We are currently developing a new course to cover proactive Business Planning and we will publish the details in due course. Meantime here is a guidance list of what one would expect to see with a current Business Plan.

0. Executive summary
· Overview of the Plan

1. The business and its management
· History & position to date
· Current mission
· Objectives, near term
· Objectives, long term
· The current key management team
· Legal & existing capital structure
· Professional advisers

2. Products or services
· Descriptions & applications
· Readiness for market of new products/services
· Development cost estimates
· Proprietary position/barriers to entry
· Comparison with competition, performance and economics
· Guarantees and warranties
· Future potential/product development
· Sources of supply (if not a manufacturing/assembling business)

3. Market & competitors
· Description of customer needs and benefits
· Market and segment size & growth
· Customer decision criteria
· Target market segments (showing differentiation from competition)
· Marketing objectives
· Competitive strengths & weaknesses, and the opportunities & threats ahead
· Marketing strategy
· The sales forecast

4. Selling
· Current selling method(s)
· Proposed selling method(s)
· Sales team
· In-House support

5. Management & staffing
· Specific management roles for existing and planned staff and general organisation of the business under each role
· Strategies for retaining & motivating key staff
· Planned recruitment & selection
· Reward & recognition packages and their relationship to the required business performance
· Appraisal system
· The training & development plan

6 Manufacturing
· Make or buy considerations
· The manufacturing process
· Facilities needed (premises, etc.)
· Equipment & machinery needed
· Output limitation, if any, and scale-up possibilities
· Engineering & design support
· Quality control plans
· Staffing requirements
· Sources of supply of key materials

7 Acquisition, mergers, joint ventures and divestment’s
· Logic for acquisition/disposal/etc
· Target profile
· Plans for attaining acquisition/disposal/etc

8. Forecasts and financial data
· Summary of financial performance ratios, ROCE etc
· Summary trading forecasts
· Assumptions underpinning financial forecasts
· Sensitivity analysis
· Profit & loss accounts
· Cash flow forecasts
· Balance sheets

9. Financing requirements
· Current shareholders, loans outstanding etc
· Funds required & timing, including leasing plans
· The deals on offer
· Anticipated gearing & interest cover
· Exit routes for investor

10. Business controls
· Financial
· Sales & marketing
· Manufacturing
· Other controls

Appendices:

• Management team biographies
• Names and details of professional advisers
• Technical data and drawings
• Details of patents, copyright, designs
• Audited accounts
• Consultants' reports and/or other published data on products, markets etc
• Orders on hand and enquiry status
• Detailed market research methods and findings
• Organisation charts
  

MORE INFORMATION
If having read this guide you would like to discuss how we may be able to help you, please call us on 0845 004 34 33 , or E-mail a request to us for further information.