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To begin with, I will briefly talk about my results in business. At the moment I am the owner of several large Internet projects, the total cost of which is more than several million rubles, including the portal site. It is for this reason that I can openly express my opinion regarding business planning and various business processes. The knowledge and skills that I possess were acquired not in a university and a textbook, but in conditions market competition through dozens of experiments.

To write or not to write a business plan?

Let's open any of the university textbooks on business, and in each of them it will be written that business begins with a business plan. And let the bearded professors in glasses not like what I have to say next, but let's build on what these professors have achieved in business. As a rule, these are theorists who have never led big companies. But they all echo that a well-written business plan is 50% of the success of your future company.

To be honest, I even find it funny at such moments. You can plan for at least a whole year, make a plan for 100 A4 sheets, and then your business will fail.
Do you know why? Yes, because this is a market! The market is constantly changing, transforming, and it is cruel, especially to newcomers. You can never predict everything that can happen to you or your business idea. That is why my personal opinion boils down to the fact that a long business plan is a waste of your time.

Although there are a few situations where a business plan can come in handy.

When is a business plan really needed?

In our age of bureaucracy, a business plan is simply indispensable in two main cases:

- You want to receive a grant or a subsidy for business development from the state.
Unfortunately, the entrepreneurship support system in the Russian Federation is such that you will not even be accepted without a business plan. The main reason is that most of officials in business support centers, they have no idea what business is, because they have never dealt with it and are accustomed to acting according to textbooks and regulations. Here the principle works: the more paper in the business plan, the better. In the eyes of officials, such a business plan will look like serious work has been done on it.

— You are preparing a business plan for an investor.

It is important to clearly understand here that an investor is far from being an official! As a rule, this is already an experienced businessman who will not poke around in a bundle of papers that you brought him. For him, two things matter the most:
1) The idea you came up with. She must “infect” him, he must want to do this business.
2) How well you understand the topic. Get ready for dozens of questions. And you will have to answer all these questions.

Perhaps these are the two main situations in which you really need a business plan.

When not to make a business plan!

I remember when I was 22 years old, I even bought myself a smart book called "Compiling a Business Plan." At that time, I generally had a vague idea about business. Now I can already say that this was one of my most stupid acquisitions. I wanted to write a business plan FOR MYSELF! Never write business plans for yourself! Better devote this time to studying the market, study it inside and out, and finally, start your business. The maximum time that you can spend on creating a business plan is 1-2 hours of working time! Just take a piece of paper, a pen and calculate all the indicators. A business plan should fit on a maximum of 1 piece of paper, no need to write 30-page Talmuds!

Sample business plan “Business on social networks”

One of the main directions of my business is business in in social networks, namely business on public pages.

I want to immediately note that the data that is presented is already confirmed, and I drew up this business plan after launching the project and making a profit from it. That is, after the fact. I will add my comments to each paragraph.

Idea: creating a public page on VKontakte in order to sell advertising on it, own goods, participate in affiliate programs.

Ways to make money on the project:
— sale of advertising,
- partnership programs,
- Selling your products.

Main affiliate programs:
— ,
— .

What items can be sold:
- women's beauty and health products,
- Products for children,
- goods for the economy.

Competitor project analysis

Sample Business Plan “Parking Lot”

Of course, I couldn't help but cite a typical university-style business plan as an example! And such an example was a sample of a BP for organizing a parking lot. As for my opinion about this business plan, I can say that the abundance of numbers in it can please only an official or a teacher at a university, but not a real entrepreneur. You can download this business plan from the link below:

Startup Fundamentals: Good financial plan, not drive and seals

15Jul

Why I decided to write this article

Because many who ask me questions ask something that at first you shouldn’t even bother at all. There are even questions that a person may never face at all. In general, “Woe from Wit” occurs in the minds of many novice entrepreneurs, and we will “eliminate” this grief in this article. At least I'll try my best. Now let's talk about the errors, and then I will issue step by step plan the way I see it.

Some errors and their solutions

1. Break-even point not calculated

Many start a business without even considering how much in what period they need to sell in order to break even. This is important because many business models are cut off at this stage.

Calculating the break-even point is easy. You consider how much you incur expenses per month and then consider how much you need to sell goods or provide services per month in order to recoup these expenses. If the figure is too large and seems unrealistic to you, then it is better not to take on such a business. If you think that you can sell the right amount of goods to cover expenses or start covering expenses in a few months, then you can think about this business further.

Conclusion 1: Until you have a complete financial picture of the business in your head, you can’t borrow money or even use your savings.

2. Everything must be perfect

At the beginning of your business, you want everything to be right and beautiful: you buy the most modern equipment, the most functional site is being created, the office is being renovated, etc.

Striving for the best is useful, but there is one "BUT" - before you spend money, check the performance of your business model. If you are going to make an expensive website design, first make sure that your services or products are in demand at all.

Or, if you're opening a coffee shop, before making expensive renovations, try to start selling in the space you have. minimum investment. If sales go on and a place in this area of ​​the city will bring at least some profit, then you can expand or make a cool renovation.

Conclusion 2: Don't invest a lot of money until you're sure people want the product. And you don’t need to bring everything to perfection, thereby delaying the start. Start with what you have and gradually develop and improve.

3. Not understanding your future business or simply no love

I personally think that a business should at least like it. For example, I love each of my business projects, and if I didn’t love them, they wouldn’t turn out to be profitable.

Some start-up entrepreneurs write me questions like “What to sell”, “What services are profitable to provide”, “What kind of business is profitable to do”, etc. I answer everyone: "Open your own bank." And no one likes my answer, although it answers all these questions. Every entrepreneur has a different life situation, different interests and different knowledge. If one likes selling toys and the other likes selling men's suits, then they won't be able to switch businesses and be as successful. This is because they do not understand the model itself and simply do not feel interested.

Conclusion 3: You can't build a business on an idea just because you just know it's profitable and you're not interested in it. Business needs to be understood, loved and “be in the know”. For example, I could not open massage parlor and lead your business to success. Not because I don't have enough money, but because I don't understand anything in this business.

How to start your own business - 10 steps from scratch

To begin with, I want to say that below I will give 2 plans on how to start your business: complete and simplified. Let's start with the complete.

Step 1. Business Idea

Of course, to start a business, you need to know what to start. I have always said, I say and I will say that an entrepreneur must have an idea. If you can't even come up with an idea, then what kind of business are you talking about. It is not necessary to be an innovator and come up with something unimaginable. You can take an already working idea, look around, find flaws in it, or simply improve it the way YOU see it and it will be a different business. It is easier to enter a formed market than to form it yourself. And the idea should not be global, you can start a micro business or.

In order to come up with or find a business idea, read the following articles and after reading you will 100% decide on the idea:

After the articles are read, the ideas are thought up, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 2. Market Analysis

After choosing a business idea, you need to analyze the market, find out if people really need your product. Evaluate the competition, identify the positive and negative sides of competitors, find in yourself what will make you different from your competitors. Compare prices, quality of service, assortment (if it is commodity business) and look to the maximum for what you can be better at. It is necessary. Why? Read!

Once you have assessed the supply and demand and realized that you can compete with existing companies, you can move on.

Step 3. Business Planning

Step 5. Registering your business

This step cannot be missed, because the business must be registered. You can use LLC or IP. It all depends on your activity. This article will help you:

Once your business is set up, you can move on to the next step.

Step 6. Taxes and reporting

I indicated this step right away, because you must initially decide on which taxation system you will work with. This must be done immediately, because the amount of taxes and how they are paid depend on it. To do this, read the following articles:

And also read other articles of the rubric, because there you will find always up-to-date and full information on tax administration and accounting. You can also ask your question and get an answer from a specialist.

Step 7. Quick idea testing

Someone will say that you can test without registering a business. And you are right! It is possible and so, but it was not in vain that I wrote at the very beginning that there would be 2 scenarios for the development of events, and in the second I will talk about it. Now let's move on to testing itself.

Initially, you need exactly quick testing - “testing in battle”. With your own money, test the idea, give minimal advertising, make the smallest possible product and try to sell it. Study demand in practice so to speak. You have to look into your plan, estimate what you need at the minimum in order to get started and start right away. Why is this being done. At the very beginning, I wrote about one of the mistakes of novice entrepreneurs, which consists in delaying the start, in constant improvements, etc. You don’t need to bring it to perfection, you need to start as soon as possible in order to test the idea in action, get the first sales and be inspired to continue development.

If the start does not give the first sales, then you need to revise the plan, idea and look for errors. Fast start It is also done so that in case of failure you spend less time, effort and money. Agree, it would be more annoying to prepare for a year, and then fail? It is less offensive to realize your mistakes right away, while you still have little time to do. So you can make adjustments along the way and everything will start to work out!

To test ideas and your business can help you. It is more for testing ideas on the Internet, but it is also suitable for the real sector (offline).

Step 8. Business Development

After the tests have been carried out, the plan has been adjusted and sales have started slowly, you can develop your business and refine everything that you wrote in the plan to perfection. Now you can improve the site, increase warehouses or office, expand staff, etc. When your idea and business model has shown its performance, it is easier for you to set more global goals. Moreover, you have already received the first money from the first orders or sales and can reinvest them in development.

If there is not enough money, then here you can already resort to loans and borrowings, because business brings money and you can borrow with a clear conscience for its development. If you don't need a lot of money, then even credit card. In I told how you can use credit card money for your business without interest.

Step 9. Active promotion

This step could be attributed to development, but I took it out separately. After you have wider warehouses, more powerful equipment and site, more employees, etc., you need to make it all work. This requires aggressive advertising to the maximum. You have to use a lot of promotional opportunities. Look for clients on the Internet, do offline advertising, do direct sales, etc. The more advertising tools you use, the better result. But be sure to record the results and weed out effective tools advertising, so as not to waste budgets.

Step 10 Scaling

Your business is doing well, making money, you are constantly developing, everything is great! But there are also adjacent areas or neighboring cities. If your business model is successful in your city, then you can make representative offices in other cities. If there is no desire or opportunity to go to neighboring cities, then you can simply capture an adjacent direction, if there is one at all.

For example, if you are selling household appliances, you can simultaneously open a repair service and provide paid services for repair. If your client's equipment is beyond repair, you can always offer him to buy something from your store in exchange. In general, look at your business and I am sure that you will find something to cling to.

What else can you pay attention to

During the launch of a business, there are several parameters that allow you to evaluate how effective your business is at the start, take them seriously:

If net profit your business is above zero, not including equipment costs and taxes, then your business will survive because it generates some money. If it is below zero, it means that your business is burning money, and it will not have enough loans and investments;

If you planned sales for 200,000, and sell for 50,000, then this is an occasion to seriously adjust your work and, possibly, the plan itself;

You should be comfortable. Business is hard. If you, too, are constantly having a hard time, then it will be difficult to cope with the tasks of the business. Give yourself enough comfort so that you don't feel left out because of your own business.

How to start and open your own business in a simplified way

As promised, I will give another simplified diagram of how to start your own business. Because I have already written all the points above, so I will refer to them here so as not to repeat myself.

I myself have used this scheme more than once, because before I started very small projects in which a lot could be missed. So the schema looks like this:

1. Idea (it should always be);
2. Easy planning, you can not paint, but fit the main points on a sheet of notebook. It is done in order to draw a model;
3. Quick idea test. Perhaps even without investments and search for money. Or very little money will be required and they will simply be in your savings;
4. Development and active promotion. After the first orders are, you can start active promotion and bring everything to mind;
5. Business registration and scaling.

As you can see, I missed registration at the very end, because some business projects can be implemented without registration, because during the test you don’t get so much money to immediately run for them to report to the tax office. But if the business model has shown its performance and, after active promotion, it is growing, then the design should be instant.

But even at the first stages you can’t do without registration if you need trade area, office or work with companies under contracts, because this requires at least an individual entrepreneur.

Conclusion

In this article, I told you how to start your own business, talked about the mistakes that beginners often make and I made, and now you know what to do before starting your own business. Read my site, subscribe to it, and try to start doing your own thing. We will not leave anyone on the site without help. Thank you for your attention!

Sincerely, Schmidt Nikolai

Helpful guide on how to write a business plan. We take note!

Even if you first wondered how to write a business plan, then you understand that it is impossible to get a finished document in 10-15 minutes. However, all the time spent will fully pay off.

A well-designed plan will help outline the stages of opening, a project development plan, assess the risks of activities and get help from investors.

Being able to articulate what you want and how you plan to achieve it is half the battle.

It often happens that a novice entrepreneur, faced with risks that he did not draw up on paper in advance, loses motivation and abandons business development. Therefore, you need to give due diligence and write a competent business plan.

How to write a resume section in a business plan

This part of the document is the shortest, it is enough to make 5-7 sentences.

But its value cannot be underestimated. This is especially true for those who need to draw up a business plan to receive financial assistance from investors or a bank!

The summary should briefly indicate the essence of the project. Depending on how interesting and concise this section of the business plan is, potential investors will either enthusiastically study everything from cover to cover, or immediately close and put the document aside.

Having outlined the goals, you can proceed to the indication of practical information, figures and forecasts of activity.

We draw up a business plan: company activities

To draw up this section of the business plan, you need to dwell on the activities of your future company in more detail. And we are talking not only about the name, details, location and other characteristics.

• What are your goals?
• How should they be achieved?
• If there are several founders, indicate the distribution of roles.
• What will be the advantage over competitors?
• What prospects for the development of the business do you see?

Be sure to analyze your target audience. You need to present it as specifically as possible in order to be able to determine the ways of "enticement".

A separate item in the business plan should be a description of the goods or services provided by the company. This includes any information from technical parameters to color and packaging design.

How to analyze a market niche when writing a business plan

An analysis of the current state of affairs in the market will help you and potential investors correctly identify a possible niche, potential risks of activity, customer flow and other important parameters.

The phrases “has no competitors” and “one of a kind” when drawing up a business plan should definitely be avoided. Even if at the time of opening you are a monopoly in the market.

In the case when the offered services or goods really have great development prospects, tomorrow there may be those who also want to make money on it. This must be taken into account and be able to predict.

In the case when there are already competitors, the situation is simplified. It is only necessary to concretize them and describe the activity using the following parameters:

• Quantity and names.
• The share that each occupies in the market.
  If there are too many competitors (as often happens in retail), describe the main ones.
• Independently and honestly identify their strengths and weak sides.
  Based on these data, it is necessary to competitive advantages for the previous section.
• Describe the methods of advertising used and their effectiveness in such activities.

During this work, you also need to isolate the strong behavioral factors of these firms (pricing, customer acquisition, special services) and use them to grow your business.

How to write a "Production" section for a business plan

Planning without action is a dream. Action without planning is a nightmare.
Japanese proverb

No less important is the section of the plan that describes the production.

In the business plan, you need to indicate how, from what and on what equipment products will be produced or services will be performed. What equipment is needed to achieve the goal, and what needs to be purchased? Technology matters, too, especially if you're planning to introduce some kind of innovation that no one else has.

But what if you do not plan to produce products, but will order them from suppliers?

In this case, you need to specify from whom you will buy finished goods. All the details are important: the name of the organization, terms and conditions of delivery, confirmation of reliability.

The main task of this section of the business plan is to convince investors that the activity will not “become” a day after the start due to the banal lack of the necessary materials.

Drawing up the financial section of the business plan

No matter how important all the previous chapters of the plan are, it is impossible to draw up a business plan without financial calculations and you need to pay special attention to them.

You can analyze costs without problems yourself. They are divided into two categories: costs for opening and monthly for development.

What do they include?

Starting costs

1. Cost of equipment.
   To describe the equipment, it is worth making a separate section in the business plan. Make a list of equipment specifications and supplier.
2. Purchase of raw materials, consumables.
   As in the case of equipment, you need to not only list the items and their cost, but also the place where you will order them. The supplier must be reliable, and in addition - offer the most favorable prices.
3. Paperwork.
   This includes the costs of registering your PE, buying a seal, obtaining permits from the relevant authorities.
4. Repair and decor.
   If the room needs repair (and most often it does), you need to indicate who will do it and why. Also fix in the business plan who will supply the building materials.
5. Purchase of premises (only if it is not rented).

Monthly expenses

1. Staff salary.
   In a separate section of the business plan, you must make a list of positions that will be involved in the activities of the company. For each, you need to write your duties, based on the labor code. The salary is also indicated. Summary data on recurring disbursement expenses wages enter in the appropriate column of monthly expenses. If you plan to increase your salary in the future, as well as conduct training courses and refresher courses, you should also write about this.
2. Rent of premises.
   For most ideas of organizing a business, such a solution is needed. If in the future you want to become a full owner of the premises, look for an option with the possibility of subsequent redemption. As long as the building is rented, you risk nothing. If the case fails, you will simply break the contract. But if it is bought, in case of failure, significant monetary losses will have to be incurred.
3. Replenishment of stocks of materials.
   Specify in the business plan what, in what quantities and from whom you need to buy. The list of consumables may include groceries, stationery, household chemicals and other small related products.
4. Public utilities.
   More often public utilities paid separately from the rent for the premises. Therefore, the data on the amounts also need to be entered in the table of expenses of the business plan.
5. Tax deductions.
   To analyze the potential income from activities, you need to study the sales figures of close competitors. It is somewhat easier for those who already have an existing business that required additional investment. Then it is enough to take current indicators and calculate their potential growth. Those who have not yet entered the market can make calculations based on data on the future value of the most potentially popular positions or services.

Based on these data, it is easier than ever to calculate the size of future profits and the time for the activity to reach the so-called break-even point.

P.S. Potential investors and representatives of the bank issuing commercial loans pay special attention to this data in the business plan.

All the above data must be compiled in the form of tables and placed in a separate application. This makes the metrics easier to read.

But information about the growth of profits or the development of the level of sales must be presented in the form of a graph. Do not overdo it, because the curve, which sharply goes from minus to exorbitant profit, is more likely to arouse suspicion than delight and approval.

We draw up a risk analysis in the business plan

No one will invest money in a project that can fail immediately after the start due to a lack of analysis of potential risks. Therefore, these data also need to be included in the business plan.

What can be included in this category?

• Decrease in consumer demand for your products or services.
• Too low sales.
• Changes in the economic state of the country ("jumps" in the exchange rate, price changes).
• Emergencies (fire, injury at work, natural disasters).

All these and other potential risks should not just be listed. It is necessary to draw up in a business plan a scheme for solving them for the company, if you suddenly find yourself in such a situation. Such an analysis will help to save the business and act correctly in an emergency. In addition, it inspires confidence in their activities and in themselves.

where practical and life recommendations are presented

on the correct preparation of a business plan!

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Basic rules and tips on how to create a business plan to make life easier for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Smart entrepreneurs will not start a new business before they figure it out, How create a business plan.

This most important document for any startup will help avoid many unpleasant surprises, allow you to start growing your customer base and turnover from the first months of opening, and lead your business to success and prosperity in a shorter time.

Of course, drawing up a business plan is not a panacea for any troubles, but it greatly simplifies the life of entrepreneurs, especially beginners.

Do you even need to know how to create a business plan?

Naturally, it is necessary.

Once in a cafe, I heard an excerpt from a conversation between two hucksters (sorry, gentlemen, businessmen, but I can’t name these creatures in another way).

One complained to another that "this skinny bespectacled man" came to teach me: "It was necessary to create a business plan, then you would see the futility of this project."

All this was generously flavored with obscenities, whining about complexity modern life for respected people and dreary memories of the most beautiful times of the 1990s, when it was not the one who was smarter who was right, but the one who had a more serious roof and a bigger gun.

No matter how much these relics of the past whine, it is no longer possible to act in the old fashioned way.

There is too much competition now, the market is too saturated, mistakes are too expensive.

You can't do without creating a business plan!

If a businessman intends to implement a new entrepreneurial business, does not even try to think about how to create a business plan, considering it absolutely superfluous, then there is a high probability that something will go wrong in the course of his work:

• it will take much more money than he originally thought;
• too much competition will not allow his business to develop;
• there are no suitable infrastructure facilities for it;
• it turns out that there are no specialists to work for you;
• your idea is generally unpromising in your locality, etc.

All of these troubles can be avoided even before you start investing money in a dead end project if you take care to create a business plan.

The main types of business plans that you can create

"Business is an exciting game in which maximum excitement is combined with a minimum of rules."
Bill Gates

That a business plan is certainly a kind of instruction for the formation and development of a particular company, store, industrial enterprise etc.

Indeed, most often, competent businessmen create just such a business plan for a particular enterprise in order to avoid serious mistakes and unnecessary financial expenses.

If you are pursuing a goal other than opening a company with your own money, then you need to prepare one of the following business plans:

Investment.

It is very similar to the business plan of an enterprise in its structure, but its main difference is that it is not drawn up for the owner of the company, but for the investors he wants to attract.

The main emphasis here is on marketing research and the benefits that this venture can bring to future investors.

Credit.

Some banks and credit unions require their borrowers to create such a business plan.

In it, you must describe how much money you need, for what specific purposes they will go, when you can return them, etc.

Grant.

Getting a grant from the state or a private foundation is also not so easy.

Most likely, you will be required to create a business plan in which you will have to describe what your organization or firm does, what goals you want to achieve with the funds received, what your success is already, etc.

Since most entrepreneurs are interested in how to create a business plan for an enterprise, we will talk about it further.

How to create a business plan for an enterprise: structure

If you are drawing up a business plan not only for personal purposes, but also, for example, in order for your investors or partners to get acquainted with it, then it is better to create it in accordance with all the rules so that it is immediately clear that you are a serious business person and you can deal with.

It is very important to stick to the traditional business plan structure:

It is read first, which means that you immediately need to take the bull by the horns and describe as briefly as possible what your company will do, where it will work, how much money you need to open it, and how long you are going to implement all the ideas.

In general, a resume is actually a miniature business plan.

Description of the enterprise.

The company is such and such (it is important to come up with a name for your company even before compiling a resume), it will deal with this and that.

Less water, more specifics.

Description of products/services.

What kind of goods is collected or what services it will provide to the population.

Market analysis.


A very important part of a resume.

The more carefully you analyze your direct competitors, consumers, the free niche that you are going to occupy, pricing policy your business, distribution channels, etc., the more likely your business is to succeed.

It is this analysis that makes it possible to avoid major errors in further work.

Enterprise organization.

This is the main part of your business plan, where you should indicate in stages:

• what is needed to register a company;
• what infrastructure facilities are needed for work, whether they require repair or construction work;
• a list of commercial or construction equipment;
• ways to advertise yourself;
• main competitive advantages;
• members of the future team;
• the timing of the project;
• commercial plan, etc.

That is, here you describe what you need to do step by step to open a company, how much money and time you will have to spend on it.

Income and expenses of the enterprise.

How much capital investment will be required to open a company (be sure to include the “unplanned expenses” item), what income you plan to earn from the sale of goods or the sale of services, and how quickly your investment will pay off.

Description of risks and ways to minimize them.

To properly create your business plan,

in the next video:

How to create a business plan and avoid major mistakes?

Very often, entrepreneurs who are seriously thinking about how to create a business plan cannot avoid the main mistakes, which are:

Figures taken from the ceiling.

Let's say you found a business plan "" on the network.

Everything there is beautifully painted, chewed, all the numbers are indicated.

But you do not take into account that this plan was created three years ago and, taking it as the basis for your business, all the amounts had to be adjusted based on the current economic situation.

Unnecessary information.

Do not try to create a 100 page business plan, neither you nor your investors will read this Talmud.

Keep all information short and accessible.

Conducted anyhow as a market analysis.

For some reason, many businessmen believe that it is not at all necessary to devote too much time and effort to analyzing the market in which you are going to occupy.

As a result, they have to deal with many unpleasant surprises at the initial stage.

Lack of specific goals that you are going to achieve.

“I want to earn a lot!” - this is not a goal, this is a dream that may never come true.

Write down exactly what you want to achieve by opening your company.

These mini-plans, with specific goals and financial expectations, should be done at least once a quarter until your business is well established.

Inflated profit margins.

Of course, it is not harmful to dream that after two months of work your shoe shop will bring you a profit of two million, but a businessman must look at things realistically so as not to go broke.

I don't think you will have any difficulty how to create a business plan if you heed my advice.

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Many people come up with ideas for business - the question is what are these ideas worth. That is why, if you are going to turn an idea into a business, it is worth creating a business plan in which you can detail your concept and prove its effectiveness, both organizationally and financially.

A business plan is a document in general terms describing your business. In it, you talk about what exactly you will be doing, about the structure of the business, the state of the market, how you plan to sell your product or service, what resources you need, what your financial forecast is, as well as permits, leases and any other necessary documentation.

In fact, a business plan helps you prove to yourself and others whether your business idea is worth developing. This The best way take a step back, consider the idea from all sides and protect yourself from possible problems for years to come.

In this article, we share tips for writing successful business plan, we give a description of the items that should be included in the plan and give examples.

The translation of the article was prepared with the support of the online school in English. Before we get into the details, let's start with some basic, general tips.

Focus on your features

Before diving headlong into writing a business plan, you should carefully consider what makes your business unique. For example, if you are going to open a brand sportswear, you need a way to stand out from the plethora of other sports brands already on the market.

What makes your brand stand out from the rest? Do you plan to create clothing for a specific type of training and activity, such as yoga, tennis or hiking? Do you use environmentally friendly materials? Do you donate part of your proceeds to charity? Does the brand promote a positive body image?

Remember: you're selling more than just a product or service - you're selling a product, value, and brand experience. Consider these important questions and answer them before diving into the details of research for your business plan.

Be brief

The modern business plan is required to be shorter and more concise than ever before. Resist the temptation to include all the results of your marketing research, tell in detail about each product you plan to sell, and describe in detail what your site will look like. In the format of a business plan, this information will not be of particular use, rather the opposite.

All of the above details are important to collect and keep in mind, but the business plan itself should include only the most important. Otherwise, readers may lose interest in you.

Make a good layout

Your business plan should not only be easy to read - it is important that the reader can understand the essence without delving into the details. Formatting plays a big role here. Use headings and bulleted lists, highlight with bold text or color those key points and indicators that you want to draw the attention of readers. Can even be used in a document (both digital and printed version) shortcuts and bookmarks for ease of use.

Edit as you write

Remember that your plan is a living, breathing document, which means you can edit it as you go along. For example, update the plan a year or two after starting a business, before submitting a new funding request.

Here are the key elements in a business plan template:

1. Marketing and sales plan
2. Financial plan
3. Application

Let's take a closer look at what is included in each of the elements of a business plan:

The purpose of this section is to give readers a clear understanding of the company and the market before you get into the details. Tip: Sometimes it's worth writing the main points after you've put together the rest of the business plan so you can easily pick out the key points.

The main provisions should occupy about a page. Spend 1-2 paragraphs on each of the following points:

• Overview: Tell us briefly about what your company is like, where it will be located, what exactly and to whom you are going to sell.
• About the company: Describe the structure of your business, tell us about the owner, what experience and skills you already have and who you are going to hire first.
• Goods and/or services: Briefly describe what you will be selling.
• Market: Summarize the key findings of the market research.
• Financial forecast: Tell us how you plan to receive funding and what your financial expectations are.

An example of the section "Basic provisions"

Startup Jolly's Java and Bakery (JJB) is a coffee and bakery store located in southwest Washington. JJB plans to gain an audience of loyal customers by offering them a rich selection of coffee and confectionery. The company plans to take a strong market position in the city thanks to professional experience partners and the mild competitive climate in the region.

JJB strives to offer products at a competitive price in order to meet the demand in the market among residents of the area and tourists with middle and upper incomes.

The next item in the plan is a description of the company. Here you can describe what your company does, state its mission, tell about the structure of the company and its owners, location, as well as the needs of the market that your company is trying to meet and how exactly you are going to do it.

Example of a "Company Description" section

NALB Creative Center is a startup that is entering the market this summer. We will offer buyers big choice goods for creativity and needlework, primarily goods that are not currently available on the island of Hawaii. The Internet remains our competitor, as artists usually buy familiar products online. We will supply goods not necessarily well known to local artists. We will also continue to monitor prices and include items available online in price comparisons.

We will conduct master classes on working with new materials and techniques.

We also organize the tourist program "Artist's Oasis". We will provide local bed and breakfast reservations, plein air maps and itineraries, easel and supplies rental, paint sales and more. Consumables, as well as to deliver finished works to customers after the canvases have dried.

In the future, the store will turn into an art center that will combine: a gallery art where you can buy original works of art at wholesale prices; studio space with musical instruments; classrooms for music and art lessons; literature on music and art; coffee bar with live music; handicrafts such as branded t-shirts, badges, postcards, pottery for trade with tourists.

One of the first questions to ask yourself when testing a business idea is whether there is a place for it in the market. It is the market that will dictate how successful your business will be. Decide which audience you are targeting and why customers will want to buy from you.

Add specifics. Let's say you sell bedding. should not be included in your target audience everyone who sleeps in bed. First, define a small target group of customers for yourself. This may be, for example, adolescents from families with an average income level. Having decided on the target audience, try to answer the following questions:

• How many adolescents from middle-income families live in your country?
• What accessories do they need?
• Is the market growing or staying the same?

When analyzing the market, take into account both the research that is already available, conducted by others, and the primary data that you have collected yourself, through surveys, interviews, or in any other way.

This also includes competitor analysis. In our example, one might ask questions such as: how many other bedding companies already have market share, and who are these companies? Describe the strengths and weaknesses of your potential competitors, as well as strategies that will give you a competitive advantage.

An example of a summary section "Market Analysis"

Green Investments has identified two separate target client groups, which differ in terms of family wealth. One group included clients with a household income of less than a million dollars, the other - with an income of more than a million. The main thing that characterizes both of these groups and makes them attractive to us as a company is their desire to change the world for the better by making financial investments with environmental considerations in mind.

There are many different niches in the financial services industry. Some advisors provide general investment services. Others offer only one type of investment, such as mutual funds or bonds. Some service providers focus on a specific niche, such as technology or socially responsible business.

Market segmentation

Green Investments segmented the target audience into two separate categories, according to the level of family wealth: more and less than $1 million.

• <1 миллиона долларов (семейный бюджет): представители среднего класса, которых волнуют проблемы окружающей среды и которые вносят личный вклад в ее защиту, приобретая акции компаний, которые демонстрируют высокие экономические и экологические показатели. Так как свободных денег у таких людей немного, они предпочитают инвестировать в акции без особого риска. В целом акции составляют 35%-45% от общего портфеля.
• $1 million (family budget): These clients are average or above average income. They have saved over a million dollars and are investing quite carefully (either themselves or people they hire). Such people are usually concerned about return on investment, but they are also concerned about environmental issues.

Here you can delve into the details of what exactly you sell and what your advantage for customers is. If you can't articulate exactly how you can be of service to customers, your business idea may not be that great.

Start by describing the problem your business is solving. Then focus on how you plan to solve the problem and how well your product or service fits into the big picture. Finally, think about the competitive landscape: what other companies are providing solutions to this particular problem, and how is your solution different?

An example of the "Products and Services" section

AMT provides computer related products and services to help small businesses. We mainly provide network equipment and network maintenance for small and medium businesses. These include both LAN-based computer systems and server-managed minicomputer-based systems. Our services include development and installation of network systems, training and support.

Description of goods and services

In the field of personal computers, we support three main areas:

1. Super Home is our smallest and least expensive line of computers that are originally marketed as home computers by the manufacturer. We mainly use them as inexpensive workstations for small businesses. Specifications include… [additional details omitted]
2. Power User is our main premium level business. It is our premier system for high performance home stations and primary workstations for small businesses, thanks to… Key System Benefits… Specifications include… [additional details omitted]
3. Business Special is a middle-level system, an intermediate link in positioning. Its specifications include… [additional details omitted]

As for peripherals, accessories and other hardware, here we provide a complete set of necessary equipment, from cables to molds and mouse pads. … [additional details omitted]

We offer a wide range of service and support services in our office and on site, as well as service contracts and warranties. So far, we have not succeeded in concluding technical support contracts. Our business opportunities… [more details omitted]

Competitive Analysis

The only way to gain an edge and stand out from the competition is to offer our clients IT partnerships. There is no way we can effectively compete with network vendors who offer out-of-the-box or hardware/software solutions. We must offer our clients a true partnership.

The advantages of this approach include many intangible assets: reliability and confidence that, at the right time, the client will always receive help and answers to their questions.

The products we supply and work with require serious knowledge and experience, while our competitors only sell the product itself.

Unfortunately, we cannot sell products at a higher price just because we provide service - market conditions show that this approach will not be effective. Therefore, we will provide service for a fee.

In this section, you can briefly describe the features of the organizational and management structure of the business (taking into account that it may change). Who will be responsible for what? How will tasks and responsibilities be assigned to each individual or each team?

Include here brief biographies of each member of your team. Justify why these people are the right people for this job - talk about their experience and education that are relevant to your business. If you haven't hired the people in the planned roles yet, that's fine - but make sure you clearly define those gaps for yourself and explain what the people in those roles will be responsible for.

An example of a personnel plan in the "Operational Management" section

DIY Wash N' Fix does not require a lot of labor. The company will hire a general manager who will work part-time, performing corporate duties and resolving issues of inter-organizational relations. DIY Wash N’ Fix will also hire three certified mechanics/managers to carry out day-to-day tasks at the firm. These responsibilities fall into two categories: managerial and operational. Managerial tasks include planning, inventory and basic bookkeeping. Employees are also responsible for operational tasks: safety, regulatory issues, customer service, and repair advice.

In addition, service staff will be hired to perform the most basic tasks. Their functions will include customer service and content and storage control. DIY Wash N’ Fix will hire one general manager to coordinate all external business operations and partnerships. Business relationships include accounting services, legal advice, communication with manufacturers and suppliers, as well as service providers, advertising and marketing, and investment services. This managerial position will be taken by Lori Snyder. She will receive her MBA from the University of Notre Dame in May 2001.

Daily business management tasks will be handled by a lead mechanic. Although DIY Wash N' Fix does not provide a complete repair service, you can expect some customers to attempt repairs they have never done before, which means they will need advice. Therefore, we intend to hire three fully certified mechanics. These mechanics will not be allowed to do any work on the customer's car, but they will be able to inspect the car and assess the damage. We believe that only professional mechanics should advise customers - this will reduce our liability for improperly performed repairs. The main task of the mechanics will be customer service and management functions.

6) Marketing and sales plan

Here you can describe your marketing and sales strategies, how exactly you are going to sell your product. Before you start working on a marketing and sales plan, conduct a complete market analysis and identify target personas - your ideal customers.

From a marketing standpoint, you may need to answer questions like: How are you going to market? How will you develop the business? What distribution channels will you focus on? How will communication with clients be organized?

When it comes to sales, try answering questions like: What is your implementation strategy? How will the sales department work, and how will you develop it in the future? How many sales calls will it take to close a deal? What is the average sale price? Speaking of average cost per sale, you can move on to the details of your pricing strategy.