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Technology Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their technology businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a technology business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Technology Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your technology business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Tech Company

If you’re looking to start a technology business, or grow your existing technology business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your technology business in order to improve your chances of success. Your technology business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Technology Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a technology business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for technology businesses.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

If you want to start a technology business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your technology business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of technology business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a technology business that you would like to grow, or are you operating technology businesses in multiple markets?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the technology industry. Discuss the type of technology business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of technology business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of technology businesses:

• Network technology : this type of technology company specializes in providing the computers, printers, scanners, and phones within an organization and making sure they are all linked together in order to work seamlessly with one another.
• Software technology: this type of technology company specializes in providing and/or installing the appropriate software needed for the business. This will include the programs and productivity tools for the organization’s computer network.
• Customer relationship technology: this type of technology company focuses on providing a customer relationship management system (CRM) that keeps track of all customer interactions and information in order to consistently provide exceptional customer service.

In addition to explaining the type of technology business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of client companies served, number of positive reviews, reaching X amount of client companies served, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the technology industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the technology industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your technology business plan:

• How big is the technology industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your technology business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your technology business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, small businesses, and local companies that need technological services.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of technology business you operate. Clearly, large companies would respond to different marketing promotions than small businesses, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other technology companies. 

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes technology companies such as Geek Squad, local stores that sell and rehab tech equipment, online technology companies, etc.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other technology businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be technology businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of technology do they provide?
• What areas do they serve?
• What type of technology company are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Is your technology business more capable than the competition?
• Will you provide technology services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you provide faster technology service?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a technology business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of technology company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to technology services, will you provide computer repair, 24/7/365 service, phone installation, and any other services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your technology company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your technology business located near an office complex, an urban setting, or a busy neighborhood, etc. Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your technology marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Website and SEO marketing
• Commercials
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising
• Business networking

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your technology business, including updating technology, client communication and scheduling, marketing, and implementing and installing the new technology for a client.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to obtain your XXth client company, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your technology business to a new location.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your technology business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing technologys. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a technology business or are connected to a wide network of professional organizations that frequently utilize technology.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you take on one new client company at a time or multiple new client companies ? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your technology business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a technology business:

• Cost of technology to be installed
• Cost of software and equipment
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your list of technology services, types of clients you will be targeting, and the areas your technology business will serve.  

Putting together a business plan for your technology business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the technology industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful technology business.  

Technology Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my technology business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Technology Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of technology business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a technology business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of technology businesses?

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Technology business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how a Growthink business planning advisor can create your business plan for you.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Technology Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Technology Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your own Technology business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Technology businesses.

Technology Business Plan Example & Template

Below is a Technology business plan template and sample to help you create each section of your own business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Kearney Tech Inc., located in Houston, Texas is a tech startup that focuses on developing and commercializing new artificial intelligence (AI) technology applications designed for small-to-medium sized businesses. The company has created proprietary technology that helps businesses improve their profitability by using AI to increase customer engagement. We offer multiple products, including AI hardware, marketing AI software, and CRM AI software. Many of our most basic services are free, but the rest can be accessed by paying a subscription fee. By providing flexible and affordable subscription options for our clients, Kearney Tech Inc. aims to be the next big technology company in the AI space for small and medium-sized businesses.

Kearney Tech Inc. was founded and is led by Abigail Kearney. Abigail has been a senior software engineer for nearly 10 years and has extensive experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In addition to her experience, she has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and an MBA. Her education and experience are sure to lead Kearney Tech Inc. to success.

Product Offering

Kearney Tech Inc. will showcase a variety of different applications for its AI technology that companies can utilize to increase their customer engagement from day one. Businesses can choose the platform package that works for them, based on a freemium subscription pricing structure.

The following are the services that Kearney Tech Inc. will provide:

• AI Hardware
• Marketing AI Software
• Customer Relationship Management AI Software
• Customer Support AI Software
• Technology Training: Training sessions on how to use our AI solutions and integrate them into their businesses

Customer Focus

Kearney Tech Inc. will serve small to medium-sized businesses within a 30-mile radius of Houston, Texas. Many of the businesses in our target demographic are startups looking to expand their reach and thus would benefit from technology that can increase their customer base.

Management Team

Kearney Tech Inc. will also employ an experienced assistant to work as a business analyst and help with various administrative duties around the office. She will also hire several developers, salesmen, and other administrative staff to assist her.

Success Factors

Kearney Tech Inc. will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Management: Abigail Kearney has been extremely successful working in the technology industry and will be able to use her previous experience to provide the best service experience. Her unique qualifications will serve customers in a much more sophisticated manner than Kearney Tech Inc.’s competitors.
• Relationships: Abigail Kearney knows many of the local leaders, business managers, and other influencers within Houston, Texas. With her 10 years of experience and good relationships with business leaders in the area, she will be able to develop an initial client base.
• Proprietary technology : The company has developed proprietary AI technology that will be used to add new data sources, expand on valuable insights, launch advanced features like benchmarking, provide predictive and prescriptive analytics, and ensure self-guided data discovery.
• Client-oriented service: Kearney Tech Inc. will have full-time customer service and sales managers to keep in contact with clients and answer their everyday questions.

Financial Highlights

Kearney Tech Inc. is seeking a total funding of $400,000 of debt capital to open its office. The funding will be dedicated to office design, software development, marketing, and working capital. Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

• Office design/build: $50,000
• Software development: $150,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
• Marketing costs: $25,000
• Working capital: $25,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Kearney Tech Inc.:

Company Overview

Who is kearney tech inc..

Abigail began researching what it would take to create her own technology company and did a thorough analysis of the costs, market, demographics, and competition. Abigail has compiled enough information to develop her business plan in order to approach investors.

Kearney Tech Inc.’s History

Once her market analysis was complete, Abigail Kearney began surveying the local vacant office space and located an ideal location to house the technology company. Abigail Kearney incorporated Kearney Tech Inc. as a Limited Liability Corporation in April 2023.

Since incorporation, the company has achieved the following milestones:

• Located available office space for rent
• Developed the company’s name, logo, and website
• Determined equipment and necessary supplies
• Began recruiting key employees

Kearney Tech Inc. Services

Industry analysis.

As of 2021, the global technology industry was valued at approximately $5.2T. Of all countries worldwide, the United States currently has the largest technology market, with 32% of the market share at $1.7T. The technology industry in the U.S. accounts for a large part of the nation’s economy.

The Information Technology market can be segmented by categories such as software, devices, infrastructure IT and business services, emerging technology, and telecom services. In the United States, IT and business services hold the greatest market share (30%), followed by software (20%) and telecom services (20%).

Market drivers include the economy, employment rates, and the digital transformation of daily life for a growing number of people and businesses worldwide. Corporations and organizations are seeking IT service providers that can help improve their software, cybersecurity, data, and infrastructure. Technology companies that can provide products and services that cater to these issues can be competitive in the constantly evolving market.

Technology is an integral part of society. Developments in AI and machine learning are essential to keep society moving forward and make businesses more efficient. Therefore, businesses will always be in need of AI solutions to bring in more customers and streamline their services and products. According to Market Watch, the Technology industry is set to grow at a CAGR of 25.73% from now until 2027. Very few industries see this growth, which shows how much demand there is for technological solutions. Therefore, we expect Kearney Tech Inc. to see great success in our local market.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Kearney Tech Inc. will serve the small and medium-sized businesses of Houston, Texas, and the surrounding areas.

Many small businesses in the community are startups or established enterprises looking to expand their reach and thus would benefit from technology that can increase their customer engagement.

Customer Segmentation

Kearney Tech Inc. will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Small businesses
• Medium-sized businesses

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Kearney Tech Inc. will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.  

Tekuserv has been a reliable technology company in Houston, Texas for more than fifteen years. The company is known for its wide range of technology solutions that serve many small-to-medium-sized businesses. With its large number of experts focused on delivering customer satisfaction, the organization maintains its high standard of developing quality products and providing exceptional customer service. Tekuserv provides business software on a freemium subscription basis. It develops enterprise technology solutions with a focus on customer relationship management.  

Prime AI Business Solutions

Prime AI Business Solutions is a technology development company in Houston, Texas. In business for several years, the company has developed highly-rated AI solutions used by many well-known businesses in a variety of industries. Prime AI Business Solutions now offers a range of AI hardware and software products geared toward helping businesses of all sizes increase their customer base. The company has also introduced a “pay-as-you-grow” pricing model that scales to provide users with more support as they scale up.  

AICE Developments

AICE stands for Artificial Intelligence for Customer Engagement. AICE Developments is also a local technology company that manufactures and distributes a variety of technology products. AICE Developments was established in 2009 in Houston, Texas, providing integrated AI applications and platform services. Its products include applications and infrastructure offerings delivered through various IT deployment models, including on-premise deployments, cloud-based deployments, and hybrid deployments. The company serves automotive, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, retail, utilities, construction, etc. It provides AI solutions for enterprise marketing and customer engagement.

Competitive Advantage

Kearney Tech Inc. will be able to offer the following advantages over the competition:

• Proprietary technology: The company has developed proprietary AI technology that will be used to add new data sources, expand on valuable insights, launch advanced features like benchmarking, provide predictive and prescriptive analytics, and ensure self-guided data discovery.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Kearney Tech Inc. will offer a unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Service built on long-term relationships
• Big-firm expertise in a small-firm environment
• Thorough knowledge of the clients and their varying needs
• Proprietary technology developed by skilled software engineers

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Kearney Tech Inc. is as follows:

Kearney Tech Inc. understands that the best promotion comes from satisfied customers. The company will encourage its clients to refer other businesses by providing economic or financial incentives for every new client produced. This strategy will increase in effectiveness after the business has already been established.

Social Media

Kearney Tech Inc. will invest heavily in a social media advertising campaign. The brand manager will create the company’s social media accounts and invest in ads on all social media platforms. It will use targeted marketing to appeal to the target demographics.

Website/SEO

Kearney Tech Inc. will invest heavily in developing a professional website that displays all of the features and benefits of the technology company. It will also invest heavily in SEO so that the brand’s website will appear at the top of search engine results.

Direct Mail

Kearney Tech Inc. will blanket businesses with direct mail pieces. These pieces will provide general information on Kearney Tech Inc., offer discounts, and/or provide other incentives for companies to use the AI platform.

Kearney Tech Inc.’s pricing will be on par with competitors so clients feel they receive great value when purchasing the technology.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Kearney Tech Inc.:

Operation Functions:

• Abigail Kearney will be the Owner and CEO of the company. She will oversee all the operations and executive functions of the company. In the beginning, she will also provide customer support and market/sell AI products to potential clients.
• Abigail will employ an experienced assistant to work as a business analyst and help with various administrative duties around the office.
• Abigail will also hire several developers to maintain and develop AI products and services.
• Abigail will also hire a solid sales team to sell our products to potential clients. As the company grows, she will also hire a team that is solely dedicated to customer service.

Milestones:

Kearney Tech Inc. will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

5/2023 – Finalize lease agreement

6/2023 – Design and build out Kearney Tech Inc.

7/2023 – Hire and train initial staff

8/2023 – Kickoff of promotional campaign

9/2023 – Launch Kearney Tech Inc.

10/2023 – Reach break-even

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

Kearney Tech Inc.’s revenues will come primarily from its technology solution subscription sales. The company will use a freemium subscription model, in which basic functions can be used by any company for free. Additional solutions and support will be available in a tiered package model based on the enterprises’ size and the number of users.

The office lease, equipment, supplies, and labor expenses will be the key cost drivers of Kearney Tech Inc. Ongoing marketing expenditures are also notable cost drivers for Kearney Tech Inc.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and pay off the startup business loan.

• Average number of clients per month
• Annual rent: $20,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, technology business plan faqs, what is a technology business plan.

A technology business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your technology business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections. You can easily complete your Technology business plan using our Technology Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Technology Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of technology businesses, some examples include: Network technology, Software technology, and Customer relationship technology.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Technology Business Plan?

Technology businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Technology Business?

Starting a technology business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Technology Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed technology business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your technology business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your technology business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Technology Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your technology business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your technology business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Technology Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your technology business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation.

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your technology business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Learn more about how to start a successful Technology business: How to Start a Tech Company

• Sources of Business Finance
• Small Business Loans
• Small Business Grants
• Crowdfunding Sites
• How to Get a Business Loan
• Small Business Insurance Providers
• Best Factoring Companies
• Types of Bank Accounts
• Best Banks for Small Business
• Best Business Bank Accounts
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Bank Accounts for Small Businesses
• Free Business Checking Accounts
• Best Business Credit Cards
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Business Credit Cards for Bad Credit
• Build Business Credit Fast
• Business Loan Eligibility Criteria
• Small-Business Bookkeeping Basics
• How to Set Financial Goals
• Business Loan Calculators
• How to Calculate ROI
• Calculate Net Income
• Calculate Working Capital
• Calculate Operating Income
• Calculate Net Present Value (NPV)
• Calculate Payroll Tax

How to Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (+ Template and Examples)

Every successful business has one thing in common, a good and well-executed business plan. A business plan is more than a document, it is a complete guide that outlines the goals your business wants to achieve, including its financial goals . It helps you analyze results, make strategic decisions, show your business operations and growth.

If you want to start a business or already have one and need to pitch it to investors for funding, writing a good business plan improves your chances of attracting financiers. As a startup, if you want to secure loans from financial institutions, part of the requirements involve submitting your business plan.

Writing a business plan does not have to be a complicated or time-consuming process. In this article, you will learn the step-by-step process for writing a successful business plan.

You will also learn what you need a business plan for, tips and strategies for writing a convincing business plan, business plan examples and templates that will save you tons of time, and the alternatives to the traditional business plan.

Let’s get started.

What Do You Need A Business Plan For?

Businesses create business plans for different purposes such as to secure funds, monitor business growth, measure your marketing strategies, and measure your business success.

1. Secure Funds

One of the primary reasons for writing a business plan is to secure funds, either from financial institutions/agencies or investors.

For you to effectively acquire funds, your business plan must contain the key elements of your business plan . For example, your business plan should include your growth plans, goals you want to achieve, and milestones you have recorded.

A business plan can also attract new business partners that are willing to contribute financially and intellectually. If you are writing a business plan to a bank, your project must show your traction , that is, the proof that you can pay back any loan borrowed.

Also, if you are writing to an investor, your plan must contain evidence that you can effectively utilize the funds you want them to invest in your business. Here, you are using your business plan to persuade a group or an individual that your business is a source of a good investment.

2. Monitor Business Growth

A business plan can help you track cash flows in your business. It steers your business to greater heights. A business plan capable of tracking business growth should contain:

• The business goals
• Methods to achieve the goals
• Time-frame for attaining those goals

A good business plan should guide you through every step in achieving your goals. It can also track the allocation of assets to every aspect of the business. You can tell when you are spending more than you should on a project.

You can compare a business plan to a written GPS. It helps you manage your business and hints at the right time to expand your business.

3. Measure Business Success

A business plan can help you measure your business success rate. Some small-scale businesses are thriving better than more prominent companies because of their track record of success.

Right from the onset of your business operation, set goals and work towards them. Write a plan to guide you through your procedures. Use your plan to measure how much you have achieved and how much is left to attain.

You can also weigh your success by monitoring the position of your brand relative to competitors. On the other hand, a business plan can also show you why you have not achieved a goal. It can tell if you have elapsed the time frame you set to attain a goal.

4. Document Your Marketing Strategies

You can use a business plan to document your marketing plans. Every business should have an effective marketing plan.

Competition mandates every business owner to go the extraordinary mile to remain relevant in the market. Your business plan should contain your marketing strategies that work. You can measure the success rate of your marketing plans.

In your business plan, your marketing strategy must answer the questions:

• How do you want to reach your target audience?
• How do you plan to retain your customers?
• What is/are your pricing plans?
• What is your budget for marketing?

How to Write a Business Plan Step-by-Step

1. create your executive summary.

The executive summary is a snapshot of your business or a high-level overview of your business purposes and plans . Although the executive summary is the first section in your business plan, most people write it last. The length of the executive summary is not more than two pages.

Generally, there are nine sections in a business plan, the executive summary should condense essential ideas from the other eight sections.

A good executive summary should do the following:

• A Snapshot of Growth Potential. Briefly inform the reader about your company and why it will be successful)
• Contain your Mission Statement which explains what the main objective or focus of your business is.
• Product Description and Differentiation. Brief description of your products or services and why it is different from other solutions in the market.
• The Team. Basic information about your company’s leadership team and employees
• Business Concept. A solid description of what your business does.
• Target Market. The customers you plan to sell to.
• Marketing Strategy. Your plans on reaching and selling to your customers
• Current Financial State. Brief information about what revenue your business currently generates.
• Projected Financial State. Brief information about what you foresee your business revenue to be in the future.

The executive summary is the make-or-break section of your business plan. If your summary cannot in less than two pages cannot clearly describe how your business will solve a particular problem of your target audience and make a profit, your business plan is set on a faulty foundation.

Avoid using the executive summary to hype your business, instead, focus on helping the reader understand the what and how of your plan.

View the executive summary as an opportunity to introduce your vision for your company. You know your executive summary is powerful when it can answer these key questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• What sector or industry are you in?
• What are your products and services?
• What is the future of your industry?
• Is your company scaleable?
• Who are the owners and leaders of your company? What are their backgrounds and experience levels?
• What is the motivation for starting your company?
• What are the next steps?

Writing the executive summary last although it is the most important section of your business plan is an excellent idea. The reason why is because it is a high-level overview of your business plan. It is the section that determines whether potential investors and lenders will read further or not.

The executive summary can be a stand-alone document that covers everything in your business plan. It is not uncommon for investors to request only the executive summary when evaluating your business. If the information in the executive summary impresses them, they will ask for the complete business plan.

If you are writing your business plan for your planning purposes, you do not need to write the executive summary.

2. Add Your Company Overview

The company overview or description is the next section in your business plan after the executive summary. It describes what your business does.

Adding your company overview can be tricky especially when your business is still in the planning stages. Existing businesses can easily summarize their current operations but may encounter difficulties trying to explain what they plan to become.

Your company overview should contain the following:

• What products and services you will provide
• Geographical markets and locations your company have a presence
• What you need to run your business
• Who your target audience or customers are
• Who will service your customers
• Your company’s purpose, mission, and vision
• Information about your company’s founders
• Who the founders are
• Notable achievements of your company so far

When creating a company overview, you have to focus on three basics: identifying your industry, identifying your customer, and explaining the problem you solve.

If you are stuck when creating your company overview, try to answer some of these questions that pertain to you.

• Who are you targeting? (The answer is not everyone)
• What pain point does your product or service solve for your customers that they will be willing to spend money on resolving?
• How does your product or service overcome that pain point?
• Where is the location of your business?
• What products, equipment, and services do you need to run your business?
• How is your company’s product or service different from your competition in the eyes of your customers?
• How many employees do you need and what skills do you require them to have?

After answering some or all of these questions, you will get more than enough information you need to write your company overview or description section. When writing this section, describe what your company does for your customers.

The company description or overview section contains three elements: mission statement, history, and objectives.

• Mission Statement

The mission statement refers to the reason why your business or company is existing. It goes beyond what you do or sell, it is about the ‘why’. A good mission statement should be emotional and inspirational.

Your mission statement should follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid). For example, Shopify’s mission statement is “Make commerce better for everyone.”

When describing your company’s history, make it simple and avoid the temptation of tying it to a defensive narrative. Write it in the manner you would a profile. Your company’s history should include the following information:

• Founding Date
• Major Milestones
• Location(s)
• Flagship Products or Services
• Number of Employees
• Executive Leadership Roles

When you fill in this information, you use it to write one or two paragraphs about your company’s history.

Business Objectives

Your business objective must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.) Failure to clearly identify your business objectives does not inspire confidence and makes it hard for your team members to work towards a common purpose.

3. Perform Market and Competitive Analyses to Proof a Big Enough Business Opportunity

The third step in writing a business plan is the market and competitive analysis section. Every business, no matter the size, needs to perform comprehensive market and competitive analyses before it enters into a market.

Performing market and competitive analyses are critical for the success of your business. It helps you avoid entering the right market with the wrong product, or vice versa. Anyone reading your business plans, especially financiers and financial institutions will want to see proof that there is a big enough business opportunity you are targeting.

This section is where you describe the market and industry you want to operate in and show the big opportunities in the market that your business can leverage to make a profit. If you noticed any unique trends when doing your research, show them in this section.

Market analysis alone is not enough, you have to add competitive analysis to strengthen this section. There are already businesses in the industry or market, how do you plan to take a share of the market from them?

You have to clearly illustrate the competitive landscape in your business plan. Are there areas your competitors are doing well? Are there areas where they are not doing so well? Show it.

Make it clear in this section why you are moving into the industry and what weaknesses are present there that you plan to explain. How are your competitors going to react to your market entry? How do you plan to get customers? Do you plan on taking your competitors' competitors, tap into other sources for customers, or both?

Illustrate the competitive landscape as well. What are your competitors doing well and not so well?

Answering these questions and thoughts will aid your market and competitive analysis of the opportunities in your space. Depending on how sophisticated your industry is, or the expectations of your financiers, you may need to carry out a more comprehensive market and competitive analysis to prove that big business opportunity.

Instead of looking at the market and competitive analyses as one entity, separating them will make the research even more comprehensive.

Market Analysis

Market analysis, boarding speaking, refers to research a business carried out on its industry, market, and competitors. It helps businesses gain a good understanding of their target market and the outlook of their industry. Before starting a company, it is vital to carry out market research to find out if the market is viable.

The market analysis section is a key part of the business plan. It is the section where you identify who your best clients or customers are. You cannot omit this section, without it your business plan is incomplete.

A good market analysis will tell your readers how you fit into the existing market and what makes you stand out. This section requires in-depth research, it will probably be the most time-consuming part of the business plan to write.

• Market Research

To create a compelling market analysis that will win over investors and financial institutions, you have to carry out thorough market research . Your market research should be targeted at your primary target market for your products or services. Here is what you want to find out about your target market.

• Your target market’s needs or pain points
• The existing solutions for their pain points
• Geographic Location
• Demographics

The purpose of carrying out a marketing analysis is to get all the information you need to show that you have a solid and thorough understanding of your target audience.

Only after you have fully understood the people you plan to sell your products or services to, can you evaluate correctly if your target market will be interested in your products or services.

You can easily convince interested parties to invest in your business if you can show them you thoroughly understand the market and show them that there is a market for your products or services.

How to Quantify Your Target Market

One of the goals of your marketing research is to understand who your ideal customers are and their purchasing power. To quantify your target market, you have to determine the following:

• Your Potential Customers: They are the people you plan to target. For example, if you sell accounting software for small businesses , then anyone who runs an enterprise or large business is unlikely to be your customers. Also, individuals who do not have a business will most likely not be interested in your product.
• Total Households: If you are selling household products such as heating and air conditioning systems, determining the number of total households is more important than finding out the total population in the area you want to sell to. The logic is simple, people buy the product but it is the household that uses it.
• Median Income: You need to know the median income of your target market. If you target a market that cannot afford to buy your products and services, your business will not last long.
• Income by Demographics: If your potential customers belong to a certain age group or gender, determining income levels by demographics is necessary. For example, if you sell men's clothes, your target audience is men.

What Does a Good Market Analysis Entail?

Your business does not exist on its own, it can only flourish within an industry and alongside competitors. Market analysis takes into consideration your industry, target market, and competitors. Understanding these three entities will drastically improve your company’s chances of success.

You can view your market analysis as an examination of the market you want to break into and an education on the emerging trends and themes in that market. Good market analyses include the following:

• Industry Description. You find out about the history of your industry, the current and future market size, and who the largest players/companies are in your industry.
• Overview of Target Market. You research your target market and its characteristics. Who are you targeting? Note, it cannot be everyone, it has to be a specific group. You also have to find out all information possible about your customers that can help you understand how and why they make buying decisions.
• Size of Target Market: You need to know the size of your target market, how frequently they buy, and the expected quantity they buy so you do not risk overproducing and having lots of bad inventory. Researching the size of your target market will help you determine if it is big enough for sustained business or not.
• Growth Potential: Before picking a target market, you want to be sure there are lots of potential for future growth. You want to avoid going for an industry that is declining slowly or rapidly with almost zero growth potential.
• Market Share Potential: Does your business stand a good chance of taking a good share of the market?
• Market Pricing and Promotional Strategies: Your market analysis should give you an idea of the price point you can expect to charge for your products and services. Researching your target market will also give you ideas of pricing strategies you can implement to break into the market or to enjoy maximum profits.
• Potential Barriers to Entry: One of the biggest benefits of conducting market analysis is that it shows you every potential barrier to entry your business will likely encounter. It is a good idea to discuss potential barriers to entry such as changing technology. It informs readers of your business plan that you understand the market.
• Research on Competitors: You need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and how you can exploit them for the benefit of your business. Find patterns and trends among your competitors that make them successful, discover what works and what doesn’t, and see what you can do better.

The market analysis section is not just for talking about your target market, industry, and competitors. You also have to explain how your company can fill the hole you have identified in the market.

Here are some questions you can answer that can help you position your product or service in a positive light to your readers.

• Is your product or service of superior quality?
• What additional features do you offer that your competitors do not offer?
• Are you targeting a ‘new’ market?

Basically, your market analysis should include an analysis of what already exists in the market and an explanation of how your company fits into the market.

Competitive Analysis

In the competitive analysis section, y ou have to understand who your direct and indirect competitions are, and how successful they are in the marketplace. It is the section where you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, the advantage(s) they possess in the market and show the unique features or qualities that make you different from your competitors.

Many businesses do market analysis and competitive analysis together. However, to fully understand what the competitive analysis entails, it is essential to separate it from the market analysis.

Competitive analysis for your business can also include analysis on how to overcome barriers to entry in your target market.

The primary goal of conducting a competitive analysis is to distinguish your business from your competitors. A strong competitive analysis is essential if you want to convince potential funding sources to invest in your business. You have to show potential investors and lenders that your business has what it takes to compete in the marketplace successfully.

Competitive analysis will s how you what the strengths of your competition are and what they are doing to maintain that advantage.

When doing your competitive research, you first have to identify your competitor and then get all the information you can about them. The idea of spending time to identify your competitor and learn everything about them may seem daunting but it is well worth it.

Find answers to the following questions after you have identified who your competitors are.

• What are your successful competitors doing?
• Why is what they are doing working?
• Can your business do it better?
• What are the weaknesses of your successful competitors?
• What are they not doing well?
• Can your business turn its weaknesses into strengths?
• How good is your competitors’ customer service?
• Where do your competitors invest in advertising?
• What sales and pricing strategies are they using?
• What marketing strategies are they using?
• What kind of press coverage do they get?
• What are their customers saying about your competitors (both the positive and negative)?

If your competitors have a website, it is a good idea to visit their websites for more competitors’ research. Check their “About Us” page for more information.

If you are presenting your business plan to investors, you need to clearly distinguish yourself from your competitors. Investors can easily tell when you have not properly researched your competitors.

Take time to think about what unique qualities or features set you apart from your competitors. If you do not have any direct competition offering your product to the market, it does not mean you leave out the competitor analysis section blank. Instead research on other companies that are providing a similar product, or whose product is solving the problem your product solves.

The next step is to create a table listing the top competitors you want to include in your business plan. Ensure you list your business as the last and on the right. What you just created is known as the competitor analysis table.

Direct vs Indirect Competition

You cannot know if your product or service will be a fit for your target market if you have not understood your business and the competitive landscape.

There is no market you want to target where you will not encounter competition, even if your product is innovative. Including competitive analysis in your business plan is essential.

If you are entering an established market, you need to explain how you plan to differentiate your products from the available options in the market. Also, include a list of few companies that you view as your direct competitors The competition you face in an established market is your direct competition.

In situations where you are entering a market with no direct competition, it does not mean there is no competition there. Consider your indirect competition that offers substitutes for the products or services you offer.

For example, if you sell an innovative SaaS product, let us say a project management software , a company offering time management software is your indirect competition.

There is an easy way to find out who your indirect competitors are in the absence of no direct competitors. You simply have to research how your potential customers are solving the problems that your product or service seeks to solve. That is your direct competition.

Factors that Differentiate Your Business from the Competition

There are three main factors that any business can use to differentiate itself from its competition. They are cost leadership, product differentiation, and market segmentation.

1. Cost Leadership

A strategy you can impose to maximize your profits and gain an edge over your competitors. It involves offering lower prices than what the majority of your competitors are offering.

A common practice among businesses looking to enter into a market where there are dominant players is to use free trials or pricing to attract as many customers as possible to their offer.

2. Product Differentiation

Your product or service should have a unique selling proposition (USP) that your competitors do not have or do not stress in their marketing.

Part of the marketing strategy should involve making your products unique and different from your competitors. It does not have to be different from your competitors, it can be the addition to a feature or benefit that your competitors do not currently have.

3. Market Segmentation

As a new business seeking to break into an industry, you will gain more success from focusing on a specific niche or target market, and not the whole industry.

If your competitors are focused on a general need or target market, you can differentiate yourself from them by having a small and hyper-targeted audience. For example, if your competitors are selling men’s clothes in their online stores , you can sell hoodies for men.

4. Define Your Business and Management Structure

The next step in your business plan is your business and management structure. It is the section where you describe the legal structure of your business and the team running it.

Your business is only as good as the management team that runs it, while the management team can only strive when there is a proper business and management structure in place.

If your company is a sole proprietor or a limited liability company (LLC), a general or limited partnership, or a C or an S corporation, state it clearly in this section.

Use an organizational chart to show the management structure in your business. Clearly show who is in charge of what area in your company. It is where you show how each key manager or team leader’s unique experience can contribute immensely to the success of your company. You can also opt to add the resumes and CVs of the key players in your company.

The business and management structure section should show who the owner is, and other owners of the businesses (if the business has other owners). For businesses or companies with multiple owners, include the percent ownership of the various owners and clearly show the extent of each others’ involvement in the company.

Investors want to know who is behind the company and the team running it to determine if it has the right management to achieve its set goals.

Management Team

The management team section is where you show that you have the right team in place to successfully execute the business operations and ideas. Take time to create the management structure for your business. Think about all the important roles and responsibilities that you need managers for to grow your business.

Include brief bios of each key team member and ensure you highlight only the relevant information that is needed. If your team members have background industry experience or have held top positions for other companies and achieved success while filling that role, highlight it in this section.

A common mistake that many startups make is assigning C-level titles such as (CMO and CEO) to everyone on their team. It is unrealistic for a small business to have those titles. While it may look good on paper for the ego of your team members, it can prevent investors from investing in your business.

Instead of building an unrealistic management structure that does not fit your business reality, it is best to allow business titles to grow as the business grows. Starting everyone at the top leaves no room for future change or growth, which is bad for productivity.

Your management team does not have to be complete before you start writing your business plan. You can have a complete business plan even when there are managerial positions that are empty and need filling.

If you have management gaps in your team, simply show the gaps and indicate you are searching for the right candidates for the role(s). Investors do not expect you to have a full management team when you are just starting your business.

Key Questions to Answer When Structuring Your Management Team

• Who are the key leaders?
• What experiences, skills, and educational backgrounds do you expect your key leaders to have?
• Do your key leaders have industry experience?
• What positions will they fill and what duties will they perform in those positions?
• What level of authority do the key leaders have and what are their responsibilities?
• What is the salary for the various management positions that will attract the ideal candidates?

Additional Tips for Writing the Management Structure Section

1. Avoid Adding ‘Ghost’ Names to Your Management Team

There is always that temptation to include a ‘ghost’ name to your management team to attract and influence investors to invest in your business. Although the presence of these celebrity management team members may attract the attention of investors, it can cause your business to lose any credibility if you get found out.

Seasoned investors will investigate further the members of your management team before committing fully to your business If they find out that the celebrity name used does not play any actual role in your business, they will not invest and may write you off as dishonest.

2. Focus on Credentials But Pay Extra Attention to the Roles

Investors want to know the experience that your key team members have to determine if they can successfully reach the company’s growth and financial goals.

While it is an excellent boost for your key management team to have the right credentials, you also want to pay extra attention to the roles they will play in your company.

Organizational Chart

Adding an organizational chart in this section of your business plan is not necessary, you can do it in your business plan’s appendix.

If you are exploring funding options, it is not uncommon to get asked for your organizational chart. The function of an organizational chart goes beyond raising money, you can also use it as a useful planning tool for your business.

An organizational chart can help you identify how best to structure your management team for maximum productivity and point you towards key roles you need to fill in the future.

You can use the organizational chart to show your company’s internal management structure such as the roles and responsibilities of your management team, and relationships that exist between them.

5. Describe Your Product and Service Offering

In your business plan, you have to describe what you sell or the service you plan to offer. It is the next step after defining your business and management structure. The products and services section is where you sell the benefits of your business.

Here you have to explain how your product or service will benefit your customers and describe your product lifecycle. It is also the section where you write down your plans for intellectual property like patent filings and copyrighting.

The research and development that you are undertaking for your product or service need to be explained in detail in this section. However, do not get too technical, sell the general idea and its benefits.

If you have any diagrams or intricate designs of your product or service, do not include them in the products and services section. Instead, leave them for the addendum page. Also, if you are leaving out diagrams or designs for the addendum, ensure you add this phrase “For more detail, visit the addendum Page #.”

Your product and service section in your business plan should include the following:

• A detailed explanation that clearly shows how your product or service works.
• The pricing model for your product or service.
• Your business’ sales and distribution strategy.
• The ideal customers that want your product or service.
• The benefits of your products and services.
• Reason(s) why your product or service is a better alternative to what your competitors are currently offering in the market.
• Plans for filling the orders you receive
• If you have current or pending patents, copyrights, and trademarks for your product or service, you can also discuss them in this section.

What to Focus On When Describing the Benefits, Lifecycle, and Production Process of Your Products or Services

In the products and services section, you have to distill the benefits, lifecycle, and production process of your products and services.

When describing the benefits of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Unique features
• Translating the unique features into benefits
• The emotional, psychological, and practical payoffs to attract customers
• Intellectual property rights or any patents

When describing the product life cycle of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Upsells, cross-sells, and down-sells
• Time between purchases
• Plans for research and development.

When describing the production process for your products or services, you need to think about the following:

• The creation of new or existing products and services.
• The sources for the raw materials or components you need for production.
• Assembling the products
• Maintaining quality control
• Supply-chain logistics (receiving the raw materials and delivering the finished products)
• The day-to-day management of the production processes, bookkeeping, and inventory.

Tips for Writing the Products or Services Section of Your Business Plan

1. Avoid Technical Descriptions and Industry Buzzwords

The products and services section of your business plan should clearly describe the products and services that your company provides. However, it is not a section to include technical jargons that anyone outside your industry will not understand.

A good practice is to remove highly detailed or technical descriptions in favor of simple terms. Industry buzzwords are not necessary, if there are simpler terms you can use, then use them. If you plan to use your business plan to source funds, making the product or service section so technical will do you no favors.

2. Describe How Your Products or Services Differ from Your Competitors

When potential investors look at your business plan, they want to know how the products and services you are offering differ from that of your competition. Differentiating your products or services from your competition in a way that makes your solution more attractive is critical.

If you are going the innovative path and there is no market currently for your product or service, you need to describe in this section why the market needs your product or service.

For example, overnight delivery was a niche business that only a few companies were participating in. Federal Express (FedEx) had to show in its business plan that there was a large opportunity for that service and they justified why the market needed that service.

3. Long or Short Products or Services Section

Should your products or services section be short? Does the long products or services section attract more investors?

There are no straightforward answers to these questions. Whether your products or services section should be long or relatively short depends on the nature of your business.

If your business is product-focused, then automatically you need to use more space to describe the details of your products. However, if the product your business sells is a commodity item that relies on competitive pricing or other pricing strategies, you do not have to use up so much space to provide significant details about the product.

Likewise, if you are selling a commodity that is available in numerous outlets, then you do not have to spend time on writing a long products or services section.

The key to the success of your business is most likely the effectiveness of your marketing strategies compared to your competitors. Use more space to address that section.

If you are creating a new product or service that the market does not know about, your products or services section can be lengthy. The reason why is because you need to explain everything about the product or service such as the nature of the product, its use case, and values.

A short products or services section for an innovative product or service will not give the readers enough information to properly evaluate your business.

4. Describe Your Relationships with Vendors or Suppliers

Your business will rely on vendors or suppliers to supply raw materials or the components needed to make your products. In your products and services section, describe your relationships with your vendors and suppliers fully.

Avoid the mistake of relying on only one supplier or vendor. If that supplier or vendor fails to supply or goes out of business, you can easily face supply problems and struggle to meet your demands. Plan to set up multiple vendor or supplier relationships for better business stability.

5. Your Primary Goal Is to Convince Your Readers

The primary goal of your business plan is to convince your readers that your business is viable and to create a guide for your business to follow. It applies to the products and services section.

When drafting this section, think like the reader. See your reader as someone who has no idea about your products and services. You are using the products and services section to provide the needed information to help your reader understand your products and services. As a result, you have to be clear and to the point.

While you want to educate your readers about your products or services, you also do not want to bore them with lots of technical details. Show your products and services and not your fancy choice of words.

Your products and services section should provide the answer to the “what” question for your business. You and your management team may run the business, but it is your products and services that are the lifeblood of the business.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing your Products and Services Section

Answering these questions can help you write your products and services section quickly and in a way that will appeal to your readers.

• Are your products existing on the market or are they still in the development stage?
• What is your timeline for adding new products and services to the market?
• What are the positives that make your products and services different from your competitors?
• Do your products and services have any competitive advantage that your competitors’ products and services do not currently have?
• Do your products or services have any competitive disadvantages that you need to overcome to compete with your competitors? If your answer is yes, state how you plan to overcome them,
• How much does it cost to produce your products or services? How much do you plan to sell it for?
• What is the price for your products and services compared to your competitors? Is pricing an issue?
• What are your operating costs and will it be low enough for you to compete with your competitors and still take home a reasonable profit margin?
• What is your plan for acquiring your products? Are you involved in the production of your products or services?
• Are you the manufacturer and produce all the components you need to create your products? Do you assemble your products by using components supplied by other manufacturers? Do you purchase your products directly from suppliers or wholesalers?
• Do you have a steady supply of products that you need to start your business? (If your business is yet to kick-off)
• How do you plan to distribute your products or services to the market?

You can also hint at the marketing or promotion plans you have for your products or services such as how you plan to build awareness or retain customers. The next section is where you can go fully into details about your business’s marketing and sales plan.

6. Show and Explain Your Marketing and Sales Plan

Providing great products and services is wonderful, but it means nothing if you do not have a marketing and sales plan to inform your customers about them. Your marketing and sales plan is critical to the success of your business.

The sales and marketing section is where you show and offer a detailed explanation of your marketing and sales plan and how you plan to execute it. It covers your pricing plan, proposed advertising and promotion activities, activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success, and the benefits of your products and services.

There are several ways you can approach your marketing and sales strategy. Ideally, your marketing and sales strategy has to fit the unique needs of your business.

In this section, you describe how the plans your business has for attracting and retaining customers, and the exact process for making a sale happen. It is essential to thoroughly describe your complete marketing and sales plans because you are still going to reference this section when you are making financial projections for your business.

Outline Your Business’ Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The sales and marketing section is where you outline your business’s unique selling proposition (USP). When you are developing your unique selling proposition, think about the strongest reasons why people should buy from you over your competition. That reason(s) is most likely a good fit to serve as your unique selling proposition (USP).

Target Market and Target Audience

Plans on how to get your products or services to your target market and how to get your target audience to buy them go into this section. You also highlight the strengths of your business here, particularly what sets them apart from your competition.

Before you start writing your marketing and sales plan, you need to have properly defined your target audience and fleshed out your buyer persona. If you do not first understand the individual you are marketing to, your marketing and sales plan will lack any substance and easily fall.

Creating a Smart Marketing and Sales Plan

Marketing your products and services is an investment that requires you to spend money. Like any other investment, you have to generate a good return on investment (ROI) to justify using that marketing and sales plan. Good marketing and sales plans bring in high sales and profits to your company.

Avoid spending money on unproductive marketing channels. Do your research and find out the best marketing and sales plan that works best for your company.

Your marketing and sales plan can be broken into different parts: your positioning statement, pricing, promotion, packaging, advertising, public relations, content marketing, social media, and strategic alliances.

Your Positioning Statement

Your positioning statement is the first part of your marketing and sales plan. It refers to the way you present your company to your customers.

Are you the premium solution, the low-price solution, or are you the intermediary between the two extremes in the market? What do you offer that your competitors do not that can give you leverage in the market?

Before you start writing your positioning statement, you need to spend some time evaluating the current market conditions. Here are some questions that can help you to evaluate the market

• What are the unique features or benefits that you offer that your competitors lack?
• What are your customers’ primary needs and wants?
• Why should a customer choose you over your competition? How do you plan to differentiate yourself from the competition?
• How does your company’s solution compare with other solutions in the market?

After answering these questions, then you can start writing your positioning statement. Your positioning statement does not have to be in-depth or too long.

All you need to explain with your positioning statement are two focus areas. The first is the position of your company within the competitive landscape. The other focus area is the core value proposition that sets your company apart from other alternatives that your ideal customer might consider.

Here is a simple template you can use to develop a positioning statement.

For [description of target market] who [need of target market], [product or service] [how it meets the need]. Unlike [top competition], it [most essential distinguishing feature].

For example, let’s create the positioning statement for fictional accounting software and QuickBooks alternative , TBooks.

“For small business owners who need accounting services, TBooks is an accounting software that helps small businesses handle their small business bookkeeping basics quickly and easily. Unlike Wave, TBooks gives small businesses access to live sessions with top accountants.”

You can edit this positioning statement sample and fill it with your business details.

After writing your positioning statement, the next step is the pricing of your offerings. The overall positioning strategy you set in your positioning statement will often determine how you price your products or services.

Pricing is a powerful tool that sends a strong message to your customers. Failure to get your pricing strategy right can make or mar your business. If you are targeting a low-income audience, setting a premium price can result in low sales.

You can use pricing to communicate your positioning to your customers. For example, if you are offering a product at a premium price, you are sending a message to your customers that the product belongs to the premium category.

Basic Rules to Follow When Pricing Your Offering

Setting a price for your offering involves more than just putting a price tag on it. Deciding on the right pricing for your offering requires following some basic rules. They include covering your costs, primary and secondary profit center pricing, and matching the market rate.

• Covering Your Costs: The price you set for your products or service should be more than it costs you to produce and deliver them. Every business has the same goal, to make a profit. Depending on the strategy you want to use, there are exceptions to this rule. However, the vast majority of businesses follow this rule.
• Primary and Secondary Profit Center Pricing: When a company sets its price above the cost of production, it is making that product its primary profit center. A company can also decide not to make its initial price its primary profit center by selling below or at even with its production cost. It rather depends on the support product or even maintenance that is associated with the initial purchase to make its profit. The initial price thus became its secondary profit center.
• Matching the Market Rate: A good rule to follow when pricing your products or services is to match your pricing with consumer demand and expectations. If you price your products or services beyond the price your customer perceives as the ideal price range, you may end up with no customers. Pricing your products too low below what your customer perceives as the ideal price range may lead to them undervaluing your offering.

Pricing Strategy

Your pricing strategy influences the price of your offering. There are several pricing strategies available for you to choose from when examining the right pricing strategy for your business. They include cost-plus pricing, market-based pricing, value pricing, and more.

• Cost-plus Pricing: This strategy is one of the simplest and oldest pricing strategies. Here you consider the cost of producing a unit of your product and then add a profit to it to arrive at your market price. It is an effective pricing strategy for manufacturers because it helps them cover their initial costs. Another name for the cost-plus pricing strategy is the markup pricing strategy.
• Market-based Pricing: This pricing strategy analyses the market including competitors’ pricing and then sets a price based on what the market is expecting. With this pricing strategy, you can either set your price at the low-end or high-end of the market.
• Value Pricing: This pricing strategy involves setting a price based on the value you are providing to your customer. When adopting a value-based pricing strategy, you have to set a price that your customers are willing to pay. Service-based businesses such as small business insurance providers , luxury goods sellers, and the fashion industry use this pricing strategy.

After carefully sorting out your positioning statement and pricing, the next item to look at is your promotional strategy. Your promotional strategy explains how you plan on communicating with your customers and prospects.

As a business, you must measure all your costs, including the cost of your promotions. You also want to measure how much sales your promotions bring for your business to determine its usefulness. Promotional strategies or programs that do not lead to profit need to be removed.

There are different types of promotional strategies you can adopt for your business, they include advertising, public relations, and content marketing.

Advertising

Your business plan should include your advertising plan which can be found in the marketing and sales plan section. You need to include an overview of your advertising plans such as the areas you plan to spend money on to advertise your business and offers.

Ensure that you make it clear in this section if your business will be advertising online or using the more traditional offline media, or the combination of both online and offline media. You can also include the advertising medium you want to use to raise awareness about your business and offers.

Some common online advertising mediums you can use include social media ads, landing pages, sales pages, SEO, Pay-Per-Click, emails, Google Ads, and others. Some common traditional and offline advertising mediums include word of mouth, radios, direct mail, televisions, flyers, billboards, posters, and others.

A key component of your advertising strategy is how you plan to measure the effectiveness and success of your advertising campaign. There is no point in sticking with an advertising plan or medium that does not produce results for your business in the long run.

Public Relations

A great way to reach your customers is to get the media to cover your business or product. Publicity, especially good ones, should be a part of your marketing and sales plan. In this section, show your plans for getting prominent reviews of your product from reputable publications and sources.

Your business needs that exposure to grow. If public relations is a crucial part of your promotional strategy, provide details about your public relations plan here.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a popular promotional strategy used by businesses to inform and attract their customers. It is about teaching and educating your prospects on various topics of interest in your niche, it does not just involve informing them about the benefits and features of the products and services you have,

Businesses publish content usually for free where they provide useful information, tips, and advice so that their target market can be made aware of the importance of their products and services. Content marketing strategies seek to nurture prospects into buyers over time by simply providing value.

Your company can create a blog where it will be publishing content for its target market. You will need to use the best website builder such as Wix and Squarespace and the best web hosting services such as Bluehost, Hostinger, and other Bluehost alternatives to create a functional blog or website.

If content marketing is a crucial part of your promotional strategy (as it should be), detail your plans under promotions.

Including high-quality images of the packaging of your product in your business plan is a lovely idea. You can add the images of the packaging of that product in the marketing and sales plan section. If you are not selling a product, then you do not need to include any worry about the physical packaging of your product.

When organizing the packaging section of your business plan, you can answer the following questions to make maximum use of this section.

• Is your choice of packaging consistent with your positioning strategy?
• What key value proposition does your packaging communicate? (It should reflect the key value proposition of your business)
• How does your packaging compare to that of your competitors?

Social Media

Your 21st-century business needs to have a good social media presence. Not having one is leaving out opportunities for growth and reaching out to your prospect.

You do not have to join the thousands of social media platforms out there. What you need to do is join the ones that your customers are active on and be active there.

Businesses use social media to provide information about their products such as promotions, discounts, the benefits of their products, and content on their blogs.

Social media is also a platform for engaging with your customers and getting feedback about your products or services. Make no mistake, more and more of your prospects are using social media channels to find more information about companies.

You need to consider the social media channels you want to prioritize your business (prioritize the ones your customers are active in) and your branding plans in this section.

Strategic Alliances

If your company plans to work closely with other companies as part of your sales and marketing plan, include it in this section. Prove details about those partnerships in your business plan if you have already established them.

Strategic alliances can be beneficial for all parties involved including your company. Working closely with another company in the form of a partnership can provide access to a different target market segment for your company.

The company you are partnering with may also gain access to your target market or simply offer a new product or service (that of your company) to its customers.

Mutually beneficial partnerships can cover the weaknesses of one company with the strength of another. You should consider strategic alliances with companies that sell complimentary products to yours. For example, if you provide printers, you can partner with a company that produces ink since the customers that buy printers from you will also need inks for printing.

Steps Involved in Creating a Marketing and Sales Plan

1. Focus on Your Target Market

Identify who your customers are, the market you want to target. Then determine the best ways to get your products or services to your potential customers.

2. Evaluate Your Competition

One of the goals of having a marketing plan is to distinguish yourself from your competition. You cannot stand out from them without first knowing them in and out.

You can know your competitors by gathering information about their products, pricing, service, and advertising campaigns.

These questions can help you know your competition.

• What makes your competition successful?
• What are their weaknesses?
• What are customers saying about your competition?

3. Consider Your Brand

Customers' perception of your brand has a strong impact on your sales. Your marketing and sales plan should seek to bolster the image of your brand. Before you start marketing your business, think about the message you want to pass across about your business and your products and services.

4. Focus on Benefits

The majority of your customers do not view your product in terms of features, what they want to know is the benefits and solutions your product offers. Think about the problems your product solves and the benefits it delivers, and use it to create the right sales and marketing message.

Your marketing plan should focus on what you want your customer to get instead of what you provide. Identify those benefits in your marketing and sales plan.

5. Focus on Differentiation

Your marketing and sales plan should look for a unique angle they can take that differentiates your business from the competition, even if the products offered are similar. Some good areas of differentiation you can use are your benefits, pricing, and features.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing Your Marketing and Sales Plan

• What is your company’s budget for sales and marketing campaigns?
• What key metrics will you use to determine if your marketing plans are successful?
• What are your alternatives if your initial marketing efforts do not succeed?
• Who are the sales representatives you need to promote your products or services?
• What are the marketing and sales channels you plan to use? How do you plan to get your products in front of your ideal customers?
• Where will you sell your products?

You may want to include samples of marketing materials you plan to use such as print ads, website descriptions, and social media ads. While it is not compulsory to include these samples, it can help you better communicate your marketing and sales plan and objectives.

The purpose of the marketing and sales section is to answer this question “How will you reach your customers?” If you cannot convincingly provide an answer to this question, you need to rework your marketing and sales section.

7. Clearly Show Your Funding Request

If you are writing your business plan to ask for funding from investors or financial institutions, the funding request section is where you will outline your funding requirements. The funding request section should answer the question ‘How much money will your business need in the near future (3 to 5 years)?’

A good funding request section will clearly outline and explain the amount of funding your business needs over the next five years. You need to know the amount of money your business needs to make an accurate funding request.

Also, when writing your funding request, provide details of how the funds will be used over the period. Specify if you want to use the funds to buy raw materials or machinery, pay salaries, pay for advertisements, and cover specific bills such as rent and electricity.

In addition to explaining what you want to use the funds requested for, you need to clearly state the projected return on investment (ROI) . Investors and creditors want to know if your business can generate profit for them if they put funds into it.

Ensure you do not inflate the figures and stay as realistic as possible. Investors and financial institutions you are seeking funds from will do their research before investing money in your business.

If you are not sure of an exact number to request from, you can use some range of numbers as rough estimates. Add a best-case scenario and a work-case scenario to your funding request. Also, include a description of your strategic future financial plans such as selling your business or paying off debts.

Funding Request: Debt or Equity?

When making your funding request, specify the type of funding you want. Do you want debt or equity? Draw out the terms that will be applicable for the funding, and the length of time the funding request will cover.

Case for Equity

If your new business has not yet started generating profits, you are most likely preparing to sell equity in your business to raise capital at the early stage. Equity here refers to ownership. In this case, you are selling a portion of your company to raise capital.

Although this method of raising capital for your business does not put your business in debt, keep in mind that an equity owner may expect to play a key role in company decisions even if he does not hold a major stake in the company.

Most equity sales for startups are usually private transactions . If you are making a funding request by offering equity in exchange for funding, let the investor know that they will be paid a dividend (a share of the company’s profit). Also, let the investor know the process for selling their equity in your business.

Case for Debt

You may decide not to offer equity in exchange for funds, instead, you make a funding request with the promise to pay back the money borrowed at the agreed time frame.

When making a funding request with an agreement to pay back, note that you will have to repay your creditors both the principal amount borrowed and the interest on it. Financial institutions offer this type of funding for businesses.

Large companies combine both equity and debt in their capital structure. When drafting your business plan, decide if you want to offer both or one over the other.

Before you sell equity in exchange for funding in your business, consider if you are willing to accept not being in total control of your business. Also, before you seek loans in your funding request section, ensure that the terms of repayment are favorable.

You should set a clear timeline in your funding request so that potential investors and creditors can know what you are expecting. Some investors and creditors may agree to your funding request and then delay payment for longer than 30 days, meanwhile, your business needs an immediate cash injection to operate efficiently.

Additional Tips for Writing the Funding Request Section of your Business Plan

The funding request section is not necessary for every business, it is only needed by businesses who plan to use their business plan to secure funding.

If you are adding the funding request section to your business plan, provide an itemized summary of how you plan to use the funds requested. Hiring a lawyer, accountant, or other professionals may be necessary for the proper development of this section.

You should also gather and use financial statements that add credibility and support to your funding requests. Ensure that the financial statements you use should include your projected financial data such as projected cash flows, forecast statements, and expenditure budgets.

If you are an existing business, include all historical financial statements such as cash flow statements, balance sheets and income statements .

Provide monthly and quarterly financial statements for a year. If your business has records that date back beyond the one-year mark, add the yearly statements of those years. These documents are for the appendix section of your business plan.

8. Detail Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projections

If you used the funding request section in your business plan, supplement it with a financial plan, metrics, and projections. This section paints a picture of the past performance of your business and then goes ahead to make an informed projection about its future.

The goal of this section is to convince readers that your business is going to be a financial success. It outlines your business plan to generate enough profit to repay the loan (with interest if applicable) and to generate a decent return on investment for investors.

If you have an existing business already in operation, use this section to demonstrate stability through finance. This section should include your cash flow statements, balance sheets, and income statements covering the last three to five years. If your business has some acceptable collateral that you can use to acquire loans, list it in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

Apart from current financial statements, this section should also contain a prospective financial outlook that spans the next five years. Include forecasted income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and capital expenditure budget.

If your business is new and is not yet generating profit, use clear and realistic projections to show the potentials of your business.

When drafting this section, research industry norms and the performance of comparable businesses. Your financial projections should cover at least five years. State the logic behind your financial projections. Remember you can always make adjustments to this section as the variables change.

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section create a baseline which your business can either exceed or fail to reach. If your business fails to reach your projections in this section, you need to understand why it failed.

Investors and loan managers spend a lot of time going through the financial plan, metrics, and projection section compared to other parts of the business plan. Ensure you spend time creating credible financial analyses for your business in this section.

Many entrepreneurs find this section daunting to write. You do not need a business degree to create a solid financial forecast for your business. Business finances, especially for startups, are not as complicated as they seem. There are several online tools and templates that make writing this section so much easier.

Use Graphs and Charts

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section is a great place to use graphs and charts to tell the financial story of your business. Charts and images make it easier to communicate your finances.

Accuracy in this section is key, ensure you carefully analyze your past financial statements properly before making financial projects.

Address the Risk Factors and Show Realistic Financial Projections

Keep your financial plan, metrics, and projection realistic. It is okay to be optimistic in your financial projection, however, you have to justify it.

You should also address the various risk factors associated with your business in this section. Investors want to know the potential risks involved, show them. You should also show your plans for mitigating those risks.

What You Should In The Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection Section of Your Business Plan

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section of your business plan should have monthly sales and revenue forecasts for the first year. It should also include annual projections that cover 3 to 5 years.

A three-year projection is a basic requirement to have in your business plan. However, some investors may request a five-year forecast.

Your business plan should include the following financial statements: sales forecast, personnel plan, income statement, income statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, and an exit strategy.

1. Sales Forecast

Sales forecast refers to your projections about the number of sales your business is going to record over the next few years. It is typically broken into several rows, with each row assigned to a core product or service that your business is offering.

One common mistake people make in their business plan is to break down the sales forecast section into long details. A sales forecast should forecast the high-level details.

For example, if you are forecasting sales for a payroll software provider, you could break down your forecast into target market segments or subscription categories.

Your sales forecast section should also have a corresponding row for each sales row to cover the direct cost or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). The objective of these rows is to show the expenses that your business incurs in making and delivering your product or service.

Note that your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) should only cover those direct costs incurred when making your products. Other indirect expenses such as insurance, salaries, payroll tax, and rent should not be included.

For example, the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for a restaurant is the cost of ingredients while for a consulting company it will be the cost of paper and other presentation materials.

2. Personnel Plan

The personnel plan section is where you provide details about the payment plan for your employees. For a small business, you can easily list every position in your company and how much you plan to pay in the personnel plan.

However, for larger businesses, you have to break the personnel plan into functional groups such as sales and marketing.

The personnel plan will also include the cost of an employee beyond salary, commonly referred to as the employee burden. These costs include insurance, payroll taxes , and other essential costs incurred monthly as a result of having employees on your payroll.

3. Income Statement

The income statement section shows if your business is making a profit or taking a loss. Another name for the income statement is the profit and loss (P&L). It takes data from your sales forecast and personnel plan and adds other ongoing expenses you incur while running your business.

Every business plan should have an income statement. It subtracts your business expenses from its earnings to show if your business is generating profit or incurring losses.

The income statement has the following items: sales, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), gross margin, operating expenses, total operating expenses, operating income , total expenses, and net profit.

• Sales refer to the revenue your business generates from selling its products or services. Other names for sales are income or revenue.
• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) refers to the total cost of selling your products. Other names for COGS are direct costs or cost of sales. Manufacturing businesses use the Costs of Goods Manufactured (COGM) .
• Gross Margin is the figure you get when you subtract your COGS from your sales. In your income statement, you can express it as a percentage of total sales (Gross margin / Sales = Gross Margin Percent).
• Operating Expenses refer to all the expenses you incur from running your business. It exempts the COGS because it stands alone as a core part of your income statement. You also have to exclude taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Your operating expenses include salaries, marketing expenses, research and development (R&D) expenses, and other expenses.
• Total Operating Expenses refers to the sum of all your operating expenses including those exemptions named above under operating expenses.
• Operating Income refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is simply known as the acronym EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Calculating your operating income is simple, all you need to do is to subtract your COGS and total operating expenses from your sales.
• Total Expenses refer to the sum of your operating expenses and your business’ interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
• Net profit shows whether your business has made a profit or taken a loss during a given timeframe.

4. Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement tracks the money you have in the bank at any given point. It is often confused with the income statement or the profit and loss statement. They are both different types of financial statements. The income statement calculates your profits and losses while the cash flow statement shows you how much you have in the bank.

5. Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a financial statement that provides an overview of the financial health of your business. It contains information about the assets and liabilities of your company, and owner’s or shareholders’ equity.

You can get the net worth of your company by subtracting your company’s liabilities from its assets.

6. Exit Strategy

The exit strategy refers to a probable plan for selling your business either to the public in an IPO or to another company. It is the last thing you include in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

You can choose to omit the exit strategy from your business plan if you plan to maintain full ownership of your business and do not plan on seeking angel investment or virtual capitalist (VC) funding.

Investors may want to know what your exit plan is. They invest in your business to get a good return on investment.

Your exit strategy does not have to include long and boring details. Ensure you identify some interested parties who may be interested in buying the company if it becomes a success.

Key Questions to Answer with Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection

Your financial plan, metrics, and projection section helps investors, creditors, or your internal managers to understand what your expenses are, the amount of cash you need, and what it takes to make your company profitable. It also shows what you will be doing with any funding.

You do not need to show actual financial data if you do not have one. Adding forecasts and projections to your financial statements is added proof that your strategy is feasible and shows investors you have planned properly.

Here are some key questions to answer to help you develop this section.

• What is your sales forecast for the next year?
• When will your company achieve a positive cash flow?
• What are the core expenses you need to operate?
• How much money do you need upfront to operate or grow your company?
• How will you use the loans or investments?

9. Add an Appendix to Your Business Plan

Adding an appendix to your business plan is optional. It is a useful place to put any charts, tables, legal notes, definitions, permits, résumés, and other critical information that do not fit into other sections of your business plan.

The appendix section is where you would want to include details of a patent or patent-pending if you have one. You can always add illustrations or images of your products here. It is the last section of your business plan.

When writing your business plan, there are details you cut short or remove to prevent the entire section from becoming too lengthy. There are also details you want to include in the business plan but are not a good fit for any of the previous sections. You can add that additional information to the appendix section.

Businesses also use the appendix section to include supporting documents or other materials specially requested by investors or lenders.

You can include just about any information that supports the assumptions and statements you made in the business plan under the appendix. It is the one place in the business plan where unrelated data and information can coexist amicably.

If your appendix section is lengthy, try organizing it by adding a table of contents at the beginning of the appendix section. It is also advisable to group similar information to make it easier for the reader to access them.

A well-organized appendix section makes it easier to share your information clearly and concisely. Add footnotes throughout the rest of the business plan or make references in the plan to the documents in the appendix.

The appendix section is usually only necessary if you are seeking funding from investors or lenders, or hoping to attract partners.

People reading business plans do not want to spend time going through a heap of backup information, numbers, and charts. Keep these documents or information in the Appendix section in case the reader wants to dig deeper.

Common Items to Include in the Appendix Section of Your Business Plan

The appendix section includes documents that supplement or support the information or claims given in other sections of the business plans. Common items you can include in the appendix section include:

• Additional data about the process of manufacturing or creation
• Additional description of products or services such as product schematics
• Additional financial documents or projections
• Articles of incorporation and status
• Backup for market research or competitive analysis
• Bank statements
• Business registries
• Client testimonials (if your business is already running)
• Copies of insurances
• Credit histories (personal or/and business)
• Deeds and permits
• Equipment leases
• Examples of marketing and advertising collateral
• Industry associations and memberships
• Images of product
• Intellectual property
• Key customer contracts
• Legal documents and other contracts
• Letters of reference
• Links to references
• Market research data
• Organizational charts
• Photographs of potential facilities
• Professional licenses pertaining to your legal structure or type of business
• Purchase orders
• Resumes of the founder(s) and key managers
• State and federal identification numbers or codes
• Trademarks or patents’ registrations

Avoid using the appendix section as a place to dump any document or information you feel like adding. Only add documents or information that you support or increase the credibility of your business plan.

Tips and Strategies for Writing a Convincing Business Plan

To achieve a perfect business plan, you need to consider some key tips and strategies. These tips will raise the efficiency of your business plan above average.

1. Know Your Audience

When writing a business plan, you need to know your audience . Business owners write business plans for different reasons. Your business plan has to be specific. For example, you can write business plans to potential investors, banks, and even fellow board members of the company.

The audience you are writing to determines the structure of the business plan. As a business owner, you have to know your audience. Not everyone will be your audience. Knowing your audience will help you to narrow the scope of your business plan.

Consider what your audience wants to see in your projects, the likely questions they might ask, and what interests them.

• A business plan used to address a company's board members will center on its employment schemes, internal affairs, projects, stakeholders, etc.
• A business plan for financial institutions will talk about the size of your market and the chances for you to pay back any loans you demand.
• A business plan for investors will show proof that you can return the investment capital within a specific time. In addition, it discusses your financial projections, tractions, and market size.

2. Get Inspiration from People

Writing a business plan from scratch as an entrepreneur can be daunting. That is why you need the right inspiration to push you to write one. You can gain inspiration from the successful business plans of other businesses. Look at their business plans, the style they use, the structure of the project, etc.

To make your business plan easier to create, search companies related to your business to get an exact copy of what you need to create an effective business plan. You can also make references while citing examples in your business plans.

When drafting your business plan, get as much help from others as you possibly can. By getting inspiration from people, you can create something better than what they have.

3. Avoid Being Over Optimistic

Many business owners make use of strong adjectives to qualify their content. One of the big mistakes entrepreneurs make when preparing a business plan is promising too much.

The use of superlatives and over-optimistic claims can prepare the audience for more than you can offer. In the end, you disappoint the confidence they have in you.

In most cases, the best option is to be realistic with your claims and statistics. Most of the investors can sense a bit of incompetency from the overuse of superlatives. As a new entrepreneur, do not be tempted to over-promise to get the interests of investors.

The concept of entrepreneurship centers on risks, nothing is certain when you make future analyses. What separates the best is the ability to do careful research and work towards achieving that, not promising more than you can achieve.

To make an excellent first impression as an entrepreneur, replace superlatives with compelling data-driven content. In this way, you are more specific than someone promising a huge ROI from an investment.

4. Keep it Simple and Short

When writing business plans, ensure you keep them simple throughout. Irrespective of the purpose of the business plan, your goal is to convince the audience.

One way to achieve this goal is to make them understand your proposal. Therefore, it would be best if you avoid the use of complex grammar to express yourself. It would be a huge turn-off if the people you want to convince are not familiar with your use of words.

Another thing to note is the length of your business plan. It would be best if you made it as brief as possible.

You hardly see investors or agencies that read through an extremely long document. In that case, if your first few pages can’t convince them, then you have lost it. The more pages you write, the higher the chances of you derailing from the essential contents.

To ensure your business plan has a high conversion rate, you need to dispose of every unnecessary information. For example, if you have a strategy that you are not sure of, it would be best to leave it out of the plan.

5. Make an Outline and Follow Through

A perfect business plan must have touched every part needed to convince the audience. Business owners get easily tempted to concentrate more on their products than on other sections. Doing this can be detrimental to the efficiency of the business plan.

For example, imagine you talking about a product but omitting or providing very little information about the target audience. You will leave your clients confused.

To ensure that your business plan communicates your full business model to readers, you have to input all the necessary information in it. One of the best ways to achieve this is to design a structure and stick to it.

This structure is what guides you throughout the writing. To make your work easier, you can assign an estimated word count or page limit to every section to avoid making it too bulky for easy reading. As a guide, the necessary things your business plan must contain are:

• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Product or service description
• Target audience
• Market size
• Competition analysis
• Financial projections

Some specific businesses can include some other essential sections, but these are the key sections that must be in every business plan.

6. Ask a Professional to Proofread

When writing a business plan, you must tie all loose ends to get a perfect result. When you are done with writing, call a professional to go through the document for you. You are bound to make mistakes, and the way to correct them is to get external help.

You should get a professional in your field who can relate to every section of your business plan. It would be easier for the professional to notice the inner flaws in the document than an editor with no knowledge of your business.

In addition to getting a professional to proofread, get an editor to proofread and edit your document. The editor will help you identify grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and inappropriate writing styles.

Writing a business plan can be daunting, but you can surmount that obstacle and get the best out of it with these tips.

Business Plan Examples and Templates That’ll Save You Tons of Time

1. hubspot's one-page business plan.

The one-page business plan template by HubSpot is the perfect guide for businesses of any size, irrespective of their business strategy. Although the template is condensed into a page, your final business plan should not be a page long! The template is designed to ask helpful questions that can help you develop your business plan.

Hubspot’s one-page business plan template is divided into nine fields:

• Business opportunity
• Company description
• Industry analysis
• Target market
• Implementation timeline
• Marketing plan
• Financial summary
• Funding required

2. Bplan’s Free Business Plan Template

Bplans' free business plan template is investor-approved. It is a rich template used by prestigious educational institutions such as Babson College and Princeton University to teach entrepreneurs how to create a business plan.

The template has six sections: the executive summary, opportunity, execution, company, financial plan, and appendix. There is a step-by-step guide for writing every little detail in the business plan. Follow the instructions each step of the way and you will create a business plan that impresses investors or lenders easily.

3. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

HubSpot’s downloadable business plan template is a more comprehensive option compared to the one-page business template by HubSpot. This free and downloadable business plan template is designed for entrepreneurs.

The template is a comprehensive guide and checklist for business owners just starting their businesses. It tells you everything you need to fill in each section of the business plan and how to do it.

There are nine sections in this business plan template: an executive summary, company and business description, product and services line, market analysis, marketing plan, sales plan, legal notes, financial considerations, and appendix.

4. Business Plan by My Own Business Institute

My Own Business Institute (MOBI) which is a part of Santa Clara University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers a free business plan template. You can either copy the free business template from the link provided above or download it as a Word document.

The comprehensive template consists of a whopping 15 sections.

• The Business Profile
• The Vision and the People
• Home-Based Business and Freelance Business Opportunities
• Organization
• Licenses and Permits
• Business Insurance
• Communication Tools
• Acquisitions
• Location and Leasing
• Accounting and Cash Flow
• Opening and Marketing
• Managing Employees
• Expanding and Handling Problems

There are lots of helpful tips on how to fill each section in the free business plan template by MOBI.

5. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs build successful companies. This business plan template for startups by Score is available for free download. The business plan template asks a whooping 150 generic questions that help entrepreneurs from different fields to set up the perfect business plan.

The business plan template for startups contains clear instructions and worksheets, all you have to do is answer the questions and fill the worksheets.

There are nine sections in the business plan template: executive summary, company description, products and services, marketing plan, operational plan, management and organization, startup expenses and capitalization, financial plan, and appendices.

The ‘refining the plan’ resource contains instructions that help you modify your business plan to suit your specific needs, industry, and target audience. After you have completed Score’s business plan template, you can work with a SCORE mentor for expert advice in business planning.

6. Minimalist Architecture Business Plan Template by Venngage

The minimalist architecture business plan template is a simple template by Venngage that you can customize to suit your business needs .

There are five sections in the template: an executive summary, statement of problem, approach and methodology, qualifications, and schedule and benchmark. The business plan template has instructions that guide users on what to fill in each section.

7. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two free business plan templates, filled with practical real-life examples that you can model to create your business plan. Both free business plan templates are written by fictional business owners: Rebecca who owns a consulting firm, and Andrew who owns a toy company.

There are five sections in the two SBA’s free business plan templates.

• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Service Line
• Marketing and Sales

8. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan

The one-page business plan by the $100 startup is a simple business plan template for entrepreneurs who do not want to create a long and complicated plan . You can include more details in the appendices for funders who want more information beyond what you can put in the one-page business plan.

There are five sections in the one-page business plan such as overview, ka-ching, hustling, success, and obstacles or challenges or open questions. You can answer all the questions using one or two sentences.

9. PandaDoc’s Free Business Plan Template

The free business plan template by PandaDoc is a comprehensive 15-page document that describes the information you should include in every section.

There are 11 sections in PandaDoc’s free business plan template.

• Executive summary
• Business description
• Products and services
• Operations plan
• Management organization
• Financial plan
• Conclusion / Call to action
• Confidentiality statement

You have to sign up for its 14-day free trial to access the template. You will find different business plan templates on PandaDoc once you sign up (including templates for general businesses and specific businesses such as bakeries, startups, restaurants, salons, hotels, and coffee shops)

PandaDoc allows you to customize its business plan templates to fit the needs of your business. After editing the template, you can send it to interested parties and track opens and views through PandaDoc.

10. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

InvoiceBerry is a U.K based online invoicing and tracking platform that offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats for freelancers and small businesses.

Before you can download the free business plan template, it will ask you to give it your email address. After you complete the little task, it will send the download link to your inbox for you to download. It also provides a business plan checklist in .xlsx file format that ensures you add the right information to the business plan.

Alternatives to the Traditional Business Plan

A business plan is very important in mapping out how one expects their business to grow over a set number of years, particularly when they need external investment in their business. However, many investors do not have the time to watch you present your business plan. It is a long and boring read.

Luckily, there are three alternatives to the traditional business plan (the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck). These alternatives are less laborious and easier and quicker to present to investors.

Business Model Canvas (BMC)

The business model canvas is a business tool used to present all the important components of setting up a business, such as customers, route to market, value proposition, and finance in a single sheet. It provides a very focused blueprint that defines your business initially which you can later expand on if needed.

The sheet is divided mainly into company, industry, and consumer models that are interconnected in how they find problems and proffer solutions.

Segments of the Business Model Canvas

The business model canvas was developed by founder Alexander Osterwalder to answer important business questions. It contains nine segments.

• Key Partners: Who will be occupying important executive positions in your business? What do they bring to the table? Will there be a third party involved with the company?
• Key Activities: What important activities will production entail? What activities will be carried out to ensure the smooth running of the company?
• The Product’s Value Propositions: What does your product do? How will it be different from other products?
• Customer Segments: What demography of consumers are you targeting? What are the habits of these consumers? Who are the MVPs of your target consumers?
• Customer Relationships: How will the team support and work with its customer base? How do you intend to build and maintain trust with the customer?
• Key Resources: What type of personnel and tools will be needed? What size of the budget will they need access to?
• Channels: How do you plan to create awareness of your products? How do you intend to transport your product to the customer?
• Cost Structure: What is the estimated cost of production? How much will distribution cost?
• Revenue Streams: For what value are customers willing to pay? How do they prefer to pay for the product? Are there any external revenues attached apart from the main source? How do the revenue streams contribute to the overall revenue?

Lean Canvas

The lean canvas is a problem-oriented alternative to the standard business model canvas. It was proposed by Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Stack as a development of the business model generation. It uses a more problem-focused approach and it majorly targets entrepreneurs and startup businesses.

Lean Canvas uses the same 9 blocks concept as the business model canvas, however, they have been modified slightly to suit the needs and purpose of a small startup. The key partners, key activities, customer relationships, and key resources are replaced by new segments which are:

• Problem: Simple and straightforward number of problems you have identified, ideally three.
• Solution: The solutions to each problem.
• Unfair Advantage: Something you possess that can't be easily bought or replicated.
• Key Metrics: Important numbers that will tell how your business is doing.

Startup Pitch Deck

While the business model canvas compresses into a factual sheet, startup pitch decks expand flamboyantly.

Pitch decks, through slides, convey your business plan, often through graphs and images used to emphasize estimations and observations in your presentation. Entrepreneurs often use pitch decks to fully convince their target audience of their plans before discussing funding arrangements.

Considering the likelihood of it being used in a small time frame, a good startup pitch deck should ideally contain 20 slides or less to have enough time to answer questions from the audience.

Unlike the standard and lean business model canvases, a pitch deck doesn't have a set template on how to present your business plan but there are still important components to it. These components often mirror those of the business model canvas except that they are in slide form and contain more details.

Using Airbnb (one of the most successful start-ups in recent history) for reference, the important components of a good slide are listed below.

• Cover/Introduction Slide: Here, you should include your company's name and mission statement. Your mission statement should be a very catchy tagline. Also, include personal information and contact details to provide an easy link for potential investors.
• Problem Slide: This slide requires you to create a connection with the audience or the investor that you are pitching. For example in their pitch, Airbnb summarized the most important problems it would solve in three brief points – pricing of hotels, disconnection from city culture, and connection problems for local bookings.
• Solution Slide: This slide includes your core value proposition. List simple and direct solutions to the problems you have mentioned
• Customer Analysis: Here you will provide information on the customers you will be offering your service to. The identity of your customers plays an important part in fundraising as well as the long-run viability of the business.
• Market Validation: Use competitive analysis to show numbers that prove the presence of a market for your product, industry behavior in the present and the long run, as well as the percentage of the market you aim to attract. It shows that you understand your competitors and customers and convinces investors of the opportunities presented in the market.
• Business Model: Your business model is the hook of your presentation. It may vary in complexity but it should generally include a pricing system informed by your market analysis. The goal of the slide is to confirm your business model is easy to implement.
• Marketing Strategy: This slide should summarize a few customer acquisition methods that you plan to use to grow the business.
• Competitive Advantage: What this slide will do is provide information on what will set you apart and make you a more attractive option to customers. It could be the possession of technology that is not widely known in the market.
• Team Slide: Here you will give a brief description of your team. Include your key management personnel here and their specific roles in the company. Include their educational background, job history, and skillsets. Also, talk about their accomplishments in their careers so far to build investors' confidence in members of your team.
• Traction Slide: This validates the company’s business model by showing growth through early sales and support. The slide aims to reduce any lingering fears in potential investors by showing realistic periodic milestones and profit margins. It can include current sales, growth, valuable customers, pre-orders, or data from surveys outlining current consumer interest.
• Funding Slide: This slide is popularly referred to as ‘the ask'. Here you will include important details like how much is needed to get your business off the ground and how the funding will be spent to help the company reach its goals.
• Appendix Slides: Your pitch deck appendix should always be included alongside a standard pitch presentation. It consists of additional slides you could not show in the pitch deck but you need to complement your presentation.

It is important to support your calculations with pictorial renditions. Infographics, such as pie charts or bar graphs, will be more effective in presenting the information than just listing numbers. For example, a six-month graph that shows rising profit margins will easily look more impressive than merely writing it.

Lastly, since a pitch deck is primarily used to secure meetings and you may be sharing your pitch with several investors, it is advisable to keep a separate public version that doesn't include financials. Only disclose the one with projections once you have secured a link with an investor.

Advantages of the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck over the Traditional Business Plan

• Time-Saving: Writing a detailed traditional business plan could take weeks or months. On the other hand, all three alternatives can be done in a few days or even one night of brainstorming if you have a comprehensive understanding of your business.
• Easier to Understand: Since the information presented is almost entirely factual, it puts focus on what is most important in running the business. They cut away the excess pages of fillers in a traditional business plan and allow investors to see what is driving the business and what is getting in the way.
• Easy to Update: Businesses typically present their business plans to many potential investors before they secure funding. What this means is that you may regularly have to amend your presentation to update statistics or adjust to audience-specific needs. For a traditional business plan, this could mean rewriting a whole section of your plan. For the three alternatives, updating is much easier because they are not voluminous.
• Guide for a More In-depth Business Plan: All three alternatives have the added benefit of being able to double as a sketch of your business plan if the need to create one arises in the future.

Business Plan FAQ

Business plans are important for any entrepreneur who is looking for a framework to run their company over some time or seeking external support. Although they are essential for new businesses, every company should ideally have a business plan to track their growth from time to time.  They can be used by startups seeking investments or loans to convey their business ideas or an employee to convince his boss of the feasibility of starting a new project. They can also be used by companies seeking to recruit high-profile employee targets into key positions or trying to secure partnerships with other firms.

Business plans often vary depending on your target audience, the scope, and the goals for the plan. Startup plans are the most common among the different types of business plans.  A start-up plan is used by a new business to present all the necessary information to help get the business up and running. They are usually used by entrepreneurs who are seeking funding from investors or bank loans. The established company alternative to a start-up plan is a feasibility plan. A feasibility plan is often used by an established company looking for new business opportunities. They are used to show the upsides of creating a new product for a consumer base. Because the audience is usually company people, it requires less company analysis. The third type of business plan is the lean business plan. A lean business plan is a brief, straight-to-the-point breakdown of your ideas and analysis for your business. It does not contain details of your proposal and can be written on one page. Finally, you have the what-if plan. As it implies, a what-if plan is a preparation for the worst-case scenario. You must always be prepared for the possibility of your original plan being rejected. A good what-if plan will serve as a good plan B to the original.

A good business plan has 10 key components. They include an executive plan, product analysis, desired customer base, company analysis, industry analysis, marketing strategy, sales strategy, financial projection, funding, and appendix. Executive Plan Your business should begin with your executive plan. An executive plan will provide early insight into what you are planning to achieve with your business. It should include your mission statement and highlight some of the important points which you will explain later. Product Analysis The next component of your business plan is your product analysis. A key part of this section is explaining the type of item or service you are going to offer as well as the market problems your product will solve. Desired Consumer Base Your product analysis should be supplemented with a detailed breakdown of your desired consumer base. Investors are always interested in knowing the economic power of your market as well as potential MVP customers. Company Analysis The next component of your business plan is your company analysis. Here, you explain how you want to run your business. It will include your operational strategy, an insight into the workforce needed to keep the company running, and important executive positions. It will also provide a calculation of expected operational costs.  Industry Analysis A good business plan should also contain well laid out industry analysis. It is important to convince potential investors you know the companies you will be competing with, as well as your plans to gain an edge on the competition. Marketing Strategy Your business plan should also include your marketing strategy. This is how you intend to spread awareness of your product. It should include a detailed explanation of the company brand as well as your advertising methods. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy comes after the market strategy. Here you give an overview of your company's pricing strategy and how you aim to maximize profits. You can also explain how your prices will adapt to market behaviors. Financial Projection The financial projection is the next component of your business plan. It explains your company's expected running cost and revenue earned during the tenure of the business plan. Financial projection gives a clear idea of how your company will develop in the future. Funding The next component of your business plan is funding. You have to detail how much external investment you need to get your business idea off the ground here. Appendix The last component of your plan is the appendix. This is where you put licenses, graphs, or key information that does not fit in any of the other components.

The business model canvas is a business management tool used to quickly define your business idea and model. It is often used when investors need you to pitch your business idea during a brief window.

A pitch deck is similar to a business model canvas except that it makes use of slides in its presentation. A pitch is not primarily used to secure funding, rather its main purpose is to entice potential investors by selling a very optimistic outlook on the business.

Business plan competitions help you evaluate the strength of your business plan. By participating in business plan competitions, you are improving your experience. The experience provides you with a degree of validation while practicing important skills. The main motivation for entering into the competitions is often to secure funding by finishing in podium positions. There is also the chance that you may catch the eye of a casual observer outside of the competition. These competitions also provide good networking opportunities. You could meet mentors who will take a keen interest in guiding you in your business journey. You also have the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs whose ideas can complement yours.

Exlore Further

• 12 Key Elements of a Business Plan (Top Components Explained)
• 13 Sources of Business Finance For Companies & Sole Traders
• 5 Common Types of Business Structures (+ Pros & Cons)
• How to Buy a Business in 8 Steps (+ Due Diligence Checklist)

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Martin luenendonk.

Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

This insights and his love for researching SaaS products enables him to provide in-depth, fact-based software reviews to enable software buyers make better decisions.

How to make a business plan

Table of Contents

How to make a good business plan: step-by-step guide.

A business plan is a strategic roadmap used to navigate the challenging journey of entrepreneurship. It's the foundation upon which you build a successful business.

A well-crafted business plan can help you define your vision, clarify your goals, and identify potential problems before they arise.

But where do you start? How do you create a business plan that sets you up for success?

This article will explore the step-by-step process of creating a comprehensive business plan.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a formal document that outlines a business's objectives, strategies, and operational procedures. It typically includes the following information about a company:

Products or services

Target market

Competitors

Marketing and sales strategies

Financial plan

Management team

A business plan serves as a roadmap for a company's success and provides a blueprint for its growth and development. It helps entrepreneurs and business owners organize their ideas, evaluate the feasibility, and identify potential challenges and opportunities.

As well as serving as a guide for business owners, a business plan can attract investors and secure funding. It demonstrates the company's understanding of the market, its ability to generate revenue and profits, and its strategy for managing risks and achieving success.

Business plan vs. business model canvas

A business plan may seem similar to a business model canvas, but each document serves a different purpose.

A business model canvas is a high-level overview that helps entrepreneurs and business owners quickly test and iterate their ideas. It is often a one-page document that briefly outlines the following:

Key partnerships

Key activities

Key propositions

Customer relationships

Customer segments

Key resources

Cost structure

Revenue streams

On the other hand, a Business Plan Template provides a more in-depth analysis of a company's strategy and operations. It is typically a lengthy document and requires significant time and effort to develop.

A business model shouldn’t replace a business plan, and vice versa. Business owners should lay the foundations and visually capture the most important information with a Business Model Canvas Template . Because this is a fast and efficient way to communicate a business idea, a business model canvas is a good starting point before developing a more comprehensive business plan.

A business plan can aim to secure funding from investors or lenders, while a business model canvas communicates a business idea to potential customers or partners.

Why is a business plan important?

A business plan is crucial for any entrepreneur or business owner wanting to increase their chances of success.

Here are some of the many benefits of having a thorough business plan.

Helps to define the business goals and objectives

A business plan encourages you to think critically about your goals and objectives. Doing so lets you clearly understand what you want to achieve and how you plan to get there.

A well-defined set of goals, objectives, and key results also provides a sense of direction and purpose, which helps keep business owners focused and motivated.

Guides decision-making

A business plan requires you to consider different scenarios and potential problems that may arise in your business. This awareness allows you to devise strategies to deal with these issues and avoid pitfalls.

With a clear plan, entrepreneurs can make informed decisions aligning with their overall business goals and objectives. This helps reduce the risk of making costly mistakes and ensures they make decisions with long-term success in mind.

Attracts investors and secures funding

Investors and lenders often require a business plan before considering investing in your business. A document that outlines the company's goals, objectives, and financial forecasts can help instill confidence in potential investors and lenders.

A well-written business plan demonstrates that you have thoroughly thought through your business idea and have a solid plan for success.

Identifies potential challenges and risks

A business plan requires entrepreneurs to consider potential challenges and risks that could impact their business. For example:

Is there enough demand for my product or service?

Will I have enough capital to start my business?

Is the market oversaturated with too many competitors?

What will happen if my marketing strategy is ineffective?

By identifying these potential challenges, entrepreneurs can develop strategies to mitigate risks and overcome challenges. This can reduce the likelihood of costly mistakes and ensure the business is well-positioned to take on any challenges.

Provides a basis for measuring success

A business plan serves as a framework for measuring success by providing clear goals and financial projections . Entrepreneurs can regularly refer to the original business plan as a benchmark to measure progress. By comparing the current business position to initial forecasts, business owners can answer questions such as:

Are we where we want to be at this point?

Did we achieve our goals?

If not, why not, and what do we need to do?

After assessing whether the business is meeting its objectives or falling short, business owners can adjust their strategies as needed.

How to make a business plan step by step

The steps below will guide you through the process of creating a business plan and what key components you need to include.

1. Create an executive summary

Start with a brief overview of your entire plan. The executive summary should cover your business plan's main points and key takeaways.

Keep your executive summary concise and clear with the Executive Summary Template . The simple design helps readers understand the crux of your business plan without reading the entire document.

2. Write your company description

Provide a detailed explanation of your company. Include information on what your company does, the mission statement, and your vision for the future.

Provide additional background information on the history of your company, the founders, and any notable achievements or milestones.

3. Conduct a market analysis

Conduct an in-depth analysis of your industry, competitors, and target market. This is best done with a SWOT analysis to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Next, identify your target market's needs, demographics, and behaviors.

Use the Competitive Analysis Template to brainstorm answers to simple questions like:

What does the current market look like?

Who are your competitors?

What are they offering?

What will give you a competitive advantage?

Who is your target market?

What are they looking for and why?

How will your product or service satisfy a need?

These questions should give you valuable insights into the current market and where your business stands.

4. Describe your products and services

Provide detailed information about your products and services. This includes pricing information, product features, and any unique selling points.

Use the Product/Market Fit Template to explain how your products meet the needs of your target market. Describe what sets them apart from the competition.

5. Design a marketing and sales strategy

Outline how you plan to promote and sell your products. Your marketing strategy and sales strategy should include information about your:

Pricing strategy

Advertising and promotional tactics

Sales channels

The Go to Market Strategy Template is a great way to visually map how you plan to launch your product or service in a new or existing market.

6. Determine budget and financial projections

Document detailed information on your business’ finances. Describe the current financial position of the company and how you expect the finances to play out.

Some details to include in this section are:

Startup costs

Revenue projections

Profit and loss statement

Funding you have received or plan to receive

Strategy for raising funds

7. Set the organization and management structure

Define how your company is structured and who will be responsible for each aspect of the business. Use the Business Organizational Chart Template to visually map the company’s teams, roles, and hierarchy.

As well as the organization and management structure, discuss the legal structure of your business. Clarify whether your business is a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or LLC.

8. Make an action plan

At this point in your business plan, you’ve described what you’re aiming for. But how are you going to get there? The Action Plan Template describes the following steps to move your business plan forward. Outline the next steps you plan to take to bring your business plan to fruition.

Types of business plans

Several types of business plans cater to different purposes and stages of a company's lifecycle. Here are some of the most common types of business plans.

Startup business plan

A startup business plan is typically an entrepreneur's first business plan. This document helps entrepreneurs articulate their business idea when starting a new business.

Not sure how to make a business plan for a startup? It’s pretty similar to a regular business plan, except the primary purpose of a startup business plan is to convince investors to provide funding for the business. A startup business plan also outlines the potential target market, product/service offering, marketing plan, and financial projections.

Strategic business plan

A strategic business plan is a long-term plan that outlines a company's overall strategy, objectives, and tactics. This type of strategic plan focuses on the big picture and helps business owners set goals and priorities and measure progress.

The primary purpose of a strategic business plan is to provide direction and guidance to the company's management team and stakeholders. The plan typically covers a period of three to five years.

Operational business plan

An operational business plan is a detailed document that outlines the day-to-day operations of a business. It focuses on the specific activities and processes required to run the business, such as:

Organizational structure

Staffing plan

Production plan

Quality control

Inventory management

Supply chain

The primary purpose of an operational business plan is to ensure that the business runs efficiently and effectively. It helps business owners manage their resources, track their performance, and identify areas for improvement.

Growth-business plan

A growth-business plan is a strategic plan that outlines how a company plans to expand its business. It helps business owners identify new market opportunities and increase revenue and profitability. The primary purpose of a growth-business plan is to provide a roadmap for the company's expansion and growth.

The 3 Horizons of Growth Template is a great tool to identify new areas of growth. This framework categorizes growth opportunities into three categories: Horizon 1 (core business), Horizon 2 (emerging business), and Horizon 3 (potential business).

One-page business plan

A one-page business plan is a condensed version of a full business plan that focuses on the most critical aspects of a business. It’s a great tool for entrepreneurs who want to quickly communicate their business idea to potential investors, partners, or employees.

A one-page business plan typically includes sections such as business concept, value proposition, revenue streams, and cost structure.

Best practices for how to make a good business plan

Here are some additional tips for creating a business plan:

Use a template

A template can help you organize your thoughts and effectively communicate your business ideas and strategies. Starting with a template can also save you time and effort when formatting your plan.

Miro’s extensive library of customizable templates includes all the necessary sections for a comprehensive business plan. With our templates, you can confidently present your business plans to stakeholders and investors.

Be practical

Avoid overestimating revenue projections or underestimating expenses. Your business plan should be grounded in practical realities like your budget, resources, and capabilities.

Be specific

Provide as much detail as possible in your business plan. A specific plan is easier to execute because it provides clear guidance on what needs to be done and how. Without specific details, your plan may be too broad or vague, making it difficult to know where to start or how to measure success.

Be thorough with your research

Conduct thorough research to fully understand the market, your competitors, and your target audience . By conducting thorough research, you can identify potential risks and challenges your business may face and develop strategies to mitigate them.

Get input from others

It can be easy to become overly focused on your vision and ideas, leading to tunnel vision and a lack of objectivity. By seeking input from others, you can identify potential opportunities you may have overlooked.

Review and revise regularly

A business plan is a living document. You should update it regularly to reflect market, industry, and business changes. Set aside time for regular reviews and revisions to ensure your plan remains relevant and effective.

Create a winning business plan to chart your path to success

Starting or growing a business can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting, a well-written business plan can make or break your business’ success.

The purpose of a business plan is more than just to secure funding and attract investors. It also serves as a roadmap for achieving your business goals and realizing your vision. With the right mindset, tools, and strategies, you can develop a visually appealing, persuasive business plan.

Ready to make an effective business plan that works for you? Check out our library of ready-made strategy and planning templates and chart your path to success.

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Join thousands of teams using Miro to do their best work yet.

How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan [Examples & Template]

Published: April 03, 2024

If you have a promising idea for an online e-commerce business , it’s important to create an e-commerce business plan to ensure your vision has enough stock to be profitable.

Having a business plan for your online store will help you define your target market, establish your monthly and quarterly sales goals, and increase the likelihood of long-term e-commerce success.

In this post, we’ll go over an online store business plan and how you can create one for your e-commerce startup. Let’s get started.

What is an e-commerce business plan?

An e-commerce business plan is a document that outlines your business and its goals, analyzes your industry and competitors, and identifies the resources needed to execute your plan. It also lists the e-commerce retailers you’ll use to distribute your products and the marketing strategies you’ll use to drive sales.

Whether a company operates as a startup or has years of operations and growth under its belt, an e-commerce business plan is essential for evaluating a business and determining areas of improvement.

An e-commerce business plan is essential, with increasing numbers of shoppers conducting business online. It's estimated this number has reached over 2 billion . An e-commerce business plan keeps you organized and is useful when seeking investors who need to understand your company.

So, let’s dive into some examples of e-commerce business plans and what goes into writing one using our free template .

Free Business Plan Template

The essential document for starting a business -- custom built for your needs.

• Outline your idea.
• Pitch to investors.
• Secure funding.
• Get to work!

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

E-commerce Business Plan Template

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Business Plan: o que é e como criar o seu em passo a passo

• Publicação: 01/04/2024

Em um cenário empresarial marcado pela velocidade da inovação e pela intensa rivalidade de mercado, líderes empresariais enfrentam o desafio constante de se manterem à frente. A resposta para este problema, muitas vezes, reside na criação e execução de um Business Plan eficaz.

No entanto, o processo de construção de um Business Plan revela-se frequentemente complexo e desafiador. Líderes e gestores podem se encontrar perdidos na dificuldade de detalhar operações, discernir oportunidades de destaque frente aos concorrentes e estruturar informações de forma que seja compreensível e atraente para investidores externos.

Diante desses obstáculos, este artigo surge como uma resposta prática, oferecendo orientações claras e detalhadas.

O meu objetivo aqui é fornecer um recurso valioso que não só desmistifica o processo de elaboração de um Business Plan eficiente, mas também entrega estratégias concretas para mapear com precisão os fluxos operacionais, identificar oportunidades estratégicas em meio à competição e comunicar sua visão de forma convincente a stakeholders e investidores.

Continue a leitura e confira para saber tudo sobre o seu Business Plan:

O que é Business Plan?

Um Business Plan, ou Plano de Negócios, é um documento formal que detalha a estratégia de uma empresa para atingir seus objetivos . Ele serve como um roteiro para o sucesso do negócio, abordando diversos aspectos fundamentais que variam desde a missão, visão e valores da empresa até análises de mercado, estratégias operacionais e financeiras.

Além disso, um Business Plan bem elaborado é essencial não apenas para startups em busca de investimento, mas também para empresas estabelecidas que buscam expandir, inovar ou reestruturar suas operações.

Ele também ajuda as organizações a alinharem os objetivos internos com as expectativas do mercado e serve também como uma ferramenta vital para a tomada de decisões informadas e estratégicas.

Para você ter ideia, segundo pesquisa realizada pelo Sebrae:

• 50% dos donos não tinham definido o lucro pretendido;
• 46% não conheciam os hábitos de consumo dos seus potenciais clientes;
• 42% não tinham ideia do faturamento necessário para cobrir custos e gerar lucro;
• 37% não tinha ideia da melhor localização para o seu negócio;

Ou seja, muitas empresas fecham as portas por não terem informações básicas – mas extremamente importantes – e que estão presentes no Business Plan.

Por isso, para saber mais sobre o Plano de Negócios, é preciso entender a fundo a sua estrutura.

Qual a estrutura de um Plano de Negócios?

Caso você já tenha topado com algum Business Plan, é provável que ele possua uma estrutura diferente. Isso porque os tópicos podem até variar, mas a finalidade e conteúdo presente costuma ser o mesmo.

Dessa forma, uma das estruturas que você pode ter no seu Business Plan é:

1. Sumário executivo

O sumário executivo é a porta de entrada do seu plano de negócios , proporcionando uma visão geral concisa mas abrangente de todos os aspectos mais cruciais do documento.

Ele deve incluir o nome da empresa, a localização, a missão, a visão, o produto ou serviço oferecido, o mercado-alvo, um breve resumo da análise de mercado, os objetivos financeiros principais e um resumo da estratégia para alcançá-los.

Imagine um sumário executivo para uma startup de tecnologia focada em soluções de inteligência artificial para o setor de saúde. Ele destacaria a inovação do produto, o potencial de mercado identificado nas pesquisas, os principais objetivos financeiros para os primeiros anos e como planeja alcançá-los, por exemplo.

2. Descrição da empresa

Esta seção aprofunda a história da empresa, sua estrutura legal (por exemplo, sociedade limitada, sociedade anônima), sua missão, visão, valores , e os mercados e setores em que opera. Aqui, é importante explicar por que a empresa foi criada e como seus produtos ou serviços atendem a necessidades específicas do mercado.

Uma empresa de software pode detalhar, por exemplo, como foi fundada para resolver a ineficiência em processos de gestão de projetos , destacando sua visão de tornar o trabalho de equipes mais integrado e produtivo.

3. Análise de mercado

A análise de mercado deve oferecer uma visão detalhada do setor em que a empresa opera, incluindo tendências do mercado, análise da concorrência, perfil do consumidor, demanda estimada, barreiras à entrada e regulamentações setoriais. Este é o momento de demonstrar conhecimento profundo do mercado e justificar a viabilidade do negócio.

Para uma empresa de alimentação saudável, esta seção pode incluir estatísticas sobre o crescimento do interesse por alimentos orgânicos e veganos, análise dos principais concorrentes e um perfil detalhado do consumidor-alvo interessado em saúde e bem-estar.

A Matriz BCG e a Análise SWOT são algumas das ferramentas bastante utilizadas nesta etapa, pois ajudam a identificar a relação entre participação de mercado e o crescimento da empresa.

4. Organização e gestão

Descreve a estrutura organizacional da empresa, incluindo o organograma e informações detalhadas sobre a equipe de gestão e os proprietários. Esta etapa do Business Plan deve abordar a experiência, as habilidades e as responsabilidades de cada membro-chave, bem como a estrutura de propriedade da empresa.

Uma seção poderia focar no CEO com experiência em liderar startups de tecnologia ao sucesso, detalhando sua formação, realizações anteriores e responsabilidades específicas dentro da empresa.

5. Linha de produtos ou serviços

Aqui, a empresa apresenta seus produtos ou serviços , explicando em detalhes as características, o processo de desenvolvimento, o estágio atual (por exemplo, conceito, protótipo, pronto para o mercado), a propriedade intelectual associada, e como eles se encaixam nas necessidades do mercado.

Além disso, algumas informações que podem ser fundamentais nesta etapa do Business Plan incluem: 

• principais características do produto ou serviço;
• preço do produto;
• diferencial de cada produto em relação à concorrência.

Uma empresa de aplicativos móveis pode descrever seu principal produto, um app de meditação guiada, incluindo funcionalidades únicas, tecnologias utilizadas, e como ele se diferencia no mercado.

6. Estratégia de marketing e vendas

Esta seção aborda como a empresa planeja atrair e reter clientes , detalhando estratégias de marketing, planos de vendas, canais de distribuição, política de preços, promoções, e publicidade. Deve-se também considerar a jornada do cliente e como a empresa se posiciona em cada ponto de contato.

Para um e-commerce de moda, poderia incluir estratégias de marketing digital, como SEO, marketing de conteúdo, redes sociais, parcerias com influenciadores, além de detalhar o processo de vendas online e pós-venda.

7. Plano financeiro

O plano financeiro é uma das seções mais cruciais, incluindo projeções de receita, demonstrativos financeiros (balanço patrimonial, demonstração de resultados, fluxo de caixa), análise de ponto de equilíbrio, e necessidades de financiamento. Essas informações ajudam a avaliar a viabilidade financeira do negócio.

Pode-se apresentar um cenário otimista, realista e pessimista para as vendas nos próximos cinco anos, incluindo capital inicial necessário, projeções de receita, custos operacionais e expectativa de lucratividade.

8. Plano de logística e operações

Esta seção mapeia como a empresa planeja entregar seus produtos ou serviços aos clientes de maneira eficiente e escalável. Deve cobrir processos operacionais internos , gestão da cadeia de suprimentos, controle de qualidade, inventário, fornecedores, produção, e considerações logísticas como transporte e distribuição.

O objetivo é demonstrar como a empresa maximizará a eficiência operacional, mantendo a qualidade do produto ou serviço e minimizando custos.

Componentes chave:

• Processos operacionais : descrição detalhada dos processos internos que garantem a operação diária eficaz da empresa, incluindo automação, tecnologia utilizada e gestão de fluxo de trabalho.
• Cadeia de suprimentos : análise da cadeia de suprimentos, incluindo fornecedores chave, estratégias de sourcing, e gestão de relacionamentos, assegurando a resiliência e a sustentabilidade.
• Controle de qualidade : medidas e procedimentos implementados para garantir que os produtos ou serviços atendam a padrões consistentes de qualidade.
• Gestão de inventário : estratégias para gerenciar eficientemente o estoque, minimizando custos de armazenamento e maximizando a disponibilidade de produtos.
• Produção : para empresas de manufatura, detalhes sobre a capacidade de produção, processos, maquinário e tecnologia utilizada.
• Logística e distribuição : planos para transporte, armazenagem e entrega de produtos finais, incluindo escolha de parceiros logísticos e gestão de custos de frete.

Para uma empresa que fabrica dispositivos eletrônicos, o plano de logística e operações detalharia a escolha de componentes de fornecedores confiáveis e sustentáveis, processos de montagem eficientes, medidas rigorosas de controle de qualidade para garantir a durabilidade do produto, e estratégias de distribuição que otimizem o tempo de entrega ao consumidor final, enquanto controlam os custos.

10 perguntas que o Business Plan deveria responder

William A. Sahlman , professor da Harvard Business School, é amplamente reconhecido por sua expertise em empreendedorismo e por ter contribuído significativamente para a compreensão de como escrever Business Plans eficazes.

Em um dos seus artigos escritos , Sahlman enfatiza a importância de focar em quatro áreas principais, que se desdobram em várias perguntas críticas. Essas áreas são: a oportunidade de negócio, as pessoas, o contexto e os riscos e recompensas.

A seguir, confira 10 perguntas fundamentais que precisam ser respondidas no seu Business Plan, segundo o professor:

1. A oportunidade de negócio

• O que está sendo vendido e por quê? Analise profundamente o produto ou serviço oferecido e a necessidade que ele atende.
• Quem são os clientes e como o produto ou serviço se encaixa no mercado? Identifique o mercado-alvo e justifique a demanda.
• Como o valor é criado para os clientes e para a empresa? Explique a proposta de valor e o modelo de negócios.

2. As pessoas

• Quem é a equipe de liderança e quais são suas experiências? Destaque a competência, a experiência relevante e a capacidade de execução da equipe.
• Como as decisões são tomadas e quem está envolvido? Descreva o processo de tomada de decisão e a estrutura organizacional.

3. O contexto

• Quais são as condições macroeconômicas, setoriais e regulatórias? Analise o ambiente externo em que o negócio opera.
• Como esses fatores externos afetam o negócio? Avalie o impacto do contexto econômico, tendências de mercado e regulamentações.

4. Riscos e recompensas

• Quais são os principais riscos e como eles serão gerenciados? Identifique potenciais desafios e estratégias de mitigação.
• Quais são as projeções financeiras e as premissas subjacentes? Apresente as estimativas financeiras e justifique as premissas utilizadas.
• Qual é o potencial de retorno para os investidores e para a empresa? Discuta a viabilidade financeira e as expectativas de retorno sobre o investimento ( ROI ).

Extras para o seu Plano de Negócios

Criar um Business Plan eficaz é crucial para o sucesso e a sustentabilidade de qualquer negócio. Aqui estão algumas dicas importantes do que fazer e do que não fazer ao elaborar seu plano:

O que fazer:

• Seja claro e conciso : um Business Plan deve ser direto, fácil de ler e entender. Evite jargões desnecessários e explique termos técnicos quando necessário.
• Conheça seu público : adapte o plano ao seu público-alvo, seja ele investidores, bancos ou parceiros estratégicos. Enfatize as informações mais relevantes para eles.
• Realize uma pesquisa de mercado aprofundada : conquiste conhecimento profundo do mercado, incluindo clientes, concorrentes e tendências. Isso mostra que você entende onde seu negócio se encaixa no mercado.
• Defina claramente sua proposta de valor : explique o que torna seu produto ou serviço único e por que os clientes deveriam escolhê-lo em detrimento dos concorrentes.
• Apresente uma estratégia de marketing e vendas sólida : descreva como você planeja atrair e reter clientes, incluindo estratégias de preços, promoções, distribuição e vendas.
• Detalhe seu modelo financeiro : inclua projeções financeiras detalhadas, como demonstrações de resultados, fluxos de caixa e análises de ponto de equilíbrio. Seja realista nas suas previsões.
• Inclua um plano operacional : descreva como sua empresa funcionará no dia a dia, incluindo logística, fornecedores, produção e operações.

O que não fazer:

• Ignorar a concorrência : não subestimar ou ignorar a concorrência. É importante reconhecer outros players no mercado e mostrar como você planeja se diferenciar.
• Ser excessivamente otimista : evite projeções financeiras irrealistas. Seja otimista, mas baseie suas previsões em dados e análises sólidas.
• Esquecer de identificar riscos : todo negócio tem riscos. A ideia é não ignorá-lo, mas sim criar planos de ação para solucioná-los.
• Falta de foco : evite incluir informações desnecessárias que não agregam valor ao plano. Mantenha o foco nos aspectos mais importantes do seu negócio.
• Negligenciar o design : a apresentação do seu Business Plan importa. Use gráficos, tabelas e outros elementos visuais para tornar o documento mais acessível e atraente.
• Escrever para si mesmo : embora o plano deva refletir sua visão e estratégia, lembre-se de que ele é, em última análise, um documento destinado a comunicar essa visão a outros. Certifique-se de que ele fale com seu público.

Qual a frequência para atualizar o Business Plan?

A frequência com que você deve atualizar seu Business Plan pode variar dependendo de vários fatores, incluindo a fase de crescimento da sua empresa, mudanças no ambiente de mercado, e o surgimento de novas oportunidades ou desafios .

Negócios mais maduros, por exemplo, podem optar por revisar e atualizar seus planos anualmente. Isso permite integrar insights operacionais do último ano, ajustar-se a mudanças no mercado e refinar estratégias para crescimento futuro.

Se houver mudanças significativas no mercado, como novas tendências emergentes, mudanças regulatórias, ou novos concorrentes entrando no mercado, é crucial revisar e possivelmente atualizar seu plano para refletir essas mudanças e responder adequadamente.

Quais são os tipos de Planos de Negócios?

Os Business Plans podem variar consideravelmente dependendo do propósito para o qual são criados, do estágio do negócio, e do público-alvo. Abaixo, estão alguns dos tipos mais comuns de Business Plans e suas características distintas:

1. Plano de negócios tradicional

Este é o formato mais abrangente, detalhando cada aspecto do negócio, desde a análise de mercado, estratégia de marketing e vendas, operações, até as projeções financeiras. É frequentemente utilizado para buscar financiamento externo de bancos ou investidores.

Normalmente este formato do Business Plan é extensivo, detalhado e inclui análises financeiras mais completas.

2. Lean startup business plan

Voltado em ser conciso, focado em hipóteses fundamentais, rápido de escrever e fácil de alterar, esta é uma versão mais ágil e enxuta do plano de negócios, focada em resumir os principais elementos do negócio rapidamente. Este plano enfatiza a proposta de valor, infraestrutura do negócio, clientes e finanças.

3. Plano de negócios interno

Criado para uso interno, este plano foca em estratégias para atingir objetivos de curto a médio prazo, incluindo desenvolvimento de produtos, entrada no mercado e estratégias operacionais.

Por ter uma visão mais interna dos objetivos da empresa, este modelo é centrado em metas, marcos e operações, sem necessidade de informações sobre a empresa destinadas a investidores externos.

4. Plano de negócios de feasibility (Viabilidade)

Antes de desenvolver um plano de negócios completo, um estudo de viabilidade pode ser realizado para avaliar a viabilidade de uma ideia de negócio. Este plano examina a demanda de mercado, custos, receitas potenciais e possíveis desafios.

A ideia é avaliar se a empresa ou o produto é viável, antes mesmo de fazer grandes investimentos, tanto de tempo como também financeiro.

5. Plano de negócios de crescimento ou expansão

Específico para empresas que buscam expandir operações, entrar em novos mercados ou escalar produtos/serviços. Este modelo de Business Plan pode ser utilizado para obter financiamento adicional ou orientar a expansão interna.

Suas características envolvem foco em escalabilidade, desenvolvimento de mercado e aquisição de recursos.

Leia também : M&A: lições e etapas para se atentar com quem já fez

Por que o Business Plan é importante para a empresa?

Imagino que deu pra entender o porquê o Business Plan é uma ferramenta essencial para qualquer empresa, independentemente do seu tamanho ou estágio no ciclo de vida empresarial. A seguir aprofunde seus conhecimentos com as várias dimensões críticas:

1. Fornece direção e claridade

Um Business Plan ajuda a definir objetivos claros para a empresa e estabelece um roteiro detalhado sobre como alcançá-los. Isso garante que todos na organização estejam alinhados e trabalhem em direção às mesmas metas, aumentando a eficiência e a eficácia das operações.

2. Ajuda na tomada de decisões estratégicas

Ao detalhar a análise de mercado, a estratégia de marketing, operações e projeções financeiras, o plano de negócios fornece um framework sólido para a tomada de decisões estratégicas. Ele permite que os líderes avaliem diferentes cenários e façam escolhas informadas que alavancam o crescimento do negócio.

3. Ferramenta essencial para financiamento

Para startups buscando capital de investidores ou empresas estabelecidas procurando financiamento para expansão, um Business Plan é fundamental. Ele demonstra a viabilidade do negócio, o potencial de crescimento e a capacidade da equipe de gestão, o que é crucial para atrair investimentos.

4. Facilita a comunicação com stakeholders

O plano de negócios serve como um documento de comunicação que pode ser usado para informar e convencer uma variedade de stakeholders , incluindo investidores, parceiros, funcionários e clientes, sobre a visão e o valor da empresa.

5. Auxilia no gerenciamento e planejamento financeiro

As projeções financeiras detalhadas no plano ajudam a empresa a entender suas necessidades de capital, gerenciar seu fluxo de caixa de forma eficaz e planejar investimentos futuros. Isso é crucial para a sustentabilidade financeira a longo prazo.

6. Promove o crescimento estratégico

O processo de elaboração de um Business Plan força os líderes empresariais a olhar para o futuro e planejar o crescimento estratégico. Ele permite que a empresa identifique oportunidades de expansão, explore novos mercados e desenvolva novos produtos ou serviços.

Próximos passos

O STRATWs One pode ser um aliado poderoso para empresas que estão construindo seus Business Plans, oferecendo suporte desde a fase de planejamento até a execução e o acompanhamento do plano. Suas funcionalidades de alinhamento estratégico, análise de dados, gestão de KPIs , projetos, tarefas, e a promoção da colaboração interna, são essenciais para desenvolver um plano de negócios coerente, estratégico e implementável.

A plataforma oferece ferramentas robustas de análise de dados que podem ser utilizadas para embasar a análise de mercado e a seção financeira do plano. Com o STRATWs One, as empresas podem acessar dados em tempo real e insights que auxiliam na tomada de decisões estratégicas fundamentadas e muito mais!

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How to Make an Ecommerce Business Plan for Your Startup

Darren DeMatas

February 28, 2024

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In addition to receiving commissions generated through affiliate marketing, we are able to fund our independent research and reviews at no extra cost to our readers. Learn more.

So you’ve decided that you want to quit your day job and start your very own ecommerce empire. That’s great!

But before you become the next Jeff Bezos  (and definitely before you quit your job!), it’s worth spending some time thinking about a business plan. In this article, we’ll dive into the key elements of an ecommerce business plan, which is very different than writing traditional business plans.

Why You Should Create a Business Plan

We know that starting an ecommerce business is exciting, and it can be tempting to jump right in without constructing a business plan. READ: PLEASE DON’T DO THIS.

If you haven’t put your ideas, questions and concerns on paper, then you haven’t given your business model enough thought .

Taking the time to write a business plan might seem like a lot of work, but it can save you a lot of time and money in the long run by better preparing you for potential challenges and opportunities that you’ll face as a first-time entrepreneur. Think of it as a roadmap for your new business venture.

It’s exciting to start your own ecommerce business. However, you want to be well prepared and not jump into anything without having a solid, foolproof ecommerce business plan in place.

After all, you wouldn’t jump out of a plane without a parachute, so why start a business without a safety device in place? That safety device is your business plan.

The business plan is the brainstorming process that ensures your concept and goals are realistic.

This is more than just mental notes. True business plans take your ideas , questions, and concerns and put those in writing.

As you start creating your business plan, you’ll soon understand that it’s more than a single piece of paper with handwritten details on it. It’s a clearly constructed format of how your business will be created, how it will operate, and what you hope the future holds in terms of a successful ecommerce business.

When you write your business plan, be sure to have a target audience in mind. Are you going to look for investors or put a Kickstarter campaign into motion and use this as your descriptive platform? If so, make sure that your business plan contains everything the audience would want to know about your business (and more!). Many traditional funding solutions require a business plan in order to give you capital. However, there are alternative solutions, such as  Payability  that specialize in ecommerce and don’t require credit checks, a business plan, or any complicated paperwork. They can also get you approved in as little as 24 hours.

When your business plan is completed, you should have achieved the following goals:

• Knowledge:  A greater sense of knowledge of the business aspects.
• Resources:  The resources you’re going to need to make your business successful, such as partners, money, employees, etc.
• Road Map: Have clear set goals to take you from the very beginning of your business and onward.
• Viability: In other words, is your business possible? Will you have enough profit margins to keep the doors open long-term?

Now that you know why you should create a business plan, it’s time to move on to how you can create your business plan and get started putting your ecommerce business into motion.

How to Start an Ecommerce Business Plan

At the very beginning of the planning stages, it’s a good idea to develop a framework for your business model. This business model will continue to evolve as you create each section of your ecommerce business plan, so don’t strive for a perfect completed plan on the first try. You will be making tweaks to the plan of certain steps along the way.

There are many ways to sell products online and different business models  to pursue. Research and learn from successful ecommerce business examples in the market. The exact business model you follow will be one that makes the most sense with your resources, skills, and interests.

In order to create the best online business plan with your product in mind, you need to figure out the following things:

What are you selling?

The first step to creating an online business is to learn the absolute basics of what you can sell.

• Physical products: Clothing , shoes, home goods
• Digital products: Software as a Service products, ecourses, ebooks
• Services: Consulting services, home cleaning

Who are you selling to?

• Business-to-Business (B2B): You are selling to organizations, corporations, and non-profits rather than individual customers
• Business to Consumer (B2C): This means you are selling to individual consumers rather than businesses
• Marketplace: You are acting as a middleman by bringing businesses and (B2B or B2C) customers to one website.

How are you sourcing your product?

• Manufacture in-house: You make your product or service in-house
• Third-party manufacturer: You outsource the manufacturing of your product or service to a third-party manufacturer
• Dropship: You partner with a dropship manufacturer. Basically, this means that they make your product, package it and ship it directly to your customer while your company handles the entire customer relationship.
• Wholesale : You buy goods or services from other companies in bulk and re-sell those products on your online store

Additional References

• Entrepreneurship: Business & Marketing Plans
• Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship Resources
• Business Plan Resources

Executive Summary

The executive summary will be written according to your goals, and it’s recommended that this is done at the very end of your business plan completion. This will ensure that you include all of the important factors about your business and present your ideas in a concise and complete way.

Some of the features you’ll include in the executive summary include information showing that you’ve done your research, you have concrete sales forecasts, and the main details about your brand.

Business Model

When you’re figuring out your business model, you have to consider four different areas:

• Monetization strategy
• Product/industry
• Target market
• Sales channel

Monetization Strategy

The monetization strategy delves into the methods you are going to use to sell your products.

This strategy will look at different product monetization methods, including white label, private label , affiliate marketing, wholesale, dropshipping, and even selling ads.

Product/Industry

The product industry section is where you summarize your main niche.

For example, “Vegan Skincare Products.”

Target Market

In the target market section, you will write a sentence or so on who your target market, or ideal customer, is in the community.

If you’re selling vegan skincare products, your target customers might be women who embrace the vegan lifestyle and use natural skincare products in their daily beauty regimen.

Sales Channel

The sales channel refers to where you’re going to sell your products.

For example, you might be selling your products on your own website, and this should be entered in this section.

Business Overview

This next section covers your company overview.

This section of your business plan will cover various features of your company, including the following:

• Company type
• Domain name
• Value proposition
• Brand traits

The brand name section lists your business name or brand name.

This is an extremely important aspect of your business plan as it’s what will set the tone for everything that follows.

Pick a brand name that’s simple yet unique and is something that can be used in a wordplay manner, if desired, but not pun-worthy.

Company Type

The company is how your business operates. For example, you might label your business as an LLC , S-corporation, sole proprietor, or some other type of business organization.

The best way to determine how you should categorize your company is to speak to your accountant. There are various tax and legal aspects to forming your business in a certain way.

Speak with the professionals in the company and corporation formation field to determine how to label your company and which company type best benefits your business in a variety of ways.

Domain Name

This section is where you list your domain name.

Choose a domain name that is memorable and embraces the overall traits and features of your business.

And, when choosing a domain name, be sure to think of SEO aspects when doing so. You’ll find out just how much all of these things tie together and ensure a frequently-visited website is the end result.

Keep in mind that with ecommerce, the domain name is just as important as the brand name. Maybe even more so!

Value Proposition

A value proposition is a short, crisp statement that will gauge how clear your idea is. Write this section as if you had one minute to explain your business to a potential investor or customer and then practice it over and over again.

The value proposition can be used on your ecommerce store as your company description.

Here’s a good example: Say you’re looking to start a hiking company called Atlas Hiking Co. which sells premium performance hiking shirts. A possible company description could be the following:

Atlas Hiking Co. is a lifestyle hiking company that produces high-performance hiking shirts for outdoor lovers. Our proprietary SPF40 fabric is one of the lightest fabrics on the market, providing mountain lovers with maximum comfort, both from a breathability and sun-protection standpoint. Our product is made in the U.S.A. and a portion of our profits are donated to preserve national parks around the country.

Pay special attention to all the sensory words !

The mission statement in your business plan is the “why” of it all.

For example, why you started the business, why you are selling the products you are selling, etc., can all be added to this section of your business plan.

You can make this portion as simple or detailed as you like. Just make sure to properly and clearly explain your business mission.

The vision part of the business plan is your “how” in the grand scheme of things. It is the dream you have for your company and the path you’re going to take to realize that dream.

When you write the vision portion of the business plan, think long-term. What are you hoping to achieve, not just in the near future but for the long haul of the life of your business?

Look into the future and plan out where you see your business in 5, 10, even 20 years from now.

This will help you construct the rest of your business plan if you know where you want your business to head, now and in the future.

Brand Traits

The brand traits section is a short section in your company overview.

Basically, in the brand traits section you’re going to want to list three to five words that describe your brand.

Think of your brand personality and describe it using a few separate powerful words.

The personnel section lists all individuals, including yourself, who will be involved in the daily operations of your business. You can create a separate section for a full operations plan or add that later.

Some business owners choose to handle all duties on their own or with a partner, while others will hire individuals to fill the following roles:

• CEO (usually the business owner)
• Management team
• Customer service/logistics
• PR/Social media specialist
• SEO manager
• Advertising manager

Competitive Market Analysis

Here’s a fact you can bank on: there has never been a successful e-commerce entrepreneur that didn’t understand his/her target market cold.

That’s why this section is one of the most important in the entire business plan. It will force you to understand the industry in which you operate, the overall industry analysis and outlook, the existing competition, and your target customer demographic.

Market Segment

The market segment portion of the business plan will help you to put your ideas down on paper, make them more focused, and get your team together.

This area will include your niche selection, target market, and competitive analysis.

Niche Selection

The niche section  provides an overview of your niche, why you selected it, whether there’s a micro niche included, and the type of niche you’ve chosen.

The purpose of this section is to crystalize the ideas that you have and make sure they are understandable and viable.

The target market section covers an overview of your target market plus describes your market segments.

Ask yourself who your  target customer  is (population size, age, geography, education, ethnicity, income level) and consider whether consumers are comfortable with buying your product category online.

When listing the target market information, make sure to mention your target audience size as this is important for ensuring that your audience will be adequately covered.

Competitive Analysis

With the competitive analysis portion of your market analysis, you want to list your market leader and direct and indirect competitors.

After you mention who these entities are, you need to list the characteristics of each one, such as domain name, business model, monthly traffic, and pricing range.

However, before you even get started in writing this section, you need to spend several hours researching your target market.

Here are some of the most efficient ways to research a particular market:

Industry reports

Google is your best friend. Look for any recent industry reports on your market of choice. This will give you a good sense of how much growth the industry is experiencing, why this growth is happening, and what are the largest customer segments. In our example of Atlas Hiking Co., we should research the outdoor apparel market.

Let’s say that through our research of the outdoor apparel industry, we discovered that there was a huge boom in youth hiking apparel. Perhaps parents were increasingly concerned about their kids’ exposure to UV rays while hiking, so they began to spend more money on their kids. We could use this valuable information to guide our business strategy.

There’s only so much you can read online. Go to a nearby store that sells similar products to yours and interview the store representative. The store rep has interacted with hundreds of interested customers, which can lead to thousands of valuable insights! It’s amazing how these insights can translate into a meaningful business opportunity.

Here’s an example:

If I were going into Billy’s Outdoor Store to research the outdoor apparel market, I would probably ask Billy the following:

• What are your best-selling products?
• What are your worst-selling products?
• Find products similar to yours and ask the representative his/her favorite features on products similar to yours.
• How much are customers generally willing to spend on these types of products?
• Do customers make repeat orders of any of these products?
• Do you get a lot of customers that are looking to buy last-minute hiking gear before they go on a hike?

Competition

Create an Excel spreadsheet of all of your competitors. In your spreadsheet, you should have the following columns:

• Competitor Name
• Price point
• Product Description
• Key Features (e.g., fabric, waterproof, slim fit, etc.)

What is the competition missing? Is there a gap in the offering? Where you can add some additional value?

After conducting the competitor analysis, Atlas Hiking Co. might find that the competition’s hiking shirts offer very few features at a low price point, but no one offers a luxury hiking shirt with additional features at a higher price point.

This is just an example of the types of insights one can gain from market research which can drastically alter your business model.

Keyword Research

By using Google’s keyword planner  and trends pages, you can get a good sense of how in demand your product is and whether it’s trending upward or downward. Google is great for a general idea, just don’t bank on it.

Some other keyword tools you can use for keyword research include Ahrefs, JungleScout, and Viral Launch. Check out this list  for more ideas.

Trade shows

Are there nearby trade shows that you can go to? Again, creating connections with other people in your industry is a surefire shortcut to countless hours of reading on the internet. Trade shows are also a great opportunity to talk to competitors, meet manufacturers, and better understand where things are heading in your industry.

Once you finish researching the relevant industry, you should summarize your findings by answering the following questions:

General Industry

• How big is the overall industry?
• How big is the specific sub-industry in which you intend to operate?
• Where has most of the historic growth in the market come from?
• Why is this the right time to enter this market?
• What are the sub-segments that are poised for future growth (e.g., youth apparel)?
• How crowded is the product category with competition?
• How is your competition distributing its product (online, retail, wholesale, etc.)?
• What’s missing from the competition’s product offering?

Products and Offers

So we know we want to sell hiking shirts, but how do you research specific products?

But for some of us, we’re not quite sure what we should sell. To succeed in online retail, you need a product that is trending upwards in a growing niche.

Different types of products

Some of the different types of products include the following:

• Convenience products: Frequent purchase products, little effort on buying
• Shopping products: Less frequently purchased in between purchases, little more effort and planning, shop around
• Specialty products: Strong brand preference and loyalty, will buy no matter what the price

The various types of niches include the following:

• Hobby niches
• Lifestyle niches
• Problem niches
• Weird/embarrassing niches

Existing products

Come up with detailed specifications for each product or service you intend to sell. If it’s a hiking shirt we’re selling, we would want to have:

• Detailed sketches of the shirt
• Fabric weight, materials, type
• Key features (e.g., pre-shrunk, water-proof, SPF 40)

Future product pipeline

What are other products that you have in the pipeline? Perhaps once you’ve successfully sold hiking shirts, you’re able to leverage your manufacturing relationships to provide hiking socks and shorts. Include that information in this section.

The products and services section will cover the various selling categories of items.

These product offerings will include the following:

• Core product

Each product group will have its own purpose in your sales catalog. For example, tripwire is the product that brings customers to your ecommerce store or online marketplaces  while the core product is your main seller.

Knowing what products you’ll include within each section allows you to have a firm grasp on what your main product will be and how the other types of products will work alongside your main product.

This section will also cover the search volume and Amazon pricing range.

You’ll need to calculate your true costs. You have to make sure you don’t overestimate your margins.

To tabulate your total true costs, you need to write down the costs in the following areas:

• Target price
• Supplier cost of the product
• Total cost per unit
• Net profit per unit
• Profit margin per unit

Once you complete the pricing portion, you’ll have everything on one sheet and readily accessible whenever you need it.

Marketing Plan and Operations

So, now you’ve concluded that you have a great business idea, and it’s in a growing market. That’s fantastic – but how are you going to drive traffic to your ecommerce website and get customers to buy it ? And how much can you afford to spend on your product?

Marketing  is everything. It’s important that your marketing efforts match your business model.

If you have a website and no marketing, your site won’t have any visitors. With no visitors, you will make no sales. Then how do you grow and sell your ecommerce business (if that’s your long-term goal)? Even with the best possible products, nobody will buy them if they aren’t directed to them in some way.

In order to come up with a marketing strategy, you need to first know your customer inside out. You should be able to answer such questions as:

• How old is your customer?
• Where does your customer live?
• What is the population of your customer base?
• What is their education level?
• What is their income level?
• What are your customer’s pain points?

With so many channels to reach your customer, which one is best for you?

Once we know pretty much everything there is to know about our target customer, we can shift focus to our marketing strategy. You want to choose marketing strategies that equal positive conversion rates. What channels should you use to grab the attention of your customer demographic? Some of the key marketing channels include:

Paid Marketing

• Pay-per-click – this online marketing typically involves using Google Shopping campaigns  and managing a product data feed.
• Affiliate sales networks – Allowing other blogs and websites to sell your product for a cut of the revenue. List the different affiliate sale networks that you plan to promote through.
• Facebook ads ⎯ Ads posted on Facebook to draw in buyers through social media means.
• Influencer marketing ⎯ Hiring industry influencers to get the word out about your product through their social media platforms and contacts.

Organic Marketing

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram , Pinterest, etc.): What is your strategy for social media, and where will you dedicate your attention?
• Search Engine Optimization : Create and promote awesome content so people find your product organically through search.
• Content marketing: Figure out how you’ll use content marketing in your business. Consider various article topics that will persuade your target audience to buy your products.
• Blogger networks: could be organic or paid through affiliate sale programs.
• Key bloggers: Develop a list of the key bloggers in your product category. For Atlas Hiking Co., this might be an influencer that blogs about the best hiking trails in America.

Finding the optimal mix of these advertising tools depends 100% on your customer segment as well as your product type. For example, a SaaS product targeting millennials will require an entirely different marketing strategy than an e-commerce physical product targeting baby boomers. Perhaps that should be a post on its own for another day!

How much should you spend to acquire a customer?

In order to understand this, we need first to discuss a concept known as customer lifetime value or LTV. In essence, this is a formula that helps you better understand how much an average customer will spend over time.

Here’s  a good read on how to calculate LTV.

It’s important to remember that for new businesses, you don’t have a lot of data on customer purchase habits so it’s a good idea to be more conservative with your assumptions in calculating LTV.

Let’s say, for Atlas Hiking Co., I determine that the average LTV per customer is $300. This means that over time, the average customer will spend $300. Let’s say, on average, if I receive $300 in revenue, $100 of that will translate to gross profit before I factor in my marketing costs (basically, I’m just subtracting the cost of making the shirts).

Knowing that my gross profit is $100 per shirt is a critical piece of information because it tells me that I can spend up to $100 in marketing to acquire a customer and still be profitable!

Some of the marketing options include social media marketing and content marketing.

Think about your business model and then line up your marketing budget. Your marketing budget may include the following items:

• Sales/branded content
• SEO/blog content
• Facebook/Instagram ads
• Influencer marketing
• Marketing tools
• Niche advertising

Choosing The Right Technology

With so much technology and SaaS products out there, it’s important to understand the various moving parts and diagram how they all integrate with one another.

Some of the different elements include:

• Shopping Cart Platforms  – e.g., Shopify , BigCommerce , WooCommerce , or any open-source platform
• Hosting – Nexcess , BigScoots , Kinsta , WPX
• Payment Processo r – e.g., Stripe, Paypal
• Fulfillment Center – e.g., Amazon, ShipBob
• Apps – e.g., Zipify, BuildWooFunnels, Gelato
• Accounting & Taxes  – e.g., Quicken, Xero
• Marketing Automation – e.g., Klaviyo , Mailchimp
• Marketing Tools – e.g.  Buzzstream, Ahrefs
• Customer Loyalty Programs  – e.g., Antavo, Smile

Come up with a detailed list of the different products and services you need to run your business as well as the monthly and per-transaction cost of each of them. This will be important in understanding the impact of these services on your margins.

Matching your business model to your technology is essential, too. Certain website platforms are better suited for specific sales models.

Email marketing is another type of technology that should be carefully considered and matched up correctly with your business model.

Keep in mind that it takes, on average, 6-7 interactions with a brand before someone makes a purchase, so you need to keep using technology to get them back to your website.

As you explore the technology options and find out ways to draw potential customers in and keep them happy while they’re there, here are some key points to keep in mind:

• What you say about yourself and your products with your website content
• How you respond to questions on live chat and email support
• How to make use of chatbots
• How you connect on social media
• The information you send through email marketing
• What bloggers and influencers say about your brand
• How existing customers review your company
• How you advertise
• How you establish loyalty beyond sales

After you figure out your technology methods, you have to come up with a technology budget.

The business plan must also include the operations side of things. Determine who will be your manufacturer, secondary manufacturer, and shipping and fulfillment  provider.

When looking at supply chain costs and options, ShipBob  is an ecommerce fulfillment provider you can consider.

Financial Plan

When figuring out your financial plan, evaluating and pinpointing your startup costs  is essential.

The focus of the financial plan is how long it will take for you to make your money back. You also need to figure out if you need a business loan .

Traffic and conversion rates will help you determine how long it will be until you start making money back.

You’ll also want to use an income statement to detail financial information.

This section is used for financial projections, such as forecasting sales, expenses, and net income of the business. Ideally, you’ll want to create a monthly Excel balance sheet showing the following:

• Projected revenue:  First, come up with your projected number of units sold and then come up with your projected revenue (Projected Revenue = # of Units Sold * Average Sales Price).
• Fixed expenses:   these are expenses that are fixed no matter how much you sell. Typically, these relate to monthly SaaS subscriptions, employee salaries, or rent.
• Variable expenses  – these expenses change in direct proportion to how much you sell. Common examples include the cost of goods sold and credit card payment processing fees.

This helps business owners better understand what they need to achieve to hit their profit goals. In reality, projections are usually always off the mark, but it’s good to give yourself some measurable goals to strive for.

This section should aim to answer the following questions about your product offering:

• How much product do you need to sell per year to meet your income goals for the business?
• What are the margins on your product? If you sell one hiking shirt for $50, how much do you make after paying your supplier, employees, and marketing costs?
• What is the lifetime value of a customer?
• How much can you spend to acquire customers? If you conservatively project that the average customer will spend $300 over time on your shirts, then you can afford to spend an amount less than $300 to acquire that customer using the paid marketing channels described previously.
• Do you have any big capital expenditures early on that would require you to need to bring in investors?
• Can you improve gross margins by making bigger orders from your suppliers?

There are various acquisition channels that will help your traffic to convert including:

Your revenue plan will contain a 12-month revenue forecast plan to help you map out each month of earnings.

There are different business earning models you can go through to determine how much you can make with your business.

You want to calculate how much traffic costs. This all depends on the methods you use to gain traffic to your site.

As you determine what your profit might be with your ecommerce business  or ecommerce businesses, there are certain math formulas to use:

• The profit equation
• Break-even analysis
• Units needed to achieve the profit target

You should also consider how you will use fintech companies in your ecommerce business.

What are the key elements of an ecommerce business plan?

The main components of an eCommerce business plan include the executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product line or service, marketing and sales strategy, financial projections, and funding request, if applicable.

How do I create a budget for my ecommerce business?

Start by estimating your initial startup costs and ongoing expenses. Consider costs like website development, inventory, marketing, shipping, taxes, and any necessary licenses or permits. It’s also important to factor in a contingency plan for unexpected costs.

How do I find the right product to sell?

Research is fundamental. Look at market trends, customer needs, and competitor products. Use tools like Google Trends or social media platforms to understand what customers are currently interested in. Always consider your passion and knowledge about the product too, as this can drive your business forward.

How can I differentiate my product from competitors?

Differentiation can come from unique product features, superior customer service, better pricing, or a compelling brand story. Understand what your competitors offer and how you can do it differently or better.

Wrapping Up Your Business Plan

Careful planning is crucial to get your e-commerce business from the planning phase to the launch phase and to ensure its successful future.

Going through the exercise of writing a business plan will cement your own understanding of your business and your market. It will also position you to take advantage of lucrative opportunities while mitigating harmful threats to your business down the line.

Your turn! Have you written a business plan for your online store? Do you have anything to add? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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Business plan: o que é, por que fazer e como fazer.

O business plan pode ser utilizado em qualquer modelo de negócio, independente da área de atuação da sua empresa

Você já tem ou pretende abrir o próprio negócio? Atualmente, no Brasil, todos os dias milhares de empreendimentos abrem e fecham suas portas por diversos motivos que poderiam ser evitados se logo no início o empreendedor tivesse construído o business plan da sua empresa. 

De acordo com os dados apresentados pelo Sebrae, aproximadamente 30% dos microempreendedores individuais (MEI) encerram as atividades antes dos 5 anos de empresa. 

Para que não aconteça o mesmo com o seu negócio, neste artigo vamos falar sobre o que é, como fazer um, quais são os tipos e a importância de um business plan para os negócios. 

Boa leitura!  

O que é Business Plan?

Business plan, ou plano de negócios em tradução para o português, é um documento de planejamento importante para qualquer empreendedor que deseja se aprofundar no seu modelo de negócio e ter insights antes da criação da empresa. 

Nele, devem constar informações como: o que é o negócio, as informações financeiras da empresa, quais são os objetivos dela e o que precisa ser feito para alcançá-los. Além disso, os planos de negócios costumam ter também uma análise mercadológica do setor em que a empresa está inserida. 

Para que serve o Business Plan?

O plano de negócios é um grande aliado da gestão empresarial . Ele serve como um guia que auxilia os empreendedores nas tomadas de decisões na hora de criar o próprio negócio.

É através do business plan que é possível identificar os pontos fortes e fracos do negócio, identificar o público-alvo, conhecer os principais concorrentes e os maiores fornecedores do setor, etc.   

Por que o Business Plan é importante?

Fazer o business plan é importante porque planejamento é a chave para o sucesso de muitas empresas.

Apesar de não eliminar completamente os riscos da empresa, os empreendedores de sucesso já entenderam que um plano de negócios diminui as chances do negócio não dar certo , visto que o business plan propõe toda uma análise e estudos sobre o setor daquele empreendimento.

Além disso, o plano de negócios serve também para:

• Alinhar a comunicação entre sócios e membros da equipe;
• Captar recursos, sejam eles financeiros ou humanos;    
• Facilitar a administração e o acompanhamento do negócio ao longo do tempo.

Tipos de Business Plan 

Existem diversos tipos de plano de negócio. Para cada um deles existe uma ocasião que é mais indicado o uso daquele plano específico.

Abaixo, listamos os principais tipos de business plan:

• Mini planos: modelo curto, de 5 a 10 páginas, que faz um breve resumo dos objetivos da empresa;
• Plano de expansão: modelo mais elaborado e completo, pois tem como objetivo atrair novos investidores para o negócio;
• Plano operacional: modelo interno que serve para a definição de objetivos e acompanhamento das metas durante todo o ano.  

Como fazer um Business Plan? 

Agora que você já entendeu a importância de ter um plano de negócios, porque não começar a criar o seu plano de negócios ainda hoje?

Antes de dar início, é importante você saber que o plano de negócios não possui um modelo padrão. Geralmente, as pessoas usam o Canvas , uma ferramenta de planejamento estratégico, como base para o business plan. 

Caso você não conheça ou não domine a ferramenta, não se preocupe! A montagem do plano fica a seu critério e depende muito do seu modelo de negócio.

Entretanto, existem elementos que são indispensáveis em um plano de negócios. Abaixo, falamos sobre cada um desses elementos:   

1. Sumário executivo

O sumário executivo é a primeira parte do plano de negócios. Por isso, ele deve ser bem estruturado e constar um resumo com as principais informações do que a pessoa deve encontrar no decorrer do plano de negócios.

Muitas vezes, a primeira impressão do negócio é o que desperta o interesse dos investidores em conhecer mais sobre aquele empreendimento. 

Nele, você deve incluir informações importantes do seu produto como:

• Descrição do negócio com informações como nome e diferenciais;
• Qual a missão;
• Perfil dos clientes;
• Qual o valor necessário para o investimento inicial e em quanto tempo ele deve dar retorno;
• Potencial de crescimento do produto ou serviço no mercado em que está inserido;
• Recursos humanos e financeiros que serão necessários.

Esses são apenas alguns itens que são indicados em um sumário, mas você pode acrescentar outros elementos que fazem mais sentido para o seu negócio. 

2. Descrição do negócio

Basicamente, a descrição do negócio consiste em uma explicação breve e descomplicada do seu negócio . Portanto, não precisa encher a descrição de informações, pois o objetivo é que ela seja lida e entendida rapidamente. 

Nela, basta apenas trazer informações como: o que é o negócio, quais soluções ele deve trazer para o público e quem são os seus consumidores em potencial.    

3. Análise de mercado

Aqui, você deve mostrar que pesquisou sobre o mercado que deseja atuar e que consegue identificar as particularidades daquele setor . 

Para isso, é importante que a sua análise de mercado tenha as seguintes informações:

• Análise competitiva;
• Fornecedores
• Mercado-alvo;
• Necessidades dos clientes não atendidas pelo mercado atualmente;
• Público-alvo;
• Situação atual e perspectivas de mercado para os próximos anos. 

4. Análise da concorrência

Assim como na análise mercado, na análise da concorrência você deve mostrar que se preparou, que fez todo um trabalho de pesquisa para identificar os principais concorrentes do seu empreendimento. 

O objetivo da análise da concorrência é fazer com que você identifique os pontos fortes e fracos , o que diferencia tal concorrente como líder no setor, entre outras questões. Com isso, você pode fazer uma análise comparativa entre você e os seus concorrentes para identificar também os pontos fortes e fracos do seu negócio.

Para fazer essa análise, você pode responder a algumas questões: 

• Como é o atendimento e a relação com o cliente?
• Qual o preço cobrado?
• O que faz as pessoas comprarem com tal marca?
• Por que as pessoas desistem da compra com tal marca?
• Qual o diferencial da marca?

5. Organização e gestão

Na parte de organização e gestão você deve explicar como vai funcionar a sua empresa com o máximo de informações possíveis, desde que elas sejam informações claras e eficazes.

Por exemplo, você deve incluir questões como:

• Breve currículo da equipe responsável pela gestão;
• Estrutura organizacional;
• Tipo da empresa. 

Dessa forma, com essas informações em fácil acesso, quando problemas surgirem dentro da empresa os colaboradores saberão solucioná-los ou a quem recorrer para resolver o problema em tempo hábil.   

6. Estratégia de comunicação e marketing

Em primeiro lugar, você precisa criar uma declaração acerca da comunicação do seu negócio. Nela, você precisa definir questões como: de que forma você deseja se relacionar com os clientes e qual será o tom da comunicação utilizada com eles. 

Logo em seguida, você deve começar a pensar na estratégia de marketing do negócio. Nesta etapa do marketing é importante abordar os seguintes tópicos:

• Canais de vendas;
• Precificação;
• Propaganda;
• Qualidade do produto ou serviço.

7. Orçamento e projeção financeira

O orçamento e a projeção financeira talvez seja um dos elementos mais importantes do plano de negócio. Nele, você deve trazer um balanço financeiro do negócio , com custos iniciais, projeções de vendas para os próximos anos, tempo para alcançar o ponto de equilíbrio e o fluxo positivo do caixa, entre outras questões.   

8. Plano de contingência

Agora, com todas as outras etapas do plano de negócio concluídas, o último item é o plano de contingência. 

De forma simples, o plano de contingência é um “plano B” para o seu empreendimento. Por exemplo, nele você deve explicar o que pretende fazer caso o seu produto não venda como era esperado, o que pode ser feito para alavancar as vendas, quais estratégias mudar, etc.   

Da mesma forma, no seu plano de contingência também deve ter soluções para o caso do seu produto ser um sucesso de vendas. Busque responder a questões como “o que fazer para aumentar o estoque e dar conta da demanda?” ou “como manter essas pessoas interessadas até a próxima remessa de produto?”. 

Exemplos de Business Plan

Por fim, para que não restem dúvidas de que o plano de negócios pode ser utilizado em qualquer empreendimento, trouxemos 3 exemplos de planos de negócios aplicados em setores diversos.

1. E-commerce

A Net Organique é um e-commerce de produtos orgânicos onde você pode fazer a sua feira e receber os produtos em casa em um curto espaço de tempo. 

2. Impressão 3D

A Mind Model é uma empresa especializada em criação de modelos digitais ou impressão 3D de protótipos para arquitetos, engenheiros e empresas da construção civil. 

3. Consultoria

A empresa de consultoria presta um serviço de consultoria e acompanhamento estratégico para empresas que desejam melhorar os aspectos da sua comunicação, tanto interna quanto externa. 

Esses exemplos são alguns planos de negócios que você pode usar de inspiração para criar o seu.

Mas, caso você queira se aprofundar mais na criação de um business plan, o MBA em Gestão de Processos de Negócios da XP Educação é uma excelente alternativa. Nele, você se capacita para conduzir projetos e negócios de forma ágil, com estratégias organizacionais que potencializam e trazem mais resultados para a instituição. 

Lembre-se que um plano de negócios bem estruturado pode ser um grande diferencial na saúde financeira e vida útil do seu negócio. Portanto, investir em qualificação é sempre um bom negócio que traz retorno positivo tanto para você quanto para a sua empresa.   

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Como fazer um e-mail marketing: aprenda o passo a passo + dicas de ferramentas, análise ambiental: o que é e como fazer esse planejamento na empresa.

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E-business: Cómo desarrollar su estrategia en 7 pasos…

Resumen: La nueva economía ha traído para las industrias, una transformación de los modelos tradicionales de pensamiento sobre estrategia, uso de la tecnología, procesos y capital humano en las organizaciones. Las estrategias de e-business se han convertido en caminos para descubrir posiciones estratégicas superiores y por ende la formulación de una estrategia de negocio, no puede estar aislada del apoyo que brindan las nuevas tecnologías, a través del uso de canales electrónicos. ¿Qué es una estrategia de e-business? ¿Cómo se relaciona la estrategia de e-business con la estrategia general del negocio? ¿Cómo abordar la formulación de lo que sea ha denominado “e-strategy”? ¿Cómo pasar de la estrategia a las acciones concretas, cuando se introducen canales electrónicos para apoyar el negocio?. Este artículo, revisa la forma en que se están abordando los conceptos de negocio a la luz de las oportunidades que ofrece el e-business y conduce una respuesta a estos interrogantes.

Introducción

Las organizaciones acuden a estructuras que faciliten la entrega de productos y servicios a sus clientes. Con ese fin, diseñan sus canales de distribución, fuerzas de ventas, formas de pago, exposición de productos etc. La infraestructura física, la tecnología y los procesos complementan esta labor. Cada vez es más común, que en la formulación de la estrategia de negocio, estas estructuras estén apoyadas por procesos de innovación tecnológica. Sin embargo, no en todos los casos la apropiación de tecnología se realiza de manera organizada, contemplando el riesgo inherente a la complejidad y teniendo total conciencia del beneficio.

En el caso de e-business la situación no es diferente. Entre otras muchas razones, lo que motiva a actuar a los directivos manteniendo la inercia de presupuestos anteriores, es sencillamente que no tienen claro el tema. Es necesario entender, en que consiste una estrategia de e-business y cuales son sus componentes estructurales, con el fin de canalizar el esfuerzo al interior de las empresas. Canalizar el esfuerzo, significa diseñar procesos y adaptaciones tecnológicas al interior de la organización, que permitan visualizar resultados en corto plazo, pero manteniendo una línea de acción en el largo plazo. Pero, ¿Qué significa una estrategia en este sentido?

El concepto del e-business . No se puede abordar la formulación de una estrategia de e-business, sin tener claro su concepto y como se relaciona con la estrategia general del negocio. Si bien es cierto, no existe una única definición del término e-business, la mayoría de autores coinciden en que es una evolución del modelo tradicional del negocio, que implica cambios estructurales apoyados en tecnologías que conservan los estándares de Internet y que incluye una visión de multicanalidad, es decir una trasformación de los diferentes canales que un individuo o negocio utiliza para relacionarse con la organización. Entre estos canales se cuentan el teléfono, Internet, correo electrónico, la fuerza de ventas, fax, etc.

Como complemento del modelo tradicional, las estrategias de e-business ofrecen ventajas que tocan las diferentes actividades del negocio. Desde reducciones de costos asociadas a la automatización de procesos, mejoramiento de la relación con los clientes a través de nuevos canales de contacto, pasando por el fortalecimiento de los canales de ventas a través de la automatización de los mismos, hasta el aprovechamiento de la experiencia y conocimiento que adquiere la organización; entre otros, son ventajas de utilizar canales electrónicos.

Si tanto la estrategia general como la de e-business se basan en visiones de largo plazo, ellas comparten características que las hacen complementarias. ¿De que manera se relacionan estas dos estrategias?

Estrategia & e-estrategia . Las estrategias de e-business no están desligadas de la estrategia general de la compañía y viceversa. Como todas las compañías que participan en el mercado tienen acceso a las diferentes tecnologías disponibles, la adquisición de las mismas no genera por sí sola ventajas competitivas. Es lo que cada compañía esta en capacidad de hacer y el máximo retorno que pueda obtener de estas inversiones, lo que hace la diferencia. En la práctica estas dos estrategias se fusionan de tal manera, que es difícil diferenciar claramente lo que corresponde a la estrategia de e-business y a la estrategia global de negocio.

Adicionalmente, el hecho de que la estrategia de negocio involucre a las diferentes áreas de la organización y la estrategia de e-business ofrezca oportunidades de mejora para cada una de ellas; indica un alto grado de cohesión. Con estos conceptos claros, ¿Cuál es la ruta para formular y actuar estratégicamente al apalancarse en modelos de e-business?.

De la estrategia a la acción estratégica . Si bien es cierto, la conciencia sobre la implementación del tema de e-business ha ido incrementando paulatinamente, en algunos casos no se tiene claridad sobre la manera de abordarlo. En otras palabras, una estrategia organizada que parta de entender el impacto de los cambios del entorno y la situación interna de la organización, que permita definir las iniciativas a diseñar; que oriente la construcción de las soluciones que tecnológicas, que facilite proyectar la continuidad en el tiempo; para finalmente acompañar su implantación, con el fin de asegurar la apropiación de la nueva forma de hacer el negocio.

Hasta aquí se ha esbozado la esencia de un proceso ordenado para formular una estrategia de e-business. Aunque no todos los modelos y metodologías siguen en estricto orden las actividades propuestas; en la práctica conservan lineamientos similares. Hay pequeñas variaciones en los detalles de cada paso, pero en el fondo mantienen una misma filosofía de acción. ¿Qué consideraciones son relevantes en cada uno de ellos?. A continuación se describen los 7 pasos para formular una estrategia de e-business.

Paso 1: Pensar la estrategia de e-business.

Antes de emprender esfuerzos y comprometer recursos, es conveniente planear el proceso de formulación de la estrategia. Es conveniente tomar conciencia de la situación que enfrenta la compañía y el momento por el cual atraviesa; ya que el proceso deberá acoplarse como parte de las actividades diarias y ello, conlleva el riesgo de caer ante el acoso del día a día. Tomar un tiempo para definir las metas en la formulación y los puntos de chequeo que involucrará para garantizar que va avanzando en la dirección correcta, es útil para evitar esfuerzos innecesarios.

Algunas organizaciones emprenden iniciativas sin considerar el esfuerzo que requerirá diseñar la estrategia y terminan abandonado el objetivo; abatidas por la falta de tiempo y el afán típico de la denominada cultura “de apagar incendios”. Evitar estas situaciones, implica dedicar tiempo para discutir la forma de abordar el desarrollo de la estrategia. Es necesario que el estratega, identifique los aspectos a considerar, liste las actividades que deberá realizar para formular la estrategia, consulte temas que no domina y las posibles alternativas para obtener ese conocimiento. Adicionalmente, se hace indispensable formular un plan que permita estructurar la estrategia desde su línea base y considere la logística para hacer de su ejecución un proceso dinámico y flexible.

Es útil indicar preguntas simples que le ayuden a identificar los pasos a seguir. Su formulación apropiada favorece la búsqueda de soluciones, facilita la delimitación del problema real y la forma de abordarlo. ¿Cómo se realizará el entendimiento del negocio?, ¿Qué herramientas utilizar para lograr este entendimiento? ¿Que disponibilidad de tiempo existe para implementarla? ¿Cómo verificar el avance en la formulación? ¿Qué tiempo hay disponible para formular su estrategia base? ¿Qué personas deben involucrase en estas actividades?, ¿Qué conocimiento es necesario para formular e implantar su estrategia y como obtenerlo? ¿Qué nivel de profundidad es necesario en cada una de las fases de la estrategia?; son algunos ejemplos para comenzar la tarea. Finalmente, conviene validar si las respuestas obtenidas obedecen a preguntas correctamente formuladas y si muestran un camino que a la luz del sentido común, expresa confianza y tranquilidad.

Descrita la forma de iniciar el desarrollo de la estrategia, es necesario entender lo que sucede dentro y fuera de la organización para determinar hacia donde enfocar los esfuerzos.

Paso 2: Entender la estrategia de e-business.

Uno de los pasos iniciales en la formulación de la estrategia de e-business, es entender los que esta pasando tanto dentro de la compañía como fuera de ella, con el fin de identificar los aspectos internos y externos que indiquen como proceder.

Entender lo que sucede fuera de su compañía . Entender implica lograr una visión del negocio, su entorno, factores internos y externos, para encontrar los elementos que permitan realizar la mejor recomendación, sobre el uso de Internet y otros canales electrónicos. Adicionalmente para determinar su aporte como generadores de ingresos, reductores de costos de operación o facilitadores de posiciones estratégicas distintivas para la organización.

Nuevamente la formulación de preguntas adecuadas facilita la realización esta tarea. ¿Qué están haciendo los proveedores directos en el tema de e-business? ¿Qué están haciendo los clientes?, ¿En qué consisten estas estrategias? ¿Qué buscan en el largo plazo? ¿Qué avances tecnológicos se han dado últimamente en su sector? ¿Qué regulaciones están vigentes o planean salir sobre el tema de e-business? ¿Quién provee este tipo de soluciones? ¿Qué esta haciendo la competencia sobre el tema? ¿Qué estrategias se han implementado en otras regiones del mundo, relacionadas con su actividad productiva y como se han apoyado en el uso de canales electrónicos?.

Responder y validar tanto las respuestas obtenidas como las preguntas formuladas, debe llevar al estratega a punto donde minimiza la incertidumbre y donde se refleja de manera pertinente la realidad que percibe sobre el entorno de la organización.

Entender lo que pasa dentro de su compañía . Entender, significa lograr claridad sobre los cambios que están ocurriendo al interior de la organización, sus causas e impacto. En otras palabras; significa entender la evolución en las fortalezas y debilidades de la empresa y como ellas se verán apoyadas por la estrategia de e-business. Para complementar esta actividad, es apropiado identificar los problemas, que suceden en los diferentes frentes de la compañía, procurando asociar unidades que permitan cuantificarlos en términos de tiempo, dinero, etc.

Dado que las percepciones sobre los problemas y oportunidades son diferentes, es conveniente realizar estas sesiones de manera organizada, involucrando a aquellas personas que están relacionadas con los problemas. Nuevamente, formular preguntas correctas facilita la labor. ¿Cómo esta la organización atendiendo a los clientes? ¿Qué ineficiencias tiene en el proceso de llevar las ofertas al mercado? ¿Que oportunidades puede aprovechar con el manejo de proveedores?.

El análisis prospectivo, la planeación por escenarios, el manejo de modelos mentales [1] entre otros, proveen herramientas que ayudan a elaborar mejor la formulación en este punto. Lo importante al final es, que el resultado obtenido del análisis mantenga coherencia, pertinencia, y verosimilitud con la realidad de la compañía.

Una vez entendidos los aspectos internos y externos que direccionan su estrategia de e-business, es necesario definir los servicios que se involucraran, su orden, el momento en el tiempo en que serán implementados y el nivel de profundidad que requieren para soportar la estrategia global.

Paso 3: Definir la estrategia de e-business.

La definición de la estrategia de e-business que contenga los procesos a mejorar, tecnología necesaria y la forma de prestar los servicios, de acuerdo a la imagen e identidad de la organización; implica buscar las oportunidades en las áreas de mejora identificadas del análisis del entorno y situación interna.

Pensar creativamente . La definición de los componentes de una estrategia de e-business, requiere un modelo de pensamiento diferente. Cuando se habla de e-business, se abre una ventana de oportunidades en cuanto a la forma de ofrecer el servicio, la ubicación geográfica del consumidor, forma de pago etc.; que obligan al estratega a pensar lateralmente [2]. En otras palabras, a partir de una clara y profunda visión de la situación de la compañía, usar la información recopilada, para generar nuevas ideas mediante la reestructuración de los conceptos ya existentes.

Generar un plan de mejoramiento y una línea base para la estrategia . Listar ideas y organizarlas con su respectiva prioridad no es suficiente para continuar con la implementación de la estrategia. Es necesario analizarlas y estructurarlas de tal manera que constituya una línea de continuidad en largo plazo. En la práctica se trata de identificar aspectos comunes entre todas las ideas, que permitan crear una base sobre la cual, llegado el momento se apoyarán las demás iniciativas.

Así como en la construcción de un automóvil, el diseño del chasis, lleva especial cuidado para que soporte las demás piezas (llantas, suspensión, motor, puertas, etc.), en la formulación y definición de la estrategia de e-business se busca crear una línea base, que soporte los cambios surgidos con el paso del tiempo, sin verse avocados a cambios drásticos o “timonazos” en el planteamiento inicial. Sobre esta línea base estarán colocados los demás componentes de su estrategia de e-business que le darán la flexibilidad de adaptación ante cambios inesperados. Aceptar la sugerencia de Michel Godet [3], resulta apropiado para esta definición: “Sitúese en el tiempo y trate de identificar lo que no cambiará”.

Para definir la línea base, es apropiado contrastar la situación del entorno y el estado actual de la compañía, evaluando la estrategia actual del negocio frente los cambios identificados, para definir cursos o rutas alternativas de acción. El esfuerzo debe concluir, definiendo cuales de los aspectos representan oportunidades al desarrollarlos con el uso de canales electrónicos y detallando aquellos en los que se va a enfocar inicialmente la organización.

Nuevamente la formulación de preguntas adecuadas y el cuestionamiento de los paradigmas actuales de negocio, suele ser una forma útil de identificar los componentes de la estrategia. ¿Que áreas del negocio se pueden beneficiar con el uso de canales electrónicos y en que orden se debe abordar su mejoramiento?

Una aproximación a la estructuración de las ideas en este paso, se puede hacer con ayuda de los conceptos enunciados por Deise [4], donde ilustra la forma como evolucionan las estrategias de e-business. Desde la ampliación de canales en una primera instancia, seguida por la integración de la cadena de valor de la compañía; continuando con la integración de compañías del mismo sector y donde cada una de ellas se enfoca en las competencias que constituyen el núcleo de su negocio; hasta las iniciativas que permitan ofrecer servicios con proveedores de diferentes industrias.

La utilización de herramientas, facilita la claridad a la hora de definir las ideas que darán lugar a la estrategia. Entre las herramientas y métodos disponibles se encuentran el método Delphi, los árboles de pertinencia, métodos clásicos para manejo de incertidumbre, todos ellos tratados con profundidad por autores como Godet [5] y Porter [6]. Estas herramientas facilitan el florecimiento, estructuración y claridad de las ideas antes de continuar con el diseño.

Paso 4: Diseñar la estrategia de e-business.

Una vez definidos los cambios es necesario diseñarlos . El diseño implica analizar y cambiar la forma de operar de la organización. En otras palabras: procesos, tecnología y capital humano.

Aunque dependiendo de estas iniciativas y el foco que la compañía defina como punto inicial en la estrategia, depende el modelo a utilizar (B2B, B2C, etc.), una aproximación sencilla al diseño, sugiere revisar los segmentos de clientes que serán los directos beneficiados de los servicios implantados, los canales actuales con que cuenta la organización para atenderlos y los canales electrónicos (web, Internet, correo electrónico, etc.) mas adecuados para ofrecer nuevos servicios a estos segmentos de clientes.

El diseño de la estrategia se enfocará en el análisis y modificación de procesos y tecnología requerida.

Foco en los procesos . En la práctica, se revisan los procesos actuales de la compañía, identificando que actividades se ejecutan para atender las diferentes solicitudes de los diversos clientes. El foco es encontrar cuales de ellos se repiten o requieren ser optimizados, cuando el cliente contacta la organización por diversos canales para realizar el mismo requerimiento.

Nuevamente la formulación de preguntas facilita la tarea de diseño. Por ejemplo ¿Qué sucede desde la solicitud del servicio por parte del cliente hasta la entrega del mismo?¿Que áreas de la compañía participan en ese proceso? ¿Que actividades son comunes a diferentes procesos, que se pueden fusionar para optimizar el desempeño al interior de la empresa?.

Los procesos cambian dependiendo del grado de madurez de su estrategia. En la figura 2, se sugirió una forma de organizar las iniciativas de mejora y candidatas a ser implementadas en la estrategia de e-business. También se agruparon en fases en el tiempo, donde cada fase representa un mayor grado de madurez de la organización en el uso de canales electrónicos. Pues bien, dependiendo de este grado de madurez la estrategia involucra cambios los diferentes procesos del negocio.

En una fase inicial de ampliación de canales, se cambian los procesos actuales que no son radicalmente diferentes a los ya existentes, pero que si representan una nueva forma en que la organización asume el día a día. Los procesos que normalmente son rediseñados en esta fase, están relacionados con mercadeo, ventas, gestión de ordenes de pedido, servicio al cliente, procesos de compras y abastecimiento.

En una fase de integración de cadena de valor, se requiere un cambio radical en la forma de ver los procesos. Los procesos ya no son vistos como conjuntos de actividades al interior de la empresa, si no que vinculan actividades realizadas en otras organizaciones como proveedores y socios de negocio. El proceso pierde su carácter interno; por lo que están en su gran mayoría completamente automatizados.

La automatización de procesos se apalanca en tecnología, para lo cual se requiere especial atención en la identificación de su arquitectura.

Foco en la arquitectura tecnológica : El diseño se enfoca también en identificar la arquitectura tecnológica que soportará a la estrategia.

El objetivo es diseñar el esqueleto tecnológico de toda la operación. De manera similar a la construcción de un edificio, donde se diseñan las bases, cimientos, estructuras de cada piso, redes eléctricas, sistemas de ventilación etc., la arquitectura tecnológica dará un vistazo a los aspectos requeridos por la estrategia de e-business.

En la práctica es importante verificar que la arquitectura definida resuelva el problema de negocio y contemple los sistemas actuales, incluyendo las formas de pasar de las tecnologías actuales a las siguientes versiones en cada uno de los canales.

Adicionalmente los siguientes aspectos forman parte de lo que debe estar claro en cuanto a componentes tecnológicos: Seguridad que requiere la información, nivel de desempeño mínimos para los procesos, nivel disponibilidad de los servicios, entre otros. Finalmente, es fundamental asegurar que los resultados del diseño son claros y entendidos por el equipo directivo de la organización. Dado que los cambios que implica la implantación de una estrategia de e-business afectan directa e indirectamente a varias áreas de la compañía, es pertinente que el equipo directivo evalúe la claridad, coherencia y pertinencia de la tecnología que se ha seleccionado, antes de iniciar la construcción.

Paso 5: Construir la estrategia de e-business.

La construcción implica aplicar el diseño . Consiste en la implementación de los cambios a los procesos, la tecnología y la gente involucrada. Aunque existen diversas metodologías para realizar los cambios en los procesos, la línea tradicional esta dada por el análisis, diseño, desarrollo e implantación del proceso a modificar.

La modificación de procesos, inicia con una documentación de los procesos actuales para los servicios que se van a habilitar y la ubicación de los mismos dentro del modelo de procesos global de la compañía. En este punto, se determinan los flujos de información, documentos y los costos involucrados en su realización.

Normalmente se continúa con la revisión del proceso, buscando formas alternativas y optimizadas de reorganizarlo; aprovechando las posibilidades que los canales electrónicos ofrecen. Esto incluye la reubicación de actividades humanas y la definición de necesidades de capacitación y equipos de computo necesarios para el proceso modificado. Posteriormente se evalúan los productos y servicios buscando la facilidad en su fabricación y mantenimiento. A esta tarea le sigue el desarrollo de las soluciones de tecnología necesarias y finalmente la preparación de ambientes de pruebas, donde se realizan simulaciones que integran gente, aplicaciones y los procesos rediseñados.

Dados los niveles de complejidad inherentes a estos cambios, es conveniente planificar la construcción de tal manera, que permita realizar cambios paulatinos; que aborden la solución con resultados intermedios que puedan ponerse en producción rápidamente y donde la organización perciba el beneficio, sin necesidad de esperar a que toda la estrategia este finalizada.

Seguimiento continuo al proceso de construcción . Los planes detallados, las revisiones constantes y la evaluación objetiva sobre el avance, son fundamentales para garantizar el entendimiento total y el éxito de la construcción. En este punto, la estrategia pasa de ser un documento a convertirse en hechos concretos, lo que conlleva un alto riesgo de perder el foco con los detalles técnicos y los problemas derivados de la reestructuración del proceso. Frecuentemente y por falta de control, se construyen soluciones que difieren del diseño inicial y que implican esfuerzos adicionales posteriores para adaptar o retomar el camino.

Finalmente, es necesario evaluar constantemente los servicios implantados. Una aproximación para realizar esta tarea, es definir un modelo de medición de los procesos y servicios, de tal manera que faciliten el establecimiento de métricas efectivas para evaluar niveles de calidad prestados y los grados de satisfacción que expresan los destinatarios.

Una vez terminadas las pruebas en ambientes de operación y estén vinculados los involucrados en el uso de los nuevos servicios; se proyecten los siguientes pasos que darán continuidad a su estrategia de e-business.

Paso 6: Proyectar la estrategia de e-business.

Garantizar continuidad de la estrategia . Preparar los siguientes pasos en la estrategia de e-business, para dar una línea de crecimiento continuo al negocio, consiste en seleccionar un nuevo conjunto de servicios y planear otra iteración de los pasos anteriores.

Para definir los siguientes pasos es necesario revisar la visión general y evaluar los resultados obtenidos en la fase que culmina. En esta evaluación, se identifican los aspectos que constituyeron fortalezas y los problemas que dificultaron la labor en los pasos anteriores, con el fin de corregir posibles errores para el siguiente paso de la estrategia y apropiar conocimiento a partir de las experiencias que culminan.

Documentar y difundir las buenas prácticas . Es necesario garantizar que en los futuros pasos de la estrategia, no se cometan los errores iniciales. No se puede esperar que tanto la situación de la empresa en este momento, como las personas, perduren indefinidamente en la organización. Como consecuencia; las experiencias adquiridas se pierden, cuando la competencia se lleva a las personas que han aprendido en los proyectos realizados en la estrategia. Esto tiene un costo representado en tiempo, esfuerzo, dinero, etc. Es fundamental entonces, registrar la historia de la compañía y garantizar que aprende del pasado.

Construir un sistema de conocimiento orientado a la colaboración o a la publicación de buenas prácticas, es indispensable para garantizar este objetivo. Dependiendo de la naturaleza de las tareas, podrá identificarse si se requiere un esquema que propicie la colaboración entre los miembros de la organización, o la conformación de repositorios de documentos donde se consoliden y publiquen las experiencias adquiridas.

Barreras culturales, fallas en la coordinación de las tareas, acciones e impacto de salidas inesperadas de miembros clave en los equipos de trabajo, nivel de profundidad necesario en la documentación levantada, tiempos estimados para la realización de las tareas versus tiempos reales incurridos, etc.; son temas candidatos para incluir en la documentación. El objetivo, es identificar prácticas que le ayuden a la organización a mejorar su capacidad para llevar a cabo su estrategia en el futuro.

Tanto el entorno como la situación interna de la compañía cambian, por lo que al realizar la proyección, es conveniente validar la pertinencia y oportunidad de las alternativas definidas al iniciar su estrategia. Seguramente los cambios del entorno, sumados a la experiencia adquirida en el proceso; son elementos para ajustar el siguiente paso.

Definir los nuevos paquetes de servicio . Luego de validar y ajustar los supuestos iniciales, es necesario estructurar los nuevos servicios. Hay varias vías para realizar esta tarea. Una de ellas es llevar los servicios ya implementados a un mayor nivel de profundidad, es decir, agregar mayor automatización a los procesos y aplicaciones. En otras palabras, aquellos con lo que la compañía esta haciendo presencia, llevarlos a una mayor integración con los sistemas del negocio. Otra vía es seleccionar nuevos servicios que por su importancia ayudan a lograr posiciones estratégicas superiores.

Finalmente, se puede lograr una combinación entre las dos, de tal manera que la estrategia fortalezca las iniciativas ya implementadas y presione la creación de nuevas oportunidades para la empresa derivadas de la utilización de canales electrónicos. Desde la fase más simple, como es; el utilizar un canal de Internet para publicar información básica de productos y servicios; hasta la integración de esos canales con los sistemas del negocio, para brindar información y permitir transacciones comerciales de compra y venta; son bienvenidas para focalizar el avance.

El paso de proyectar las ventanas de oportunidad futuras derivadas de su estrategia, se traslapan con el acompañamiento y monitoreo de la implantación y transición del esfuerzo realizado.

Paso 7: Acompañar la estrategia de e-business.

El último paso consiste en acompañar las actividades para asegurar su apropiación por parte de la organización. Implica hacer el seguimiento y participar activamente en la adopción de los resultados de la estrategia. Sugiere el monitoreo de la implantación de las mejoras y la medición constante del impacto positivo y negativo de los nuevos servicios.

Cambio en la dinámica mental de la gente . En muchas compañías, cuando se ha finalizado la construcción de los sistemas y los procesos se han reorganizado; se considera que la mayor parte de la tarea ya esta terminada. Esto no es cierto. El mayor reto del estratega es lograr que la organización apropie la nueva forma de trabajo. En otras palabras, que ésta incluya los medios aportados por la estrategia como parte de sus hábitos de acción.

Aplicando los conceptos de Covey [7], lograr hábitos que caractericen el comportamiento organizacional, conlleva un proceso que va desde la experimentación con los nuevos paradigmas, procesos y tecnología, seguida de una repetición constante de dicho comportamiento, hasta alcanzar la costumbre y finalmente con su profundización convertirlos en principios que determinan los hábitos al actuar. Esta no es tarea fácil en los procesos de cambio.

En una estrategia de e-business, el reto del estratega va más allá de asegurarse que la gente apropie un cambio en un proceso, o se capacite para consultar un pedido a través de un sistema de Internet. Debe ser capaz de transformar la manera de pensar de la compañía, entorno a las posibilidades que frecen los canales electrónicos. Implica enseñar a su equipo humano, a reformular constantemente los paradigmas de trabajo, y con ello lograr una dinámica de cambio en la mente de las personas.

Control, monitoreo y ajuste permanente . Es necesario poner en práctica los cambios en el proceso, conjuntamente con la tecnología que asegure que las herramientas implantadas son interiorizadas por la organización y serán utilizadas para mejorar su desempeño. Muchas compañías en nuestro medio, emprenden esfuerzos de mejoramiento que no son utilizados, por que se pierde el impulso en el acompañamiento o porque la gente clave se retira, o porque llegan miembros que no le dan continuidad a las iniciativas. Se necesita control, monitoreo, persistencia y resistencia para obtener frutos.

Dar soporte a las actividades de iniciación . En un principió aparecerán muchas dudas, sobre la nueva operación, hasta que la curva de aprendizaje de las nuevas herramientas y procesos se haya alcanzado. Por lo tanto es conveniente, mantener un equipo continuo de soporte, para atender las dudas o solicitudes de información que garanticen la fluidez de los nuevos servicios.

Registrar información que permita evaluar periódicamente los beneficios obtenidos y comunicar los resultados a todos los involucrados, hacen parte de los factores que complementan el acompañamiento. Para ello se necesita definir un esquema de niveles de servicio, que le permita medir el desempeño de los servicios implantados, canalizar las energías y la percepción sobre los beneficios de las mejoras o los problemas encontrados; es fundamental para evitar que se afecten las expectativas de todo el equipo.

Si bien, los pasos propuestos para desarrollar una estrategia de e-business en la empresa, han sido descritos y constituyen una guía en la línea de acción, no son todo lo necesario para tener éxito en la práctica. Algunos aspectos adicionales explicados a continuación afectan el resultado esperado.

Eso no es todo

El construir una base sólida mientras se avanza, el cambio constante, la habilidad para reducir la incertidumbre, así como la capacidad de para minimizar la complejidad paulatinamente, se convierten en factores determinantes para hacer rentable la estrategia.

Proceso iterativo incremental : El entorno no es estático; cambia constantemente al igual que la forma de realizar los procesos en la organización; por lo que sería una equivocación formular una estrategia incapaz de adaptarse a dichos cambios.

Parte de la formulación de la estrategia es diseñar una forma que le permita incorporar variaciones dependiendo de aspectos inesperados. La organización debe contemplar los procesos necesarios que permitan una mejora incremental a la estrategia. Cada vez más, su estrategia se va robusteciendo e incorporando nuevos aspectos no contemplados en el pasado.

Michel [8] explica que el pensamiento estratégico requiere de una práctica constante y periódica cuando afirma:

Por su parte, la dinámica de la estrategia la describe Markides , al explicar que en el proceso de identificar y ocupar una posición estratégica superior, las organizaciones deben convivir con posiciones viejas y nuevas simultáneamente; desarrollando procesos de transición constantemente. Al respecto explica:

Abordar la complejidad y apropiar paulatinamente . Las estrategias de e-business, llevan asociada una complejidad inherente al uso de tecnologías hasta ese momento desconocidas para la organización. Es recomendable, que dicha complejidad se aborde paulatinamente de tal manera, que en una práctica sencilla se vaya digiriendo y apropiando el cambio organizacional. La simplicidad facilita el entendimiento; y la claridad es un aliado en estos procesos de trasformación. Al respecto Trout afirma:

La tendencia en estrategias electrónicas, es iniciar con procesos que hagan publicaciones de información sencillas y paulatinamente incrementen la interactividad; cuando los usuarios han alcanzado un nivel de uso adecuado.

Para terminar, es importante enfatizar que el e-business es una realidad y esta estrechamente relacionado con la estrategia general de la compañía. Por ello las organizaciones, necesitan involucrar a su estrategia los beneficios de las nuevas formas de hacer negocios, apoyados en la tecnología. La formulación de una estrategia de e-business, requiere de un proceso organizado y continuo para aprovechar las oportunidades que ofrece la nueva economía. Llevarla acabo, implica entender los cambios del entorno, evaluar la capacidad de la organización y desarrollar la forma de responder a dichos cambios a través de la creatividad y dedicación.

Contrariamente a lo que se percibe en la práctica, formular estrategias de e-business, conlleva a pensar mucho mas allá de la tecnología. Es más que instalar y configurar un sitio web, instalar un servidor de correo electrónico o habilitar un Call Center. Lleva integrada una visión del negocio y una manera coordinada de realizar los cambios en los procesos y en el capital humano necesario. 

[1] MARKIDES, Constatinos C, En la Estrategia está el éxito: Guía para formular estrategias revolucionarias, Bogotá, Norma,2000, 32p [2] DE BONO Edward, El Pensamiento Lateral: Manual de Creatividad, Barcelona, Paidos Plural,1998, 10p [3] GODET Michel, De la anticipación ala acción: Manual de prospectiva y estrategia, Barcelona, AlfaOmega-Marcobo, 1995 21 p. [4] DEISE Martin V, Executive Guide to e-business: from tactics to strategy, New York, 2000, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2000. [5] GODET Michel, De la anticipación ala acción: Manual de prospectiva y estrategia, Barcelona, AlfaOmega-Marcobo, 1995. [6] PORTER, Michael E, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, The Free Press, 1980. [7] COVEY Stephen R, Los siete hábitos de la gente altamente Efectiva, Paidos, 1999. [8] ROBERT, Michel, e-Strategy: Pure & Simple Connecting your internet strategy to your business strategy. Bogotá: McGraw Hill, 2001, 149 p.

Bibliografía

TROUT, Jack. El poder de lo simple : Una guía empresarial para eliminar lo absurdo y ser más racional. McGraw Hill,2000.

MARKIDES, Constatinos C. En la Estrategia está el éxito : Guía para formular estrategias revolucionarias. Bogotá : Norma,2000.

DE BONO, Edward. El Pensamiento Lateral : Manual de Creatividad. Barcelona : Paidos Plural,1998.

GODET, Michel. De la anticipación a la acción : Manual de prospectiva y estrategia. Barcelona : AlfaOmega-Marcombo.1995.

DEISE, Martin V et al. Executive Guide to e-business : From tactics to strategy. New York : John Wiley & Sons.2000.

PORTER, Michael E. Competitive Strategy : Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. The Free Press.1980.

COVEY Stephen, Los siete hábitos de la gente altamente Efectiva, Barcelona: Paidos.1999

KALAKOTA, Ravi y ROBINSON, Marcia. e-Business : Roadmap for Success. 2 ed. Massachussets : Addison Wesley, 2001.

HARMON, Paul; ROSEN, Michael y GUTMAN, Michael. Developing e-Business Systems Architecture: A Manager´s Guide. San Francisco, Estados Unidos : Morgan Kaufmann Publishers,2001.

CUNNINGHAM, Michael J. B2B : How to Build a Profitable E-commerce Strategy. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Perseus Publishing,2000 ROBERT, Michel y RACINE, Bernard. E-strategy : Pure & Simple Connecting your Internet strategy to your business strategy. New York : McGraw Hill,2001.

LIAUTAUD, Bernard. E-Business Intelligence : Turning Information into knowledge into aProfit. New York : McGraw Hill,2001.

CARPENTER, Phil. eBrands : Building an Internet business at breakneck speed. Boston, Massachusetts : Harvard Business School Press,2000.

BARLOW, Janelle y MAUL, Dianna . Emotional Value : Creating Strong Bonds with Your Customer. San Francisco, Estados Unidos : Berrett-Koehler Publishers,2000.

JACOBSON, Ivar; BOOCH, Grady y RUMBAUGH, James. El proceso Unificado de Desarrollo de Software. Madrid, España : Addison Wesley,2000.

Microsoft Corporation. Application Architecture for .Net: Designing Applications and Services. Microsoft Press,2002.

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Luis Fernando Sanchez Maldonado

Ingeniero de Sistemas egresado de la Universidad Distrital en Colombia ,realizo estudios de posgrado en Gerencia Estrategica en la Universidad de la Sabana en el mismo pais. Adelanto estudios de postgrado en Desarrollo de Software para Redes en la Universidad de los Andes en Colombia. Se graduo como (MBA)Magister en...

Más sobre Luis Fernando Sanchez Maldonado

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9 comentarios sobre “ e-business: cómo desarrollar su estrategia en 7 pasos… ”.

bueno gracias`por la informacion me parece algo importante e interezante como se ve en el ambito empresarial

Me parece un excelente artículo, de hecho, ya lo compartí con varios amigos. Los felikcito

formulacion de estrategia

Como docente en Comercio Electrónico busco permanentemente artícuos que enriquezcan mi labor, y éste es uno de los mejores y más sencillos para leer…..muy enriquecedor, exelente propuesta, gracias Luis Fernando.

Parte del trabajo de E-Business

En mi opinion la mejor manera de emprender una empresa a traves de internet es comprando una franquicia que nos ofrezca el Know how. De esta manera nos ahorraremos dinero y habra menos probabilidad de fracaso en el emprendimiento. http://www.dinero-y-vacaciones.ocm

Me parece muy interesante del conceptos que nos brindar de lo que es e-business.! Si bien no figura que sofware y que hardaware! es un su plantamiento estragico

no esta muy completo creo que falta algunos ejemplos de como se puede aplicar los pasos a las empresas

MUY BUEN ARTICULO..

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Business plan: qué es, por qué lo necesitas y cómo crear uno

Si estás creando tu propia empresa o planeas expandirla, contar con un business plan te servirá como una hoja de ruta hacia el éxito. Se trata de una herramienta básica que te guiará en tus decisiones y te proporcionará una mayor claridad sobre los distintos ámbitos de tu organización. En este artículo te contamos qué es un business plan , por qué es tan relevante y los pasos que debes seguir para crear el tuyo. ¡Sigue leyendo!

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¿Qué es un business plan ?

Un business plan es un documento formal donde se describe el futuro de una empresa . Esta guía debe detallar todos los aspectos de la compañía, desde su estrategia comercial hasta sus objetivos clave para avanzar desde donde nos encontramos hasta el lugar al que queramos llegar en un futuro.

Aunque muchos emprendedores caen en la tentación de pasar directamente a la acción, la creación de un business plan o plan de negocios es un primer paso que no podemos pasar por alto. Esto se debe a que verifica la viabilidad de un negocio antes de que invirtamos demasiado tiempo o dinero en ello.

El objetivo principal de un business plan es ayudar a articular y plasmar una estrategia para poner en marcha nuestro negocio . Además, también detalla los pasos a seguir, los recursos que necesitaremos e incluso un cronograma de los resultados que se prevén. En el caso de ser una pyme, deberás actualizarlo anualmente. Esto te ayudará a guiar tu expansión a otros mercados y seguir creciendo.

¿Qué partes tiene un business plan ?

Un business plan debe contestar a las siguientes preguntas:

• Por qué esta empresa y producto, por qué ahora y por qué tú y no otro
• Cómo vamos a ganar dinero, cómo conseguiremos clientes y cómo haremos crecer nuestro negocio

En el proceso de dar respuesta a todas estas preguntas, deberemos demostrar que nuestra empresa ofrece el producto o servicio correcto, que está en el mercado correcto y en el momento adecuado, que el equipo es el adecuado y que la estrategia es la correcta.

¿Por qué es importante contar con un business plan ?

Imagina viajar sin un GPS o sin un mapa mientras conduces hacia un destino desconocido. Es posible hacerlo, pero seguramente aumentarán las probabilidades de que te pierdas por el camino. En vez de tener que parar a preguntarle a alguien o tener que volver atrás para volver a recuperar el rumbo, el business plan te servirá de brújula. Te proporciona una visión más amplia, te da la capacidad de planificar con anticipación, de tomar decisiones importantes y de mejorar la probabilidad de tener éxito.

Por otro lado, hay que tener en cuenta que los business plan también son muy importantes a la hora de atraer a inversores. Se les ofrece el documento para que puedan valorar si quieren invertir o no en el proyecto. En definitiva, necesitas un plan de negocios para:

• Ayudar a la hora de tomar decisiones relevantes
• Reducir el número de errores
• Probar la viabilidad de la empresa
• Establecer mejores objetivos y puntos de referencia
• Proporcionar una guía a proveedores e inversores
• Asegurar financiación
• Entender mejor el entorno gracias a análisis internos y externos
• Reducir el riesgo de fracasar

¿Quién necesita un business plan ?

Al final, un business plan es una guía de un negocio, por lo que es obvio que aquellos que quieran crear uno lo necesitarán sí o sí. También lo necesitarás si quieres pedir un préstamo, por ejemplo. La mayoría de bancos lo piden y, si no lo hacen, ten por seguro que lo están esperando.

Por otro lado, como hemos comentado en el punto anterior, si estás buscando inversores también es necesario . Crear un plan en sí no te asegura nada, pero si no lo tienes es probable que nadie quiera invertir por desconocimiento. Los inversores invierten en las personas, en ideas, en la historia, en el mercado…

En el caso de trabajar con socios también lo necesitarías, ya que en el mismo plan se deben definir los acuerdos entre ellos. Por último, si en realidad lo que quieres es vender tu empresa o establecer un valor para fines impositivos, también es probable que lo requieras.

Emprender un negocio

Tipos de business plan

Dependiendo del objetivo de la empresa en cuestión, la ruta será diferente. En este sentido, existen diferentes tipos de business plan que tendrás que elaborar según a dónde quieras llegar, aunque todos sigan el mismo esquema:

Startup plan

El objetivo de un plan de startup o startup plan es plasmar los pasos y detallar la puesta en marcha de una empresa de nueva creación. También proporcionar un marco para que un negocio tenga éxito en un futuro.

Los planes de las startups suelen tener el objetivo principal de encontrar financiación e incluyen información detallada relacionada con temas como productos o servicios, análisis de mercado e industria, biografías, análisis financieros…

Plan de viabilidad o feasibility plan

También llamado estudio de viabilidad . Este tipo de planes suelen necesitarlos aquellos que quieren hacer crecer su negocio, ofrecer un nuevo producto o acceder a un nuevo mercado. Nos ayuda a pensar si tiene sentido o no llevar a cabo esta nueva línea, a la vez que omite preocupaciones estratégicas y se centra en el enfoque de evaluación . Incluye análisis de mercado y necesidades de capital, contenido acerca del presupuesto, datos demográficos objetivo…

Normalmente se elaboran por razones internas , pero es posible que puedan formar parte de una solicitud de financiación de un nuevo producto o servicio.

Plan de crecimiento o growth plan

El growth plan o plan de crecimiento es como un plan de inicio para un nuevo segmento de un negocio. Detalla el crecimiento específico en cuestión e incluye descripciones de la nueva empresa, proyecciones financieras, necesidades de capital, análisis presupuestarios…

Como nos podemos imaginar, también requerirá de información acerca del producto, mercado y gestión, incidiendo en la visión financiera.

One-Page plan

El plan de una página o One-Page plan se utiliza como discurso comercial. Es una instantánea del negocio . Normalmente es lo que se les entrega a los posibles proveedores, socios e inversores que no quieren un documento larguísimo lleno de datos e información, sino llevar a cabo un primer vistazo rápido. El contenido incluye descripciones breves e impactantes de todos los aspectos de la empresa.

Diferencia entre business plan y business model

Suele haber bastante confusión al pensar en qué se diferencian un business plan y un business model . Aunque ambos términos se parecen y tienen relación, se trata de conceptos muy distintos.

Por un lado, el business model es el mecanismo a través del cual una empresa genera ganancias . Por otro, un business plan es un documento que presenta la estrategia de la organización y el desempeño financiero que se espera para los próximos años.

El modelo de negocio es el centro del business model . Este describe cómo se posiciona la empresa dentro de la cadena de valor de su industria y cómo organiza las relaciones con sus proveedores, clientes y socios para generar ganancias. El business plan , por otro lado, traduce este posicionamiento en una serie de acciones estratégicas y cuantifica su impacto económico.

Fórmate de la mano de los mayores expertos del sector

Cómo hacer un business plan

Ahora que ya sabemos qué es un business plan y por qué necesitas incluirlo en tu negocio, veamos los pasos que debes seguir para crear el tuyo. ¡Toma nota!

1# Resumen ejecutivo

Como su propio nombre indica, se trata de hacer una descripción general del business plan en su conjunto . El objetivo es preparar al lector e informarle de los diferentes puntos que se tratarán a lo largo del documento. Divide cada sección clave en una frase o dos para transmitir una visión general.

También deberás incluir detalles como el nombre de la empresa, el eslogan, la información de contacto… Además:

• Los objetivos
• La misión
• La oportunidad de negocio
• Un resumen del plan de marketing
• Resumen financiero
• Los éxitos de la empresa

2# Descripción de la empresa

En esta segunda sección deberemos responder a dos preguntas muy importantes:

• Qué problema resolvemos a los clientes
• Cuál es nuestra solución a ese problema

Explicaremos lo que hacemos y por qué es importante , así como el alcance del negocio que estás construyendo. En resumen, deberemos hablar de:

• Localización
• Activos actuales

3# Análisis del mercado

En este tercer punto hay que explicar los puntos fuertes que hayamos detectado en el mercado en el que vayamos a operar . Esto deberá incluir estadísticas sobre el tamaño de la industria, la tasa de crecimiento y tendencias. Hay que explicar los aspectos que hayamos investigado. Debemos transmitir dos aspectos fundamentales: que el mercado es lo suficientemente grande y que existe una necesidad y un gran número de clientes dispuestos a pagar por nuestro producto.

4# Producto o servicio

Una vez hayamos descrito la necesidad existente y el gap en el mercado, deberemos profundizar sobre el problema al que queremos ofrecer una solución. En este sentido, llegados a este punto tendremos que explicar en qué consiste nuestro producto o servicio y el valor añadido que ofrece nuestra compañía. ¿En qué nos diferenciamos de nuestra competencia?

5# Modelo de ingresos

Ya hemos explicado cuál es nuestro producto y qué venderemos como empresa. Ahora toca explicar cómo generaremos ingresos. Por qué canales, qué precios fijaremos a nuestro producto o servicio y los motivos de que sea así. Deberemos justificar nuestras decisiones.

6# Modelo operativo

En este punto deberemos detallar cómo trabajaremos y los distintos procesos que se llevarán a cabo. Es decir, hay que desglosar estos aspectos y enfocarnos en las tecnologías que utilizaremos y los activos físicos que nos permitirán ofrecer al público un producto o servicio de calidad.

Deberemos describir desde el espacio y la localización hasta el equipo y material que necesitaremos, el inventario que deberemos pedir regularmente, horarios, personal…

7# Análisis competitivo

Igual que en apartados anteriores, habremos hecho una descripción general del mercado. En el análisis competitivo tendremos que hacer lo mismo, pero respecto a la competencia. La clave es demostrarle al lector que se ha hecho un estudio profundo y que sabemos todo acerca de nuestra competencia o sobre cualquier posible competidor que pudiera aparecer en un futuro . ¿Qué tenemos nosotros que no tengan ellos? ¿Hemos detectado algún fallo que podemos convertir en oportunidad?

8# Clientes

Al final, será el número o la calidad de los clientes los que determinarán el éxito o el fracaso de nuestra empresa. Por eso tenemos que tener claro a qué tipo de público nos dirigimos, quiénes son, cómo son, qué hacen, sus hábitos de compra y por qué canales se comunican.

Si nos queremos dirigir a diferentes tipos de público, deberemos explicar cómo los segmentamos, por qué y qué mensaje y producto se le ofrecerá a cada uno .

9# Estrategia de adquisición de clientes

Se trata de la parte estratégica del business plan . Una vez hayamos descrito el público al que nos queremos dirigir, toca explicar las diferentes acciones y tácticas que llevaremos a cabo para llegar a ellos y, por tanto, conseguir que acaben convirtiéndose en clientes de pago.

10# Hitos conseguidos

Imagina que eres un inversor y que te están intentando convencer para que pongas dinero en una empresa que acaba de nacer. Es evidente que cuantas más evidencias te den sobre qué va a funcionar, mejor. Si tu empresa ha conseguido algún hito antes de que alguien haya invertido en ella, aportarás mucha más seguridad sobre sus posibilidades de éxito.

Por ejemplo, si hemos lanzado el producto, si hemos conseguido algún cliente, si tenemos algún ingreso… Cuanta más tracción demostremos que hemos tenido, más credibilidad transmitiremos.

11# Componentes del equipo

Esta es la sección más humana del business plan . Al final, un proyecto puede ser muy bueno y al mismo tiempo ser un fracaso. En parte, dependerá del nivel de los managers que compongan esta empresa. Por eso, en esta sección deberemos informar a los inversores de la experiencia y los conocimientos del equipo que componen el proyecto. No se trata de un resumen exhaustivo de todos los puestos en los que han trabajado los miembros del equipo, sino de los antecedentes que podrán aplicar en la actualidad y que aportarán mucho valor . Deberemos hablar de:

• Los fundadores
• Equipo directivo
• Necesidades de recursos humanos

Este punto es, si no el más importante de todos, uno de los que más. Lo necesitarán aquellos que estén realizando el business plan para conseguir financiación. Si no es nuestro objetivo, podemos enfocarlo de forma más general explicando las principales razones por las que alguien debería invertir en la empresa .

Dicho esto, deberemos especificar lo que pedimos. ¿Cuánto dinero necesitamos para avanzar con el negocio? ¿En qué lo gastaremos? ¿Qué hitos nos permitirá conseguir esta inversión? ¿Qué obtendremos a cambio?

13# Finanzas

Por último, deberemos finalizar el business plan con datos financieros. Además, contendrá todos los gráficos y números calculados que indiquen a los inversores sus posibilidades de éxito. Esto engloba desde estimaciones de ventas a presupuestos. Aunque se tratarán de estimaciones (al menos en su mayoría), el objetivo es intentar hacerlas lo más realistas posible . Deberemos ofrecer:

• Ingresos y gastos del primer año
• Proyección de los beneficios o pérdidas
• Punto de equilibrio

Consejos a la hora de crear un business plan

Ahora que tenemos las cosas más claras para ponernos a hacer un business plan , te recomiendo que tengas en cuenta los siguientes consejos. Estos principios generales te ayudarán a redactar un plan de empresa que cumpla su propósito:

• Evita los tecnicismos: utiliza un lenguaje claro y conciso. Evita las jergas. Si los lectores ven un plan de empresa demasiado complicado o rebuscado se quedará en el olvido.
• Muestra tu pasión: un emprendedor motivado y apasionado tiene más posibilidades de triunfar. Muestra por qué todos deberían implicarse en tu proyecto.
• Documenta la información: todo parece más creíble si se aportan documentos que respalden lo que indicas. Recuerda que puedes incluir toda la información adicional y enlaces a informes oficiales, por ejemplo, en el apéndice.
• Investiga: demostrar que dominas el mercado es clave. La investigación lleva tiempo, pero vale la pena. Considera añadir el informe de la investigación como respaldo en el apéndice. Ser objetivo en los datos y la investigación es clave. Muestra los puntos fuertes, pero también los débiles.
• Objetivos claros: aunque parezca una obviedad, hay muchas empresas que nacen sin un objetivo definido. Es importante entender el propósito del plan antes de empezar a escribir.
• Audiencia definida: al igual que en lo referente a los objetivos, debemos tener una audiencia definida, saber a quién escribimos. Si son nuevos inversores, empleados, colaboradores potenciales…
• Actualización constante: el plan de empresa debe revisarse de forma periódica. A medida que la empresa va creciendo o se va desarrollando, el documento debe actualizarse.

¿Qué te ha parecido este artículo sobre cómo elaborar un business plan ? ¡Deja tus comentarios y comparte! Y si quieres convertirte en un líder innovador y futurista capaz de adelantarte al cambio, fórmate con nuestro MBA Online . Aprenderás a dirigir y gestionar una empresa digital, entre otras muchas cosas. ¡No te lo pierdas!

Elena Bello

Periodista especializada en comunicación corporativa. Departamento de Marketing y Comunicación de IEBS Business School. Leer más

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How Bad Is A.I. for the Climate?

Tech giants are building power-hungry data centers to run their artificial intelligence tools. The costs of that demand surge are becoming clearer.

By Andrew Ross Sorkin ,  Ravi Mattu ,  Bernhard Warner ,  Sarah Kessler ,  Michael J. de la Merced ,  Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni

A.I.’s carbon problem

The boom in artificial intelligence has minted billions in (paper) wealth for tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon . But there’s an overlooked set of winners as well: utilities and energy companies.

The power demands of the huge data centers that underpin the A.I. revolution keep growing. Wall Street is taking notice — but the climate effect isn’t getting as much attention.

The A.I. boom is supercharging markets’ interest in power . One sign of investor enthusiasm: The S&P 500’s utilities sector is up nearly 8 percent this year, outpacing the benchmark index overall.

Tech’s energy needs are coming into focus as investors get to grips with how much of an “ energy hog ” generative A.I. is becoming. Analysts at Wells Fargo see the A.I. boom helping to push up U.S. electricity demand by as much as 20 percent by 2030.

Shares in Dominion Energy rose last week after the company said it expected to supply 15 new data centers this year, some requiring a gigawatt or more of electricity. (For perspective, a gigawatt powers about 750,000 homes.)

And Microsoft announced a $10 billion green-energy deal with Brookfield Asset Management to supply electricity to some of its data centers.

Reporting earnings on Tuesday is Duke Energy, another utility with a big data center business.

But the A.I. revolution will largely run on fossil fuels. There’s a push underway to ensure that this increased energy demand is met with lower-carbon sources — consider the Microsoft initiative, or Amazon’s $650 million acquisition of a Pennsylvania center that sits next to one of the biggest U.S. nuclear power plants .

However, A.I. power demands are likely to be fulfilled largely by natural gas this decade, according to the Wells Fargo analysts. That could throw the climate pledges of utilities and tech giants alike into disarray.

Surya Hendry, an analyst at Rystad Energy, wrote in a research note last month that “rising data center demand creates a tough problem for utility companies, technology companies and policymakers who want clean energy.”

That energy crunch could affect climate policy. The Environmental Protection Agency last month issued new emission-cutting guidelines for power plants that run on fossil fuels.

But there already is pushback : There are “concerns that the rule could threaten grid reliability at a time when energy demand needs from A.I. is rising,” Sara Mahaffy, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, wrote to investors last week.

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING

Howard Schultz pushes Starbucks to fix its slumping business. The coffee chain’s former C.E.O., who left the company in April 2023, wrote on LinkedIn that its “U.S. operations are the primary reason for the company’s fall from grace ” and called for improvements to mobile ordering and more. The company reported disappointing quarterly earnings and profit forecasts last week, in part because of a drop in customer visits to stores.

Paramount begins deal negotiations with Sony and Apollo. The move to begin formal talks with the consortium about its $26 billion takeover bid, first reported by The Times, came after Paramount’s board let a period of exclusive merger talks lapse with the studio Skydance. That said, Paramount is continuing discussions with Skydance as well.

The Israeli military warns thousands in Rafah to leave. The announcement to residents of areas of the Gazan city signals that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may order an invasion that Israeli allies, including the U.S., have warned him against.

Andrew’s dispatch from Omaha

I just got back from Omaha, where 18,000 people gathered for Warren Buffett’s annual “Woodstock for capitalists,” also known as Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting . I have to admit that I cried twice this year. Once was during a movie about Buffett’s friendship with his longtime business partner, Charlie Munger, who died last year at age 99. ( Watch it here ). The other was when Buffett highlighted the $1 billion gift of Berkshire shares that Ruth Gottesman gave this year to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, designed to make the Bronx school tuition-free in perpetuity. It underscored what a successful business can do for society: “That’s why Charlie and I have had so much fun running Berkshire,” Buffett said.

The Oracle of Omaha was still in good form at age 93 without Munger, though he acknowledged being less energetic in several instances during the meeting. In one poignant moment, when he finished one of his answers, he accidentally said “Charlie?” out of habit instead of calling on his chosen successor, Greg Abel, who sat next to him for the first time (along with Ajit Jain, Berkshire’s insurance guru).

The biggest news of the day was his disclosure that he trimmed his position in Apple — though he also praised Tim Cook, who was in the audience. Politics aficionados will try to read the tea leaves on what Buffett, historically a Democrat, meant about the upcoming election when he said this: “I shouldn’t be taking on any four-year employment contracts, like several people are doing in this world.”

Buffett ended the day by saying, “I not only hope you come next year, I hope I come next year.”

Xi Jinping bets on Europe to take on the U.S.

President Xi Jinping of China will meet his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Monday, with trade high on the agenda.

It’s Xi’s first trip to Europe in five years , and Beijing believes it can exploit tensions between the continent and the U.S. to disrupt President Biden’s use of global alliances to counter China.

Washington will be watching closely. Macron has called for Europe to take a different approach to China than the U.S. is taking. That’s despite him also warning that Europe risks falling behind in key sectors, including electric vehicles.

Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, are expected to press Xi on reducing Europe’s €291 billion ($313 billion) trade imbalance with China, as well as Beijing’s support of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Xi will warn about trade protectionism and economic security, Yu Jie, a senior fellow on China at the British think tank Chatham House, told DealBook.

There are areas of potential cooperation. The French cosmetics and agricultural industries hope the talks will lead to better access to the Chinese market. And a big Chinese order for Airbus planes may also be on the agenda.

But the meeting has implications for China’s wider relations with the West. Biden has worked with other governments to blunt China’s influence and reach. Some European companies, such as the Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML, are playing ball.

But Beijing sees weak points in that united front, especially if Donald Trump is re-elected and withdraws support for Ukraine. That could prod Europe to turn to China to help end the Russian invasion.

There are plenty of divides between Europe and the U.S. on China. Macron told Politico last year that Europe shouldn’t blindly follow Washington on issues like Taiwan. And von der Leyen has called for “de-risking” rather than “decoupling” when it comes to China.

Germany looms large, even though Xi isn’t going there this trip. China is Germany’s biggest trading partner , and German investments there hit a record last year. Beijing is hoping to exploit those close links: The German government is considering scaling back plans to increase scrutiny of Chinese investments, The Wall Street Journal reported last month.

The divisions are playing out in electric vehicles. Biden has called Chinese E.V.s a national security threat, and some European carmakers , like France’s Renault, want restrictions to protect them.

But German giants, including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen , are warning that protectionism would hurt competition and innovation.

What to expect from the Davos of the West

The Beverly Hills Hotel is full of suits and security this week, which means one thing: It’s time for this year’s Milken Institute Global Conference.

The annual event is no longer just for financiers. Corporate executives, politicians and celebrities come to network, raise money, or to do both. (At least one of Bravo’s Real Housewives was seen dining at a nearby hotel, and while DealBook couldn’t confirm whether she was attending the conference, her dining companion was talking about one of their SPACs, a Milken-relevant topic.)

DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch is on hand in Los Angeles to get the inside dish from the Davos of the West.

Plenty of prominent attendees are set to speak. Starting on Monday, panels will feature:

Ken Griffin, the C.E.O. of Citadel, who most likely will be asked to weigh in on the election (he backed Nikki Haley) and on college student protests (he cut his funding to Harvard last year);

Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who are on a panel about the polarized state of U.S. politics. Will Sinema say what her post-retirement gig is?

Elon Musk, who is set to close out Monday’s activities in what is sure to be a hotly attended event;

And Bill Clinton, who’ll be centerpiece of a closing plenary on Wednesday.

For those in need of a workout, free exercise classes are being provided by Dogpound, the celebrity gym known for preparing Taylor Swift for her Eras tour .

The conference isn’t shying away from divisive topics, unlike other gatherings such as the World Economic Forum and Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative. One panel is focused on antisemitism, with speakers including Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of the snack company Kind, and the journalist Bari Weiss.

An invite-only panel is devoted to the “progress and pushback” around the corporate diversity, equity and inclusion movement, featuring the financier Bill Ackman and John Hope Bryant, the founder of the nonprofit Operation Hope.

Is Milken becoming a safe space for C.E.O.s? Some attendees have mused to DealBook that the gathering is becoming a more welcoming place for them to speak out than, say, at Davos.

That might become even more true if Donald Trump, who has had a complex relationship with Davos and who as president pardoned Michael Milken , were to be re-elected.

The week ahead

Earnings and iPads are dominating the calendar. Here’s what to watch:

Tuesday: Apple plans to introduce new iPads amid a slowdown in its tablet business. On the earnings front, BP, Disney, and Saudi Aramco are set to release quarterly results.

Wednesday: AB InBev, Airbnb, Arm, Shopify and Uber will report earnings.

Thursday: It’s decision day for the Bank of England. The central bank is expected to stand pat on interest rates and to give further clues on whether it’s ready to cut them as soon as next month.

Friday: The University of Michigan is scheduled to publish its latest consumer sentiment survey.

THE SPEED READ

“Tensions Rise in Silicon Valley Over Sales of Start-Up Stocks ” (NYT)

The board of Sabadell, a Spanish bank, is reportedly meeting on Monday to consider a $12.9 billion takeover bid by its larger rival Santander, which would create one of Europe’s biggest lenders. (Reuters)

How the Biden administration is rushing to prevent Donald Trump from undoing its raft of regulatory changes via executive order if he wins in November. (WSJ)

“The Rise, Reinvention and Incomplete Fall of a Washington Lobbying Legend ” (Politico)

Best of the rest

Shell is said to have sold millions of phantom carbon credits to Canadian shale oil producers. (FT)

How a wave of American investors transformed the English soccer experience , and upset fans. (NYT Magazine)

We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected] .

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a columnist and the founder and editor at large of DealBook. He is a co-anchor of CNBC’s "Squawk Box" and the author of “Too Big to Fail.” He is also a co-creator of the Showtime drama series "Billions." More about Andrew Ross Sorkin

Ravi Mattu is the managing editor of DealBook, based in London. He joined The New York Times in 2022 from the Financial Times, where he held a number of senior roles in Hong Kong and London. More about Ravi Mattu

Bernhard Warner is a senior editor for DealBook, a newsletter from The Times, covering business trends, the economy and the markets. More about Bernhard Warner

Sarah Kessler is an editor for the DealBook newsletter and writes features on business and how workplaces are changing. More about Sarah Kessler

Michael de la Merced joined The Times as a reporter in 2006, covering Wall Street and finance. Among his main coverage areas are mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and the private equity industry. More about Michael J. de la Merced

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

Ephrat Livni reports from Washington on the intersection of business and policy for DealBook. Previously, she was a senior reporter at Quartz, covering law and politics, and has practiced law in the public and private sectors.   More about Ephrat Livni

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Lawmakers want the Chiefs and Royals to come to Kansas, but a stadium plan fizzled

FILE- Fans fill Arrowhead Stadium as fireworks go off before an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos on Nov. 13, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. Some Kansas lawmakers see a chance to lure Kansas City’s two biggest professional sports teams across the Missouri border, but an effort to help the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Major League Baseball’s Royals finance new stadiums in Kansas fizzed over concerns about how it might look to taxpayers. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - Clouds gather over Kauffman Stadium before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians, on June 4, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. Some Kansas lawmakers see a chance to lure Kansas City’s two biggest professional sports teams across the Missouri border, but an effort to help the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Major League Baseball’s Royals finance new stadiums in Kansas fizzed over concerns about how it might look to taxpayers. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Kansas Senate Commerce Committee Chair Renee Erickson, left, R-Wichita, confers with House Commerce Committee Chair Sean Tarwater, right, R-Stilwell, during a break in the Senate’s session, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The two lawmakers have helped draft a proposal designed to assist the Kansas City Chiefs football team and the Kansas City Royals baseballs team finance new stadiums in Kansas. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson attends a news conference with other Republican legislative leaders, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Masterson didn’t bring a proposal to help the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals finance new stadiums in Kansas because of the opposition the idea faced. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, right, R-Andover, confers with his communications director Mike Pirner during a break in the Senate’s session, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Lawmakers have adjourned their annual session without voting on a proposal to help the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals finance new stadiums in Kansas. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, right, R-Andover, speaks during a news conference with other Republican leaders, with House Speaker Dan Hawkins, left, R-Wichita, watching, following the Legislature’s adjournment of its annual session, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Some lawmakers hope to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to Kansas with a plan to help them finance new stadiums. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Some Kansas lawmakers see a chance to lure Kansas City’s two biggest professional sports teams across the Missouri border. But an effort to help the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Major League Baseball’s Royals finance new stadiums in Kansas fizzed over concerns about how it might look to taxpayers.

Members of the Republican-controlled Legislature pushed a bill Tuesday that would have allowed Kansas officials to authorize at least $1 billion in bonds to cover the entire cost of building each new stadium, paying the debt off with tax revenues generated in the area over 30 years. But GOP leaders didn’t bring it up for a vote before lawmakers adjourned their annual session early Wednesday.

Some critics derided the plan as corporate welfare. Others were receptive but didn’t want to pass the proposal until the Legislature approved a broad package of tax cuts for their constituents that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would sign — which didn’t happen either.

Legislators’ work on a plan began in earnest behind the scenes after voters on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area decisively refused earlier this month to extend a local sales tax used to keep up the complex housing the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium for more than 50 years.

The bill’s biggest champion, Kansas House Commerce Committee Chair Sean Tarwater, a Kansas City-area Republican, said supporters want to give the two professional sports teams another option should they contemplate leaving Kansas City, which he said would be devastating to both states.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” Tarwater said. “We need them to stay in the metroplex.”

The idea isn’t dead yet.

Kelly and her staff signaled Tuesday that she is likely to veto the last tax package lawmakers approved, cutting income, sales and property taxes by a total of almost $1.5 billion over the next three years. Lawmakers expect Kelly to call a special session of the Legislature to try to get lawmakers to pass a tax plan that she’ll accept — and they could consider the stadium financing proposal then.

“We just need a little time on it — we’ll be OK,” said Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita Republican. “I mean, we’re serious about trying to incentivize the Chiefs to come our direction.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson told KSHB-TV in Kansas City on Tuesday that his administration would do everything that it can to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri. His state’s lawmakers are in session through May 17.

“We got time to try to work on some ways to try to see what we can do to help with keeping them here, and that’s our main goal,” Parson said.

The Kansas proposal would allow the bonds to finance 100% of the construction of each of two new professional sports stadiums with at least 30,000 seats. State and local officials would have a year to sign off, and the teams would be on the hook if local tax revenues weren’t enough to pay off the bonds.

“It was just a concern of running it before we gave real tax relief to our constituents — kind of that juxtaposed look of what appears to be corporate welfare before you’re getting tax relief to the people,” Masterson said after deciding against having a Senate vote.

Before the local sales tax vote in Missouri, the Chiefs wanted to use their share of the revenues to help pay for an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead. The Royals planned to use their share to help finance a new, $2 billion-plus ballpark district that would be part of a larger nationwide wave of sports construction.

The current lease lease on the two teams’ complex lasts through Jan. 31, 2031. Royals owner John Sherman has said the Royals will not play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, the Chiefs are hopeful of remaining at Arrowhead Stadium.

“We’ll be in a situation where we go back to the drawing board,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told reporters last week. “I do feel very much a sense of urgency, and we will approach it from a broader perspective going forward.”

Backers argue that the Kansas plan is ideal because the money to pay off the bonds would come from new sales and alcohol taxes generated only when the area around each stadium develops. Also, professional players will have to pay income taxes to Kansas on the portion of their earnings made at the stadiums in Kansas.

But Americans for Prosperity-Kansas, a small-government, low-tax group that has long opposed the use of such bonds, also opposed the stadium financing proposal. The group is influential with Republicans and told lawmakers it would consider their votes in evaluating their records.

Critics have long argued that allowing the bonds to finance big projects represents the state picking economic winners and losers instead of the free market. The same kind of bonds have financed multiple projects, including NASCAR’s Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

One northeastern Kansas lawmaker, Democratic Sen. Tom Holland, called the stadium proposal “economic development for millionaires.” He added that it’s “total foolishness” to have taxpayers subsidize the stadiums — either through taxes they pay when they visit or because the state forgoes revenues that would flow into its coffers.

Another northeastern Kansas lawmaker, conservative GOP Sen. Dennis Pyle, said: “We’ve got a lot of priorities in Kansas, and I’m not sure that’s one of them.”

Other lawmakers were critical because the Legislature had no public hearings or debates before three senators and three House members met in public this week to hash out the details of the proposal.

“As much as I would love to see the Chiefs and the Royals both come to Kansas, this is a very large expenditure of tax money that merits careful consideration, not a last minute scheme,” said Democratic state Rep. John Carmichael, of Wichita.

Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.

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Information Technology Business Plan

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Information Management Hawaii

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

By focusing on its strengths, its key customers, and the underlying values they need, Information Management Hawai’i, Inc. (IMH) will increase sales steadily in its first three years, while also maintaining the gross margin on sales, with a focus on cash management and working capital.

This business plan leads the way. It renews our vision and strategic focus: adding value to our target market segments, and reinforcing our ties with businesses in our local markets. It also provides the step-by-step plan for improving our sales, gross margin, and profitability.

This plan includes this summary, chapters on the company, products and services, market focus, action plans and forecasts, management team, and the financial plan.

1.1 Objectives

1. Achieve healthy earnings (EBIT) in the first year of operation.

2. Maintain a midrange gross margin throughout the entire operation.

3. Maintain just-in-time (JIT) inventory levels, or 11 turns per year.

4. Increase sales modestly but steadily in the second and third years.

1.2 Mission

To provide the Hawai’i business community with quality brand-name Information Technology business information solutions, reliable and professional Technical Support, and unparalleled Customer Service through the application of the principles of Kina`ole and heartfelt aloha, and to earn a fair profit for our employee-owners and stakeholders by embracing sound, ethical business practices.

1.3 Keys to Success

The keys to our success are:

• Customer Satisfaction Goals vs. Results

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

Information Management Hawai’i, Inc., will sell and service digital office information systems for Hawai’i’s businesses, with a focus on the Neighbor Island business community. IMH will be formed as the result of the acquisition of three existing businesses: Maui Office Machines, Inc.; Electronics Hawai’i, Inc.; and, Kauai Office Equipment, Inc.

2.1 Company Ownership

IMH will be privately-held [C corporation] owned in majority by the IMH Employee Stock Ownership Trust. There are currently 15 employees, and all will own equal shares in the ESOT. New employees will be given the opportunity to become vested in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) after a suitable probationary period.

2.2 Start-up Summary

Our start-up costs will be $1M, which includes $450,000 for the acquisition of the Maui and Hilo operations of Servco Integrated Office Technology.

The remainder of the funds will be used for:

• Legal, Insurance, Rent & Misc: $125,000

The start-up funding will be financed by loans arranged through the Small Business Development Center, and by the Hawai’i Community Loan Fund, and the Small Business Administration as a guarantor. Start-up assumptions are shown in the following table and chart.

2.3 Company Locations and Facilities

We have two locations, one in Kahului, Maui and the other in Hilo, Hawai’i. The two offices are presently being leased by Servco Pacific, Inc., and we will rent from them on a month-to-month basis until we are able to relocate to more suitable facilities. On Kauai, we have a sub-contractor agreement with Kauai Office Equipment to handle installations and service.

Products and Services

IMH will acquire an existing operation whose primary business has been the sale and service of business appliances (copiers, facsimiles, printers, etc.) and has operated as a part of the office equipment industry. We will build from this base to transform the business into a value-added provider of the emerging services and technologies of the new Information Industry. Following the lead of Canon, USA and other manufacturers which we represent, we will approach the marketplace from a total systems solutions viewpoint.

This new paradigm will begin with an analysis of the client’s existing and planned business processes, and will provide total workflow solutions utilizing multifunctional imaging platforms and information distribution systems. These systems will be backed by professional and reliable technical service and proactive customer service. By forming strategic alliances with local Information Industry Value-Added Resellers, we will be able to offer turnkey Local Area Network (LAN) systems and the ability to retrofit existing LAN and peer-to-peer systems.

3.1 Sales Literature

Copies of our product and sales literature are attached as appendices. Of course, one of our first tasks will be to change the message of our literature to make sure we are selling the company, rather than the product.

3.2 Product and Service Description

IMH will market and sell brand name business information distribution systems and hardware, technical service and support for these products, and the consumable supplies used by these systems. We will be a single-source provider for business information and imaging products and services.

After researching our various manufacturer’s offerings and evaluating our core competencies, we will focus our marketing and sales efforts around the digital products offered by Canon USA and eCopy, Inc. We will supplement this product line with Lexmark and Hewlett Packard printer products. As we continue to transition the company into the digital marketplace, we will form alliances with additional IT manufacturers and suppliers who can round out our product and services line.

Hardware product offerings will include:

• Hewlett Packard Printer products (laser)

Software offerings will include:

• Canon Image Platform (document distribution)

Service Products include:

• Sale of consumable products for all brand names (Canon, Ricoh, Xerox, HP, Lexmark)

Professional Services include:

• Network design and installation (sub-contracted)

3.3 Competitive Comparison

The only way we can hope to differentiate well is to define the vision of the company to be an information technology ally to our clients. We will not be able to compete in any effective way with the large mainland-based office equipment companies by selling boxes or products as appliances. We need to offer a real alliance to our local customers.

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Unfortunately, we cannot sell the products at a higher price just because we offer services; the market has shown that it will not support that concept. We have to also sell the service and consumable supplies and charge for them separately. This monthly recurring revenue is the foundation of our financial stability.

3.4 Technology

New technology has changed almost everything about the traditional office equipment (copier) industry, and for all practical purposes it no longer exists. The new Information Industry has emerged because of the technology of convergence. The primary driver of convergence of different forms of information is technological change, specifically the rapid diffusion of digital technology into an ever-wider array of information businesses. Beyond digitization, dramatic changes in computing and telecommunications industries (mainly in faster microprocessors and increasing bandwidth) are also driving convergence.

IMH will make convergence the theme of its vision, planning, and marketing strategies. We will move into the new Information Industry’s technology with the aim of bringing the most efficient workflow solutions to our clients while providing value-added customer support and service, and earning a reasonable profit in the process.

3.5 Service and Support

Our strategy hinges on providing unparalleled service and support, which is critical to setting us apart from the competition. We need to differentiate on service and support in order to become true partners with our clients. Our service offers will include:

• Upgrade analysis : we will periodically assess our client’s business processes and requirements, and offer cost-effective upgrade solutions to meet changing needs.

3.6 Future Products and Services

Beginning at start up, we will explore and research new information technologies for inclusion in our product offerings. The products which we choose will be in line with our vision to transition the company from being an appliance seller, to being a provider of total information management solutions. These convergent information products will include:

• Media transport and reproduction (distribute and print)

3.7 Fulfillment

We have an established relationship with our manufacturers and suppliers, and will be able to take advantage of all discounts and promotions in order to keep our margins at roughly 49% throughout the operation. We will also implement and employ “just-in-time” inventory strategies for hardware, supplies, and service parts orders to further strengthen our margins.

As we continue to grow the business, we will evaluate other IT industry manufacturers and product lines to strengthen our offerings with a view primarily to quality and margin advantages.

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

IMH will focus on local markets, including small offices and home offices (1-9 employees), medium to large businesses (10-99 employees), corporate Hawai’i (multiple locations or 100+ employees), and local government offices.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Our market segmentation scheme is fairly straightforward, and focuses on all Neighbor Island businesses. The information contained in our customer analysis table is taken directly from the 2000 US Census and government directories, and clearly shows that our largest market potential is the small office and home office (SOHO) segment. This segment is largely overlooked by most of our competitors because of its “low end” buying habits, and a reluctance to compete with the major retail chain box movers. We will target the SOHO market segment with value-added and affordable business solutions customized to its unique needs, and offer the same quality of service and support as are afforded the larger businesses.

The next largest market segment is medium to large businesses, and is the arena where we now focus most of our sales efforts. We will continue to target this segment, but with a different approach than our predecessors. The strategy used by former management has been to bring in selected products, and then attempt to find a buyer. This resulted in inventory overstock, and obsolescence. We will work with the medium to large businesses to determine their needs, and design customized solutions before ordering the required systems (JIT inventory strategy). This segment will remain an extremely important part of our marketing mix, and contains a large portion of our current clients. A majority of our systems upgrade opportunities and repeat business will come from this market segment initially.

Although the Corporate Hawai’i market segment is the smallest in numbers, it has the potential to provide a significant share of our revenues and growth (the 80/20 rule). We have a scattering of current clients in the Corporate Hawai’i segment, but we need to do a better job of penetrating this lucrative end of the market. We will accomplish this by offering professional services to include workflow and network design, MIS support, and other value-added support benefits such as “uptime guarantees.” We will develop long-term relationships within this segment, and earn their business.

The local government market segment is unique in that we act primarily as a “middle man” for our manufacturers due to GSA price schedules and other national government-only programs. This segment is fiercely competitive, very price-focused, and buying decisions are often influenced by “who you know,” as well as price. We are fortunate in that we have long-established relationships within the County and State government agencies, and have many loyal clients in this segment. We will increase our share of this market segment by offering the same value-added service and support benefits that we bring to our commercial clients.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Developing a market strategy is a departure from the way the company has been managed in the past. We will change the paradigm of being a product- and price-focused sales organization, to that of becoming a customer- and market-focused organization, with all departments sharing responsibility for customer satisfaction. We will accomplish this paradigm shift through the implementation of a balanced scorecard philosophy of management, with special attention to employee learning and growth.

As mentioned previously our market segmentation strategy is straightforward, and addresses all components of the Neighbor Island business community. Planning and implementing specific strategies for each of the four identified segments will be an on-going process, and we will consult with marketing specialists, and our manufacturers, to further refine these efforts as we develop our marketing plan.

4.2.1 Market Trends

That is the primary reason that IMH has chosen Canon USA as its preferred manufacturer. Canon has led the way in the industry with it’s digital technology innovations, and its ability to bring both the product and the concept to the marketplace. We will follow Canon’s lead and bring this efficient, productivity-enhancing technology to Neighbor Island businesses.

4.2.2 Market Growth

As computer prices continue to fall, unit sales increase. The published market research on sales of personal computers is astounding, as the United States market alone is absorbing more than 30 million units per year, and sales are growing at more than 20 percent per year. We could quote Dataquest, Infocorp, IDC, or others; it doesn’t matter, they all agree on high growth of CPU sales.

This rapid growth rate holds true for productivity systems which connect to the computers being sold. The stand-alone analog systems and appliances which abound in the business marketplace today, will be replaced by connected digital convergence systems in the coming months and years. IMH will position itself to be a value-added provider of this rapidly emerging technology for new businesses, while continuing to maintain and upgrade our current analog customer base.

4.2.3 Market Needs

All businesses have in common a need to be continuously productive, and they rely on their service providers and vendors to sustain their productivity. Effectively filling this need requires that the vendor bring to the table sound planning, quality products, reliable service, and a true partnership and support relationship.

Specific business needs include the ability to gather, compile, analyze, and distribute information in various media formats. This is where IMH’s strengths will be most beneficial to our clients, both big and small. Anyone can sell the “box” at an attractive price, but only a true value-added provider can offer the peace-of-mind that comes from a customer-focused approach to the relationship.

Primarily due to geographic isolation and smaller populations, the Neighbor Island business community has an additional common need of being able to rely on other locally-based vendors and suppliers for quick, reliable, customer service and support. Having to call someone on Oahu, or the mainland, to place a service call, or to order supplies, or get an answer to a simple billing question, is both an irritant and a hindrance to most Neighbor Island-based businesses. Our primary goal is to fill this need by bringing true pro-active, and total, customer service to the Neighbor Island business community, and to gain their confidence and loyalty. This will become one of our underlying strengths.

4.3 Service Business Analysis

IMH is a part of the Information Industry, and specializes in providing information management systems and technology for business processes. We envision that a converged information industry operating within the context of an advanced information infrastructure will be a huge boost for U.S. businesses. Several Washington think tanks estimate that it could spur more than $300 billion annually in new sales and increase worker productivity by 20 to 40 percent.

At the present time, an estimated two-thirds of all American jobs are information related, and that number will increase as the shift from manufacturing to service industries continues. The convergence of information industries will continue because the technological and business imperatives are compelling. If one company does not see the possibilities, another will.

4.3.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

Business decision makers and finance managers understand the concept and value of service and support, and are much more likely to pay for it when the offering is clearly stated.

There is no doubt that we compete more against the box pushers than against other service providers. We need to effectively compete against the idea that businesses should  buy information platforms as plug-in appliances that don’t need ongoing service, support, and training.

Our research and experience has indicated that our target market segments think about price, but would buy based on quality service if the offering were properly presented. They think about price because that is what is traditionally presented to them first. We have very good indications that many would rather pay 10-20% more for a relationship with a long-term vendor providing back-up and quality service and support. They end up in the box-pusher channels because they are not aware of the alternatives.

Availability is also very important. The business decision makers tend to want immediate, local solutions to problems.

4.3.2 Distributing a Service

Medium to large business segment buyers are accustomed to buying from vendors who visit their offices. They expect the copy machine vendors, office products vendors, and office furniture vendors, as well as the local graphic artists, freelance writers, or whomever, to visit their office to make their sales.

Unfortunately our SOHO target segment buyers may not expect to buy from us. Many of them turn immediately to the retail superstores (office equipment, office supplies, and electronics), the Web, and mail order to look for the best price, without realizing that there is a better option for them for only a little bit more. We will overcome this hurdle through innovative service offerings, and targeted marketing.

4.3.3 Main Competitors

In our higher-end targeted segments (medium to large businesses, corporate Hawai’i, and government offices), the primary competitors are Xerox and Lanier. The secondary “low end” competitors on the Neighbor Islands are Maui Office Machines and Business Equipment on Maui, and Electronics Hawai’i and Stationers on the Big Island. Our overall competitive strategy in these segments will be Canon’s superior technology, and superior value-added service and support.

In our SOHO target segment, the primary competitors are the superstores: Office Max, Office Depot, Sears, and to some extent Costco, Hopaco, and the Web. While these outlets can offer lower prices, they offer no (or very little) aftermarket service or support. That is our competitive advantage in this segment, and will differentiate us from these “box movers.”

4.3.4 Business Participants

The traditional office equipment (copier) industry has been dominated by only a few major manufacturers: Xerox, Canon, Oce, and Ricoh (and its OEM products – Lanier, Savin, and Gestetner); and then come the low-end players: Sharp, Toshiba, and Minolta. With the exception of Xerox, which maintains its own sales force, the other manufacturers distribute and sell mainly through authorized dealers.

The rapidly emerging Information Industry’s digital convergence products will most likely be dominated by the same participants as described above. While Xerox has been a past leader in the manufacture and sales of analog products, Canon has emerged as both an innovator, and the leader, in the new Information Industry with their ImageRunner digital products and Image Platform information distribution systems. Canon is also (and has been for many years) the front runner in color repro-graphic systems, and holds the most patents of any manufacturer in the industry.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

We must differentiate ourselves from the box pushers. We need to establish our business offering as a clear and viable alternative for our target markets, to the price oriented sales pitch to which they are accustomed.

• 30-day sales window – war with competition mainly on price.

The industry’s cheese has been moved. In order to shift to a more contemporary paradigm, our marketing and sales efforts will need:

• A new marketing concept – customer oriented, profit oriented, integrated efforts.

5.1 Competitive Edge

Our competitive edge is our positioning as a strategic ally with our clients, who are clients more than customers. By building a business based on long-standing relationships with satisfied clients, we simultaneously build defenses against competition. The longer the relationship stands, the more we help our clients understand what we offer them and why they should both stay with IMH, and refer us to other businesses. In close-knit communities like the Neighbor Islands, reputation is extremely important, and word-of-mouth advertising is invaluable.

5.2 Strategy Pyramid

Our main strategy will be placing emphasis on service and support, and our main tactics are networking expertise, systems training, and implementing a customer relationship management system (CRM) from e-automate. Our specific programs for networking include mailers and internal training. Specific programs for end user training include direct mail promotion, and on-site customer programs. Implementing the CRM software and training will be coordinated with the e-automate Corporation.

Our second strategy is emphasizing relationships. The tactics are marketing the company (instead of the products), more regular contacts with the customer, and increasing sales per customer. Programs for marketing the company include new sales literature, and direct mail. Programs for more regular contacts include call-backs after installation, direct mail, and sales management. Programs for increasing sales per customer include upgrade mailings and sales training.

5.3 Value Proposition

IMH offers its clients peace-of-mind by being a vendor who acts as a strategic ally, and delivers quality products backed by premium service and support, at a premium price.

5.4 Sales Strategy

We will sell the company and its ability to act as an ally. We will sell IMH, and the reputation of the industry-leading manufacturers it represents.

We will sell our service and support. The hardware is like the razor, and the support, service, software, and training, are the razor blades. We need to serve our customers with total solutions, and not just product features. The products are a means to arriving at end solutions.

The Yearly Total Sales chart summarizes our conservative sales forecast. We expect sales to increase from $3.1 million in the first year to more than $4 million in the third year of this plan.

5.4.1 Sales Forecast

The important elements of the sales forecast are shown in the following Chart, and Table 5.4.1. Non-hardware sales increase to almost $2 million total in the third year, or 47% of total sales.

5.5 Milestones

The following table lists important program milestones, with dates and managers in charge, and budgets for each. The milestone schedule indicates our emphasis on planning for implementation. The most important programs are the sales and marketing programs listed in detail in the previous topics.

5.6 Marketing Strategy

The marketing strategy is the core of our main strategy:

• Develop specific programs for each target market segment:
• Government Offices – workflow/process surveys, uptime guarantees, GSA rates and incentives

5.6.1 Sales Programs

Specific sales programs will be included in our new Marketing Plan, and will be included in this Business Plan as they are finalized. In general however, our sales programs will be centered around conducting workflow and information distribution analyses, direct mail, and placing an emphasis on the benefits which IMH and its manufacturers will be able to offer its clients through “total care” service and support.

5.6.2 Positioning Statement

For businesses who want to be sure their information distribution systems are always working reliably, IMH is a vendor and trusted strategic ally who makes certain their systems work, their people are trained, and their down time is minimal. Unlike the product/price oriented vendors, it knows the customer and goes to their site when needed, and offers proactive support, service, training, and installation.

5.6.3 Pricing Strategy

We must charge appropriately for the high-end, high-quality service and support we offer. Our revenue structure has to match our cost structure, so the salaries we pay to assure good service and support must be balanced by the revenue we charge.

We cannot build the service and support revenue into the price of products. The market can’t bear the higher prices and the buyer feels ill-used when they see a similar product priced lower with the competition. Despite the logic behind this, the market doesn’t support this concept.

5.6.4 Promotion Strategy

We will employ the following general promotional strategies for the various market segments:

• SOHO: We will depend on periodic local newspaper advertising, to reach new buyers in this segment. We will also utilize direct mail and and the resources of the local Chambers of Commerce and other affinity groups to reach this segment. The message will emphasize service first, and “complete product and service packaging” as a secondary theme.
• Medium to Large Businesses: Direct face-to-face contact (direct sales) will continue to be our primary strategy for this market segment. Direct selling will be supplemented by periodic promotional direct mailings and personalized system upgrade opportunities.
• Corporate Hawai’i: This segment will be handled by direct contact and relationship building only. We will make personal presentations to the decision makers in this group, and stress our service and technical benefits and advantages.
• Government Offices: We will utilize a combination of direct mail and face-to-face promotional strategies with this segment, and the message will be the local service and technical advantages of IMH. We will produce an attractive RFQ/RFP response package to accompany our submissions.

5.6.5 Distribution Strategy

IMH is first and foremost a direct sales organization, meaning that we must present our services and products directly to the majority of our customers and clients. Having said that, for our planned penetration into the SOHO market, we will need to establish a presence as a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) for certain low-end product lines which don’t carry the margins necessary to sustain the costs of direct sales. We will plan our new locations accordingly.

5.6.6 Marketing Programs

As we work to complete this Business Plan, we are simultaneously working on our Marketing Plan. As you can see from the milestones table, we anticipate completion of our detailed Marketing Plan by 9/30/01, or one month from start-up. Because we are acquiring an on-going business, the shift to our vision of customer- and market-focused strategies will not happen overnight. We must plan this shift carefully, and implement it judiciously, so as not to disrupt our immediate operations. We have budgeted for, and will utilize, marketing advisors and consultants (including our manufacturers) in the design of our Marketing Plan.

5.7 Strategic Alliances

Our alliances with our manufacturers, and especially Canon USA, will be the most pivotal to our success. We will remain a Canon Authorized Dealer, and continue to enjoy all of the benefits of this long-standing relationship.

We will form alliances with other locally-based VARs and computer network providers to enable us to provide complete turnkey packages for our clients. These relationships will be included in our Marketing Plan.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

Our management philosophy is simple and is an integral part of our values: doing right things right, the first time (Kina’ole).

IMH will be an employee-owned company and we all share the same vision of providing our clients (who in many cases are friends and neighbors) with the very best in customer service – period. We will encourage personal growth, creativity, and enable individual empowerment to achieve this goal. We will manage the business by setting achievable Balanced Scorecard goals, measuring them, and making mid-stream adjustments as necessary.

6.1 Organizational Structure

Our team includes 15 employees initially, and is organizationally flat. The departmental divisions are sales and marketing, service, and administration. Operational managers include:

• Systems Manager (two positions – Big Island and Maui): Oversees all service issues including service agreements, service call prioritization and response, carry-in service, customer support, and systems training and development. Will be assisted by Systems Engineers, and Systems Technicians.

6.2 Personnel Plan

The total head count moving over from Servco at the time of the acquisition will be 13. We are adding two former employees at startup to round out our team, for a total startup head count of 15.

There are an additional six positions shown as “vacant” in the Personnel plan. During each quarterly business plan review, we will assess the need to fund these positions to sustain our growth, and more evenly distribute the workload.

6.3 Management Team

Bill Harding, president and general manager:  XX years old, and has lived on Maui for 43 years. Joined SIOT in 1998 as Maui branch manager, and became general manager for Neighbor Island operations six months later. Prior management experience includes: BTA market manager of the Neighbor Islands for VoiceStream Wireless, Neighbor Island area sales manager for Central Security Systems, and radar project manager for Telcom International in Nigeria, West Africa. Bill has attended numerous management and sales training courses and seminars throughout his career.

Laurie Watson, secretary/treasurer and administrative manager: XX years old, and local Maui resident. Has been at the same location through three different owners prior to Servco’s acquisition of The Office Place in 1995, for a total of 15 years of local office equipment industry experience. Laurie has extensive knowledge of service procedures and dispatching, A/R and A/P procedures, inventory control and tracking, as well as an intimate knowledge of our customer base. Her experience and knowledge will be invaluable in recovering our customer base, and in growing the business.

Anne Tioganco, office manager (Hilo): XX years old, and local Hilo resident. Anne has also been with the company through all of the acquisitions, and has XX years experience in the office equipment industry. She will assist Laurie by handling the administrative and customer service tasks for our Hilo branch, and will be instrumental in our Big Island customer recovery efforts.

Earle Oshiro, systems manager (Big Island): XX years old, and local Hilo resident. Like Laurie and Anne above, Earle has been with the company through four different owners, and has XX years of local office equipment service management experience. Earle has also completed Canon’s “train the trainer” course, and will be a great asset in the on-going training and development of our systems engineers and technicians.

Joseph Alfonsi, systems manager (Maui): XX years old, and local Maui resident. Joe joined the Maui branch of SIOT in 1999 as field service manager, after transferring from the SIOT Honolulu branch. He has XX years of local office equipment industry service experience, and is familiar with both Canon and Ricoh products. Joe is an asset to the Maui team, and has outstanding customer service skills.

6.4 Management Team Gaps

We believe we have a good team for covering the main points of the business plan. Key members have the experience and knowledge to manage and grow the business, and are highly motivated by the employee-owner concept.

The obvious management gap is a plan to fill the general manager’s position at some point in the future, before the current GM reaches retirement age. As an employee-owned company, the preferred strategy will be to promote from within, and fill vacancies as they occur. As the company grows, we will seek out additional talent in all operational areas.

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

Although we are treating the business as a start-up company, the financial plan is solidly based on past performance. We have taken actual SIOT P&L income and expenses from the past three years, and eliminated corporate overhead expenses such as warehouse and administrative costs, inventory penalties, and corporate nominal interest. We then projected income based on actual past performance, and factored back in the revenue base that was relocated to Honolulu over the past two years (mainly service and supplies).

We approached the financial planning from a conservative standpoint, and based those numbers on achievable gross margins. Also, our actual interest and tax rates will most likely be lower than the assumed rates due to our being structured as an employee-owned corporation (ESOT).

7.1 Important Assumptions

The financial plan depends on important assumptions, most of which are shown in Table 7.1. As mentioned previously, we assumed interest and tax rates based on a “worst case” scenario, and these will be adjusted once we have finalized the initial funding and establish the ESOT. We have also assumed our personnel burden at 30% of payroll in order to allow for above-average benefits for our employees. As we shop around for benefits vendors, this assumption will be subject to revision as well.

Other key business assumptions are:

• We assume access to the start-up funding necessary to re-shape and re-build the company, and to provide adequate initial capitalization.

7.2 Key Financial Indicators

As shown in the Benchmarks chart below, our key financial indicators are:

• Inventory Turnover: We will maintain just-in-time inventory levels, or 11 turns per year. This will require accurate sales forecasting, and working closely with our manufacturers. We have already begun this process under SIOT, and the Neighbor Island inventory levels are well below previous years.

7.3 Break-even Analysis

For our break-even analysis, we assume running costs which include our full payroll, rent, and utilities, and an estimation of other running costs. Payroll alone, at present, is about $65,500 per month (including benefits and taxes).

We will monitor gross margins very closely, and maintain them at a midrange percentage by taking advantage of all promotions and discounts offered by our manufacturers. Canon USA has tentatively agreed to offer us “end column” pricing as a new dealer incentive.

The chart shows what we need to sell per month to break even, according to these assumptions. This is about 78% of our projected sales for our first year, and is well below what we have achieved annually over the past three years under more adverse operating conditions.

7.4 Projected Profit and Loss

Our Pro Forma Profit and Loss statement was constructed from a conservative point-of-view, and is based in large part on past performance. By strengthening our service position, and rebuilding our customer relationships, we will widen our customer base and increase sales.

Month-to-month assumptions for profit and loss are included in the appendix.

7.5 Projected Cash Flow

Because we are treating the new company as a start-up, the cash flow for FY2002 is somewhat exaggerated by the instant influx of new capital. Subsequent years however show a healthy growth in cash flow, mainly due to the short 60-month repayment of the start-up loan and increased sales.

7.6 Projected Balance Sheet

The Projected Balance Sheet is quite solid. We do not project any trouble meeting our debt obligations as long as we achieve our specific objectives.

7.7 Business Ratios

The following table shows our main business ratios, and is compared to national averages. Our SIC industry class is currently: Office equipment, nec – 5044.99.

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EU Council adopts a plan worth 6 billion euros for Western Balkans to speed up enlargement process

EU countries have approved a plan worth 6 billion euros ($6.45 billion) to support Western Balkan states aimed at accelerating reforms and economic growth in the region, as they seek future membership in the bloc

BRUSSELS — EU countries approved a plan worth 6 billion euros ($6.45 billion) to support Western Balkan states on Tuesday aimed at accelerating reforms and economic growth in the region, as they seek future membership in the bloc.

The Council of the European Union said the plan, which covers the period from 2024 to 2027, is expected to provide up to 2 billion euros in grants ($2.15 billion) and 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in loans. Aid is contingent on reforms that would bring Western Balkan economies in line with EU rules.

“The facility will support a range of socio-economic and fundamental reforms, including reforms related to the rule of law and fundamental rights,” the Council said.

The region’s six countries — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages in their applications for membership, but residents have been frustrated with the slow pace of the process. Croatia was the last country to be accepted by the EU in 2013.

The six countries pledged to adapt customs regulations and create joint border crossings like EU member countries. They also set targets to launch research and development hubs for industry and install free Wi-Fi in public places.

The Council said that a precondition for Serbia and Kosovo to receive aid is that “they engage constructively with measurable progress and tangible results in the normalization of their relations.”

Serbia has not recognized Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, and recent tensions between them have sparked concern among Western powers. Both have said they want to join the EU, but the bloc has warned that their refusal to compromise is jeopardizing their chances for membership.

AP World News: https://apnews.com/world-news