Will You Repeat Your Programming As Temporary Caretakers on The Land, Building Your Temporary Dream Life, Or Will You Instead Create Something On Your Land For Eternity?

Faster Better Business Plan Guide

A Business Plan is a living document, meaning that it grows over time and changes as conditions call for change.

Use the following outline to assemble the initial information and documentation for your Business Plan. Each of the 14 major sections from the outline below can be a one page presentation with details on pages behind the section header page. The First Page(s), Executive Summary is essentially the summary of the entire Plan (Except budget pages).

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - One to Three pages

a.  In a paragraph or two, summarize the information from each of the major headings in your Business Plan.

b.  Narrative style is typically used for this opening document.

c.  Write this document first, as a guide for your Plan, then adjust it as you compile the details of the rest of the business plan outline.

d.  You will use the executive summary in its various stages of completion for presentations and interviews you will need to have in order to collect the rest of the information you need as you complete your plan.

2.  VISION OR MISSION: Why do this at all instead of doing what you are already doing?

a.  Exactly Why & how you came to be doing this or wanting to be doing this?
b.  Your qualifications for your role in this business.

3.  JUSTIFICATION FOR YOUR BUSINESS.

a.  What is the problem that you are the solution for?
b.  Who has the problem?

4.  THE MARKET AND WHAT THEY WANT.

a.  Start with the need the market believes it has (not what you believe the market needs).
b.  Know your customer first and develop a plan to give them what they want.

i.  Have you caught the customer needing you? Go watch people needing your product and getting ready to buy your product and watch what they do.
ii.  What are they already buying and why? Ask them, "Was there something you were looking for that you would rather have bought if you could find it?"
iii.  Do Store intercepts and interview customers.
iv.  Detail what’s up with your customer throughout the need and decision cycle. What else has their attention?

c.  Include information from the experts between production and end user.
d.  Don’t just trust statistics and internet research – test!!

5.  THE MARKET OVERVIEW

a.  What’s at stake for the customer if they don’t solve the problem you are solving?The more strongly they need the solution the less advertising you’ll need. If they need it badly enough they’ll come looking for you.

b.  How big is the market for this solution? How many can you sell? How many dollars will that translate to? Don’t over promise in writing your plan

c.  Where is your market?

i.  If you are part of a Kin’s domain village and plan to start a business in a local small town or community and expect that community to support you, can they afford to do that (for you and all the other kin’s domain village businesses)?

ii.  How can you expand your market to bring in other non local streams of income?

d.  How will your product or service either fit existing market segments, or create new ones?
e.  What distinctions does the customer make about the product.
f.  Creating your own segment or niche is a really strong position.

i.  Where do you fit in the market segment?
ii.  Where is your competition NOT?

g.  Read "The Blue Ocean Market" for information about carving out a market niche.
h.  What are the market risks?
i.  Photographs charts & graphs to support your plan.
j.  List the key risks in this market - to keep your investors informed.

6.  THE COMPANY

a.  Do a SWOT Analysis. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.)
b.  Ask advisors etc. for their input about each of the four areas.
c.  Have other people brainstorm with about where you are good and where you are not?
d.  When complete you will be clear about what is your core competency? Strengths? Weaknesses? Opportunities? Threats?
e.  What have you learned from the SWOT analysis?

7.  KEY PEOPLE IN THE COMPANY. This is one of the main reasons for giving money to a business - qualified people in key roles.

a.  Who are they and why are they there?
b.  People who will be active in the biz and be involved. Include consultants and expert advisors.
c.  What active role will they play? Make distinction between active and passive roles
d.  Write out the Three R’s for each principal - define roles, responsibilities and rewards.
e.  Who is your Business Stategist & Planner?
f.  Who is in charge of the money? Second most critical question of investors. They care more about who you are and who will handle money than in your product.
g.  Start with Key principals and money manager before presenting your product/service.
h. What kinds of reports will produced? and when? By whom?
i.   How often will you meet with your key principals and advisors?
j.  Who are your banking connections, tax advisors, etc.?

8.  PARTNERSHIPS AND ALLIANCES

a.  Who do you already have as business partners or alliances? (Not personnel)
b.  Companies or anything that would give you a strategic alliance or advantage in creating a successful business.
c.  Distribution relationship or commitment?
d.  Retailer/manufacturer/letters of interest or testimonials?
e.  Who do you expect to be able to get in the future?
f.  Possibility for growth or collaborations with larger companies?

9.  MARKETING AND SALES

a.  How will your customer find out about you? How will you reach your customers?

i.  Will a lot of advertizing be needed or will it be visible to the customer in another way?
ii.  Can your idea generate spontaneous buzz? Referral marketing

b.  Distribution plan and methods?
c.  Who will sell the product or service?

i.  Look for distributors with existing relationships with purveyors.
ii.  Interview sales people who have experience selling your type of product.

10.  COMPETITION - Investors are very interested in your competition.

a.  What makes it difficult or impossible for competitors to copy you?

i.  Patents, copyrights, flexibility over large companies, strong distribution and sales network available?
ii.  A previously established following?
iii.  Niched product that makes competition irrelevant?
iv.  Consider creating a plan that includes celebretizing you or your group (village). Then competitors won’t have YOU.

b.  What tactical advantage do you have over competitors?

i.  Find or create Tangible things such as End Isle stack of product creating visibility to large groups of people or repeated visibility.
ii.  celebrity use or endorsement?
iii.  Links or recommendations from market leaders?
iv.  Books, magazines, interviews, methods, processes, etc. Adds greatly to your value and tactical advantage.

c.  Who are your current key competitors both now and in the future?

i.  What will competitors response be?
ii.  Do you have any potential of alliance with competitors? Can they be sustained if someone enters the market against you?

11.  TRADE MARKS, SERVICE MARKS, AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

a.  What is your capacity to generate new trademarks, service marks and any Legal forms of Intellectual Property Protection?
b.  Do you already have intellectual property protection or do you plan to?

12.  EXIT STRATEGY

a.  How and when will the investors get their profit and their money back?

i.  Pay back with interest within a specified period of time?
ii.  Equity position getting percentage of profits?

b.  How and when will you plan to retire from your business activities?

i.  Sale of business?
ii.  Go public?
iii.  Buy out by another company?
iv.  Simply Close doors?

13.  START UP AND OPERATING BUDGET

a.  Legal costs for start-up
b.  starting equipment
c.  startup supplies
d.  monthly operating supplies
d.  rents per month
e.  How long salaries will be covered by start-up funds
f.   expected monthly taxes, fees
g.  professional fees for start-up
h.  projected weekly or monthly wages, workman's comp, matching SS, etc.
i.  initial and ongoing marketing expenses
j.  monthly operating expenses - list each separately (utilities, office, maintenance, etc.)
k.  projections for monthly expenses and profit growth.

14.   SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR STARTUP AND ONGOING OPERATIONS