The structure of a business plan point by point: we learn from clear examples. Structure of a business plan: general and mandatory sections of a business plan. Which item is not included in the content of the business plan?

Brief instructions

You have an idea. You want to create your own business. Great. What's next? Next, you need to “put everything into perspective”, think through the details (as far as possible) in order to first of all understand: is it worth developing this project? Perhaps after researching the market, you will realize that the service or product is not in demand, or you do not have sufficient in cash for business development. Maybe the project should be improved a little, unnecessary elements should be abandoned, or, on the contrary, something should be introduced?

A business plan will help you consider the prospects of your idea.

End justifies the means?

When starting to write a business plan, keep its goals and functions in mind. First of all, you carry out preparatory work to understand how realistic it is to achieve the planned results, how much time and money is needed to implement your plan.

In addition, a business plan is necessary to attract investors, obtain a grant or a bank loan. That is, it must include information about the potential profit of the project, the necessary costs and the payback period. Think about what is important and interesting for your recipients to hear.

Use a small cheat sheet for yourself:

Analyze the market you are going to enter. What leading companies exist in this direction. Research their experience and work.
Identify weaknesses and strengths your project, future opportunities and risks. In short, conduct a SWOT analysis*.

SWOT analysis - (English)Strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,Threats - strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A method of planning and strategy development that allows one to identify the main factors influencing business development.

Decide clearly what you expect from the project. Set a specific goal.

The main purpose of a business plan is to help you, first of all, develop a company strategy and plan its development, as well as help in attracting investments.

So, any plan has a structure. Regardless of the specifics of the project and the requirements of investors, a business plan, as a rule, contains the following elements:

1. Company summary(short business plan)

Product Description
Description of the market situation
Competitive advantages and disadvantages
Brief description of the organizational structure
Distribution of funds (investment and own)

2. Marketing Plan

Defining the “problem” and your solution
Determining the target audience
Market and competition analysis
Free niche, unique selling proposition
Methods and costs of attracting customers
Sales channels
Stages and timing of market penetration

3. Plan for the production of goods or services

Organization of production
Infrastructure Features
Production resources and space
Production equipment
Production process
Quality control
Calculation of investments and depreciation

4.Organization of the work process

Organizational structure of the enterprise
Distribution of powers and responsibilities
Control system

5. Financial plan and risk forecast

Cost Estimation
Calculation of the cost of a product or service
Calculation of profit and loss
Investment period
Break-even point and payback point
Cash flow forecast
Risk forecast
Ways to minimize risks

It is clear that a business plan is one whole and its parts are inextricably linked with each other. However, a well-designed structure will help you not to forget important things, as well as to take a deeper look at each aspect.

Company summary. Briefly about the main thing

Marketing plan. There are empty seats?

When creating a marketing plan, you will have to analyze the market you are going to enter. In this way, you will identify trends for yourself, collect information about competitors and get to know your consumer, your target audience, better.

Having assessed potential client, his interests and preferences, you must determine the optimal office location, point of sale etc. It should be comfortable. Calculate required amount customers for the return on investment of your business and compare with the audience living or working around the proposed location of the business. For example, for a business in the field of public services, the size of this audience should not be less than 2% of the number of people living within a short walk or five-minute car ride.

It is quite possible that the market you were planning to conquer is oversaturated at the moment. Analyze the actions of your competitors, create your own strategy, focus on your uniqueness, bring in something new to fill an empty niche in a certain area.

Of course, creating something that is not yet on the market is quite difficult. However, you can carefully analyze the situation and open, for example, a point where the consumer really needs it or play on the difference in prices and level of services provided relative to nearby competitors.

You also definitely have to decide on sales channels. After reviewing the existing methods on the market, find the ones that are best for you. Calculate how much it costs you to attract each client.

Finally, when deciding on pricing, you will need to calculate: what is more profitable? High price with a small number of sales or a price lower than that of competitors, but a large customer flow. You should also not forget about service, because for many consumers it is crucial. They are willing to pay a price higher than the market average, but get high quality service.

Production plan. What are we selling?

This is where you finally get into detail about the core of your business: what do you do?

For example, you decide to produce dresses and sell them. In the production plan, indicate suppliers of fabric and equipment, where you will locate the sewing workshop, and what the production volume will be. You will describe the stages of product manufacturing, the necessary qualifications of employees, calculate the necessary deductions to the depreciation fund, as well as logistics. From many factors: from the cost of threads to the cost work force- the costs of future business will also depend.

When prescribing the technology for creating your final product, you will pay attention to many little things that you had not thought about before. There may be issues with storing goods or difficulties with imported raw materials, problems with finding employees with the necessary qualifications, etc.

When you have finally written down the entire path to creating a product or service, it’s time to calculate how much your project will cost you. It may well be that subsequently, making up financial calculations, you will understand that you need to make adjustments to the production plan: cut some costs or radically change the technology itself.

Organization of the work process. How will it work?

Will you manage the business alone or with partners? How will decisions be made? You need to answer these and many more questions in the “Workflow Organization” section.

Here you can describe the entire structure of the enterprise and identify duplication of powers, mutual exclusions, etc. Having seen the entire organization diagram, it will be easier for you to optimally distribute rights and responsibilities between departments and employees.

Having understood, first of all, for yourself how your company functions, it will be possible to more effectively develop a system of interaction between structures, a system for monitoring employees and the entire personnel policy.

The importance of this section is that it describes who and how will implement the project in reality.

Financial plan. Main section

The financial section is directly related to all points of the business plan. Therefore, if changes or additions are made to one of the sections, then the financial calculations also change. The reverse process is also possible, if adjustments are made to the financial plan - this means changes in other structures. So, if you understand that you will have to reduce expenses in order to meet the amount of funds that you have, think about how you will carry out this optimization.

Of course, a business plan is an approximate model of how your project will develop and function. You need to remember that unforeseen situations will arise, because you are starting a business in real time, and in life it is impossible without surprises. However, if you follow the recommendations from BIBOSS, you will be able to create a detailed and workable business plan that will save you many problems.

In order to understand why a business plan is needed and in what order it is drawn up, you should determine the very concept of this commercial definition.

A good business plan is step by step instructions opening a new commercial project with a description and listing of methods and means used in the process of achieving the intended goal.

With its help, an entrepreneur is able to identify all possible risks, as well as ways to reduce them and reduce the impact on business development.

By drawing up a business plan, an entrepreneur can predict the total amount of capital investment and the required amount before launching a project starting capital. In addition, with the help of a well-drafted business plan, the chances of additional financing of the project from third-party investors increase.

An example will be given of drawing up a business plan for opening a health center.

Competent design

Great importance should be given to the preparation of a business plan, as this plays an important role in investors’ decision to finance the project. Registration of a business plan can be compared to writing thesis in a serious state university, which means:

cover on company paper containing the company logo;
formatting in a folder with a spring and a transparent cover;
continuous page numbering throughout the document;
business plan sheets are printed on one side only;
use only fonts for text Times New Roman and Arial, sizes 12-14;
highlighting headings and subheadings;
correct design of the title page indicating the main details of the organization - name, legal address, phone numbers, email, contact person.
the next page after the title page should contain the contents of the business plan, indicating the page number on which each title of the document begins.

There is no specific template according to which the content of any business plan is drawn up due to the variety of types commercial activities and the specifics of each specific species. However, there are also common ones for all types of business business plan content points which must be sanctified. These include:

1. Brief description of the project

In this paragraph, in a concise and concise form, however, in the most interesting form for the investor, a project for opening a specific type of business is described, the goals and objectives of the project are highlighted, production volumes and turnover are predicted, and predicted main economic indicators:

volume of sales;
project profitability;
the amount of net profit;
amount of investment;
payback period, etc.

Usually, short description is drawn up after writing the entire business plan and carrying out the appropriate calculations, in order to most accurately cover all the key points of the project and present them in a favorable light for investors. Since all experienced investors first of all read the brief description of the project.

Example:

In the context of the example under consideration, the description of the health center should indicate the main purpose of its opening - the provision of health services and assistance in maintaining physical fitness.

Main advantages of the project are:

high quality of services provided;
using only high-tech equipment in this process;
a high degree of uniqueness of the services provided in comparison with competitive health centers.

2. Market research

As part of the description of this item, it is necessary to disclose the situation developing in the selected market segment, as well as characterize the main opportunities and development prospects of this project. First of all, this description of market conditions is given to familiarize the investor with them, since it is not at all necessary that this investor is knowledgeable in the conditions of a specifically selected market segment.

In addition, a detailed description of the target audience of the opening business should be given. It should be segmented by certain signs:

geographical position;
demographic data;
type of consumer behavior;
type of user behavior;
income level and so on.

Also in this section should be predicted possible changes market situation, and also identified trends and factors that could affect the successful course of commercial activities.

Example:

For our example the target audience health center can be divided into segments of the population with different income levels. This fact creates a significant advantage for successful business, since the center is focused on clientele with varying degrees of material well-being.

Considering the expectations of consumers of the services provided, it can be noted that almost half of the visitors to establishments of this kind (45.6%) prefer swimming to other services, and accordingly, the presence of a pool in the center significantly increases the target audience of the business under study.

By gender the ratio of potential visitors is 71% women and 29% men.

According to pessimistic forecasts, attendance on weekdays will be 10 people, on weekends – 20 people. An optimistic estimate would be 30 people on a weekday and 40 people on a weekend.

In order to combat competition (which is at a high level in this locality), an active marketing program is planned to expand the circle of customers by implementation of the marketing program, consisting in:

establishing affordable prices for services provided;
uniqueness of the equipment used;
introduction of discounts and promotional offers;
a unique approach to each visitor to the center;
friendly behavior of the staff;
effective impact of the applied healing procedures.

3. Characteristics of goods or services

This section provides a detailed description of the products or services produced and describes the benefits of use. If there are patents for any products or services, then this fact must be indicated.

Example:

In this example, as benefits of opening a wellness center can be called:

convenient location relative to public transport lines;
possibility of parking near the center building;
offering unique and unusual center services.

Disadvantages of running this type of business can be designated:

high costs of rental payments (if the building is not owned by the entrepreneur);
inconvenient location (if any);
limited target audience by gender (most clients of health centers are still women);
high competition and development of this business sector.

Also, as part of the description of the services of the health center, it is recommended to provide a description of the specialized equipment (toning tables, vibration platforms, climbing machines, etc.) used in the provision of services.

4. Ways to promote your business

This paragraph of the business plan concerns pricing issues, it describes ways to promote the project in the market segment, outlines ways to sell products and indicates marketing moves promotion of services on the market.

Example:

For the health center in question, a wide market is identified for offering services, including both individuals and corporate clients.

As part of the marketing program, it is planned main business focuses:

Focus on high quality of services provided.
Development of a professional design for the interior design of a health center.
Developing a serious image of the project and establishing your own brand, achieved through high-quality customer service; affordable prices for services; establishing a discount system; development of center club cards (subscriptions).

To calculate prices for services, it must be calculated cost of the service provided per client, including:

electricity costs;
employee salaries;
social Security contributions;
depreciation deductions;
rental payments;
general and general production expenses.

VAT is charged on the amount of these costs, and then a markup is applied to the amount received and is the cost of the center’s services.

To successfully maintain a communication policy and attract additional clientele, the center decided to actively use various advertising means (print and through the media), as well as negotiate with various organizations to attract corporate clients.

Description production process in a business plan - this is important!

5. Description of the production process

This paragraph of the business plan provides a detailed description of the premises for locating the business, the equipment used and the need to involve resources and working capital in the production process. A description of the production technology, as well as the scheme for its implementation, should also be provided.

Compiled calendar plan opening and starting a business until it achieves a return on investment.

Example:

This paragraph not only provides the production and technical characteristics of the equipment used, but also provides a plan for spending borrowed funds.

6. Enterprise structure. Control. Staff

This paragraph indicates the organizational and legal form of the organization, describes the distribution of responsibilities between services within the enterprise and the directions of their interaction. For greater clarity of the description, diagrams can be used.

As part of the description of the second subparagraph, the characteristics of the head of the opening business, his responsibilities, functions, as well as short biography and work experience.

The third subclause defines the staff, the responsibilities of each team member, professional requirements for him, and assigns a level wages all staff.

Example:

For the health center, the organizational and legal form can be chosen - LLC, the staff is determined to be 5 people. It was decided to recruit personnel using recruitment agency followed by an interview.

7. Risk assessment and ways to reduce them

In this paragraph of the business plan, you should list all the risks that may arise in the process of conducting business, as well as identify ways to reduce or prevent them.

If risk insurance is planned, the amount insured and the types of risks to which it will apply must be indicated.

Example:

For a wellness center risks should be divided into external and internal.

Towards external risks applies:

increase in utility costs;
changes in tax legislation and increases in tax rates;
emergencies and natural disasters;
increase in the amount of rental payments;
tougher competition.

To the group internal risks includes:

reduction in the quality of services provided;
lack of professionalism of the center staff;
breakdowns and deterioration of equipment.

Ways to reduce the impact of risks have been identified:

1. insurance;
2. reservation;
3. avoidance measures;
4. preventive actions.

8. Forecasting financial flows of the project

This point of the business plan involves drawing up a predicted financial statements opening enterprise, including:

balance;
Profits and Losses Report;
cash flow statement;
achieving a temporary break-even point and payback for the project;
the amount of investment;
calculations of profit and profitability of the project.

Example:

To open a health center, a specific loan term is given and a repayment schedule is given.

A budget of income and expenses is drawn up, detailed by month for the first year of business operation, and then by year.

The payback period of the project is calculated (with the determination of the break-even point) and its profitability.

A general assessment of the feasibility of opening this business project is given.

9. Applications

This paragraph includes all additional materials used in the process of drawing up and correctly calculating a business plan. Such materials can be:

scheme;
graphics;
photos;
copies of contracts and agreements;
clippings from information sources;
biographies;
reports and more.

The video below contains useful information for businessmen seeking to start their own business in the field of health improvement and fitness services.

Conclusion

The article provides an approximate plan for drawing up a typical business plan with a specific example of opening a health center. In order to better understand the topic, below is an example of drawing up a business plan for a health center with calculations, which can be downloaded for free.

What should be in this wonderful document? You can find fairly clear requirements and even programs that automatically generate business plan templates. I am still of the opinion that this is a more or less free document. The only requirement is the presence of ALL key points business.
More often the business plan contains the following chapters:

1. Preamble (or introduction)– brief information about the project, what it is, who the organizer, the contractor are, what the main goal of the project is, the mission. Also in this section you can give short plan document with short comments on each.
Sometimes characteristics of the project participants, manager and founders are given.
2. Market overview. An important part of the business plan, where an analysis of the current market situation is made. The main players and their influence are described. It is imperative to consider the dynamics of the market over the past at least 3-5 years, as well as build a forecast for the near future. Affect nearby markets.
3. Competitors. If you think you have no competitors, then you don't know your market. This part is mandatory and there is no way to bypass it. Competitors can be either direct (they offer similar products and services) or indirect (they offer something different, but it may well replace your product). Personally, I often come across would-be entrepreneurs who are sure that they have no competitors, because “they have green, and we have yellow, these are completely different products.” I'm exaggerating, of course, but you get the idea.
In general, I think I’ll cover the topic of competitors separately.
So, in the business plan it is necessary to outline the circle of competitors, describe the leaders, if any, and the distribution of the market by segment. This point should be a logical continuation of the market review.
4. Suppliers and partners. If you have a manufacturing operation, it is obvious that you need raw materials. Many people forget and do not take into account their suppliers and other partners, but a failure in their work can greatly affect you. That is why it is necessary to study in detail the main and reserve suppliers, and characterize the relationship strategy. It should be understood that the cost of your products (and therefore the final price) very much depends on the cost of raw materials. And often there is a choice - choose somewhere cheaper, but there are certain risks, or work with a reliable, proven partner, overpaying for stability. This chapter must necessarily provide a justification for the choice of one or another partner, as well as its alternatives.
5. Goods and services. This section describes in detail the products or services you produce. Not just a list, but Full description, with technical characteristics, dimensions, difficulties, etc. A comparison is made with analogues (intersects with the Competitors section). The product must be described so well and in detail that any person who does not understand your field will understand after reading what exactly you are going to sell.
Another point is the price of your goods, as well as its justification. Sometimes this subsection is placed in a separate paragraph of the plan, but it can be left in this chapter.
6. Staff. An integral part of any company are the people who work in it. If the company is small (up to 20 people), then you can describe each person, what they do, their characteristics, experience, and remuneration. If this large enterprise, then only key employees (director, deputies, heads of departments) are described in detail, and the rest are grouped according to some criteria, for example, by position (engineers, builders) or by department (accounting, production department). The application provides a staffing table, which already contains a complete list of all employees, their working hours, as well as wages.
If a company is developing or just opening and has a need to hire people, you should indicate where exactly people will be selected and what requirements will be placed on them.
7. Production process. This section should describe the process of creating your product: what difficulties may arise, what the production cycle is like. How long does it take to make changes, if necessary? What types of raw materials are used, possible alternatives. In general, everything important in the production process should be described here. There is nothing universal, because... in each case it is different. If any know-how is used, they should also be indicated here, numbers of certificates, patents, etc.
8. Consumers. Who buys your products? Who consumes it? What inner feelings should we appeal to? It is necessary to distinguish between consumers and buyers (for example, parents buy toys and children play, airplanes are bought by airlines, and passengers fly). It is extremely important to build a portrait of the average consumer by segmenting the market. If this is B2B, then similarly segment the market by consumer companies. Please note that there are very few products that EVERYONE consumes! Even bread and medicines can be segmented (although classically these are goods for everyone without exception. Now you can add mobile connection cities).
As a result, we not only get a portrait potential buyer, but also their share in the total number of people. Thus, we evaluate the entire market, and also calculate our share for which we are claiming. From here it is easy to determine expected income...
9. Legal aspects. Many types of activities require careful and detailed study: necessary certificates, permits, excise taxes. What jurisdiction does the type of activity fall under, what difficulties may there be, etc. This section of the business plan describes in detail all the difficulties and their solutions. Laws and other regulations that are necessary for the successful functioning of the company.
10. Marketing and advertising. At first I wanted to write that this is one of the most important chapters, but I thought that it would be biased, because... other sections are just as important (consumers, competitors, finance). But still, if in some types of activities the Legal and Production sections can be omitted, marketing should be everywhere. Should be indicated marketing strategy for a year, three and five. What goals are set, what ways should they be achieved.
We should not forget about advertising. What, where, how to advertise (knowing our target audience, this is not difficult to do). Sometimes, advertising is included in a separate paragraph of the business plan, especially if the company is large and has solid budgets and detailed elaboration. If you plan to cooperate with advertising agency– again, describe why with it, what it will give, what selection criteria are, are there any alternatives.
Everything is certainly done with forecasts of efficiency, sales volumes, market shares and, of course, costs for these events.
11. Organizational plan. If the company is quite large, then managing it is not at all easy. That is why an organizational plan is highlighted, where all relationships are schematically and descriptively displayed: between departments, between divisions/branches, between individual key employees. Control points, areas of responsibility, etc. are outlined. There should be no “white spots”, i.e. a process or issue for which no one is responsible (or, conversely, several people with equal authority are responsible).
12. Finance. The most difficult part and the most loved by investors. This section brings together all income and expenses, as well as sums up the financial result. Often, instead of a finance section, separate items are made: Expenses, Income, Financial results. Sometimes this is justified. But this does not change the essence. By and large, all the data is already there: we take income from marketing and descriptions of consumers, as well as the price of the product; expenses - we sum up the costs of production from the production process, raw materials, advertising costs, wages... In other words, this is just a total. BUT. Investors (or banks, for example when receiving a loan), looking ONLY at this section. Therefore, it should be worked out as much as possible, and after reading it, it should be clear what the company does, its turnover, income and profit.
What must be there? Necessary investments by month, break-even point, return on investment (ROI), as well as full return of all invested funds.
If this is some kind of investment project, then, of course, you need to compare alternatives, investment options in stocks/bonds. But, in general, financial and investment projects have a slightly different approach.
13. Possible risks. There are simply no risk-free operations/enterprises, and what we need to strive for is their minimization. In the last chapter, a SWOT analysis of the company is usually done, you can also PEST, or without a title, you can simply describe what can happen and how to deal with it. You can insure yourself against some risks, avoid others, and reduce the possible negative effect as much as possible from others. But for this, of course, these risks should be studied and classified. In general, many people believe that this is a purely symbolic point, but this is not so. Some little thing can undermine your entire business (for example, a change in tax laws, the entry of a new competitor, a ban on your products, a change in pricing policy supplier and much more). You must be prepared for such changes and have backup moves.
Applications. The appendices contain tables, graphs, specifications– everything that is not included in the main business plan, but is necessary for detailed study(for example, in the finance section there can only be final figures, and full tables of 2-3 spreads are included in the appendix).
This is approximately the structure of any normal business plan. Some sections may not exist under certain conditions, or vice versa, some will be added. The essence of the plan itself is that you really need to work according to it, and a person unfamiliar with your industry, for example a potential investor, having read this document had a more or less complete understanding of your business model.
I would also like to note that the business plan contains a lot of commercial information, therefore it is a secret document to which very few people have access. Usually printed in two or three copies, each of which is signed. Some are kept at general director, others are workers. Sometimes, a separate one is made for the founder.
That's all I wanted to write about the structure of a business plan.

Today, small business is a common phenomenon in the economies of various countries, including Russia. It can be represented either by a small private enterprise, that is, a legal entity, or an individual in IP format. Small businesses are represented in the field of sales and services.

Note that small businesses in Russia include organizations in which the number of workers does not exceed 100 people in the field of construction and industry, 30 people in retail trade, V agriculture and scientific and technical enterprises this figure reaches 60 people. In Europe and the USA, this figure is much higher and amounts to 300 and 500 people, respectively.

The importance of small business for the economy of any country is very great, especially for states where high level unemployment. Due to it, new jobs are created, and the needs of consumers for many services and goods are satisfied. In this regard, the state is pursuing an active policy in supporting small businesses. For his successful creation, development and existence is necessary effective plan taking into account all possible scenarios.

Business plan for initial stage starting your own business helps to finalize the idea and ways of implementing the business, as well as determine the amount of investment. The main goal of any business plan is to describe all stages of business implementation, calculate the necessary costs, determine its elements, determine the time for the business to make a profit, calculate the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the risks and advantages of your own business.

Let us note that such an important matter as drawing up a strategy for the development of their own business is also carried out by large companies that have worked for more than one year. They have special departments involved in planning the further promotion of the business and keeping it afloat.

When starting your own business, you can create a strategy for developing your business yourself based on the templates and tips that will be given below. In this article we will tell you how to write a business plan with step-by-step instructions.

When writing a business plan, we must take into account and describe the following main points:

goals for starting your own business;
competitiveness in the market;
managerial potential (in other words, the amount of work that a manager and his subordinates can handle);
model flexibility;
degree of exposure to external factors;
financial component, as well as final results.

Registration of a business plan

A business plan can be in the form of an official document with a cover, written on a piece of paper by hand, or presented in electronic format. The structure of the business plan and the content of its main sections, including points that in some cases may be omitted:

title page (not always used);
a brief description of the project as a whole (summary);
main ideas of the project;
analysis of the sector and market in general, SWOT analysis, target audience;
project implementation plan;
profitability of the business idea;
necessary regulatory framework;
applications.

Title page

A project title page is a cover page that outlines the important elements of a business idea. These include: the name and author of the project (business), the year and place of creation of the project, you can also indicate its initial cost, that is, investments.

Summary

The summary in a business plan is a brief description of the business as a whole, which is compiled so that it interests potential investors and partners.

First, you need to describe the rationale for the relevance and demand of the proposed service or product. To do this, it is necessary to conduct a market analysis in this area. Determine the target audience to which your business will operate. To do this, it is necessary to pay attention to the business idea itself, its relevance, degree of prevalence, as well as the income generated. The second important point is a description of the factors influencing the viability of the business, its income and implementation according to plan. We pay special attention to describing the ideas, goals and objectives of the project.

Read also: How to open an account for legal entity at VTB 24

Key Ideas

The next paragraph must be devoted to the complete and detailed description ideas for the business itself. When compiling it, it is necessary not only to describe the basis, but to think through possible options and ways to expand the existing supply. For example, expanding the product line or modifying it, expanding the range of services. Careful, competent and thoughtful writing of the previous paragraphs will allow you to draw up a plan for the implementation of the main activities and stages of running a business and its functioning.

Before putting forward an idea for its subsequent implementation, it is necessary to carry out qualitative analysis market of goods and services. This will help you identify an empty and underdeveloped segment of proposals. After forming the idea, it is necessary to study the profile area in more detail in order to determine possible ways of business development, the target audience, that is, the consumer. It is necessary to indicate the following data: general, brief information about the industry, its main economic indicators, prospects and dynamics of development; A description of competitors and their financial indicators and market conditions is important.

Sector and market analysis in general, SWOT analysis, target audience

At the same time, it is necessary to determine the strengths and advantages of your project, opportunities, describe risks, threats - in other words, perform a SWOT analysis of the idea. For convenience, a table is compiled. For each risk, an action plan must be drawn up to overcome it or alternative options actions.

It is necessary to pay special attention to the description of the target audience of consumers - to create a portrait of it. It includes information about gender, age and social group, about the values and motives that will motivate people to use your service or purchase a product. This work will identify ways to increase interest and consumption of your products and services among your existing target audience, as well as attract new groups. In the same paragraph, you need to describe the most profitable and cost-effective ways to sell your product or service. This point of your business plan is an important and integral part of it, so you must approach its writing responsibly.

Project Implementation Plan

When drawing up an action plan, it is not recommended to indicate exact dates and times for completion of a particular action. Here it is also necessary to remember the existence various types plans that perform certain functions and include their specific functions. The first of these is strategic and marketing plan. It includes drawing up a table of activities with approximate time periods and the necessary funds and resources, as well as the construction of a strategy close to it (tasks and methods for their implementation). Here the principles of pricing for a product or service, their distribution channels are determined, and advertising tactics are developed.

Profitability of a business idea

Based on the previous plan, a financial plan is drawn up, which includes all items of income and expenses for the entire period of work, including salary accounting. If you are not confident in the correctness of its preparation, then it is better to entrust this function to a professional. The next step will be writing production plan. This is a description of the entire process of creating a product, from choosing a supplier and receiving raw materials, to manufacturing the product and its sale. It is imperative to write down an administrative plan, which includes defining the responsibilities of each work unit, the level of wages, as well as measures to optimize the work of employees. For example, participation in competitions, advanced training.

Profitability is an indicator of business performance.

When calculating it, all available resources are taken into account that can and should be used at the initial stage of creating a business, as well as throughout its development. Here we are talking about initial capital, as well as possible investment injections. This calculation allows us to determine the time to reach the break-even point and transition to profit. If the forecast is made for a long period, it is important to take into account the possible growth of the wage fund, the level of inflation, as well as possible costs for updating equipment and rising prices for materials.

A cheat sheet for dummies on how to write a business plan.

A serious project must begin by writing a competent business plan. This is a document that describes the main points of future activities, expected risks, financial indicators and much more.

Writing a business plan from scratch is often left to third-party firms. This entails a number of disadvantages:

unnecessary costs - drawing up a document costs at least 50,000 rubles;
consultants create it using standard tracing paper, without delving into individual characteristics things are understandable only “from the inside”;
If a document is written in dry language, it will not attract the attention of investors.

It is up to current or future project leaders to do the work. They see the intricacies of the matter and will take responsibility for implementation.

If you figure out how to write a business plan, you will not only be able to forecast the future entrepreneurial activity, but also strengthen faith in the success of the business.

How to write a competent business plan?

If a business plan is written correctly, it will accomplish three tasks:

outlines the procedure for the entrepreneur;
helps to assess development prospects;

The document should answer the questions: what is the value of the project described, who is the future competitor, what risks lie in wait?

To avoid missing details, it is worth writing the document following a standard structure.

The most important point, which must be revealed in detail, is financial side question. You need to write down future income and expenses, and supplement with information about the starting capital.

P.S. As for income, it is important to write in the document not only the amount of profit, but also when the amount will begin to arrive in the account. This point is especially relevant when writing a business plan for the purpose of lending.

Section with financial indicators(for an existing company) or a reliable forecast for a future one is included in the text or formatted as an appendix. Use more numbers and graphs.

Choosing a plan type

There are several types of business plans in Russia:

Business plan of the company.
The most popular and widespread type. To write a document, use a standard outline. Needed by entrepreneurs for market and financial analysis.
Loan document.
Used to justify obtaining a loan from a bank. Answers questions: where will the money go, how soon will the debt be repaid?
Investment plan.
Used for presentation to investors. Contains detailed case characteristics and research data on the market niche and target audience.
Grant document.
Used to receive development assistance from the government. Display the benefits of future activities for the region or the entire country.

Structure of writing a business plan

The plan looks like a complex document. In fact, it is clearly structured. To write a business plan yourself from scratch, you need to follow every point.

The history of the company's existence is described in stages: from the moment of creation to gaining stability. The text needs to be written business language, but lively and exciting enough to make a potential investor want to study it completely.

Any type of activity has its own characteristics, so a standard tracing paper of a document exists to build on it, adjusting it to your own needs.

How to write a business plan point by point?

This part is called the “introduction” to the business plan or “abstract.”

It briefly reveals the essence of the project and consists of 5-7 sentences. It may seem that this part is not as important as the others. However, the more interesting the section is written, the greater the chance of captivating the reader.

Goals and objectives.

Here the entrepreneur must write what and how he wants to achieve. Unlike a summary, this part of the document is disclosed in detail, but without “water”.

Write in the business plan the address of the location, work schedule, characteristics of the building that is being purchased or rented.

Staff.

The plan must include a section on the future staff. You need to write a list of positions, job responsibilities, a payroll calculation table is made.

There should also be information about the schedule for going to work.

If you plan to increase your salary in the future, arrange refresher courses, or provide door-to-door delivery for those who work late, indicate this.

Financial part.

income and expenses;
unexpected expenses;
movement of finances;
taxation system;
form of receiving money;
types of contracts for future partners.

If it seems to you that you cannot write this part of the document from scratch yourself, delegate the financial section of the business plan to professionals.

The best option for formatting data for a business plan is graphs, tables and charts. Visual information is absorbed better and easier. All these figures must be supported by calculations.

Marketing.

This section of the business plan includes the following subparagraphs: an analysis of the state of affairs on the market, the presence or absence of a niche for the company, a description of competitors and advantages that will allow them to be overcome, and a potential target audience.
Based on this data, you need to write a conclusion in the document about the most suitable advertising techniques to be used.

Production.

This point of the business plan is necessary if a manufacturing business is planned.

In this case, in the section you need to indicate all the details of the production from scratch to finish (from ordering raw materials to shipping the goods to points of sale). Everything is illuminated here important points: technology, need for equipment, know-how. Taking into account every detail will help avoid problems when implementing the plan.

If you are not going to produce products, but to make wholesale purchases for further sale, indicate in the document the suppliers, delivery method, and place for storing the goods.

Risk analysis.

the main objective

It is important for any person who has a large amount of money sufficient to finance a project to invest it in a reliable company. To confirm the seriousness of your intentions, you must write everything possible risks for the enterprise. These may include:

falling demand levels;
decrease in sales level;
deterioration of the economic situation in the country;
failure to deliver raw materials or send products to customers on time;
emergency circumstances (war, fire, volcanic eruption).

Problems must not only be listed in the document, but also solutions must be written in a given situation. This will not only emphasize your level of responsibility, but will also instill confidence in you. own strength. In case of emergency, you will not panic, but will use the ready-made instructions from the business plan.

At the end of the business plan, the results are summed up.

They include data on the amount invested, a profit growth chart and the payback period for the project. All words must be supported by specific figures, calculations and graphs.

Traditionally, calculations for a business plan need to be written for 3-4 years.

However, in the conditions of our unstable economy, it makes sense to take a term of no more than 1-2 years. Moreover, for the first year it is necessary to break it down by month. And from the second you can reduce it to a quarterly plan.

Don't pour water.

For good business plan brevity is necessary, but at the same time disclosure of all necessary aspects. It is enough to write 40-70 pages of a business plan.

Allowed to issue additional materials in a separate document attachment.

Don't try to turn it into War and Peace. Having details and covering the topic fully is good. But only if dry facts are used, and not “water”. Leave artistic expressions for personal correspondence.

There is no need to write in the business plan the phrases “a product without analogues” or “there is no competition.”

The service market is huge and rapidly developing. Due to long-term planning, no one can guarantee that a product similar to yours will not appear in the near future. Even if at first glance it seems that you are a monopolist, tomorrow the situation may change.

Accurately analyze the market for prospects and potential customers.

The data in the business plan must be written in specific numbers. If you can't do this, it means you don't understand the situation well.

Try to adhere to the standard document structure outlined above.

The text of the business plan must be literate, understandable and “alive”.
Your goal is to interest the investor and make them read to the end.
Avoid strong emotional assessments in your business plan.
To make it convincing and realistic, you need to use only numbers and reliable facts.
To find an approach to future investors, study their activities: the history of projects, work with other entrepreneurs.
Before you start drawing up a business plan, be sure to study ready-made examples.
Even if your activity is unique in its kind, find the closest analogues. This will help you better understand the structure and style of writing. But the calculations must be unique and based only on your specific indicators.
All calculations for a business plan must be written as accurately as possible.
Of course, it is simply impossible to correctly indicate the amount of future profit down to the penny. In this case, an analysis of the sales of your closest competitors and information about the average cost of your most popular services are provided.

Detailed methodology for writing a competent business plan

presented in this video:

« How to write a business plan? - this is only the first question that a future businessman must answer.

The finished document should not be left to gather dust on a shelf. It is not enough to simply write a development course from scratch until you reach break-even. You need to constantly return to it: analyze successes, correct mistakes, fill in gaps...

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