Business Plan Outline

SECTION

WHICH INCLUDES

Table of contents

Listing of all sections - one page long.

Executive Summary

An overview of the financial opportunity and the investment required, as well as the ability of the management team to make it all happen.

Company Description

Mission, products, and services.

Industry Analysis

Size and growth projections, seasonal factors, special technologies relevant to industry growth, susceptibility to economic factors, regulatory issues, and special practices.

The Target Market

Relevant trends, supply and demand factors, purchasing patterns, life cycle patterns, and factors that could change/upset the target market.

Competition

The position of your product or service within the target market, success factors, barriers to entry, existing and emerging competitors.

Management

Principals and other key employees, directors, the organization today and what you expect the team to look like at 12, 24, and 36 months after launch. (Resumes go in Appendix.)

Sales Strategy

Sales assumptions and sales model, marketing messages, marketing and promotion tactics, and sales force structure.

Operations

R&D, plant, equipment, and related facilities, production plans, inventory plans, supply and distribution methods, information systems, and customer service.

Milestones

Short-, medium-, and long-term goals, and exit plans.

Financials

5-year annual pro forma statements (and historical data if they exist) of income and cash flow, balance sheets, and uses of funds, along with relevant assumptions.

Risks

Analysis of risks to each of the major sections listed above.

Appendices

This is where resumes of all team members belong.

May include names and phone numbers of personal and professional references, industry consultants, surveys, relevant journal and magazine articles, background on the competition, trade show dates, supplier information, and license agreements.