Basic Business Plan for New Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
Whether you're just starting out, growing your business or seeking outside help, planning is very important in business. In its simplest form, a business plan is a guide or road-map for your business that helps you understand how your business is going to work, and how you’re going to make it successful. A business plan helps you define what you want from your business, understand what her customers want, and decide how to optimize your business on your own terms.
However, not all business plans are the same, not every business needs the same level of detail. As a new entrepreneur or small business owner, a fairly simple business plan might be enough for you. Here’s what they normally include:
(Remember, you can always start simple and then elaborate as you prepare to approach bankers or investors).
It’s just a few paragraphs that highlights your business goals and summarizes the problem you are solving for customers, your solution, the target market, financial forecasts, and a summary of who does what on the management team.
Although this section usually appears first in your business plan, it should be the last part you write. Think of it as the introduction to your business and your pitch as to why you will be successful.
In this section, you will detail the problem that you solve for your customers and the solution that you are selling. Describe how you deliver your solution, including the technologies you are using, intellectual property that you own, and other key factors about the products that you are building now or plan on building in the future.
3. Market Analysis Summary
You need to know your target market—the types of customers you are looking for—and how to engage them.
Use this section to discuss your customers’ needs, where your customers are, how to reach them and how to deliver your product to them. You’ll also need to know who your competitors are and how you stack up against them. Why are you sure there’s room for you in this market? What's your business’s competitive advantage?
4. Strategy & Implementation Summary
This portion of your business plan is used to outline your marketing plan, your sales plan, and the other logistics involved in actually running your business.
Use this section provided an overview of how you will position your company in the market, how you will price your products and services, how you will promote your offerings, and any sales processes you need to have in place. You’ll want to cover the technology you plan on using, your business location and other facilities, and special equipment you might need. Finally, you’ll want to outline the key metrics you’ll be tracking to make sure your business is headed in the right direction.
5. Company & Management Summary
This section is an overview of who you are. It should describe the organization of your business, and the key members of the management team, but it should outline when your company was founded, who the owner is, what state your company is registered in and where you do business, and when/if your company was incorporated.
Be sure to include bios or summaries of your managers’ backgrounds and experience, explaining why your personnel are the right people for their jobs. Full-length resumes should be appended to the plan.
The financial plan is a critical component of nearly all business plans. Running a successful business means paying close attention to how much money you are bringing in, and how much money you are spending. A good financial plan goes a long way to help determine when to hire new employees or buy a new piece of equipment.
If you are a startup and/or are seeking funding, a solid financial plan helps you figure out how much capital your business needs to get started or to grow, so you know how much money to ask for from the bank or from investors.
Need more business planning advice or resources?? Click here to learn 4 Steps to Help You Make Sure Your Business Idea is Something People Will Pay For, Before You Launch It