...Business Plan Background Jane and John had a good idea, a good sense of their market, and a good location. They were great salespeople, and yet they were not making a profit. The reason was that they did not plan their business all the way through. When you are serious about your business or when a lot of money of your own or someone else's is at stake, creating a business plan is perhaps the most critical activity you can undertake. The plan is important, but what is even more important is the understanding you get from the planning process. The following pages will help you understand the thinking behind business plans and how to make and present your own. A business plan is a document designed to detail the major characteristics of a firm--its product or service, its industry, its market, its manner of operating (production, marketing, management), and its financial outcomes with an emphasis on the firm's present and future. There are two circumstances under which creating a business plan is absolutely necessary. One is when outsiders expect it. This is called external legitimacy. Creating a business plan is the acknowledged best way to build external legitimacy for your firm. When you are seeking outside support--whether financial or expert--you do a business plan to signal your professionalism and how serious you are about the business. Investors, whether they are venture capitalists, informal investors (called angels), bankers, or your two great aunts, are going to expect...
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...Starting Your Own Business Contents List of illustrations ix Preface xi 1 Getting Started 1 What's holding you back? 1 Learning to handle success 3 Overcoming the mental blocks 3 Fighting back 6 Checking your readiness 12 Case studies 13 Action points 15 2 Finding Ideas 16 Looking right in front of you 16 Cashing in on change 17 Carving a niche 18 Acquiring commercial skills 20 Working on your self-esteem 20 Choosing a trading name 21 Checking your readiness 24 Case studies 24 Action points 26 3 Creating a Winning Business Plan 27 Planning ahead 27 Making sure the plan is yours 30 Your blueprint for success 30 Getting help from the public sector 36 Getting help from the banks 36 Checklist 37 Constructing your 'blueprint for success' 38 Case studies 43 Exercises 45 4 Funding Your Enterprise 46 Getting your hands on some seed money 46 Start-up costs 46 Getting outside finance 49 Approaching the public sector 50 Approaching potential funders 54 The plan that will fix your funding 58 Presenting your case 61 Checklist 62 Case studies 63 Action points 65 5 Planning Ahead 66 Choosing a partner 66 Case studies: going into partnership 69 Measuring the competition 71 Competitive analysis 75 Finding the right premises 77 The systems you will need 79 Deciding your business status 80 Understanding the basics of taxation 81 Preparing to survive - and succeed 84 Case studies 85 Action points 87 6 Marketing Your Enterprise 89 Debunking...
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...advance a dream and a method that connection the two. We have to weave together our comprehension of our conglomeration and our movements to advance a destiny. The motivation behind the Swot dissection is to give informative content on our qualities and shortcomings in connection to the chances and dangers we confront. When the Swot dissection is lacking nothing, it will then be a great opportunity to assemble everything and look nearly to structure a methodology. This will include how you can abuse the Opportunities and how to take out or manage the Threats. This may well hinge on upon your association's unique destinations and objectives yet the entire methodology will surely give a general take a gander at the present position of your business. You may contend that you can make a record in your mind about the regions that make up your dissection and that no profit could be determined from a Swot activity. Attempt a fast record with the four regions and recognize where one territory effects on another. Provided that you discover one occurrence that is a present issue, you might then have reason to finish the full examination....
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...communication, no motivation, no profitable growth. Most Plans Sit in Binders on Shelves •On-going (life-style) way of doing business vs. quick fix prescription •Built in flexibility •80 to 500 rooms •Limited-service or full-service •Easily understood-Initially coached by mentor/facilitator •"Baton" eventually passed to General Manager •Driven by people - not - procedures •Involvement = Commitment •Replaces top-down diagnosis & prescription •Prepares staff to deal enthusiastically with CHANGE •Provides essential elements of self-evaluation and periodic monitoring of performance •Improves productivity •Lowers turnover •Increases market share •Improves product quality •Improves guest service •Collects critical data & information •Provides an individual hotel-level “Strategic Business Plan” Elicits personal dedication of management group via plenary and individual coaching sessions. Personal roles in process causes personal stake in outcome. •Planning stage •Implementation stage •Monitoring for success •Looking ahead- discovering strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,& threats •Looking around - collecting relevant data on competition, trends, market share •Alternatives & decisions- establishing priorities •Assessments - what needs to be done, by whom, and ….by when. •Producing the marketing plan •Constructing the financial plan (Budget) •Sharing the vision •Setting...
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...Running Header: Service Request SR-kf-013 Paper Frequent Shopper Program The electronic commerce components of the Frequent Shopper Program are aspects of the Sales and Marketing Department’s strategic objectives to increase the loyalty and profitability of its consumers. Under this program, customer shopping trends are identified and rewarded. This in turn can support the objectives providing an inventory selection of specialty foods that their customers’ desire increasing the favorable of repeat shoppers to the Kudler name. In order for the program to be effective, customers are given a swipe card that contains their information in a bar-code format. The swipe card enables Kudler stores to electronically record the frequency of purchases made by the consumer refiguring the points accumulated during time of checkout. The point system can be explained as so for every one dollar spent with the store one point is accumulated for that transaction. The existing information technology (IT) database the company utilizes is identified as a “customer table” that has each customer’s mailing information regarding the demographics for birthdays and anniversaries. This will need to be revamped to include the points accrued per capita for Frequent Shopper’s cumulative transactions. When the frequent shopper has accumulated the specified range of points determined by Kudler, the reward(s) of their choosing can be redeemed at the nearest store location. The IT department is solely responsible...
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...to the penalties of copying from sources and/or from their fellow students. They should understand that any plagiarised and/or copied assignment will result in a heavy market deduction. Small Business Plan Editor: Tim Berry (http://articles.bplans.com/writing-a-business-plan/) For any start-ups, a business plan allows gaining a better understanding of the industry structure, competitive landscape, and the capital requirements of starting a small business. Normally a business plan is difficult to implement unless it is simple, specific, realistic and complete. In addition, a good plan will need someone to follow up and check on it. The plan depends on the human factor, particularly the process of commitment and involvement, and the tracking and follow-up that comes afterward. Successful implementation usually starts with a good plan. There are elements that will make a plan more likely to be successfully implemented. It includes: 1. Is the plan simple? Is it easy to understand and to act on? Does it communicate its contents easily and practically? 2. Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific date of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets? 3. Is the plan realistic? Are the sales goals,...
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...Marketing Plan- Your T-Shirt! Every business must start at the bottom before they become successful. One of the first ways a business must work on becoming successful is coming up with a business plan. By preparing a business plan, a company will not only have an outline as to knowing who their target audience will be and what kind of funds will be needed for the business, but it will help the business keep track of the progress they made with the building of an empire. According to the journal entitled Starting a Business from Home, it discusses why it is important to have a business plan. The article states “As most businesses start without a business plan you could be forgiven for believing that preparing one is a luxury you can live without. Time is short and it surely more important to find some customers and get selling. Beguiling though this may sound the statistics is against you. According to research carried out at Cranfield School of Management, over 70 percent of the fastest-growing and most successful businesses started out with a written business plan.” (Barrow, 2008). This business entitled Your T-Shirt! A business plan must be created in order for the business to become successful. Your T-Shirt! Is a new business venture which allows people to design a t-shirt any way they would like. The customer can design the front and back of the shirt. Your T-Shirt! Not only provides the experience of designing your own shirt, but it also allows the customers...
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...An executive summary summarizes, or reviews the main points of, a longer document or report for a reader that does not have time to read the entire report. An effective executive summary analyzes and summarizes the most important points in the paper or report, and will often make a recommendation based on the analysis. Executive summaries are “stand alone” documents that are almost always read independently of the reports they summarize. When preparing to write an executive summary, ask yourself the following questions: * Who will read your executive summary? Sometimes your executive summary may have an “intended” audience: your professor might require you to write it for a CEO, department head, or supervisor, for example. On other assignments, your audience won’t have a specific identity, but always keep in mind that the reader of an executive summary needs to know all of the important information in the main document without reading the actual document. Even if you know that your instructor will be reading everything that you submit, write the executive summary as a “stand alone” document. * What is the main document’s main topic, theme, or idea? Most reports have a “thesis” or central point that they are seeking to communicate. Try to sum this up in two or three sentences. If you are having trouble with this, imagine that someone has asked you, “what’s this report about?” and that you have to explain it in only a few sentences. Once you’re able to say what the main...
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...MORNING NEWS How to Write a O RM D S ON C Business Plan THE LEADING BUSINESS PLAN BOOK FOR • Write a winning proposal • Prepare cash flow and profit & loss forecasts • Get backers to invest 25 YEARS Mike McKeever Free Legal Updates at Nolo.com R OM - AL L L F F e Story Dear friends, Founded in 1971, and based in an old clock factory in Berkeley, California, Nolo has always strived to offer clear legal information and solutions. Today we are proud to offer a full range of plain-English law books, legal forms, software and an award-winning website. Everything we publish is relentlessly researched and tested by a dedicated group of in-house legal editors, who together have more than 150 years’ experience. And when legal changes occur after publication, we promptly post free updates at Nolo.com. Tens of millions of Americans have looked to Nolo to help solve their legal and business problems. We work every day to be worthy of this trust. Ralph Warner Nolo co-founder Emma Cofod Products Books & Software & Services Get in-depth information. Nolo publishes hundreds of great books and software programs for consumers and business owners. ey’re all available in print or as downloads at Nolo.com. Legal Encyclopedia Free at Nolo.com. Here are more than 1,400 free articles and answers to common questions about everyday legal issues including wills, bankruptcy, small business formation, divorce, patents, employment and much more...
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...Trend Setters Hair Studio Hair and Beauty Salon Business Plan PAGE Start your own business plan » (/create_your_business_plan.php?link=create_top-b) BLACK FRIDAY SALE: Save 62% on the #1 Business Planning Software Sign Up Now (http://www.liveplan.com/?pm=LIVEPLAN12MONTH_62AB) 1 (executive_summary_fc.php) « PREVIOUS PAGE () NEXT PAGE » (COMPANY_SUMMARY_FC.PHP) 2 (company_summary_fc.php) 3 (products_and_services_fc.php) 4 (strategy_and_implementation_summary_fc.php) 5 (management_summary_fc.php) 6 (financial_plan_fc.php) 7 (appendix_fc.php) Executive Summary Trend Setters is a full-service beauty salon dedicated to consistently providing high customer satisfaction by rendering excellent service, quality products, and furnishing an enjoyable atmosphere at an acceptable price/value relationship. We will also maintain a friendly, fair, and creative work environment, which respects diversity, ideas, and hard work. Our Mission: To supply services and products that enhance our clients' physical appearance and mental relaxation. Our Motto: "The Trend Begins Here!" The timing is right for starting this new venture. Patiently searching for six months for the perfect location, one was finally found. The demand from the owner's clients, as well as the ambitions of the owner to one day start her own salon, and the procurement of highly professional and qualified beauticians to support the salon, has made this business one of great potential. Curley Comb, co-owner with Roller Comb, Jr...
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...Talent Management The process of determining staffing levels aims to identify the numbers and types of employees needed to be successful in solidifying the business plans and strategies for an organization. Organizations apply several different techniques to accomplish this task. However, there are ways to implement fundamental building blocks to set a baseline for success; but due to numerous variables, a step-by-step concrete solution for determining staffing levels cannot exist. Consistent within any stage of strategic staffing, it is crucial to understand the overall plans and strategies of the business and what factors are driving staffing. As discussed by Heneman, “organization effectiveness and staffing systems exist, and should be used, to contribute to the attainment of organizational goals such as survival, profitability, and growth. A macro view of staffing like this is often lost or ignored because most of the day-to-day operations of staffing systems involve micro activities that are procedural, transactional, and routine in nature. While these micro activities are essential for staffing systems, they must be viewed within the broader macro context of the positive impacts staffing can have on organization effectiveness” (6). Managers and Human Resources must share a common understanding of the business needs and react through implementing corresponding staffing levels. Only with a common perspective between management and human resources can staffing levels...
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...costumers who prefers high quality interieurs. Our annual business plan is to look for an accurated increase in the profit sector with the purpose to do this between 3 till 5 years. We start with a beginning budget of 25.000 Euro’s. We expect that we can accomplish this. This plan has an annual growth rate and the company will become in a healthy status. Objectives 1. To provide a wide range of high quality products for a high price. 2. To become the biggest high quality interieur company in The Netherlands. We want to accomplish this in 10 years. 3. Achieve a modest net profit in 3+ years 4. Achieve a high customer-relationship. Mission By Maison des fous complete customer satisfaction is our primary goal. We try to deliver this to our customers each day by focusing on our customer service and involved partnership with our suppliers for the best possible quality. We also try to create a good atmosphere in our show room to deliver our clients a complete satisfying experience. Keys to succes The key elements to succeed in our business: * Maximize the costumer relationship * Sell only high quality products * Company summary: Our company name is Maison des fous. We deliver quality interieur for a reasonable price. We are located on Zeekant 91 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Company ownership: The company is found and owned by ten young potential business man. Start-up summary: We start with a beginning budget...
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...ITALIAN RESTAURANT BUSINESS PLAN HISTORY The location is only 1/4 of a mile away from Gravois Bluff's, the largest land moving project to put in a major shopping complex in the state of Missouri. The rent is half the retail shops in Gravois Bluff's, yet the location offers the same opportunity for sales. The recently completed highway 141 offers hundreds of thousands of local residents, shoppers from outside the area, and travelers that use this new highway. With this high concentration of customers there are no Italian restaurants in Fenton and a tremendous need for an upscale family restaurant that offers items for both the children and adults. This turnkey operation seats 170 customers and is the perfect size for a PHC family operation. With the current leasehold improvements and quality kitchen equipment it would take very little to upgrade this operation to the legendary PHC winning formula. The growth in numbers of high income families in the Fenton area is projected at over 30%. There is a need for a family fine dining restaurant in the Fenton area. PHC would be the perfect neighborhood restaurant in the perfect neighbourhood. The Pasta House Co. in Fenton will be the second location for Dennis Boldt, who has operated a successful franchise unit in High Ridge, Missouri for 20 years. The Pasta House Co. based out of St. Louis, and now has over 34 successful company and franchise locations in the United States and Mexico. PHC Fenton will have a prime location, great...
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...TO DO: 1. Begin drafting formal business plan document 2. Primary research through a user survey on google forms 1. explain who we polled, why we did it, and what we found 1. Who is our customer (in and out) 1. age, salary, hobbies, skills, activities, schedule, location, goals, etc 1. What are our customer acquisition costs? 1. time 2. $1000 for like Bruin Plaza, flyers, trainers (for the Bruin plaza day), free snacks, apparel 1. App mock-up 2. Who are partners vs. customers (do we have both?) Updates to presentation: * More photos - high quality (get a shutterstock subscription?) * Facebook, linkedIn, googleplus accounts * Make numbers stand out * Get a logo * Beginning of presentation * Start with photo and no logo and begin to tell story * Then show a number slide that explains a problem that our market faces * Show SpotMe slide - the solution to the above problem and explain what it is * Add citations like 30001 * 1 what does the number 3000 mean, what is the source * put actual website source in appendix * Remove numbers about how much money was invested in health apps * Instead quantify the benefits of using an app like SpotMe i.e. the health benefits and compare that to how much it costs $5 * divvy up bullet points/numbers to different slides * currently there is too much text on the slides * MAKE THE BULLET POINTS MEAN SOMETHING →...
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...final semester in the MBA program at Harvard Business School (HBS), and things were not going as expected. Spring break was about to start, but Henry, like many others in the class of 2002, was feeling the pain of the worst job market in over a decade. Henry recalled the troubled sentiment around campus: Going to business school during the aftermath of the Internet crash changed everything. Before the crash, the feeling was that if you graduated from HBS, you could take on the world. Now people were feeling a lot more insecurity. I was having some doubt about my own capabilities—about what I could accomplish on my own. Anxious to test his abilities and distinguish himself beyond the standard curriculum, Henry had decided to enter the School’s annual business plan contest. About six weeks earlier, in late January, Henry had teamed with HBS classmate Dana Soiman and the founders of start-up company Music Games International (MGI). The MGI founders—an HBS alumnus (MBA ’87) and two professional musicians—later brought two additional students from other institutions onto the team, creating a group composed of diverse views and talents. (See Exhibit 1 for team member bios.) The team was dynamic but very conflicted, and progress on the business plan had been slow. They had a promising product: a CD-ROM music game that children enjoyed playing while learning about music. The team could not agree, however, on a fundamental aspect of the plan—the target market for the product—which made...
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