How to Write a Business Plan (Creating Success)

Contents......Page 5
Introduction......Page 9
The structure of the plan......Page 23
Using appendices......Page 26
Summary......Page 28
The business......Page 32
The markets......Page 33
Supply......Page 34
How did you get here?......Page 35
Overview......Page 37
Market structure......Page 38
Competitors......Page 39
Distribution......Page 40
Trends......Page 43
Competitive advantage......Page 44
Market segmentation......Page 45
Differentiation......Page 46
Barriers to entry......Page 47
New technologies......Page 48
Mixed strategies......Page 49
Operations......Page 50
Processes......Page 51
Control......Page 52
Experience......Page 53
Systems......Page 54
Location and environment......Page 55
Regulatory control......Page 56
Management......Page 57
The essential difference......Page 61
What skills are required?......Page 62
Organisation structure......Page 63
Demonstrating control......Page 64
The proposition......Page 69
Why will you succeed?......Page 71
Ask for what you want!......Page 72
What have you invested?......Page 73
Closing the deal......Page 74
The exit......Page 75
The sales forecast......Page 76
The five-year forecast......Page 78
Reviewing the plan......Page 80
Sensitivity......Page 81
Key assumptions......Page 83
Explain important points......Page 86
Financial information......Page 88
Profit and loss account......Page 89
Cash forecast......Page 92
Sensitivity......Page 93
Funding......Page 94
Timing......Page 95
Balance sheet......Page 97
Some important terms......Page 99
Risks......Page 101
Confidentiality......Page 104
Selling your business......Page 108
Don’t waste time illustrating that sudden upturn in business expected imminently......Page 109
Do you include a forecast?......Page 110
Holding back information......Page 111
How to use plans to help run organisations......Page 113
Planning is not budgeting!!......Page 118
Non-traditional plans......Page 120
The corporate vision: soft data and hard data......Page 121
Creating strategy......Page 124
Conduct action-oriented planning......Page 126
Where are you starting from?......Page 129
Involving staff – building the team......Page 133
Tips for producing and using the internal plan......Page 134
The dead hand of corporate politics......Page 138
Using business plans for bidding......Page 142
The confidentiality letter......Page 146
Reconciling profit and cash flow......Page 148
Glossary......Page 151