You can’t start a business without a solid business plan in place. Your business plan is the essential roadmap you will use to understand how viable your business idea is and to establish how you will move forward with it. Business plans are also used to show potential investors why they should invest in your business.
While there’s a lot to include in a business plan, here are the main steps and areas your business plan should cover.
Executive Summary
Your executive summary offers a brief overview of your entire business plan. This provides a high-level look at your business, who you are, what the business does, and what you aim to achieve.
While investors won’t always have the time to go through your entire business plan, they can quickly read the executive summary to get a general idea. This section is critical for a successful business plan.
Company Description
Now you can get into greater detail about your company and what it does. This section of your business plan will focus on things like:
- Your business model
- Company structure
- Background information on the business
- The team behind the business
- Short-term and long-term business goals
And more. Basically, you want to provide all the details about your proposed business.
Market Research
Your business plan should clearly describe the market your business will enter and how your business will differentiate itself in this market.
Market research involves assessing the competition, as well as establishing exactly who your target customers are. A key part of this is outlining why customers will choose your business and what makes your business special.
Logistics and Operations Plan
Beyond outlining the “why” behind your business, you also need to explain how your business will operate.
Business plans should include a detailed overview of how the business plans to operate, what steps will be required to set the business up, what management team will overlook the business, how business communications will work, and so on.
Marketing and Sales Plans
How will your business reach and attract customers? You need to have a clear marketing plan in place before launching your business. This is essential for your business to be successful from the beginning.
Financial Plan
A key function of a business plan is to outline the financial viability of the business. This means you need to include a detailed financial plan that covers your expected revenue, expenses, and profit margins. This will also be used to outline how much your business needs for funding.
Of course, there’s a lot more to include in a business plan – such as your business goals, your hiring strategy, details about your products and services, and more. A great business plan should be full of details, while still being precise and easy to read at the same time.
Make sure you include all relevant details in your business plan and create the plan carefully, as these documents are essential for guiding the success of any new business.
See Also: BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATE
