Business plan writing. Basic principles for preparing a business plan. We do a preliminary analysis

Brief instructions

You have an idea. You want to create your own business. Great. What's next? Next, you need to “put everything in order,” 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 funds to develop the business. 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 plans.

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 your project's strengths and weaknesses, 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 you 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 the potential client, his interests and preferences, you must determine the optimal location of the office, retail outlet, etc. It should be comfortable. Calculate the required number of clients for your business to pay off and compare it with the audience living or working around the intended 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? A 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 receive 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. The costs of future business will depend on many factors: from the cost of threads to the cost of labor.

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 later, when making 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.

Before you start implementing your own business, you need to carefully analyze the competitive environment, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the project, calculate the amount of investment and the payback period. Without preliminary preparation, it is impossible to implement a single business project. In this article we will tell you how to write a business plan, what are the nuances of document preparation, and share 10 tips for effective planning.

A business plan is a step-by-step guide that will allow you to clearly follow your goals without deviating from the main idea.

From idea to implementation

Before you start drawing up a document, it is important to understand why it is needed. This document briefly outlines on paper the essence of business activities and describes the implementation of the idea step by step.

A business plan reflects all aspects of activity and helps plan the sequence of actions necessary for the successful implementation of the company's goals.

The document is drawn up for:

internal use;
external use.

Moreover, these can be completely two different documents, with different calculations of the payback period, investment, etc.

For external use, a plan is drawn up to show the business idea at its best. This information, as a rule, is intended for investors and business partners, which demonstrates the strengths of the project, shows its quick payback with minimal investment.

For internal use, a more detailed and realistic calculation of risks and possible factors is compiled. All the weaknesses of the process are reflected here in detail, which can reduce profits, increase the payback period, etc.

It is this document that will serve as the main tool for business management and suggest in which direction to move further. The main rule that should be followed when writing an internal business plan is the real picture.

If a document for external use can be slightly embellished in order to advantageously demonstrate the strengths of a business idea, then a document for internal use will serve as a kind of step-by-step guide that will indicate the direction and help calculate all possible risks along the path to implementing the idea.

It is better to start drawing up a business plan immediately with a document for internal use, so that during the creation process you can consider production taking into account its weaknesses, analysis of the competitive market, and identification of risks. Most likely, a lot of information will not end up in a document intended for investors and business partners. But this will be a serious help for you in properly organizing your business.

What is the document?

A business plan describes all the features of the future organization of the business, it reflects an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the business idea, describes possible risk factors and problems, and identifies solution options.

A good business plan is the key to success

Competently drawing up a business plan is the key to the successful future of your enterprise.

The development of an internal document will not only help calculate the overall estimate, but will also indicate whether it is necessary to attract investor money. It is important to understand that attracting investors is not always advisable and will have the best impact on the business. Perhaps at the first stage it will be possible to make do with existing capital, and as production develops, think about attracting external investments.

Attracting an investor only at first glance seems to many to be a lifeline that will help launch a project. But sometimes such an investment results in unfavorable terms of cooperation and financial bondage, from which the entrepreneur will not be able to escape for a long time.

On the other hand, significant financial investments from outside in some cases help to take the first step, purchase equipment, rent premises, hire staff, etc. And if, apart from the idea, a novice entrepreneur has no financial resources, then, of course, he cannot do without third-party investments.

How does a business plan help an entrepreneur?

find a sales market;
determine development prospects;
assess the potential market capacity;
act as a tool for attracting investors and business partners;
define short-term and long-term goals;
assess production potential;
calculate production and commercial costs;
reflect the performance of the company.

Rules for a successful business plan

Never deceive yourself! The biggest mistake in business is misrepresenting data at the initial planning stage. Draw a clear line between two documents: for internal and for external use. And, if a business plan for external use can demonstrate mainly the strengths of the idea, then the internal document must fully reflect reality. It is on the basis of this document that you make a decision on the possible implementation of this idea.
A resume is one of the key points of business planning. This point is one of the first in the document, but is compiled last. In this chapter, you clearly outline the essence of the business idea, the purpose and mission of the enterprise. Imagine that you were asked to voice the goal and idea of a business in a nutshell. The resume should answer these questions.
Do long-term planning. When drawing up a document, keep in mind that the payback may take several years; profit does not always come in the first six to twelve months. And this does not mean that the business idea is unsuccessful. This only indicates high resource costs. Ideally, the plan is drawn up for 2-3 years. Only by the end of this period can one determine how profitable it is to engage in production.
Place temporary landmarks in your plan that will serve as kind of beacons indicating whether you are moving in the right direction. This is especially important for long-term planning of a large project, the payback period of which is 3-4 years. This is a very important point that will allow you to feel the course of doing business, not to lose heart and objectively evaluate the results that have already been achieved. When planning long-term, mark the entire implementation period into 6-12 points. Calculate how much income the company should generate in 3 months, in 6, in 12? If you deviate from these points, you will be able to assess the factors influencing the decrease in profits, find solutions and correct the situation.
Realistically assess the weaknesses of a business idea. You should not turn a blind eye to possible risks that could jeopardize your business. In order not to encounter a force majeure situation already in the process of implementing a business, you need to calculate in advance all the pitfalls, calculate the possible consequences and find ways out of the situation in advance.
Stick to a clear plan structure. The document should be concise and understandable. This is important on two counts. Firstly, investors and partners will read it, so you shouldn’t write out a 50-page plan. The optimal length for a successful business plan is 15-20 pages. Present information and figures as clearly as possible. Secondly, do not forget that this is a reference book, a guide to action. Therefore, as you work, it should be easy for you to work with it, add and correct existing information.
If you feel that you cannot draw up a good and competent business plan, attract outside experts. No matter how relevant and attractive your business idea may be from an investment point of view, a poorly drafted document can ruin all your efforts. Starting from searching for investors and presenting the document to them, and ending with a step-by-step strategy towards the implementation of this idea. Therefore, if you feel that you do not have sufficient knowledge in the field of strategic planning, but at the same time clearly understand the purpose and objectives of the future business, turn to professionals.
When drafting a document, do not forget about your competitors. This is the first thing you should pay attention to when calculating profits, payback periods and assessing weaknesses. Carefully study the market in this area and identify about 5 main competitors. At the same time, carefully study their products, services, descriptions and prices. Get realistic about their strengths and your key differentiators. This will help to form the right price segment for your own goods/services, and secondly, it will allow you to assess your weaknesses and chart the right course for implementing your business.
Describe in detail the organization of the work process and who will manage the enterprise.
Do not use a ready-made business plan downloaded from the Internet for your company, even with a suitable type of activity. Each business has its own geographical location, market characteristics and position in a competitive environment. Therefore, it is necessary to create your own plan, which would take into account the specifics of the region and include a thorough analysis and calculation of financial risks.

Today, experts work with several classifications of business plans and mainly distinguish them according to the following criteria:

The type of plan is determined depending on the field of activity for which the project is being developed. It could be:

organizational;
technical;
investment;
social;
economic;
mixed business plan.

A business plan is determined by class depending on the size of the object. It could be:

Depending on the scale of the plan, there are regional, sectoral, state, and national.
According to the project implementation period:

short-term (less than three years);
medium-term (3-5 years);
long-term (more than 5 years).

The nature of the sphere is divided into educational, organizational, research, etc.

As mentioned above, when starting to write a document, you should immediately determine what type of plan is being developed: internal or external.

There is a distinction between an internal production plan, which is written to modernize or expand production, and a marketing plan, the purpose of which is to improve the company’s position in the market, reach the next level, etc.

The internal manufacturing business plan should take into account the following points:

analysis of the technical condition of the enterprise;
the need to modernize production;
development of measures to implement modernization;
information about the resources that should be involved in the modernization program;
risk analysis and solutions.

Outline of a standard business plan

A standard business plan consists of the following chapters:

Summary.
General provisions.
Product Description.
Marketing and strategic plan.
Production plan.
Organizational plan.

When studying the document, investors will pay attention to the following points:

market analysis;
planned volume of sales of goods, its assortment;
description of product packaging;
price policy;
procurement and sales system;
advertising strategy;
control over the implementation of marketing strategy.

Regardless of the scope of activity of the future enterprise and the direction of the business, the document has its own standards that must be relied upon when drawing up a plan.

Justification of economic feasibility.
Analysis of the economic environment in which the business will develop.
Financial results (sales volume, revenue and profit).
Sources of financing.
Task execution schedule.
Attracting personnel.
Economic indicators that allow monitoring intermediate results.

How to write a business plan yourself: detailed step-by-step instructions

Before writing a business plan, prepare a title page.

The following parameters are specified here:

Summary.

This section contains the most important part of the document about the company being created. The goal, short-term and long-term plans for the company’s development, and the specifics of the product or service being created are indicated here.

This paragraph must necessarily contain information about the amount of required investment and an indicator of efficiency.

Despite the overview information, it is the resume that investors and business partners pay attention to first, so when writing this paragraph, be sure to adhere to the principle of conciseness.

General provisions (description of the company + information about the founders of the company)

It describes the main activities of the enterprise, mission, purpose, organizational and legal aspects.

In this chapter you need to provide information about the author of the business idea, the company responsible for its implementation (name, legal address, share in the authorized capital), partners.

This chapter reflects the principles of organizational strategic management of the company.

The organizational part must necessarily contain the following data:

name of the organizational and legal form (individual entrepreneur, JSC, partnership and others);
management system, leadership structure, interrelationship of departments;
founders, their description and data;
management team;
interaction with staff;
supplying the management system with the necessary material and technical resources;
location of the company.

This chapter not only monitors the competitive environment with a detailed analysis and description of the main players in this market. Here the possible risks are calculated.

This chapter evaluates:

target audience of the product;
geographic location of competitors;
market volume;
consumer interests.

When assessing the degree of financial risks, it is advisable to use an analysis scheme where the following data is filled in: name of the threat, essence, options for minimization and financial costs.

If problems arise with conducting market analysis, there are special companies where you can turn to for this service, but experts recommend that the entrepreneur still figure out this issue on his own, since any third-party companies will provide only an objective average result, not fully taking into account the business plans of small businesses and all the nuances of the project author’s business idea.

When drawing up a business plan, you must clearly remember that it must correspond to the tasks and goals of the enterprise and directly provide answers to specific questions.

When carrying out strategic planning, you should conduct a SWOT analysis, which evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the project, development opportunities and threats (risks) that may arise on the way to implementing the idea.

Strengths typically include:

novelty of the product (service);
inexpensive resources (as a result, low cost);
professional team;
creative and high-quality packaging, etc.

The weaknesses of the project include:

low advertising effectiveness;
lack of novelty of the service (product);
lack of warehouse;
low efficient transport logistics;
high cost of goods, etc.

When conducting a comprehensive market analysis, it is necessary to take into account all aspects and factors: political, economic, social, etc.

What threats can influence the low efficiency of business development? These may be strong competitors, customs and government clearance, market instability in this industry.

But potential opportunities include the likelihood of obtaining a new product, changes in legislation, and increased professionalism.

Description of the product or service.

Describes in detail the product, its technical features, the possibilities of using the product (service), the degree of relevance and novelty of this proposal.

The level of readiness for a given product (service) to enter the market is determined.

Marketing and strategic plan.

When compiling this section, it becomes clear how to attract customers and expand sales channels. Here you can calculate in great detail the ways to sell products, ways to attract customers, and in the future this part of the business plan will become a step-by-step guide to action.

In this part it is important to reflect the following aspects:

sales channels;
pricing;
ways and methods of sales promotion;
advertising;
image creation;
technical and post-sales service.

Particular attention should be paid to pricing, which is one of the key factors in the success of a business idea.

Consider the following points:

the price of the product must be higher than its cost;
the market must determine the price itself;
it is the price that will determine the maximum profit margin.

It is a mistake to believe that a cheap price will stimulate successful business development. It must clearly meet the quality of the product, demand and take into account the market analysis that you will conduct in the previous section.

This section must contain information about production costs.

It is necessary to take into account everything that should be included in the cost of the product:

transport services;
taxes;
public utilities;
wage;
raw materials;
rent, etc.

When calculating potential profit, we take the formula:

Profit = income from sales – costs.

If at this stage of planning you do not take into account any part of the costs, it is difficult to talk about the correct calculation of profit and payback period.

When determining product pricing, marketers use several classic schemes:

Scheme No. 1 “Following competitors.” This option is relevant if an entrepreneur enters a market where the capacity of a given product or service is dense. The disadvantage of this behavior is that by focusing on the leader’s company, you lose the ability to control situations. Today the leading company can offer such a price, but tomorrow, having modernized its production, the competitor will reduce prices, and you will not keep up with it and, as a result, will suffer a loss.
Scheme No. 2. "Profit + costs." This method will be effective if there are no competitors in the market as such.
Scheme No. 3. "Cost-marketing". This method combines price formation and analysis of the cost of goods. The price is largely influenced by the cost factor from marketing.

Advice! When writing this section, you must understand that, in principle, you cannot release a product or service to the market that your competitors do not already have. But you can offer the product to the desired category of customers. It is on this concept that most successful business plans are built.

When designing sales channels for a product, you must be guided by the principle of the “Four Hows.”

How to find clients?
How to interest them?
How to sell a product?
How to satisfy the client's needs?

When determining your target audience, you need to consider the following:

gender, age and marital status;
geography of residence;
social status;
income level;
occupation and hobbies.

Advice! Don't overload this part of the plan. As a rule, SWOT analysis and market analysis takes up a very large part of the entire business plan and it becomes difficult for investors and partners to study it. Use graphs and tables for this part of the document.

Production plan.

Don't confuse a production plan with a production process. This section of the document provides answers to specific questions:

production technology;
what capacities will be used;
where the production will be located;
on what conditions and how the raw materials will be purchased;
how control over product quality will be carried out;
who will be involved in performing production tasks.

The main task of this section is to confirm with calculations that the company being created is able to actually produce the required quantity of goods (services) in the required time frame and with the required quality.

This part describes the cost pattern in detail. It is better to use graphs and diagrams to clearly see the entire cost part.

Prepare your estimate as follows:

purchase of fixed assets;
purchasing materials;
rental costs;
utility costs;
expenses for the purchase of auxiliary consumables;
wage fund;
current expenses.

Financial plan and investments.

This part of the plan is one of the most important, and investors will look at it first when getting acquainted with the project (after the summary).

This chapter reflects the real picture of the viability of a business idea.

The section provides for planning expenses and investments for business expansion. The owner needs to develop a sales volume plan and different scenarios, each of which must be calculated:

favorable – with good consumer demand;
unfavorable – when low;
pessimistic.

Here it is necessary to reflect information about the possible costs and income of the project, attach a schedule with the required investments, a schedule with the repayment of these investments, etc.

The final stage of the financial plan is the calculation of business profitability.

Additional chapters of the business plan

In some cases, it is advisable to draw up a Memorandum of Confidentiality. This document is necessary to protect the copyright of the idea and business plan. As a rule, such a document is resorted to when the author submits an innovative business idea.

This document reflects the prohibition on the dissemination of information and copyright protection.

There may also be an instruction prohibiting copying, duplicating the document, or transferring it to another person, or a requirement to return the read business plan to the author if the investor does not accept the agreement.

Remember that a business plan is a kind of advertising business card for your business, so pay great attention to its writing and design.

Divide the chapters according to functionality, do not overdo it with tables and graphs, but at the same time give them a lot of attention.

A plan written in continuous text will also not attract attention and will not allow you to quickly find the sections of interest.

Video. How to write a business plan from scratch

What is better: order a business plan from professionals or write it yourself

Many aspiring entrepreneurs who are just starting out on their own business path begin to panic before developing a business plan.

Considering the key role of this document and the importance of its information, many entrepreneurs order such a document from third-party organizations that provide this service at a professional level.

Is this correct from a business point of view?

On the one hand, a well-drafted business plan is the key to successful business and an effective tool for attracting investors. But on the other hand, having ordered a document from a third-party organization, the entrepreneur does not understand the essence.

As a rule, companies that provide services for writing a business plan work according to a template, and no one will analyze the market and competitive environment as scrupulously and thoroughly, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company, assess possible risks and ways to solve problems, as the owner himself companies.

Often, when turning to an agency for writing such documents, the owner of a business idea receives a Talmud of 100 pages, which reflects the essence of the business in very vague and general phrases, without going into its specifics.

What to do in this situation? You can order purely mathematical and investment calculations from a specialized company that reflect the projected profit, payback, etc.

But it is better for the business owner to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the business idea, a description of possible risks and prospects himself. Only he will be able to do this specifically with reference to the specifics of the company and assess its real potential.

To make it easier for you to develop and write a competent, clear and understandable plan, let's look at the main mistakes that novice entrepreneurs make when drawing up such documents:

Mistake #1. Illiterate syllable. Sometimes even the most promising business idea can die at the inception stage just because of mistakes in the business plan. No investor or partner will accept a document written with grammatical or punctuation errors.

Mistake #2. Careless design. The document should be clear, contain structure, and numbered chapters and pages.

Mistake #3. Incomplete information. We have analyzed a detailed list of all chapters that must necessarily be contained in the document. Incomplete information can distort the meaning of a business idea.

Mistake #4. Too much unnecessary information. Try to concisely and clearly answer the questions posed in the document and do not go into the smallest details, stretching the plan over 100 pages.

Mistake #5. Distorted data. Wanting to attract investors and demonstrate a business idea in a favorable light, many authors provide unrealistic data that is immediately visible. Stick to clear data and calculations.

Mistake #6. No risks. Silence about weaknesses and risks only indicates weak analysis. In fact, there is not a single industry in business where no risk exists.

To make it easier to draw up a plan and clearly reflect all the necessary data in it, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the video instructions.

Video. How to write a business plan

Having a business is a great way to start earning money on your own, but it is impossible to open it without first developing a special project. In this publication you will find the answer to the following questions: what is a business plan, how to draw up this document, are there any nuances of its design.

What is a business project?

A business project describes all the features of the future organization. It analyzes possible problems, identifies options for solving them, and predicts the result. How to draw up a correct business plan is a question asked by people who are planning to attract investors. Competent preparation of the document will guarantee the successful future of your enterprise.

Drawing up a correct business project is not easy even for an experienced entrepreneur, so it is advisable to entrust this work to a team of competent economists. The plan must contain, regardless of the type of activity:

Justification of economic feasibility.
The state of the economic environment in which it is planned to open a business.
Financial results (sales volume, revenue and profit).
Sources of financing.
Task execution schedule.
Appointment of people responsible for the implementation of the business.
Determine indicators that allow you to monitor intermediate results.

Business plan for a small business from scratch: recommendations and samples with calculations

How to write a business plan correctly? We share recommendations, convenient methods, samples and calculations.

Business plan is the document from which implementation should begin. If you do not first calculate expenses and income, do not take into account demand and the presence of already operating competitors, you can waste your budget. In our article you will find a sample business plan with calculations and learn how to prepare it for yourself.

But when the development of a business plan for a small enterprise is needed specifically for investors, guarantors, and creditors, then the document must comply with the requirements of the Federal Small Business Support Fund. You can learn how to draw up a business plan in accordance with these requirements from, and we will look at the brief structure of the plan here.

Structure of a business plan from the Federal Small Business Support Fund:

If you follow all the recommendations of the Federal Fund for Support of Small Business, then it is quite difficult to draw up your own business plan. But there is another way to calculate the prospects of your project - using the SME Business Navigator.

How to write a business plan yourself

If you decide to open such a store, you will need to find the missing amount of 1.7 million rubles. Of course, you can take out a loan, especially since Business Navigator offers you to choose one of the partner banks. However, we must not forget that such interest-bearing borrowed funds increase the cost of the project and extend its payback period. You need to carefully weigh whether this is worth doing.
If you do not want to attract additional funds to the project, especially borrowed funds, then the navigator will prompt you to select the type of business based on the volume of investment. We go to the appropriate tab and see an extensive list of projects that you can start using only your own funds. All that remains is to select several areas that interest you and calculate their payback.

Now you know how to make a business plan with calculations for a small business in a specific situation. On the Internet you will find many more methods for writing and drawing up business plans, samples for different businesses (coffee shop, car service center, beauty salon, etc.). But remember - you need a business plan for your specific business, an individual one, and no one has ever written one for you. This video briefly and succinctly describes how to do this “on the fingers of a milling machine operator”:
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Business plan has many definitions, but in short: This is a step-by-step instruction for bringing any business idea to life. Planning a future business or improving an existing enterprise is not only a basic requirement for investors, creditors and partners, but also a necessity for a businessman.
Drawing up a business plan implies a deep and accurate analysis of all aspects of the future enterprise, and this allows you to turn the idea into specific goals and numbers. And also, a business plan is always an unfinished book, since in the process of changes in economic conditions, the competitive environment, and the investment market, adjustments can always be made to successfully promote the business.

Any business idea can become a successful business if the future entrepreneur clearly understands what he needs to implement his plans. It is the business plan that is the starting point for starting a business, which makes it possible to assess the real state of affairs, study the market and competitors, give an adequate assessment of your capabilities, and think about how to make your business unique, and therefore in demand.

Basic principles for preparing a business plan

So what should must be in the business plan .

1) Project summary. This is a concise description of a business idea, a vision of development and tools to achieve results. The resume should also show what advantages you see in your business compared to other players in the market. In one word, this section should give a brief description of your business idea.

2) Information about the company. Here it is necessary to indicate the name of the enterprise, form of ownership, legal and actual address of the company, and describe the structure of the enterprise.

It is also necessary to describe the goods or services that you are going to market with the production or sale of.

Indicate the main goals of the enterprise.

3) Market analysis. This part involves considering the conditions in which you are going to enter the market - the competitive environment, demand, what price you are going to charge, and what profit you will make over the next three years. It is also necessary to indicate which advantages of your products or services will be especially attractive to consumers.

4) Product. This part should contain a detailed description of the future goods or services that you will offer the consumer. You also need to indicate which target audience your activities will be aimed at, indicate future suppliers, partners, contractors and other contractors with whom you plan to cooperate.

5) Development strategy. This section involves a description of the development tools for the future enterprise - growth rates, advertising, possible expansion.

6) Tools for the operation of the enterprise. This chapter needs to reflect information about what equipment you are going to use, how to package the goods, deliver them, and if these are services, then where you will provide them and by what means.

Also in this section it is worth including information about your team - from management to support workers.

7) Financial analysis. This section is key in a business plan , which should support your idea in numbers. Here it is necessary to analyze and calculate all the costs associated with the organization of the enterprise, its location, maintenance costs, payment of employees, payments to suppliers, etc. You need to take everything into account, right down to buying a pack of paper.

Also in this section, include information about your actions in the event of debt from partners, customers or suppliers. What debt repayment schemes are you going to use, and how can you protect yourself from such situations.

8) Accompanying documents. This is certainly not a section, but an important component of the business plan. It is necessary to attach all documents directly related to the enterprise as a legal entity, lease agreement, resume, job descriptions, etc.

Common mistakes in business plans

Examples of business plans can be viewed endlessly, but a beginner cannot always see the main shortcomings of a business plan. Often, a business idea does not come to fruition because it is absolutely impossible to see the main essence and advantages of the future enterprise in the business plan.

So let's consider main mistakes that inexperienced businessmen make when working on a business plan:

Unnecessary information. Often business plans are written in such a way that behind the description of the professional skills of employees, information about the business itself is lost, or a story about competitors turns into an essay “Who today offers the same products as mine and what a great guy I am, what can I do better (or cheaper) )". In fact, a list of competitors, a few words about the pros and cons of their work, pricing policy and an indication of your advantages in comparison with them is enough.

Unreasonable numbers . As mentioned earlier, financial analysis is decisive for the business plan, so all calculations must be made based on real numbers. Of course, it’s easier and faster to estimate by eye, but if you seriously decide to run your own business, then remember that any business loves accuracy.

In order for an investor to become interested in you, work hard to ensure that everything the numbers in the business plan were reasonable. Keep in mind that investors and creditors go into negotiations prepared, since it is their money that is at stake. And, if there is even a slight uncertainty about the reality of your calculations, you can forget about investing in your business.

Vague information about goals and tools for achieving them . This problem usually arises when there is an idea, but there is no vision for its implementation, or this vision does not have a finished form. Roughly speaking, if the future businessman has not thought everything through.

A business plan must disclose a list of specific goals and ways to implement them, work with the target audience, assessment of its solvency, a clear definition of the place in the market that you plan to occupy, and who exactly will be your main competitor. Indicate what is the basis for such conclusions (analysis, market research, survey, etc.).

Overestimated expected result . Often, when calculating the potential profitability of a future business, entrepreneurs' dreams take precedence over real numbers. You shouldn’t get carried away by what you want, but rather take an honest look at reality. If adequate numbers are taken into account in the financial analysis, then the expected financial result will also have a realistic appearance.

Don't try to impress creditors, partners and investors with profits of 500%. Believe me, they will calculate your result much faster and more accurately in their heads, because their experience and knowledge will be greater than yours. And if the idea presented is worthwhile, even if not profitable from the first day, but promising in the future, it will not be ignored.

Example of a business plan

So let's consider example of a business plan for a cafe " Goodtime ».

Summary .

Name – Cafe “Goodtime”.

Organizational and legal form – Limited Liability Company.

Location – Kyiv

Services provided - Cafe, bar, karaoke, holding festive events, conducting trainings, seminars.

Working hours – 8.00-23.00 without breaks and days off.

Staff – 1 manager, 2 administrators, 1 bartender, 4 waiters, 2 cooks, 1 art director, 1 cleaner, 2 dishwashers.

The required starting capital is UAH 500,000.00.

Expenses per month – 197,000.00 UAH.

The planned return on investment period is 18 months.

Competition is high

Demand is high

Planned income per month – 180,000.00 UAH.

Planned consumption – 120,000.00 UAH.

Planned net profit – 60,000.00 UAH.

Cafe services and goods .

Cafe "Goodtime" will provide the following services:

1) Cafe, bar services.

2) Conducting trainings and seminars.

3) Themed parties.

4) Karaoke services.

5) Providing Wi-Fi for visitors.

6) Separate playroom for children.

Products that the Goodtime cafe will sell:

1) Confectionery products of our own production.

2) Semi-finished products of our own production.

3) Lunch/dinner delivered to your home or to-go.

4) Sale of coffee and tea by weight.

The target audience .

The cafe is aimed at people aged 18-55 with average and above average income. They should be interested in spending time in a cozy atmosphere, with the opportunity to participate in interesting programs and sing karaoke songs. Each client must generate income in the amount of 50-250 UAH.

Also planned consumers of services are small companies that are interested in holding events for small groups of people of 10-30 people.

Marketing methods .

1) Distribution of flyers-invitations to the opening.

Customer Retention Tools .

1) Interesting menu, the ability to prepare dishes to order.

2) Promotions, discounts for regular customers.

3) Holding interesting themed parties.

4) Gifts for regular customers in the form of desserts and drinks.

5) Service at the highest level.

Competitors .

The Goodtime cafe will be opened in the center of the residential area, where there are also 4 cafes of a similar level. But our cafe will have the following advantages:

1) Availability of karaoke;

2) Availability of a children's playroom;

3) Possibility of ordering food at home;

4) Theme evenings.

5) The location of the cafe has convenient access and parking space.

Action plan for opening a cafe .

1) Market analysis.

2) Team selection.

3) Renovation of the premises.

4) Purchase of necessary equipment and supplies for work.

5) Development of the menu and plan for upcoming events.

6) Registration of activities and obtaining all necessary permits.

8) Checking the cafe for functionality.

9) Opening.

The financial analysis .

One-time costs:

Purchase of equipment and inventory – 350,000.00 UAH.
Repair of premises – 150,000.00 UAH.

Total: 500,000.00 UAH.

Recurrent costs:

Rent – 50,000.00 UAH.
Salary – 48,000.00 UAH.
Utility bills, internet – 8,000.00 UAH.
Purchase of products – 70,000.00 UAH.
Taxes and fees – 21,000.00 UAH.

Total: 197,000.00 UAH.

Payback period:

Provided that the cafe will be visited by 50 people per day and the income from each will be 150 UAH, the payback period will occur in 18 months.

50 people *150 UAH*30 days =225,000.00 UAH.

225,000.00 UAH. – 197,000.00 UAH. = 28,000.00 UAH.

500,000.00 UAH/28,000.00 UAH. = 17.86 ≈18 months.

Conclusion

Provided that the idea is implemented correctly and the advertising company, cafe administration and art director work effectively, you can count on profit after the first month of work. Considering that the cafe opens in the fall, high traffic is expected in the next 6-9 months. To retain customers in the summer, it is possible to open a summer area in the future.

So, it is possible to draw up a business plan yourself. A simplified version is given here due to the fact that it concerns production issues. Also, keep in mind that this is just an example, so the numbers shown are very approximate. If you decide to use it as a basis, conduct a thorough analysis of the financial side of the issue yourself.

And yet, if you are not sure about the issue of business planning, then you can always use the services of professionals who will work through your idea well and turn it into quality business plan.

But, the main thing is to persistently move towards your goal and not despair, because mistakes are always possible. The most important thing in business is not that you should not make mistakes, but the ability to quickly navigate the situation and choose the right direction to solve problems.

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