business plans structure
- Title page: Title or heading of the plan and brief description if required, author, date, company/organization if applicable, details of circulation and confidentiality.
- Contents page: A list of contents (basically the sections listed here, starting with the Introduction page) showing page numbers, plus a list of appendices or addendums (added reference material at the back of the document) allowing the reader to find what they need and navigate the document easily, and to refer others to particular items and page numbers when reviewing or querying.
- Introduction page: Introduction and purpose of the plan, terms of reference if applicable (usually for formal and large plans or projects).
- Executive summary page: Optional and usually beneficial, this should normally be no more than a page long (or it's not an executive summary) - the key points of the whole plan including conclusions, recommendations, actions, financial returns on investment, etc., clearly readable in a few minutes.
- Main body of plan: sections and headings as required, see template below.
- Acknowledgments and bibliography/reference sources: if relevant (only required normally for very large formal plans)
- Appendices: appendices or addendums - additional detailed reference material, examples, statistics, spreadsheets, etc., for reference and not central to the main presentation of your plan.
business plans - main body sections examples template
This sample template is typical for a sales/marketing/new business development business plan. (A business plan for a more complex project such as an international joint-venture, or the formation of a new company including manufacturing plant or other overhead activities would need to include relevant information and financials about the overheads and resources concerned, and the financials would need to show costs and profits more like a fully developed profit and loss account, with cashflow projections, balance sheet, etc.) Where appropriate refer to your position regarding corporate ethics and social responsibility. While these aspects are not mechanisms within the plan, they are crucial reference points.
- Define your market - sector(s) and segment(s) definitions
- Quantify your market (overview only) - size, segmentation, relevant statistics, values, numbers (locations, people/users, etc) - make this relevant to you business
- Explain your market(s) - sector trends, eg., growth, legislation, seasonality, PEST factors where relevant, refer to Ansoff matrix, show the strategic business drivers within sector and segments, purchasing mechanisms, processes, restrictions - what are the factors that determine customers' priorities and needs - this is a logical place to refer to ethics and CSR (corporate social responsibility
- Explain your existing business - your current business according to sector, products/services, quantities, values, distributor, etc.
- Analyse your existing customer spread by customer type, values and products/services including major accounts (the 'Pareto Principle' or the '80:20 rule' often applies here, eg., 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers)
- Explain your products and services - refer to Boston matrix and especially your strategic propositions (what these propositions will do for your customers) including your USP's and UPB's (see sales training section and acronyms)
- Explain you routes to market, gatekeepers, influencers and strategic partners - the other organizations/individuals you will work with to develop your market, including 'what's in it for them', commissions, endorsements, accreditations, approvals, licenses, etc.
- Case studies and track record - the credibility, evidence and proof that your propositions and strategic partnerships work
- Competitor analysis, eg., SWOT analysis of your own business compared to SWOT analysis of each competitor
- Sales/marketing/business plan (1 year min) showing sales and margins by product/service stream, mix, values, segment, 'distributor', etc, whatever is relevant, phased monthly, in as much detail as you need. This should be on a spreadsheet, with as many different sheets as necessary to quantify relevant inputs and outputs.
- List your strategic actions (marketing campaigns, sales activities, advertising, etc) that will deliver the above, with costs and returns. This should be supported with a spreadsheet, showing cost and return on investment for each activity.
Tip: If the business plan concerns an existing activity, use the previous year's sales/business analysis as the basis for the next year's sales/business plan. Adapt as necessary according to your new strategic plans.
Source of the excellent material above
How to write a business plan....
Your plan should include:
- An executive summary - this is an overview of the business you want to start. It's vital. Many lenders and investors make judgments about your business based on this section of the plan alone. See the page in this guide on the executive summary.
- A short description of the business opportunity - who you are, what you plan to sell or offer, why and to whom. See the page in this guide on your business, its products and services.
- Your marketing and sales strategy - why you think people will buy what you want to sell and how you plan to sell to them. See the pages in this guide on your markets and competitors and marketing and sales.
- Your management team and personnel - your credentials and the people you plan to recruit to work with you. See the page in this guide on your team's skills.
- Your operations - your premises, production facilities, your management information systems and IT. See the page in this guide on your operations.
- Financial forecasts - this section translates everything you have said in the previous sections into numbers. See the page in this guide on financial forecasts.
The basics of writing a business plan....
A whole load of blog posts about business plans...
Homework: design a business plan for a product of your choice.
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