Elements of a Complete Business Plan

Business Plan Outline

1. Executive Summary
   • Clear, exciting, and effective as stand-alone overview of the plan.
2. Company Overview
   • Business purpose, history, genesis of concept, current status, overall strategy and objectives.
3. Products and Services
   • Description, features and benefits, pricing, current stage of development, proprietary position.
4. Industry and Market Analysis
   • Analysis of industry and marketplace in which company will compete. Competitor analysis should be significant.
5. Marketing Strategy
   • Strategy for addressing the needs of the marketplace with product/service.
6. Development
   • Ramp-up of business, steps needed to get the business up and running. Risk factors should be addressed.
7. Operations
   • Plan for production and delivery of product or services, product cost, margins, operating complexity, resources required. Also, describe any regulatory violations, challenges, environmental problems, i.e. the ‘bad news’ too.
8. Management
   • Background of key individuals, ability to execute strategy, personnel needs, organizational structure, who will execute plan.
9. Summary of Financial’s
   • Summary of financial reports included in appendices, consistent with plan, effective in capturing anticipated financial performance.
10. Offering
    • Proposal / terms to investors (indicate how much you want), the ROI, structure of the deal, possible exit strategies.
11. Appendices
    • Any supplementary materials that support your plan.
    • Financial Reports, Balance Sheet, Income Statements, Cash Flow.
    • Assumptions, trends, and comparatives sources and uses of funds.