Business Plan Template

A Sample Company Plan to help get Started

Apr 12, 2009 Stuart Cooke

A business plan can be many things. It will be different for all enterprises. The following template can be used as a tool to help get started.

A good business plan will have a number of sections. When planning to start a company or a business, whether it is a from-home, spare-time work affair or a multi-million dollar idea just waiting to be implemented, a realistic, well-researched and updated business plan is a must. The following sections could be included in such a plan, but are only to be used as a starting point.

Company Description (See an example here: Company Description)

• Description (What is done and why.)
• Operations (Where is the business going to be? How will it make money?)
• Benefit Statement (Why will people buy the product?)
• Features & Benefits (What does the product offer? What does that offer for the consumer?)
• Company Philosophy (How will business be done? What are the core values?)
• Mission Statement (A single sentence that sums up where the business is going and what it does.)
• Positing Statement (How will the company be perceived by the customer?)

Market Analysis

• Market Segmentation (Who exactly will be targeted?)
• Geography (Where are the people being targeted?)
• Demographics (What type of person will be a customer?)
• Psychographics (When do they spend? Why do they spend?)
• Behaviouristic (How will these people fit the product into their lives?)

Competitive Analysis

• Direct Competition (Is there anyone else that operates in a similar fashion? What are their strengths and weaknesses?)
• Indirect Competition (What might people be able to substitute for the product or service?)

Environmental Analysis

• Environmental (What is the weather like? Does it have an affect? Does it affect customers?)
• Technological (What affect will advancing technology have on the business?)
• Economic (Are people spending more? Less?)
• Sociological (What are the trends to be aware of?)

Tactics and Operations

• Unique Selling Point (What makes you different? How will you convey that to customers?)
• Evolution Planning (What is the strategy? What specific goals are there to be met?)
• Customer Generation (How will marketing be handled?)
• Expansion Plans (Will the business be replicated in other locations? Why or why not?)
• Value & Pricing (How much will be charged?)
• Placing (Where will the base of operations be?)

Staffing Concerns

• Employees Required (How many people will be needed? What will they be doing?)
• Hierarchy (How will the organization be structured? Who will report to whom?)

Technological Considerations

• Equipment Needed (What is actually needed to run the business? Be specific.)
• Manufacturing (What is needed to be successful? What are the times of production)
• Upkeep (How often do machines break? What is the cost likely to be?)
• Development (Does related technology change often? What is the plan for coping with that?)

Financial Data

• Start-Up Costs (How much will the additional costs of start-up amount to?)
• Funding (How is the venture being paid for? Where is the money coming from?)
• Liability (Are there any legal issues? How much is owed?)
• Sample Income Statement (In an average year, how much is expected to be generated or spent?)

Every business will be different so remember that this template may need to be adapted. This guide is only intended as a starting point. Good luck!

The copyright of the article Business Plan Template in Business Management is owned by Stuart Cooke. Permission to republish Business Plan Template in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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