2009 Business Plan Competition: Business Planning 101

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Business Planning 101 Curriculum | Opportunity Analysis | Plan Evaluations
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The contents of Business Planning 101 are outlined below. These topics will be covered in detail during each session.

  1. Executive Summary – 1-page summary of plan
  1. Business Concept
  • Identify product/service
  • Primary customer and benefits
  • Description and uses / Key features
  • Distribution
  • Purpose of business
  • Core values
  1. Management Team
  • Qualifications of key management/founders
  • Needs assessment
  1. Market Analysis
  • Industry description including:
        • industry size
        • status (growing, mature, in decline)
        • growth potential
        • geographic locations
        • trends and entry barriers
        • profit potential
        • sales patterns and gross margins
  • Target market including:
        • primary target markets
        • secondary markets
        • demographics
        • customer profile
        • distribution channels/customer grid
        • entry strategy (initial market penetration)
  • Competition including:
        • direct and indirect competition (detailing market share, description and strengths/weaknesses)
        • emerging competitors
        • substitute products

  • Products/Service Differentiation and Competitive Advantage including:
        • unique features
        • potential for innovation
        • proprietary protection
        • competitive advantage
        • Pricing including venture versus competitors and customer value
  1. Process / Operations Analysis
  • Technical description of product/service including use; design; prototype; and issues of obsolescence
  • Status of development and related costs including current status of development; tasks to be completed; time and cost to complete; potential difficulties with resolutions; and government approvals
  • Distribution channels and physical distribution plan
  • Business location
  • Manufacturing or operating requirements and associated costs including:
        • manufacturing cycles or service delivery process
        • material requirements
        • inventory requirements
        • production requirements
        • labor requirements
        • maintenance and quality control requirements
        • financial requirements/cost of operations
  1. Organization Plan
  • Philosophy of management and company culture
  • Legal structure of the company
  • Organizational chart including key management and duties/responsibilities
  • Compensation programs and incentives
  • Key policies for ordering, billing, paying, etc.
  • Key benefits
  1. Marketing Plan
  • Business identity and brand
  • Customer segmentation strategy
  • Targeting
  • Product or service
  • Price
  • Placement
  • Promotions
  • Marketing tools to use
  • Media plan including costs and targets
  • Marketing budget including individual cost and total costs as a percentage of sales
  1. Financial Plan
  • Summary of key points and capital requirements including funding sources
  • Needs assessment (fixed costs, working capital, start-up capital)
  • Break-even analysis and payback period
  • Assumptions for financial statements
  • Pro forma financial statements including cash flow (Year 1 monthly and Year 2/3 quarterly); income or P/L (Year 1 monthly and Year 2/3 quarterly); and balance sheets (Year 1 – 3 annually)
  • Capital expenditures
  1. Growth Plan
  • Strategy for growth
  • Resource assessment
  • Infrastructure changes
  1. Appendix
  • Contingency plan including potential deviations from the original plan and solutions
  • Deal structure including debt and/or equity funding amounts; projected ROI; and harvest/exit strategy
Supporting documents including resumes, contracts, maps/drawings, logos, research instruments, secondary sources of research.