Simple Business Plan Template

Describe the current state of the industry. How is it structured today?

How large is the industry?

Who are the main competitors?

Can you name specific trends in your industry?

Give your company background / history

How did you come up with your product or service idea?

Where are you located? How many employees do you have?

Describe the general concept of your business.

Describe your product or service specifically.

How does the product apply to a customer's life? Does it meet a key need? Does if fill a want?

Describe / emphasize key features of your product or service; what makes it unique? What makes your product salable in the market that you will participate in? What advantages do you have?

What potential problems does your problem have?

Are there opportunities for expansion of your product line in the future?

Who will you target customers be? How do you classify your customers versus others? What other market segments exist?

What special needs or wants do your target customers have?

How easy are the customers to reach? What are the traditional methods for selling to them?

List any pre-orders or customer commitments that you may have obtained.

How large is the target market?

What trends can you identify in the target market? (growth, decline, change in technologies or preferences or behavior)

Estimate the amount of sales dollars available in the target market.

Estimate the share of the market that you believe you will acquire in the next three months.

How do you believe your sales will grow?

Perform a simple SWOT analysis on each main competitor

Compare competing and substitute products with your product. How do they stack up?

Who are the cost leaders in your market? Who are the service and quality leaders? How good are they at what they do?

Explain why you think there is an opportunity to be successful against your competition.

What are your Gross and Operating Margins?

How much profit potential is there with your business? How much total profit do you expect? How durable is the profit stream?

Provide a detailed summary of your fixed and variable costs.

Calculate a breakeven point in terms of units. How long do you believe this will take?

Pricing. How will your product be priced. Are you attempting to skim or penetrate the market?

Justify your pricing strategy and differences between your product's price and that of competitors.

Sales tactics: What sales / marketing channels will you utilize? Describe the use of sales persons, distributors, or any other form of direct / indirect sales efforts.

If you choose to sell direct, how will you structure your sales force?

What is your anticipated use of direct mail, email, print advertising, billboards/ signs, telemarketing, online, or catalog vehicles?

What is your marketing and sales budget? Where will your marketing dollars be most effectively spent?

Advertising and promotion: explain any other ad / promo strategies that you will employ�how extensive will they be?

Distribution: Describe the impact of shipping or delivery costs; if there is any.

Describe lead / lag times that apply to the fundamentals of your business.

Location / Facilities: Where will you do what? Storage? Manufacturing? Distribution? Sales? Where does all of this take place? What facilities resources will you require?

Manufacturing and Quality Control: What is your policy on make vs. buy? Describe your manufacturing process. Outline a production plan that shows cost, volume, inventory levels, etc.

Create a master schedule of all the milestones that you must hit in order to be successful. What things must you accomplish, when? How will you measure success?

Name the resources that you will need to launch your company and be successful. Be specific. When will you need each resource? How much money in total will it take to get your company up and running?

Create pro forma income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements based on your sales forecast.

Show a conservative and an aggressive income statement picture. List your assumptions for each.

Outline your organization chart.

Provide a brief resume / bio sketch for each company officer.

How will employees and managers receive incentive to perform? How will they be measured?

How much money do you need to raise from outside investors / lenders?

When do you need it?

Ask for it.

Write this last�.don�t worry about it until your company has a completed business plan. It should say:

Who you are and WHAT you sell.

How much you will make if successful.

What resources ($) you need to get launched.

Ask for the money.