how to write a business plan?
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Here are some resources that can help you write your business plan:\n\n- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm\n- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html\n\nYou may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:\n\n- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm\n- Examples of winning business plans and got funding: MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners\nhttp://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html\n\nSome recommended books are (linked to Amazon so you can easily learn more about the books):\n\n- Business Plans Kit for Dummies http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764553658/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid \n- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0942061411/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid \n- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0809240076/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid\n- Business Plans For Dummies®  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568848684/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid \n- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570712190/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid\n\nHope that the above resources help\nIsabel Isidro\nFor information on starting a business, visit http://www.powerhomebiz.com
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A retail plan in theory is not much different from any business plan. Since I am not into retailing but general marketing, I will give you my idea of a business plan, of course with some modifications to suit your need.\n\n1. Name of Firm. State the legal name of the business.\n\n2. Owner or Owner-To-Be. State owner(s) name(s), as well as the form and percent of ownership.\n\n3. Information on the Business\n\n    * a. Type of Business and Product or Service.\n\n          o State the general and specific nature of the business (i.e.,general -energy-, specific - oil, solar, wind: or general - food; specific restaurant, catering, farming, ice cream parlor, bakery).\n          o State the type of business(manufacturing, service, construction, wholesale, retail,other).\n          o State the company's goals and electives.\n          o Describe your products and/or services.\n          o State who buys the product/service and who the final users are (briefly here, because youwill be discussing your customers very thoroughly under Market Analysis\n          o Describe how the product/service is sold to customers (walk-in stores,sales representatives, mail order catalogs, telephone orders, etc.).\n          o Describe how and where buyers get the product/service (walk-in stores, mail, delivery, etc.).\n          o Comment on Quality of product/service.\n          o Estimate average price of produce/service. \n\n    * b. History.\n\n          o If new, say so. If existing, discuss age of business, prior owners, how acquired and length of time operated by you, image or reputation, number of employees, last year's sales volume and profit and any significant events that have affected the company's development \n\n    * c. Offices/Plant\n\n          o Give addresses and description of area and building.\n          o State whether rented, leased or owned. If rented or leased, state from whom and under what conditions.\n          o Describe access to building (major roads/freeways, walking, parking,etc.). Is the location convenient for customers?\n          o State business hours. State size of facility (square footage). \n\n    * d. Personnel\n\n          o For the present and future: State the number of employees, type of labor needed (skilled, unskilled, etc.), source of labor (especially minorities, handicapped, veterans or other socially or economicallydisadvantaged groups), timing of hiring (or layoffs).\n          o Comment on the quality of the staff and their job descriptions. \n\n    * e. Economic/Accounting\n\n          o Describe how the business will make money.\n          o State how prices are or will be determined and by whom.\n          o State what financial records will be kept and by whom. \n\n    * f. Inventory\n\n          o Describe what inventory, raw materials and/or supplies the business uses.\n          o List your suppliers - name, address, type and percent of supplies furnished, length of time you have been buying from each, reliability andfrequency of purchase.\n          o How easy or difficult is it to get necessary supplies?\n          o If it is difficult, how will you deal with potential or actual shortages?\n          o Are the prices of your supplies steady or fluctuating? If fluctuating, how do you feel deal with changing costs? \n\n    * g. Legal\n\n          o State form of business (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation) and status (already formed or in process of formation).\n          o State licensing requirements (type and licensing source) and status (notyet applied, applied and pending, obtained).\n          o State zoning requirements and status (verified, OK, rezoning). State insurance requirements (type, source) and status.\n          o Have building codes been complied with?\n          o State any health code requirements.\n          o Describe any other laws and regulations that affect the business.\n          o Describe lease, if any. Trademarks, patents, licenses and c
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First thing you need to do is put an "executive summary" of or your idea (or a more detailed "business plan") together.   It doesn't have to be anything crazy but it should cover the following topics:\n\n1) A general overview of the idea.  Basically, explain the business and describe why you think it is a good idea.  Include as much third party supporting evidence as possible.  You want to show that you (or your group) are not the only one who thinks this is a good idea.\n\n2) Backgrounds/Resumes of those involved.   Investors are investing in the people behind the idea as much as they are looking to invest in the idea itself.\n\n3) Planned Marketing Strategies (How are you going to attract customers?)\n\n4) Operation Summary.  Detail how you plan to operate your business.  \n\n5) How much are you willing to give up to someone who is willing to lend financial backing?  This can be a percentage of ownership in the company, interest on a more traditional loan, a revenue share opportunity, or any combination.\n\n6) Financial Projections (What are your start up costs? What will your monthly expenses be? Are you going to lease or buy equipment? How much revenue will you generate? etc).\n\nNow that you have your idea on paper, you can start looking for investors.  (Well, even if you have all the answers in your head, you can start talking to people.  But, at some point, they will more than likely want all of the above written out.)\n\nIn this case, I'd start talking to friends and family about the business.  You never know who might be interested.  Also, check with your local small business administration.  They can point you in the right direction regarding local investors.
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The business plan is something you should put together if you are looking for outside financing or investors. Even if not, it's a good idea to make one so that you have a good solid vision and guideline of where you want to be.\n\nYou don't have to write one, unless lender/investor requires it, but it is useful. Plan on taking a few weeks to a couple months to complete it well. Get it done before you apply for any financing and have a copy with you when you go to the lender.\n\nA good source for writing your plan is to buy a copy of Adams Streetwise Business Plan. Get the one that comes with the CD Rom. It's very informative and takes you step by step trough writing it.
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Begin with an business plan with an 3 to 5 year projection that covers your forseeable expenses of total operation cost of your desired business for example wages, rent or lease of property, insurance ,legal fees, advertisment cost , etc and it helps to either have some prior experience or education but sort after an mentor who can be a spiritual / business guide for you because you can expect some bumpy roads ahead!
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The Bplans website (http://www.bplans.com/) is dedicated to sample business plans and business planning. There are over 60 free plans available here: http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm\n\nI would also contact your local SBDC office for free advice on business planning and starting a business. SBDCs are funded by the SBA and are an excellent resource. You can find your local SBDC here: http://www.bplans.com/sb/\n\nFinally, I also suggest contacting your local SCORE office. SCORE is another SBA funded organization that provides free business coaching and will help you write your business plan. They also have many resources available to help you. You can find your local SCORE office and ask questions online here: http://www.score.org\n\nGood luck!
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I doubt if you can find anyone willing to do your business plan for free. You can go to organizations  like SCORE http://www.score.org or the SBDC nearest you, but they won't do your business plan for you - they will just guide you on what you can put there.\n\nBusiness plan is the roadmap of your business, and who knows your business more than you? That's why it is best that the entrepreneur is the one who crafts it. If you are just looking for instructions buy software such as Palo Alto\n\nHere are some resources that can help you write your business plan:\n\n- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm\n- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html\n\nYou may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:\n\n- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm\n- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners\nhttp://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html\n- VFinance - View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&ToolPage=bps_main.asp\n- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_m.asp\n- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/\n- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html \n-SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/businessPlan.pdf\n- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_FE/display&c=GuideFactSheet&cid\n- Business Plans Index - A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/bplansindex.html\n-\nSome recommended books are :\n\n- Business Plans Kit for Dummies \n- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan \n- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide \n- Business Plans For Dummies® \n- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan \n\nHope that the above resources help
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Format:\n- single line spacing.\n- 12 Fonts either Times New Roman or other professional style.  Don't be so cute.\n- at least 2 inch for header, footer and margin.\n- clear and decent appearance.\n- A4 size white plan paper.\n\nContent:\n- company letter head.\n- be polite and respectful.\n- up to the point.  You could first drop down what is the purpose of writing this business letter.\n- no more than 4 paragraph.\n- prefer in 1 page only.  Unless it must contain a lot of information.
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There are lots of great resources out there to help you with your business plan. Here are some sites that might help:\n\nBplans.com: http://www.bplans.com/dp/\nSBA.gov: http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/\nSCORE.org: http://www.score.org/readingroom.html#a_1\nEntrepreneur.com: http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html\n\nThere's also an online book on business planning that you can find here: \nhttp://www.hurdlebook.com/\n\nGood Luck!
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Try the small business association for you area.  They have a lot of information and sample businesss plans based on the busines..
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Here are some tips. For detailed information go to sba link below.  Good Luck!\n\nBefore you begin writing your business plan, consider four core questions: \nWhat service or product does your business provide and what needs does it fill? \nWho are the potential customers for your product or service and why will they purchase it from you? \nHow will you reach your potential customers? \nWhere will you get the financial resources to start your business?\nWriting the Plan  \nWhat goes in a business plan? The body can be divided into four distinct sections: \n1) Description of the business \n2) Marketing \n3) Finances \n4) Management \nAddenda should include an executive summary, supporting documents, and financial projections. \nAlthough there is no single formula for developing a business plan, some elements are common to all business plans. They are summarized in the following outline: \nElements of a Business Plan\n              1. Cover sheet \n2. Statement of purpose 3. Table of contents \n                I. The Business \n               A. Description of business \n               B. Marketing \n               C. Competition \n               D. Operating procedures \n               E. Personnel \n               F. Business insurance \n               II. Financial Data \n               A. Loan applications \n               B. Capital equipment and supply list \n               C. Balance sheet \n               D. Breakeven analysis \n               E. Pro-forma income projections (profit & loss statements) \n               Three-year summary \n               Detail by month, first year \n               Detail by quarters, second and third years \n               Assumptions upon which projections were based \n               F. Pro-forma cash flow \n          III. Supporting Documents \n               Tax returns of principals for last three years Personal financial               statement (all banks have these forms) \n               For franchised businesses, a copy of franchise contract and all                 supporting documents provided by the franchisor \n               Copy of proposed lease or purchase agreement for building space                \n               Copy of licenses and other legal documents \n               Copy of resumes of all principals \n               Copies of letters of intent from suppliers, etc.
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make a comprehensive business/marketing plan.. dont forget to include of course the expected profit of the business.. and show to the the financual ratios.
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Hello,\nStart by writing a businessplan where you specified the nature of the business projected revenue and cost.
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Here are a few keys to better business plans:\n\n1. Use a business plan to set concrete goals, responsibilities, and deadlines to guide your business.\n\n2. A good business plan assigns tasks to people or departments and sets milestones and deadlines for tracking implementation.\n\n3. A practical business plan includes 10 parts implementation for every one part strategy.\n\n4. As part of the implementation of a business plan, it should provide a forum for regular review and course corrections. \n\n5. Good business plans are practical.\n\nSome Business Plan "Don'ts" \n\n1. Don't use a business plan to show how much you know about your business.\n\n2. Nobody reads a long-winded business plan: not bankers, bosses, nor venture capitalists. Years ago, people were favorably impressed by long plans. Today, nobody is interested in a business plan more than 30 pages long.\n\nI would also suggest checking out http://www.bplans.com/ . There's a guide linked from the home page on writing a business plan as well as 60 free sample business plans.\n\nFinally, contact your local SCORE office for free advice. SCORE is funded by the SBA and is a great resource. You can find your local SCORE office here: http://www.score.org/\n\nYour local Small Business Development Center will also be able to help. You can find your local office here: http://www.bplans.com/sb/
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The first thing you need to do is to flesh out your business ideas. Thinking of starting an export business or a wedding planning business, for example, is one thing, but planning it out is a whole different level. And you need to do that if you want to attract investors. \n\nWhen you pitch your idea to investors, they will ask you questions: is there a market for this; how will this be produced; how much capital do you expect to raise; what is the level of competition out there. You already know your exit strategy - but how do you go there?\n\nHere are some resources that can help you write your business plan:\n\n- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm\n- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html\n\nYou may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:\n\n- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm\n- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners\nhttp://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html\n- VFinance - View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&ToolPage=bps_main.asp\n- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_m.asp\n- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/\n- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html \n-SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/businessPlan.pdf\n- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_FE/display&c=GuideFactSheet&cid\n- Business Plans Index - A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/bplansindex.html\n-\nSome recommended books are :\n\n- Business Plans Kit for Dummies \n- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan \n- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide \n- Business Plans For Dummies® \n- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan
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if you are looking for free business plan template that you can use and submit to a financial institution, below are websites offering free sample business plans and sample business plan templates:\n\n- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm\n- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners\nhttp://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html\n- VFinance - View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&ToolPage=bps_main.asp\n- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_m.asp\n- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/\n- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html \n-SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/businessPlan.pdf\n- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_FE/display&c=GuideFactSheet&cid\n- Business Plans Index - A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/bplansindex.html\n\nHere are some resources that can help you write your business plan:\n\n- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html\n- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm\n- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html\n\nSome recommended books are :\n\n- Business Plans Kit for Dummies \n- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan \n- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide \n- Business Plans For Dummies® \n- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan
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You can find several free business plan examples at the following websites\n\nBplans.com - where a few are free and the rest are bundled in the software they are selling\nhttp://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm\n\nMOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners\nhttp://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html