Business Plan Outline

A typical business plan should include the following sections. Some of the information will
have already been captured during the creation of your business idea, business
outline/proposal preparation and business model considerations.
5
1. Executive Summary:
In this section, you should provide an overview of the most important selling points of your
business idea. Keep it succinct and to the point: a good way to think about it is that this may be
the only part of the whole plan that gets read, so it should sell your business.
10
2. Company Description:
Describe your business idea in this section. Elaborate on what industry and what
products/services your business will provide Include the legal form of your business entity: sole
proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc.; the business hours and the seasonability of the
15 business, if appropriate. You may also include the location of your planned business. Sometimes
location of the business may be the key to its success.

3. Strategic Plan:
In this section, detail the vision, mission and values and strategies you will follow to attain your
20 business goals. Go over what you want to do, where you want to go and how you will get there.
Produce measurable and observable strategic goals
.
4. Market Analysis:
Describe the results of your market analysis. Explain the industry that you are selling into.
25 Include target markets and descriptions of any specific customers. Explain your marketing
strategies and plans, including how you will deliver your goods or services to your target market.
Explain your pricing strategies.

5. Competitive Analysis:
30 You will need to explain who your competitors are and how you can gain a competitive
advantage. Explain your competition and compare your business idea to them.

6. Impact of Technology:
Provide an overview of the technology you will use, if any, and how new developments in
35 technology may or may not affect your business.

7. Business Operations:
In this section, explain how you will conduct your business. Focus on what makes you better
than the competition as far as operations.
40
8. Management and Ownership:
This is where you should outline the key personnel that will be part of your business. Explain
their skills, education and what they bring
to the company.
45 9. Organization and Personnel:
Provide an explanation of your personnel needs in this section. State how many employees you
will need, how much you will pay them and how they will be paid. Also explain the personnel
organizational
 10. Capital and Usage:
In this section, you must detail what capital you will need, if only for start‐up or for operations,
for how long and re‐payment strategies. Start with how much you will need to start followed by
5 a realistic projection of needs. Include all sources as well as the applications of cash within the
enterprise, highlighting how that cash will be utilised.

11. Financial Information:

In this section you make projections for future gains and losses. You should list them quarterly
10 until the business breaks even then annual reports are fine, if you are submitting a plan for a few
years. Make sure you include the following items in this section:
 Recording: State how you plan to carry out the systematic recording of the
enterprise’s income and expenditures, assets, liabilities and owner’s equity, in
order to determine its financial performance and financial position.
15  Breakeven analysis: the volume of sales sufficient to cover all fixed and
variable costs. It is the point where revenues equal costs.
 Capital Equipment list: A statement that includes the details of the
required operating equipment and its corresponding dollar value.
 Cash Flow Statements: Show the inflow of dollar from receipts into the
20 business, and the outflow in the form of expenditures made by the business.
Use your estimated figures for revenue and expenditures.
If your funding options include a request for funding that will span over the course
of a couple of year of operation, then you may want to include more in depth
financial information, based on realistic projections, such as:
25  Balance Sheet: It shows at a point in time the firm's position with regards to
assets, liabilities and net worth, or owners’ equities.
 Income Statement (Statement of Financial Performance): It shows all
the revenues and expenses over a specific time period, which result in the
profit or loss from those transactions and cash flow statements.
30 12. Appendices:
Make sure you include all documents you used to substantiate your
business idea here. Include resumes, references, SWOT analysis, competitive
analysis, copies of studies done or anything else to back up information in the
busi