You have heard this one million times: you must have a business plan to succeed. It is a warning in the world of small businesses. A corporate plan defines precisely your business, identifies your goals and serves as a resume of your business.
But more than that, your business plan should have a way to track progress and identify tactical steps that your plan is more than paper words, it’s actually a document that is part of your Life and breathing activity.
Of course, this may seem a boring exercise to define the company in which you are. But in reality, many owners have been distorted because they have never answered this question. Or, they never knew absolutely why they should or how to develop a business plan.
Let’s start with the basics. A business plan is a three-purpose basic tool: communication, management and planning. As a communication tool, it is used to attract investment capital, secure loans, convince workers to associate with attracting strategic trading partners. A complete business plan indicates whether or not a company can be a profit. This requires honest look at almost all the phases of the company and allows you to show that you have developed all the problems and that you have decided on potential alternatives before starting your business.
As a management tool, the business plan helps you follow, monitor and evaluate your progress. The business plan is a living document that you edit when you get knowledge and experience. By using your business plan to establish calendars and milestones, you can track your progress and compare your projections to real achievements.
As a planning tool, the business plan guides you through the different phases of your business. A reflected plan will help identify obstacles in order to avoid them and establish alternatives. Many corporate owners share their business plans with their employees to cultivate a broader understanding of the situation.
The three objectives are important, but are particularly sure to remind you of the aspect of management and planning. This ensures that you are actively participating in running your business plan and track the goals you have set out to reach.
By focusing on: the useful business plan
To be a really usable tool, a business plan should be a professional activity. Senior success, culture companies should maintain a current business plan. It does not need to be fantasy, complicated or difficult, it must simply be clear and manageable.
Remember that your goals are to show your expertise in your business, to “sell” your business to potential customers (such as investors and employees) and to design a management tool that works for you.
Each prosperous business plan should include something about each of the following areas:
1. Summary
2. Market Analysis
3. Description of the company
4. Organization and management
5. Marketing and sales management
6. Products and services
7. Finance
8. Annex
A strong business plan is just a few paragraphs on what you want your business to be, it’s a step-by-step plan to find out how to get there. Start by brainstorming and recording everything you know for each of these areas of your business. Then identify where you need more information to complete the sections.
Finally, include a checklist or table at the end of each section that highlights the main components of the section and allows you to track the way you perform in each zone. Commit yourself to review the monthly plan – either alone or with other management employees – to monitor your progress.