Business 
 Loans

Useful info...

business plan.

I once thought a business plan was only for tempting money from a bank or investor. I now realise how valuable it is for my own use to measure progress and so I update it quarterly.

There are many good sites and software (listed around this page) that will help in designing a plan, but you may need to combine parts of many templates to suit your situation.

A typical format is:-

1. A summary or overview of the company. Keep it short.
2. A description of who you are, what you sell and to whom.
3. Your sales and marketing policy.
4. Your management team and personnel - credentials;
    numbers of employees (present and future).
5. Your operations - premises, production facilities, systems,
    Information Technology..
6. Financial forecasts - puts numbers to everything you
    have written in the previous sections.

Apart from internal use, a business plan may be requested by:-

* banks
* external investors - whether a friend or a firm.
* grant providers
* anyone interested in buying your business.

The summary is often the only section read by busy financiers, so compose it last when you have all the facts. Be precise and to the point. Keep clear of 'trade jargon'. Avoid hype. Double check your spelling and grammar.
Ask a friend to read it through to check they can understand it.
Make a smart front page, (laminated front and back page? - clear gloss covers?) and have your Business Plan comb bound.

To give you ideas on presentation, look at finished business plans on line. Some examples are here ...

For help on the mathematics of finding your list price marked up from your cost price to enable a commission structure for your sales force, 30 day pay discount, etc. - go here...
and also the maths required to find the gross price before tax when given a price including tax - go here...