Business Plan Outline - 23 Point Checklist For Success
If you’re looking for funding for a new or existing business, you need a business plan. Your business plan gives lenders and investors the information they need to determine whether or not they should consider your company.
Your business plan outline is the first step in organizing your thoughts. And, when you follow the outline below, you ensure your business plan is in the format that prompts investors and lenders to take action.
In the business plan outline below, you will see the ten (10) sections common to business plans, and the twenty-three (23) sub-sections you must complete. Also, to help you out, here is my proven business plan template, that allows you to quickly and easily complete all the sections of your business plan.

Section I – Executive Summary
1 – Executive Summary
The Executive Summary is the most important part of your business plan. Because if it doesn’t interest readers, they’ll never even get to the rest of your plan.
Start your Executive Summary with a brief and concise explanation of what your company does. Next, explain why your company is uniquely qualified to succeed. For example, does your management team have unique competencies? Do you have any patents? Are you the first mover in your market? Does a huge, unmet market opportunity exist? Etc.
Finally, include a synopsis of your financial projections in your Executive Summary. Specifically, include your expected revenues, expenses and profits for each of the next five years, how much funding you are seeking, and the key uses of these funds.
Section II – Company Overview
2 – Company Overview
The Company Overview section provides a brief history of your company.
Here you will answer questions such as when and how your organization was formed, what type of legal entity you are, and accomplishments to date.
Importantly, your past accomplishments are perhaps the best indicator of potential future success, so be sure to identify and include all key milestones your company has achieved to date.
Section III – Industry Analysis
Your Industry Analysis section has two sub-sections as follows:
3 – Market Overview
The Market Overview section discusses the size and characteristics of your market. For example, if you are a restaurant, you would include the size of the restaurant market, a brief discussion of sectors (e.g., fast food versus fine dining) and market trends.
4 – Relevant Market Size
The relevant market size is a much more specific calculation of your market size. It is the annual revenue your company could attain if it attained 100% market share. Your relevant market size is calculated by multiplying 1) the number of customers who might be interested in purchasing your products and/or services each year and 2) the amount these customers might be willing to spend, on an annual basis, on your products and/or services.
Section IV – Customer Analysis
Your Customer Analysis section has two sub-sections as follows:
5 – Target Customers
Your Target Customers section precisely identifies your current and/or intended customers. Include as much demographic data on your target customers as possible, such as their gender, age, salary, geography, marital status and education.
6 – Customer Needs
In this section of your business plan, specify why customers want or need your products and/or services. For example, do customers care most about speed, quality, location, reliability, comfort, price, value, etc.?
Section V – Competitive Analysis
Your Competitive Analysis section has three sub-sections as follows:
7 – Direct Competitors
Direct competitors are companies that fill the same customer need you fill with the same solution. For example, if you operate an Italian restaurant, other Italian restaurants would be direct competitors.
In this section of your business plan, outline who your direct competitors are, and their strengths and weaknesses.
8 – Indirect Competitors
Indirect competitors are companies that fill the same customer need you fill with a different solution. For example, if you operate an Italian restaurant, a French restaurant would be an indirect competitor.
In this section of your business plan, outline who your indirect competitors are, and their strengths and weaknesses.
9 – Competitive Advantages
Importantly, identify your Competitive Advantages in this section. Specifically, state what is it about your company that will allow you to effectively compete (and win) against both direct and indirect competitors.
Section VI – Marketing Plan
Your Marketing Plan section has four sub-sections as follows:
10 – Products & Services
Here is where you give the details of the products and/or services your company offers.
11 – Pricing
Detail your pricing here. In particular, discuss how your pricing relates to competition. For example, are you the premium brand? The low cost brand?
Discuss your expected branding based on your chosen pricing model.
12 – Promotions Plan
Your promotions plan details the tactics you will use to attract new customers. For example, you might choose radio advertising, or online pay-per-click ads, or press releases, and so on. In this section, detail each form of promotions you will use.
13 – Distribution Plan
Your Distribution Plan outlines the ways in which customers can buy from you. In many cases, they can only buy directly from you, perhaps at your physical location or web address. In other cases, you might have distributors or partners who sell your products or services. In such a case, detail this structure.
Section VII – Operations Plan
Your Operations Plan section has two sub-sections as follows:
14 – Key Operational Processes
Your Key Operational Processes are the daily functions your business must conduct. In this section, you will detail these functions. For example, will you maintain a Customer Service department? If so, what specific role will it fill?
By completing this section, you’ll get great clarity on the organization you hope to build.
15 – Milestones
In this section of your business plan, list the key milestones you hope to achieve in the future and the target dates for achieving them.
Here is where you set goals for specific and critical undertakings, such as when a new product will be created and launched, by when you plan to execute new partnerships, etc.
Section VIII – Management Team
Your Management Team section has three sub-sections as follows:
16 – Management Team Members
This section details the current members of your management team and their backgrounds.
17 – Management Team Gaps
Particularly if you’re a startup venture, you will have holes in your team; roles that you’d like to fill later. Identify such roles here, and the qualifications of the people you will seek later to fill them.
18 – Board Members
If you maintain a Board of Advisors or Board of Directors, detail your Board members and their bios in this section.
Section IX – Financial Plan
Your Financial Plan section has four sub-sections as follows:
19 – Revenue Model
As simple as it seems, this section of your business plan gives clarity on how you generate revenues. Do you sell products? Do you sell advertising space? Do you sell by-products, like data? Do you sell all of the above?
20 - Financial Highlights
Your full financial model (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement) belong in your Appendix, but in this section you’ll include the highlights. For instance, include your revenues, key expenses, and projected net income for the next five years.
21 – Funding Requirements/Use of Funds
If you are seeking funding for your company, detail the amount here, and importantly for what you will use the funds.
22 – Exit Strategy
Particularly if you are seeking equity funding, detail your expected exit strategy. The most likely exit strategy is to sell your company to a larger firm. If so, detail the types of firms that might be interested in purchasing you and why. List the specific names of potential acquirers if applicable.
Section X – Appendix
23 – Supporting Documentation
As mentioned above, your full financial model (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement) belong in your appendix.
Likewise, include any supporting documentation that will help convince readers your company will succeed. For example, include customer lists, awards, and patents received among others.
I hope this business plan outline has helped you organize your thoughts and answer the key questions needed to start and grow a successful business. While twenty-three sections seems like a lot, if you complete them one at a time, you can make progress and finish your entire plan quickly and effectively. Likewise, feel free to use my proven business plan template to complete your business plan.

n the US, a blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labour. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled manufacturing, mining, sanitation, custodian work, oil field, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work. Often something is physically being built or maintained.
In contrast, the white-collar worker typically performs work in an office environment and may involve sitting at a computer or desk. A third type of work is a service worker (pink collar) whose labor is related to customer interaction, entertainment, sales or other service oriented work. Many occupations blend blue, white and/or pink (service) industry categorizations.
Blue-collar work is often paid hourly wage-labor, although some professionals may be paid by the project or salaried. There is a wide range of payscales for such work depending upon field of specialty and experience.
A skilled worker is any worker who has special skill, training, knowledge, and (usually acquired) ability in their work. A skilled worker may have attended a college, university or technical school. Or, a skilled worker may have learned their skillson the job. Examples of skilled labor jobs include software development, paramedics, police officers, painters, craftsmen and women and accounting.

Unskilled work – Unskilled occupations are the least complex types of work. Jobs are unskilled when persons can usually learn to do them in 30 days or less.
Examples of unskilled jobs are:

* clerk/typist * surveillance system monitor * hand packer * circuit board assembler * restaurant dishwasher

Semi-skilled work – Semiskilled occupations are more complex than unskilled work and distinctly simpler than the more highly skilled types of jobs. They contain more variables and require more judgment than do unskilled occupations. Even though semiskilled occupations require more than 30 days to learn, the content of work activities in some semiskilled jobs may be little more than unskilled. Therefore, close attention must be paid to the actual complexities of the job in dealing with data, people, or objects and to the judgments required to do the work.
Examples of semi-skilled jobs are:

* chauffer * room service waiter * carpenter * nurse’s aide * administrative assistant

Skilled work – Skilled occupations are more complex and varied than unskilled and semiskilled occupations. They require more training time and often a higher educational attainment. Abstract thinking in specialized fields may be required.
Examples of skilled jobs are

* chemists * architechts * school band directors * physicians * attorneys * CEO of a business

Examples of Unskilled Labor?
Unskilled labor is usually those people who have little to no education beyond high school, few technical skills, and willing to work for low wages. Examples include farm laborers, grocery clerks, hotel maids, and general cleaners and sweepers as well as roustabouts, carnival workers (known as carnies), sanitation workers, warehouse work maintenance work, janitorial work, telemarketing, retail (mostly those who clean the dressing rooms because it takes skill and knowledge to sell in retail, particularly if you work on commission), some fast food positions, many low level security jobs, and some front line customer service positions.

10 Industries Most in Need of Skilled Workers

While the job market is making a recovery, it's still hard to find a job in many cities in America, especially for new college grads who have little experience. Yet not all industries have been hit hard by the recession. Many are hiring quite readily and a select few aren't able to find enough employees to fill available positions. For those just graduating from high school or considering potential college majors, a career in one of these 10 industries may give you some job security where other fields cannot. Read on to learn about some of America's most in-need industries and how you may just be able to start filling their need for skilled workers. 1. -------------------------------------------------
HEALTHCARE
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As the U.S. population ages, more and more health care professionals are being needed to fill jobs in hospitals, health care facilities, and home care, yet in many places, there aren't enough qualified applicants to fill those jobs. The American Hospital Association has found that 89% of hospitals have openings for RNs that have remained unfilled, with many also unable to find enough pharmacists, radiology technicians, laboratory technologists, and maintenance staff. And the problem isn't going away: research suggests that over the next decade the U.S. will require an additional 103,900 nurses and 7,860 physical therapists a year to maintain the current standard of care. Healthcare is also seeing a drive for those in the upper levels of management, opening up a number of opportunities for those with degrees in business within the fields as well. While there has been a shortage of health workers for several years, many expect the trend to accelerate over the next decade as the need for health professionals increases without accordant gains in the supply of qualified workers. 2. -------------------------------------------------
ENERGY
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Up to 40% of the individuals employed by U.S. utilities are expected to retire or leave by 2013, leaving a gaping hole in one of America's most essential industries. This retirement, paired with the drive for cleaner, more renewable energy sources, is creating a job market flush with opportunities for those who want to work in the industry. While many colleges are building programs to help train workers for these positions, it may not be enough to not only replace lost workers but also meet the need for new workers who will operate and install modern smart grad technologies. 3. -------------------------------------------------
MINING, OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION
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While they might not be the most glamorous, these staples of American industry are doing quite well amid the economic downturn. Natural gas is having a boom in employment, so much so that some states asked for federal help in finding field workers additional living space because there simply isn't enough housing in communities to hold all the necessary workers. Oil and gas were one of only two industries to actually grow in size during the economic downturn, with tens of thousands of new jobs being added each year. One of the problems in finding qualified workers is new extraction technology, which often requires special training and skills that many older workers may not have. Training new workers to work with the often highly computerized mining and extraction industries will be key to sustaining their economic growth in the coming years, and those with the appropriate skills should see a wealth of job opportunities through 2018. 4. -------------------------------------------------
TECHNOLOGY
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If the political hubbub over drawing more students into STEM fields hasn't been a big enough indicator of the lack of qualified professionals in the tech field, consider this: by 2018, jobs for software programmers are expected to rise 34%, computer systems analysts 20%, and even greater increases are expected in IT, with 27% of managers hoping to expand their IT departments by 20% or more. Yet at a time when jobs in the tech field are booming, fewer and fewer students are choosing a computer-related major. Many business owners are worried about being able to find enough technology-savvy workers to maintain growth over the coming decade. This makes careers in IT, computer science, and programming smart moves for job security and availability, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that one in 19 new jobs created will be in the IT profession. 5. -------------------------------------------------
ENGINEERING
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If you want to have your pick of jobs when you graduate, consider a career in engineering. In a survey done by the Society for Human Resource Management, 88% of employers reported not being able to find enough qualified engineers to hire. Some reports suggest that this is because they're looking for very specific skill sets which American universities may be ill-equipped to prepare students with. But it's also the result of a complex set of problems that include many engineering grads not going into engineering work, reluctance to hire new graduates, and many engineering students returning to home countries to work after studying in the U.S. All of this combines to create an atmosphere where there simply aren't enough workers to fill engineering positions, especially in certain fields where specialized skills are required. 6. -------------------------------------------------
BIOTECH
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Biotech is another great industry to get into if you want to be in big demand upon graduation. Medical research companies, pharmaceutical companies, and science start-ups are on a hiring binge, with a 40% jump in job openings for research-based jobs in the field expected from now until 2018. But in some fields, like molecular diagnostics for example, not being able to find specialized lab workers is putting great stress on the industry and driving wages higher as training programs struggle to produce more qualified grads. Some communities are even worried that a lack of qualified grads will drive away big biotech businesses or force them to hire foreign workers. The problem? The amount of students graduating with science and engineering degrees isn't growing as fast as the number of jobs that require them, an issue that becomes larger when you move into more specialized fields. Despite paying well ($65,775 on average) biotech is having a hard time drawing in students. For those who are undecided on a major, this industry is one to seriously consider both for job security and benefits. 7. -------------------------------------------------
SALES
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In tough times, salespeople can be what stands between a business flourishing and floundering. While many salespeople have seen layoffs in the past year, that doesn't mean there aren't jobs out there. In fact, 72% of employers report not being able to find enough salespeople to fill available positions. Why the need? Companies want to bring in new clients and build revenue, both of which require those who can work in sales and get those deals going. According to CareerBuilder's mid-year job forecast, 22% of hiring managers said they'd be hiring more salespeople in the coming year, with an additional percentage interested in customer service and other support positions. 8. -------------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURING
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Companies who can't find enough workers to keep factories operating smoothly are all over the news these days. In one notable case, a Siemens manager reported not being able to find enough skilled workers in the U.S. to operate a factory, a sentiment that has been echoed by numerous other industrial manufacturing businesses. Dennis Winslow, owner of a defense and aerospace manufacturing company said in a CNN Money report, "There are so many unemployed people in the country. But I can't find the skill sets that I need. I would hire tomorrow if I could." While factory jobs were once common in America, they seem to have lost their appeal, despite paying well and offering job opportunities when many other fields are laying off workers. The often high-tech and highly-skilled positions are remaining open all over the nation, sometimes for months at a time, as employers seek out qualified individuals or debate hiring those who will need to be trained at the expense of the employer. 9. -------------------------------------------------
CHILD CARE
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Over the next decade, there are expected to be 532,100 new jobs created in child care as the industry grows and those in the field retire or move to another profession. Part of the driving force behind the growth is that many families are now having to have both parents work in order to make ends meet, requiring a greater number of child care workers to watch children while they're at work. Even in past years, the childcare industry has had a problem with finding and maintaining qualified workers, with many seriously restricting the number of children they would admit for daycare as a result. This poses a big problem for parents who often must be extremely competitive to get children into high-quality, certified childcare facilities. 10. CONSTRUCTION
While construction as a whole has slowed in most places in the U.S., those who practice a skilled trade like electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and welders are still in extremely high demand, with 68% of employers reporting a shortage of potential new hires. Many blame the shortage of workers on the gravitation of young people towards white collar jobs and the insistence of many parents that the all children go to college. In a survey by Manpower, it was found that a lack of skilled tradespeople was the No. 1 hiring challenge for the U.S. and five other leading industrialized countries around the world, making any number of skilled trade positions a good bet for those who don't want to invest in four years of college.
April 8th, 2012 written by Site Administrator * * *
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Labor and Wages
The type of job one does and the financial compensation he or she receives are very important in our society. Job type is linked to status as is wealth. While the type of job one performs is arguably more important status wise then wealth, both are important to Americans.
In the past we used to use other descriptions to classify workers. The terms blue collar orwhite collar employees were used to describe the type of vocation.
Blue Collar - Manual laborers
White Collar - Officer workers
Pink Collar - Jobs associated with women like nursing, secretarial, etc. This being a rather sexist term, is no longer used.
Today we classify our work roles into three categories called labor grades. The se labor grades are described below:
Skilled Labor - These are workers who have received specialized training to do their jobs. They have developed and honed a special skill and may or may not need to be licensed of certified by the state. Some examples of skilled labor are: carpenters, plumbers, electricians, business executives and managers, artisans, accountants, engineers, police, mechanics, etc. These may be blue or white collar workers.
Unskilled Labor - These are workers who have received no special training and have few specific skills. As our society has grown into an increasingly technological one, the members of this group have developed more and more skills. A mechanic, for example, used to be considered unskilled labor. Today that is no longer the case. Mechanics require a great deal of skill and training to work with today's modern engines. Examples of unskilled laborers are construction workers, sanitation and custodial workers, painters, factory assembly line workers, etc. These are blue collar workers.
Professionals - Arguably the elite of the labor grades, these are those workers who need an advanced degree to do their jobs. The three primary groups of professional are doctors, lawyers and teachers. These are white collar workers.
These labor grades are often said to be non competing labor grades because workers rarely move from one grade to another and do not compete salary wise with each other. There are reasons why they do not compete with each other. The cost of education and training may be a significant obstacle. They might lack the opportunity to make such a move and they might also have a lack of initiative. Theories of Wages and Salaries
There are two key theories that explain why salaries are the way they are in a particular field. These two theories are:
Traditional Theory of Wage Determination - In this theory the law of supply and demand dictates salary. These days programmers are in short supply and are in great demand thus they will command a higher salary. Likewise doctors and lawyers whose specialized skills people need command a high wage. If you looked at the bill my electrician gave me you would know he is in demand!
Theory of Negotiated Wages - Those employees who work in unions where the union negotiates salary on behalf of all workers fit into this theory. Since I am a teacher my salary is set by collective bargaining with my union. I may be the best teacher in the world sought after by many students and parents but it wouldn't matter.
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White-collar worker
In many countries (like the United States, Australia or Canada), a white-collar worker is a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work. Typically, white-collar work is performed in an office or cubicle. Other types of work are those of a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor and a pink-collar worker, whose labor is related to customer interaction, entertainment, sales, or other service oriented work. Many occupations blend blue, white and/or pink (service) industry categorizations.

The Highly Skilled Worker Occupation List for Applicants without Arranged Employment

* Restaurant and Food Service Managers * Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture) * Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management * Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners * Biologists and Related Scientists * Architects * Specialist Physicians * General Practitioners and Family Physicians * Dentists * Pharmacists * Physiotherapists * Registered Nurses * Medical Radiation Technologists * Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists * Licensed Practical Nurses * Psychologists * Social Workers * Chefs * Cooks * Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades * Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades * Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System) * Industrial Electricians * Plumbers * Welders & Related Machine Operators * Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics * Crane Operators * Drillers & Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction * Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service