Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction

1. What Is a Business Plan? Why Do I Need a Business Plan?

• Does Every Business Need a Plan?
• What Is a Business Plan?
• Goals + Research + Strategy = Business Plan
• Planning Stops Problems before They Start
• Planning Is Part of Our DNA
• It’s Worth the Effort
• Good Management
• Impress Your Bankers and Investors
• Business Plans as a Management Tool
• Business Plans as a Communication Tool
• 10 Sections of a Business Plan

2: Understanding the Process and Getting Prepared

• Trust the Process, and You Will Gain New Insights
• What’s Your Learning Style?
• Learning Styles – Everyone Has One
• Your Personality
• The Process of Writing a Business Plan
• One Bite at a Time
• Financial Projections for Your Business Plan
• Ignore the Order Sections in which Appear in the Final Document
• Sample Business Plans Are Too General
• Director’s Liability

Part 2: The 10 Sections of a Business Plan

3: Industry Analysis

• Industry Analysis = External Focus
• Competitive Environment, Industry Trends, and Market Environment
• Economic Climate and Demographic Trends
• The Role of Technology
• Exit Strategy
• Government Regulations
• Demographic Trends
• Industry Analysis Questions
• Sample Industry Analysis

4: Market Analysis

• Benefits of the Market Analysis
• Identify Your Competition
• Competition Analysis
• How to Gather Information about Your Competitors
• Identify Sales and Profits by Market Segment
• Other Sources of Information
• In-Depth Marketing Research
• Market Segments and Innovation
• Calculate Market Size and Market Share
• How to Determine the Size of Your Market
• Market Area
• External Factors
• Sample Market Analysis

5: Products and Services

• Background Information
• Define the Line of Products or Services
• Service and Product Positioning
• Start-Up and Expansion Costs
• Document Revenue, Costs, and Profits
• Growth, Expansion, and Redesign
• Change in Costs and Profits
• Service Life Cycle
• Customer Profile
• Customer Analysis
• Customer Preferences
• Create a Customer Needs and Preferences Profile
• Proprietary Rights
• Sample Services Section

6: Business Description

• Define Your Vision
• Draft a Mission Statement
• Ethics Statement
• Explain Your Business Goals
• Operations
• Type of Facilities
• Legal Structure
• Sample Business Description

7: Marketing and Sales Strategy

• The Five-Box Marketing Strategy
• Pricing Decisions and Strategy
• Want to Avoid Failure? Then Develop a Sales Strategy
• Sales = Influence
• Creating Your Sales Strategy
• The Complete Six Step Sales Process
• Repeat Customers Generate Substantial Profits
• Sample Marketing and Sales Strategy

8: Operations and Management

• Why Operations and Management Plans Are Taken for Granted
• Operations and Management as a Marketing Tool
• Your Financier Will Take a Critical Eye to Management and Operations
• Uses of an Operations and Management Plan
• Components of the Operations and Management Plan
• Management and Organizational Structure
• Professional Services
• Sample Management, Operations, and Organization Section

9: Pro Forma Financial Plan

• Drive to the Finish Line
• The Purpose of Your Pro Forma Financial Plan
• The Pro Forma Financial Plan Must Answer Four Questions
• Research and Study Sample Financial Statements
• Building Your Business Financial Plan
• Gather, Organize, and Enter Data
• Cash Budget
• How to Build the Income Statement
• Structure of the Income Statement
• Building Your Pro Forma Statement of Cash Flows
• The Difference between Cash Flow and Profitability
• Balance Sheet
• Structure of a Balance Sheet
• Putting your Balance Sheet Together
• Using the Balance Sheet to Determine Profit or Shortfall
• Breakeven Analysis
• Understanding Breakeven
• Sensitivity Analysis
• Ratio Analysis – Understanding Your Financial Ratios
• Liquidity Ratios
• Safety Ratios
• Profitability Ratios
• Sales, General, and Administrative Costs to Sales Ratio
• Efficiency Ratios
• Formatting the Financial Plan
• Reality Check – Revise and Make Final Adjustments
• Financial Planning Tools
• Conclusion
• Sample Pro Forma Financial Plan

10: Implementation Plan

• Write It, Then Read It
• Track Implementation Ideas as You Write
• Special Considerations for Start-Ups
• Implementation for Established Firms
• Use of Funds
• Three-Part Implementation Plan
• Sample Implementation Plan

11: Contingency and Emergency Plan

• What Is the Purpose of a Contingency and Emergency Plan?
• What Is an Emergency Plan?
• What Is a Contingency Plan?
• Business Planning Evolves
• Examine and Verify All Assumptions
• Write a Six-Step Disaster Plan
• Sample Contingency and Emergency Plan

12: Executive Summary

• Customize the Executive Summary for the Person Reading Your Business Plan
• Customizing the Executive Summary for Your Bank
• Confidentiality
• Sample Executive Summary

Part 3: Writing a Business Plan in 30 Days

13: Writing a Business Plan in 30 Days

• Minimize Your Distractions
• Read, Think, Write, Edit
• How to Write a Business Plan in 30 Days
• The 30-Day Time Line

14: Common Mistakes in Writing a Business Plan

• Writing a Business Plan to Get Funding
• Writing a Business Plan to Get Your Business Organized
• Writing a Business Plan because Your Banker Asked for It
• Writing a Business Plan because You’ve Been Told You Need One
• What to Do If You Have No Business Experience
• Beware of the B.S. Factor
• Writing a Business Plan without Financial Statements
• Making Assumptions and Decisions without All the Facts
• Ignoring Risk = Gambling
• Trying to Go It Alone
• Not Enough Detail in the Business Plan
• Not Customizing Your Business Plan for the Reader
• Not Writing a Business Plan or Not Finishing It
• Inflating Revenue or the Sales Forecast
• Not Starting a Business Plan because It’s too much Work

15: Working with Professional Advisers

• History of Business Advisers
• The “Coaching” Side of Business Coaching
• Business Coaching
• You and Your Team
• Advisers Provide Perspective
• Working with an Accountant or an Attorney
• Informal Advisers

Part 4: Special Considerations for Specific Businesses

16: Business Planning for Inventors

• Managing the Details
• Product Development: Building a Prototype
• Business Development
• Market Research
• Advice for Inventors
• Making Money from Your Invention

17: Business Planning for a Retail Business

• Describe Your Retail Location
• High End = High Rent
• Do Your Own Investigation
• Drawing Traffic by Locating Close to Other Tenants
• Staff Recruiting and Training
• Buying the Right Inventory
• The Retail Marketing Secret
• What Type of Retail Business Do You Want?

18: Business Planning for a Manufacturing Business

• Specific Operational Information to Include
• Role of Quality Management Systems
• Document Your Input Costs and Considerations
• Equipment Depreciation
• Facility Design and Operations Layout
• Include Information about Labor, Production, and Process Considerations
• Include Information about Your Health and Safety Programs
• Include Your Plans for Training and Education Programs

19: Business Planning for Wholesale Distributors

• Industry Analysis
• Financial Plan
• Marketing Strategy
• Competition
• Customer Surveys
• Technology
• Purchasing and Inventory Management
• Delivery and Pick Up
• Product Lines
• Vendor Support and Customer Service

20: Business Planning for a Service Business

• Creating a Positive Customer Experience
• Before You Start to Write Your Business Plan, Define the Customers’ Needs
• Identify Competitors
• Marketplace
• Choose and Define Your Ideal Customer
• Create a Service Blueprint
• Watch for New Revenue Opportunities
• Describe the Operation of Your Service Business

21: Business Planning for Consultants and Professionals

• Seasonal Fluctuations in Sales Volume
• Obtain Financing to Bridge the Gap
• Sales and Marketing Plan
• Financial Projections and Cash Flow Analysis

22: Business Planning for Large and Public Companies

• Team Approach to Building Your Business Plan
• Bottom-Up Approach
• Role of the CEO and Senior Executives in the Business Planning Process
• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)
• Industry Analysis
• Market Analysis
• Marketing Strategy
• Operations Plan
• Products and Services
• Business Description and Executive Summary

23: Business Planning for Small-Medium Businesses (SMB)

• You Might Be a Small Business, but Growth Is a Priority
• Growth Potential = Growth in Human Resources
• Industry Analysis
• Marketing Strategy
• Operations Plan
• Financial Plan
• Exit Strategy, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)

24: Business Planning for Small-Small Businesses

• The Big Business Trend? Keeping It Small
• Build a Diversified Marketing and Sales Plan
• Create a Development Plan to Increase Your Interpersonal Skills
• Avoid the Trap of ‘Breakevenitis’ Create a Profit Plan
• Your Customers Fund Your Downtime
• Calculate a Profitable Rate and Build a Profit Plan
• Keep an Eye on Economic and Business Trends
• Taking Outsourced Work from Larger Companies�Get a Good Contract
• U.S. Entrepreneurship Outlook
• Manage Cash Flow by Managing the Sales Funnel
• Calculate Required Sales Activity
• Long Hours When Successful
• Getting a Business Loan for a Small-Small Business

25: Business Planning for a Web-Based Business

• Vision and Goals
• Choose Your Market Wisely
• Think You’ll Need Venture Capital?
• Bootstrap It
• Use Wisdom When You Write Your Business Plan
• Rapid Development
• Stay Small and Agile
• Business Model
• It Is Still a Service
• Personnel Plan
• Marketing Strategy

Part 5: Getting the Money You Need

26: Applying for a Business Loan

• Preparing a Small Business Loan Application
• After the Loan Application
• Unseen Decision Makers
• The Loan Officer’s Role
• Plan Ahead
• Work with the System
• Supporting Documents Needed for a New Commercial Business Loan
• The Loan Application Process for a Commercial Business Loan
• Small Business Administration Loans
• Alternative Financing Options
• Franchise Financing

27: Getting Funding from Investors, Family, and Friends

• Get a Loan or Sell Equity
• Finding Money
• Make a List of Investors
• Should I Ask for More Money Than I Need to Create a Cushion?
• Be Professional in Your Business Dealings
• Choosing an Investor

Part 6: Appendixes

A. Sample Business Plan
B. Business Dictionary
C. 101+ Marketing Tools, Tactics, and Strategies
Sample Tools and Strategies
Sample Application of Marketing Tools
D. Getting Help Writing Your Business Plan
How to Select, Screen, and Hire a Business Plan Writer or Business Plan Professional
How to Get Maximum Value When You Hire a Business Coach
E. Web Resources and Links
F. Software That Can Help
G. How the Author Can Help
Getting Support while You�re Writing Your Business Plan
Why I Do Not Write Business Plans for Other People
Why I Wrote This Book
Common Problems Facing Business Owners
Coaching Services
How My Coaching Relationships Work
Seven Reasons You Should Consider Coaching

Index