Business Plan

Summary of all the key points of your business plan – Do this section last. This section shouldn’t be more than 2 pages, so you will need to attach another page.

Provide an overview about your business idea/concept/service/etc.

What makes your business idea/concept/ service/ etc novel (i.e. makes it better than anything else). This should not be price, as you will have difficulties defending this.

What does the industry look like? Are there trends? What do your customers buy, eat, look like, education, income etc. The more detail you have the better your chances of success.

Who are your competitors? What market share do they have? Are there any other companies, parties, etc that could be competitors.
Even if there are no “direct” competitors, there will ALWAYS be some that are close.

How will you get your product into the marketplace? Think of non-conventional (viral marketing) methods that are cheaper than traditional (TV, radio, print) and have a higher impact.

What will stop you from entering the desired market place? Regulations, monopoly, syndication? Also how will you setup your own barriers to entry for other potential entrants into the marketplace?

How will you get your product / service to the intended market?

Often this can be the most important part of your business plan as investors want to see who else believes in the idea and the experience of your team in the various areas (technical, business, commercialisation, etc.)

This section deals with the conditions in which your product /service operates. Strengths and weaknesses are internal (team, company, product), whereas opportunities and threats are external (market place, trends, etc.)

This is where all financial aspects about your product will go in your business plan including cash flow, income statements, balance sheet, as well as start-up income required. This is arguably the most important part of your business plan, spend plenty of time on this and be able to justify any assumptions. For this assignment, summarize what you have prepared and any take aways. We will go over your complete documents soon.

What needs to be achieved that will enhance chances of success? Also insert the possibility of these things happening.

How will you (or any investors) exit out of this project (if you want to) and make excellent return or to move onto your next “big idea?”

What are the future plans for your product / service (if any)?

Include any additional information here that may not fit into the sections above (quotes, recommendations, statistics, etc.) You can also attach other documents like spreadsheets to your plan.