouse pads. … [additional details omitted]

We offer a wide range of service and support services in our office and on site, as well as service contracts and warranties. So far, we have not succeeded in concluding technical support contracts. Our business opportunities… [more details omitted]

Competitive Analysis

The only way to gain an edge and stand out from the competition is to offer our clients IT partnerships. There is no way we can effectively compete with network vendors who offer out-of-the-box or hardware/software solutions. We must offer our clients a true partnership.

The advantages of this approach include many intangible assets: reliability and confidence that, at the right time, the client will always receive help and answers to their questions.

The products we supply and work with require serious knowledge and experience, while our competitors only sell the product itself.

Unfortunately, we cannot sell products at a higher price just because we provide service - market conditions show that this approach will not be effective. Therefore, we will provide service for a fee.

In this section, you can briefly describe the features of the organizational and management structure of the business (taking into account that it may change). Who will be responsible for what? How will tasks and responsibilities be assigned to each individual or each team?

Include here brief biographies of each member of your team. Justify why these people are the right people for this job - talk about their experience and education that are relevant to your business. If you haven't hired the people in the planned roles yet, that's okay - but make sure you clearly define those gaps for yourself and explain what the people in those roles will be responsible for.

An example of a personnel plan in the "Operational Management" section

DIY Wash N' Fix does not require a lot of labor. The company will hire a general manager who will work part-time, performing corporate duties and resolving issues of inter-organizational relations. DIY Wash N’ Fix will also hire three certified mechanics/managers to carry out day-to-day tasks at the firm. These responsibilities fall into two categories: managerial and operational. Managerial tasks include planning, inventory and basic bookkeeping. Employees are also responsible for operational tasks: safety, regulatory issues, customer service, and repair advice.

In addition, service staff will be hired to perform the most basic tasks. Their functions will include customer service and content and storage control. DIY Wash N’ Fix will hire one general manager to coordinate all external business operations and partnerships. Business relationships include accounting services, legal advice, communication with manufacturers and suppliers, as well as service providers, advertising and marketing, and investment services. This managerial position will be taken by Lori Snyder. She will receive her MBA from the University of Notre Dame in May 2001.

Daily business management tasks will be handled by a lead mechanic. Although DIY Wash N' Fix does not provide a complete repair service, you can expect some customers to attempt repairs they have never done before, which means they will need advice. Therefore, we intend to hire three fully certified mechanics. These mechanics will not be allowed to do any work on the customer's car, but they will be able to inspect the car and assess the damage. We believe that only professional mechanics should advise customers - this will reduce our liability for improperly performed repairs. The main task of the mechanics will be customer service and management functions.

6) Marketing and sales plan

Here you can describe your marketing and sales strategies, how exactly you are going to sell your product. Before you start working on a marketing and sales plan, conduct a complete market analysis and identify target personas - your ideal customers.

From a marketing standpoint, you may need to answer questions like: How are you going to market? How will you develop the business? What distribution channels will you focus on? How will communication with clients be organized?

When it comes to sales, try answering questions like: What is your implementation strategy? How will the sales department work, and how will you develop it in the future? How many sales calls will it take to close a deal? What is the average sale price? Speaking of average cost per sale, you can move on to the details of your pricing strategy.

Example of a Marketing Plan Section

The Skate Zone will be the first inline hockey venue in Miami, Florida. Thanks to the extraordinary growth in the popularity of inline hockey in the US, the company has the opportunity to advertise in various media and on advertising platforms. Below is a list of channels currently available.

Public relations. Press releases will be sent to trade magazines and leading business publications such as USAHockey Inline, INLINE rollersports magazine, PowerPlay and others.

Tournaments. Skate Zone will represent its services at annual championships throughout the United States.

Print ads and articles. Our advertising campaign includes advertisements in publications such as The Yellow Pages, Miami Express News, The Skate Zone Mailing, as well as school flyer printing and publications in specialized inline hockey magazines.

Internet. Skate Zone already has its own website where we have already received several applications. We are currently working on optimizing the site. We expect that in the future the site will become one of the main marketing platforms of the company.

Finally, detail your financial model, including start-up costs, financial plans, and required investments if you are approaching investors.

The initial cost of your business includes all the resources you need to get started, as well as an estimate of how much each of those resources will cost. Do you rent office space? Do you need a computer? Telephone? Make a list of your needs and expenses for them, try to be objective and economical. The last thing you need is to run out of budget.

Once you've figured out your expenses, justify them. To do this, write down your financial forecast in detail. This is especially important if you are looking for outside funding for your business. Make sure your financial model is 100% accurate so you can convince investors and lenders to support your business.

An example of a financial plan for an online store

Appendix

Optionally, you can add an appendix at the end of the plan. There's space here for your CV and co-owners' CVs, as well as legal documents, including permits and leases.

That's all. We hope this article has helped you better understand what your business plan should look like. The only thing left to do is turn the idea into reality. Good luck!

In simple terms, a business plan is a document that defines the goals of your business and describes how to achieve those goals. In this guide, I will describe in detail all the steps in drawing up a business plan that will help you open a successful one. A well-thought-out business plan is the key to success for any entrepreneur, no matter what goals he sets for himself - from attracting investments to developing a plan for the strategic growth of the company.

Here are the four basic rules for writing a business plan:

1. Be brief.

Your business plan should be short and concise. This requirement is due to two reasons:

• Your business plan should be such that the reader has a desire to read it in its entirety. Who wants to waste time on a document that is 40 (and sometimes all 100) pages?
• As a tool for business growth and development, the business plan should change with your company. A long document is more difficult to work with, which means that a business plan that is too long is more likely to get covered in dust on the shelf.

2. Know your audience.

Write your business plan in a language that your target audience can understand. For example, if your company is in the sciences and your potential investors don't understand complex terminology, you must tailor your investors' needs.

Here is an example of overly complex wording:
“Our technology is a single-connection accessory for CPAP machines. When connected to a CPAP machine, our product provides non-invasive dual pressure ventilation.”

Simplified wording:
“Our product is an easy-to-use device that replaces traditional medical ventilators and does not require an electrical connection. The cost of our product is 1/100 of the cost of a traditional ventilator.”

Focus on investors. Describe your product as simply as possible and avoid complex terms. More detailed information is better to take out in appendices.

3. Don't be afraid.

Most entrepreneurs are not business experts. They have no special education, and they are forced to learn as they go. Writing a business plan may seem like a daunting task, but it's not. If you know and love what you want to do, it will not be difficult for you to write a good business plan and adjust it as your project develops.

Moreover, it is not at all necessary to immediately create a full-fledged, detailed business plan, the structure of which will be described in this article. It's best to start with a simple one-page business plan and work from there into a more detailed document.

Before writing a business plan, it is better to look at a sample business plan for a company in your industry (cafe, beauty salon, car wash, online store). You will be able to understand how it should look like, how to make the right calculations, what to include in a business plan, industry features, etc. You can find and download examples of ready-made business plans. You can also search for examples on the Internet - just type in the search bar, for example, "coffee shop business plan" or "barbershop business plan."

Six things you need to include in a business plan

Having dealt with the basic rules for writing a business plan, let's move on to describing the structure of the document. In the rest of this article, I'll cover the do's and don'ts of your business plan, list key financial projections, and provide links to additional resources to help you write a smart document.

remember, that your business plan is not some boring document that has nothing to do with practice. A good business plan is a tool that can help you build a more efficient and profitable business. This is a flexible document that you will return to from time to time. As you get to know your customers, identify the strengths and weaknesses of certain marketing strategies, evaluate the accuracy of budget planning and forecasts, you will constantly make changes to your business plan. Your business plan defines the goals you want to achieve and you should use it to track your progress and correct your course.

1. Resume

A business plan begins with a summary - a brief description of your business and plans. The summary should take no more than 1-2 pages. In some documents, this chapter is listed last.

2. Opportunities

In this chapter, you should tell what you want to sell and how you are going to solve the problem (satisfy a certain need) of your market. Also here it is necessary to pay attention to the description of the target audience and main competitors.

3. Implementation

How are you going to take advantage of this opportunity and launch your business on it? Here you should describe your marketing plan, sales plan, operations and success rates.

4. Team and company

In addition to attractive ideas, investors are also looking for good teams of specialists. In this chapter, you should talk about those who already work in your company, as well as list the specialists that you plan to recruit into your team. If your project has already started, please provide information about the legal form and location of your company, as well as a brief description of the history of its creation and development.

5. Financial plan

Any business plan should include a financial forecast, which we will discuss in more detail a little later.

6. Application

Applications contain product images and additional information.

Now let's look at each chapter in more detail and try to write a business plan that would make a favorable impression on your potential investors and creditors.

Summary

In a resume, you introduce people to your company, describe your line of work, and explain what you want from your readers. Since this is the very first chapter that potential investors will read, it is best to write it last. Why? By already describing other aspects of your business, you will have a clearer picture of your project and therefore be able to write a more accurate and concise summary. The resume should sum up the entire business plan, so start with the Opportunities chapter and return to writing the resume when the entire document is ready. Ideally, the summary should act as a standalone document summarizing the most important aspects detailed in your business plan. Often, in order to evaluate a project, investors only need to read the summary. If they like the resume, they will ask you to provide the entire business plan, organize a presentation, or request other information of interest to them.

Thus, the summary is the most important chapter of the business plan, on which the success of your entire project depends. Therefore, try to present the information as concisely and clearly as possible. Highlight the main aspects of your business, but do not go into details. The resume should not exceed 1-2 pages. This should be some kind of bait that will arouse investors' interest in your project and the desire to get to know it better.

Key elements of a good resume:

Brief description of the business in one sentence

At the very top of the page, right below , express the essence of your business in one sentence. It can be a slogan, but it's still better to state what your company does.

Problem

Each business solves a specific market problem by satisfying the demand for that or any other product or service. In one or two sentences, describe the problem you intend to solve.

Decision

The solution is your product or service. How are you going to solve the existing problem?

Target market

What is the profile of your ideal customer? How many buyers might be interested in your product? Try to provide as accurate information as possible.

Just because you're in the shoe business doesn't mean that your target audience is absolutely everyone (because almost everyone has feet). . Your activities should target a specific market segment, such as runners or fashion-conscious men. This will make it much easier for you to develop an appropriate marketing and sales strategy, as well as attract potential buyers who may be interested in your products.

Competition

How does your target audience solve the existing problem? Are there alternatives or substitutes for the missing product on the market? Any company has competitors, and in your resume you need to pay due attention to this aspect of your business.

Team

Briefly describe your team. Justify why you and your team can successfully bring your idea to market. Remember that for investors, the team is even more important than the idea. Without a strong team, even the most attractive idea will not get a decent implementation.

Financial plan

Provide basic information from your financial plan. Ideally, this should be a chart that clearly shows your planned sales, costs, and profitability. If your business model (i.e., how you are going to make money) requires further explanation, this chapter is perfect for that purpose.

Financing

If you are looking for funds to start or grow your business, you should describe your needs on your resume. It is not worth thinking about the timing of potential investment yet, since such issues are usually discussed at later stages of the project discussion. For now, you only need to indicate how much money your project will require.

Milestones and work done

Finally, we come to the last important part of the resume. Tell us about what has already been done, and also indicate the main goals (stages) that you are going to achieve. It will be great if you demonstrate to investors that you already have buyers who are interested in your product, or are already buying it. If you are writing a business plan for internal use, then you can significantly reduce the length of the summary or omit this chapter altogether. In this case, you can choose not to provide information about the leadership, funding and work already done. In essence, the internal plan is created as a description of the strategic development of the company, so that all team members know what to strive for.

Opportunities

This chapter can be called the heart of your business plan. Here you should describe in detail the existing problem and its solution, as well as tell who your potential buyers are and how your product or service will fit into the competitive environment. Also indicate how your solution differs from other similar solutions and how you plan to expand your product line in the future.

Since readers have already read your resume, they already know something about your project. However, this does not detract from the importance of the "Opportunities" chapter, since here you provide more detailed information and answer additional questions that were not covered in the Summary.

Problem and solution

Begin this section by describing the problem you want to solve for your prospects. What are your potential clients missing right now? How do they solve their problems? Maybe existing solutions are too expensive or inconvenient?

The description of the problem you intend to solve for the benefit of your potential customers is the core of your business plan and directly affects your success. If you can't clearly identify the problem, you won't be able to deliver a viable business concept that would be of interest to investors. How do you know that you can really solve a problem that makes customers uncomfortable? Turn off your computer, go outside and talk to your potential customers. After confirming that the problem really exists, tell them about the solution you propose. What do people think of your decision? After paying attention to the problem of the target market, proceed to the description of the solution you have developed. In other words, tell in detail about the product or service that you intend to offer customers. What is your product and how will you offer it? How will he solve the problem of your potential customers? For some goods and services, it will not be superfluous to give specific cases and situations in which this product or service can be used. So you can clearly explain to a potential buyer how to interact with the proposed solution and how it can improve his quality of life.

Target market

Once you've figured out the problem and the solution, focus on your target market. Who are you going to sell your product or service to? How much detail you describe your target market depends on the nature of your business and the type of business plan you have. But in any case, you should have a clear idea of ​​who your potential buyers are and what their approximate number is. If the number of potential customers is small, this calls into question the feasibility of your project. If you are going to conduct a full market analysis, it should be preceded by a little research: you need to determine the target market segments and the size of each of them. A market segment is a group of people (or companies) who may be interested in buying your product or service.

Here we want to warn you against a common mistake: your target market is not "all buyers". Let's take a shoe company as an example. Theoretically, such a company could claim that their target market is all people who have legs. But in real life, in order to survive in the market, a company must focus on a certain segment of the market - athletes, businessmen, families with children, etc.

SDR, SDR, LDR

A good business plan must identify target market segments and contain data that characterizes the growth rate of each segment. The standard measures of SDR, SDR and LDR allow target market sizes to be determined using both a top-down approach and a bottom-up approach.

Let's start with definitions:

• ODR: This is your General Available Market (everyone you would like to offer your product to)
• HAPPY BIRTHDAY: This is your Segmented Available Market (the part of the ODR that you are going to target)
• ldr A: This is your Market Share (the portion of the SDR that you will actually offer your product to, particularly in the first few years).

Once you have identified your main market segments, indicate the trends prevailing in each market. For example, is the market shrinking or expanding? Describe the needs and preferences of each market, as well as the changes that await it.

Now you can start building a portrait of the ideal buyer in each market segment. The ideal buyer is an average image of a representative of your market, which should have a name, gender, income level, preferences, and so on. After identifying market segments, drawing up a portrait of the ideal buyer may seem like redundant work, but it is not. Such a portrait will be a useful tool for you to help you develop marketing activities to attract your ideal buyers.

Key Buyers

The final part of this chapter should be devoted to key buyers. This information needs to be provided only for companies that work with a very small number of customers. Ordinary companies that sell goods and services primarily to ordinary consumers can skip this section. If you sell products or services to other companies, you must have several key customers, abouton which the success of your business depends, and which set trends in your niche.At the end of the Target Market chapter, talk about these customers and describe their relevance to your business.

Competition

After describing your target market, move on to describing your competitive landscape. What other companies offer their products or services in an attempt to solve customer problems? What are your advantages over competitors?

Business plans often present this information in the form of a "competition matrix" that compares competitors' solutions to yours. A simple competitive matrix is ​​a table that lists competitors vertically and comparison criteria horizontally. If a competitor's solution meets a certain criterion, a mark is placed at the intersection of the corresponding row and column. Your main job is to show that your solution is different or superior to what other companies offer. Investors will be interested to know what competitive advantagesdo you possess and how do you plandifferentiate your solution.

Many entrepreneurs make the serious mistake of claiming they have no competition. Remember that every business has competitors. It is not necessarily "direct competition" when another company offers a solution similar to yours. Often we are talking about "indirect competition", when consumers find completely different solutions to their problem. For example, when Henry Ford first started selling his cars, he had almost no direct competitors in the face of other automakers. However, Ford had to compete with other modes of transportation (horses, bicycles, trains, and hiking). At that time, these were all alternative ways of solving the problem of moving from one point to another.

Future products and services

All entrepreneurs make plans for how their business will develop if successful.

While it is a pleasure for any entrepreneur to dream of expanding their business, try not to get carried away. Share your plans for the future in a paragraph or two to show investors where you want to go. Refrain from describing long-term plans in detail, because now no one can guarantee that they will actually be implemented. Instead, you should focus on your current products or services.

Implementation

Once you've completed a comprehensive description of the market opportunities, tell your investors how you're going to put your ideas into practice. In this section, you need to pay attention to the following aspects: marketing and sales, operations, success rates and milestones that you plan to achieve.

Marketing and sales

The marketing and sales plan describes how you intend to bring your product or service to your target markets, how you plan to market your product to those target markets, what pricing scheme you will use, and what activities and collaborations will be needed to be successful. Before you start writing your marketing plan, you must clearly define your target markets and draw a portrait of your ideal buyer(s). Without a clear idea of ​​who you will be selling your product to, your marketing plan will be useless.

Positioning

The first part of your marketing plan should focus on positioning your company and product/service. Positioning is how you will present your company to potential clients. For example, you offer budget solution or are you a premium brand? Are you offering a product that none of your competitors have?

Before starting to develop a positioning strategy, analyze the current market situation and answer the following questions:

• Do you offer any benefits or benefits that your competitors don't? If so, which ones?
• What are the main needs of your customers?
• How are your competitors positioning themselves?
• How do you plan to stand out from your competitors? Why should customers choose your product?
• What place do you assign to your company in the current competitive environment?

With these questions answered, you can start thinking about your positioning strategy. Your positioning strategy doesn't have to be voluminous and very detailed. You need to explain how your company will position itself in a competitive marketplace and how your value proposition differs from that of your competitors.

Here are some examples of language that you can use in your positioning strategy:

For [target market description] that [target market needs], [this product] [how the product meets existing needs]. Unlike [major competitors], it is [the most important distinguishing feature].

Pricing

Having decided on the positioning strategy, you can begin to consider pricing issues. In most cases, your positioning strategy will be the main factor in pricing your products/services. As a carrier of information, the price is able to tell buyers about how you position your product. If you offer a premium product, buyers will instantly recognize it from the price.

The pricing process is more like an art than a science. However, it is subject to some universal rules:

• Cost coverage. There are exceptions to this rule, but in most cases you should charge more for a product than you had to spend to produce it.
• Primary and secondary sources of income. The base price may not be your main source of income. For example, you can sell a product at cost (or even cheaper), but charge a lot more for further contractual service.
• Compliance with the market situation. Your prices should match the demand and expectations of potential customers. If you set the price too high, you may not find buyers for your product. And if your price is too low, your offer risks being underestimated.

3 approaches to pricing

• Plus costs. You can set prices based on several factors. The cost-plus approach means that you determine your cost level and charge a price that exceeds that level. This approach is popular in manufacturing, where upfront cost recovery is critical to a company's success.
• Market pricing. Another view of the competitive environment and pricing is based on market expectations. Depending on how you position your product, you can work in the high or low price segment of a particular market.
• Cost pricing. With this approach, you price based on how much value you offer to your customers. For example, you offer lawn care services to busy people who do not have time for this. If you save them 1 hour a week and their hour costs $50, then you can rate your services at $30 an hour.

Promotion

Having dealt with positioning and pricing, you can move on to a promotion strategy. A promotion strategy describes how you are going to interact with your potential and existing customers. At the same time, you must be able to determine the cost of promotion and the volume of sales that it can generate. In the long term, maintaining ineffective promotion strategies becomes extremely unprofitable.

Your promotion strategy should cover several aspects:

Package

The way your product is packaged has a direct impact on the purchase decision. If there are images on the packaging, feel free to include them in your business plan. When describing the packaging of your product, answer the following questions:

• Does your packaging match your positioning strategy?
• How does your packaging communicate your value proposition?
• How does your packaging compare to competitors' packaging?

Advertising

Your business plan should describe what types of advertising you are going to spend your budget on. For example, are you planning to run ads online or on traditional media platforms? Particular attention in the advertising strategy should be given to evaluating the effectiveness of your advertising.

Public relations

Media coverage of your product is a great way to reach your target audience. A meaningful media coverage of your product or service will give you the wide audience coverage you need to grow your business. If public relations is part of your promotion strategy, be sure to dedicate a few paragraphs to this topic.

Content Marketing

One of the popular promotion strategies is content marketing. It should be understood that here your goal is not to tell the target market about your products or services. The essence of content marketing is to provide potential buyers with interesting and useful information on topics of interest to them.