Business plan, sample of creating a business on paper. Step-by-step instruction. Rules for drawing up a business plan for beginners, calculation methods for providing investors with Drawing up a business plan for starting individual entrepreneurs

Many financiers and entrepreneurs wonder how to write a business plan. In our text you will find step-by-step instructions for preparing such documents and 13 samples that can be downloaded for free.

How to write a business plan: preparatory stage

The success of a company is associated with its ability to develop and its readiness to move towards new goals. Like red blood cells, which are formed in the body every second, maintaining the life of the human body, new ideas should fuel the activities of any, even the most conservative organization. In order for these updates to bring profit to the company without negatively affecting its sustainability, you need to seriously prepare for the preparation of the document.

So, where to start writing a business plan? First you need to find and collect the following information:

texts of UNIDO recommendations. There are no uniform standards in Russia, so it is customary to use the standards of UNIDO - the United Nations Industrial Development Organization;
requirements of the Ministry of Economic Development;
requirements of the regional and regional administrations of Russia (in case the project is submitted to these structures for participation in a competition or grants);
requirements of potential investors for the project;
certified software products for drawing up plans, assessing the financial condition of an enterprise, calculating the project budget;
copies of contracts, agreements, licenses, etc.;
copies of documents on which the plan data will be based;
price lists of suppliers;
financial information of the company for several years (calculations of financial indicators);
list of experts who can help before presenting the document to investors.

It is also necessary to form a working group and appoint a leader.

What to check in a business plan to get bank approval

Use the checklist to increase your chances of receiving funding.

Step. 1. Define your business plan goals

First of all, it is necessary to determine the purpose - whether the document will be needed only for internal use, or the circle of potential readers will be wider. For example, will investors consider it for financial projection. It is advisable, in any case, to compose it as if it would be studied by seasoned heads of investment funds or heads of large banks (). If you were them, would you give personal money to this project? How much do you personally need what will become the goal of the project - as a manager, specialist or ordinary person? What is the tangible value of your proposal? Be the strictest reader, only from this point of view it will be possible to see. Then, a list of information sources is compiled and the structure of the document is developed.

Step 2: Gather all the necessary information

In order to understand how to make a business plan from scratch, you will need to collect the necessary information - about the sales market, price forecasts for services / goods, legislation that may affect the company's work, and other accurate data that every from statements and forecasts. Some can be collected independently, from industry media, scientific periodicals, stock exchange news, ready-made marketing research, information about similar projects of other companies. If this information is not enough, you should conduct or order your own marketing research from specialized companies.

When should you draw up a business plan yourself, and when should you turn to professionals?

Expert commentary

Ksenia Shvetsova, business trainer

The higher the significance of the project and the requirements for it, and the larger the amount involved, the higher the likelihood that the company will turn to third-party specialists. If the company has competent employees in management, marketing and financial planning, it is quite possible to cope with the task on its own. If they are not there, it is advisable to order the development of the document from professionals.

Turning to third-party specialists is also relevant when an investment project is drawn up for certain competitions or government programs. Specialized firms have experience in this matter and know the subtleties and nuances that may be unknown to entrepreneurs. If a business plan is being created for internal use, then it is more effective to first write it yourself, and then, if necessary, seek help from professionals.

How to increase your chances of getting your business plan approved by the bank

The project must take into account the main threats that could affect its successful implementation.

Step 3: Develop a Marketing Plan

Now let's look at the main sections of the business plan. The marketing plan is one of the most important sections. First, you need to conduct a marketing study in which to evaluate profitability and payback in different situations, depending and not depending on the company’s activities, including the volume of financial investments. Next, create a marketing plan. It is he who will determine the direction of the development of the project and give an understanding of the most suitable tools and means to achieve the goals. Include the following items:

1. Marketing strategic planning:

Company's mission;
company goals;
competitive advantage of the company;
marketing strategy, its characteristics;

2. Product Description:

product description and assortment;
main product characteristics, performance characteristics;
attractiveness for the client, benefits of using the product;
requirements for consumer properties of the product;
competitive advantages of the product and competitiveness of the product;
patents, licenses, certificates for the product;
product packaging;
delivery conditions;
guarantees and service;
taxation feature.

3. Pricing policy:

factors influencing pricing;

4. Sales of products:

volume and level of development of the industry;
main categories of clients;
target markets and their comparative characteristics;
barriers to entry and development in the market;
product sales strategy;
product distribution scheme;
sales channels;

5. Promotion:

sales promotion methods;
advertising.

6. Schedule planning of the intended strategic plan:

dates for achieving intermediate goals;
date of achievement of the final goal.

7. Detailing of the plan down to specific performers and designated responsible persons. Answers to the questions of who should do what, when, where, with what resources and how it affects the final result.

8. Formation of a marketing budget:

sales volume forecast;
cost forecast;
determining the budget for marketing activities.

Marketing planning will help determine the price level for a product or service - the maximum amount that a buyer is willing to pay for your offer. The more accurate this forecast is, the more stable the profit will be and the more effective promotion costs will be.

It is equally important to correctly identify the choice of suppliers of equipment, tools, services and other things that are necessary in the implementation of the project. Don’t chase cheapness, find even a smaller quantity, but find those companies that do not let you down with supplies and quality. You also need to identify the sales market, potential buyers or service users. No matter how reliable a small number of them may seem, the disappearance of the need for your product will reduce all the effort and cost to zero. Therefore, expand your customer base in advance. At the same time, it is important to correlate the search for clients with promotion costs. The business plan budget is not infinite, advertising agencies promise a lot, but be realistic, even large audience coverage does not always bring target clients.

Reflect in your marketing plan the sales methods you will use - directly to the consumer, through a network of distributors, etc.

Step 4: Create a production plan

The next part of creating a business plan is the production plan. Here you need to answer the following questions:

Where is the production located?
Is it provided with transport routes?
Are all necessary communications available?
Is the construction of production facilities required?
How are the equipment supply issues resolved?
Is the enterprise staffed with qualified personnel?
What technologies are planned to be used?
Is cooperation established with suppliers and subcontractors?
How is the problem of waste disposal solved?

Answering these questions should be based on the information provided in the market research.

Production control

Particular attention should be paid to the description of the production of the product and the quality control system at each stage. To do this, the TQM control chart (process quality control chart) and the economic order quantity model are used.

The key point of the production plan is evidence of the need for the selected production technology (service provision). If there is a choice of production processes, then you need to mention them all, listing the serious disadvantages so that the merits of the technology the company needs appear reasonable. You can consider the possibility of saving budget funds at each point of the plan: using leasing, renting equipment, collaborating with freelancers instead of permanent employees, transferring some functions to outsourcing. It is very important to identify the most effective and low-cost opportunity to conquer an economic niche in the market.

Recruitment

Recruitment is another important part of the production system, because its success depends on the skills and reactions of project managers. The description of the level of qualifications and the company's provision with the necessary specialists should reflect the real picture. If there is a need for additional recruitment of personnel and a management core, it is important to clarify whether it is possible to find them at the location of production or whether you will have to incur costs to motivate them to move from other cities. Don't waste too many words on the management biography. It is necessary to show that each of the managers is truly a professional in his field, dedicated to him and the team believes in the leader. For this, specific data about his role in participation in other projects is sufficient, while it is not necessary to describe exclusively successes. An adequate analysis of one’s past mistakes and the ability to draw the right conclusions is positively perceived by investors.

Loading production

The next point is production utilization or production capacity (PM). It contains data on the volume of products (services provided) that the company is able to produce (provide) for a specific time period. This paragraph examines the company's PM in several categories: project, current, reserve, and from the point of view of its possible increase and decrease. Here you need to provide information about how flexible production will be - whether it is possible to quickly increase or reduce the production of goods without significant losses and breaks in the production-supply chain.

The production plan must include a layout of equipment and its justification.

Aggregate plan and work schedule

An aggregate production plan for product sales is created to compare marketing data and production capacity for a period from one year to 5–7 years. Characterized by clear definitions of goods/services that must be produced to fulfill the business plan. The production and sales plan is usually divided into periods of up to a year. It can be adjusted every month, depending on the current situation in the company. The very concept of “aggregate” means to enlarge. In this case, we mean the generalization of individual indicators and their reduction into one position.

The next items are scheduling work and planning material requirements. For this it is convenient to use .

Step 5: Prepare a Financial Plan

This part of the business plan is designed to evaluate the project in terms of its costs and profitability. It should justify the need for finance, describe ways to replenish the project budget, and guarantees. It also provides a description of the economic situation in the area of interest of the project, difficult to predict factors and possible options for financial behavior under several scenarios for the development of events. Preparing to work on a financial plan consists of drawing up an estimate and the degree of its accuracy.

It is important to list in detail all planned expenses for the project and the rationale for their necessity by year, dividing them into quarters. It is advisable to plan the first year monthly.

For each month (quarter, year) of the project, you need to reflect:

taxes and their rates;
inflation;
information on capitalization methods;
loan repayment schedule.

Take data from:

;
documentation on the movement of money;
balance sheet.

Recommendations to help you write a competent business plan yourself

Reflect in the plan the approximate period when the invested funds will be returned and what specific steps are provided for this.
When making forecasts, check project performance indicators.
Experts advise, after accurately calculating the costs of implementing the project, to double this figure. Lack of funds can ruin the most promising project.
Compare the timing of receipt of funds with the timing of the company’s regular expenses.
Create a financial reserve while the income growth from the project exists only on paper.
Create informed profitability forecasts. It is better to expect less than to be captured by illusory expectations and create a difficult financial situation for the company.
Tightly control costs until operational returns are achieved.

A business plan is a detailed description of the future of a small, medium or large-scale enterprise, its theoretical image is a model that will subsequently be embodied in a firm, company, store, production. This is a kind of extended estimate that needs to be drawn up in order to understand what volume of investments will be needed, their sequence - determining what is needed first, and what things can be purchased later. In this article we will tell you how to create a business plan yourself. A drafting sample will be considered for opening a small business.

Why is this necessary?

Drawing up a business plan demonstrates a serious approach to business and allows you to move progressively, in an orderly manner towards its implementation. A detailed business plan takes into account everything, including possible changes in the market and economic situation, which will lead to unforeseen expenses.

Another important point is that without a detailed description of the project and a thorough analysis, banks will not provide a loan to organize your business. In this case, the business plan must take into account all possible points so that bank specialists have no doubts about the success of the enterprise.

From simple to complex

You can create a business plan yourself. It’s not difficult, and this step-by-step instruction will help you master the basics of such an important process for an entrepreneur. The skill of independent business planning will allow you to save money when organizing your own business, and will also become a good source of income if you use the theoretical basis correctly.

To draw up a business plan, you should move from simple to complex, gradually developing and deepening the degree of economic research. This, in particular, concerns the justification of the commercial feasibility of a business through market research.

Sample structure

In order to draw up a simple business plan yourself, for example, for opening of a women's bag store, first you need to know its general structure, study the skeleton, which consists of:

A summary is a general description of a future project, which briefly describes the essence of the business plan. A resume is compiled in any form and must be extremely concise, succinct, and concise. Its volume is up to 10 sentences.
Tasks and goals, where the goal is the end result, and the objectives are a description of how it is planned to achieve it. Compilation of this paragraph is mandatory, as it is the basis for further research.
Description of the end result - this is an already running business. Here we talk about its functionality and visualize what is planned. This is perhaps the most difficult thing; it is necessary that everything is done correctly. The structure of the future enterprise is described here: departments, divisions, their functions, responsibilities. Accordingly, it is necessary to draw up a staffing table. This can be done as a separate sub-item in the form of a diagram so that the structural interaction is clear. Creating such a scheme for a small business is a simple matter; it is much more difficult to create a description of a large-scale project.
A financial plan is a voluminous part that implies a detailed description of expenses, including wages and monthly expenses for maintaining the enterprise. In addition, profitability calculations should be included here and the payback period should be determined. The last points are purely theoretical calculations that are based on the desired data. But at the same time they are a guideline for business development. For example, if the actual profit is significantly lower than the calculated one, it is necessary to conduct a deep functional analysis and work on mistakes. This is important both for a large project and for a company with no more than a dozen employees. Sources of funding should also be indicated here. This is equity capital or a loan with calculations of the interest rate on it and the repayment period. Here you will need calculations from the marketing section of the business plan. They largely influence profitability indicators, and therefore determine the solvency of the enterprise. This also includes drawing up a price list or tariff schedule - determining the cost of services or goods.
Marketing plan - this section should contain information about what audience the product or service is aimed at. For example, a spare parts store will sell components for foreign cars in the premium or budget segment. It can also be specific brands or even one manufacturer.

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Here the business plan should also answer the questions:

Where will the company, store, or enterprise be located? This clause includes a detailed description of the required geographic location. For example, for a beauty salon it is desirable to be located on busy streets, near business and entertainment centers, and public transport stops. Drawing up a subparagraph requires studying theoretical material - the fundamentals of marketing policy.
Competition research, which includes counting the number of firms and enterprises providing the same services or selling the same goods. It is advisable to monitor their activities or at least their pricing policy. You can do this yourself or hire people. You can create a subparagraph using official economic and social research.
Development directions should be determined. The ultimate goal of this subparagraph is always to increase profits, so it is quite difficult to compose it correctly yourself. Often, most entrepreneurs rely on promotions, but here you should definitely pay attention to the development of the service. Indeed, 100% results will come from innovative ideas that you need to come up with yourself. It is also an excellent option to introduce concepts that have just emerged and have not yet found widespread use.

Drawing up answers to all of the above questions is a justification for the feasibility of organizing a specific type of commercial activity and determining the possibilities for its future development.

An organizational plan is an effective structural organization of a company's enterprise. Here the business plan answers the questions:

Which employees report to whom?
What responsibilities are assigned to each employee?

At the same time, the division of labor should be as rational as possible, but at the same time reasonable. This means that the workload on workers must be adequate.

The section is intended to create a personnel structure for the enterprise, which will determine its effective operation with the possibility of further development, which implies a certain increase in the workload on personnel without attracting additional specialists. For beginners, there are ready-made organizational plan templates that can be easily adjusted depending on specific conditions and tasks. Drawing up an organizational plan will not take much time.

Personnel policy - the main milestones of work with personnel are laid down here. This applies, first of all, to training employees and improving their skills. The subclause also provides for the formation of a personnel reserve. Determining personnel policies is extremely important for large companies with a large staff, but for a small store it is not very important. But it’s worth compiling it for yourself if you plan to expand and turn one retail outlet into a network. This cannot be done without a well-thought-out personnel policy.

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It’s quite easy to create a business plan using the template above. This is a practical guide for beginners, where there are no complex theoretical calculations with abstruse terms and complex calculations, everything is extremely clear and easy to understand. It should be noted that production planning is the most complex process that requires a professional approach.

So we looked at how to draw up a business plan yourself. We hope that the provided sample for small business helped you in preparing to write such a document on your own!

Brief instructions

You have an idea. You want to create your own business. Great. What's next? Next, you need to “put everything in order,” think through the details (as far as possible) in order to first of all understand: is it worth developing this project? Perhaps after researching the market, you will realize that the service or product is not in demand, or you do not have sufficient funds to develop the business. Maybe the project should be improved a little, unnecessary elements should be abandoned, or, on the contrary, something should be introduced?

A business plan will help you consider the prospects of your idea.

End justifies the means?

When starting to write a business plan, keep its goals and functions in mind. First of all, you carry out preparatory work to understand how realistic it is to achieve the planned results, how much time and money is needed to implement your plans.

In addition, a business plan is necessary to attract investors, obtain a grant or a bank loan. That is, it must include information about the potential profit of the project, the necessary costs and the payback period. Think about what is important and interesting for your recipients to hear.

Use a small cheat sheet for yourself:

Analyze the market you are going to enter. What leading companies exist in this direction. Research their experience and work.
Identify your project's strengths and weaknesses, future opportunities and risks. In short, conduct a SWOT analysis*.

SWOT analysis - (English)Strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,Threats - strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A method of planning and strategy development that allows you to identify the main factors influencing business development.

Decide clearly what you expect from the project. Set a specific goal.

The main purpose of a business plan is to help you, first of all, develop a company strategy and plan its development, as well as help in attracting investments.

So, any plan has a structure. Regardless of the specifics of the project and the requirements of investors, a business plan, as a rule, contains the following elements:

1. Company summary(short business plan)

Product Description
Description of the market situation
Competitive advantages and disadvantages
Brief description of the organizational structure
Distribution of funds (investment and own)

2. Marketing plan

Defining the “problem” and your solution
Determining the target audience
Market and competition analysis
Free niche, unique selling proposition
Methods and costs of attracting customers
Sales channels
Stages and timing of market penetration

3. Plan for the production of goods or services

Organization of production
Infrastructure Features
Production resources and space
Production equipment
Production process
Quality control
Calculation of investments and depreciation

4.Organization of the work process

Organizational structure of the enterprise
Distribution of powers and responsibilities
Control system

5. Financial plan and risk forecast

Cost Estimation
Calculation of the cost of a product or service
Calculation of profit and loss
Investment period
Break-even point and payback point
Cash flow forecast
Risk forecast
Ways to minimize risks

It is clear that a business plan is one whole and its parts are inextricably linked with each other. However, a well-designed structure will help you not to forget important things, as well as to take a deeper look at each aspect.

Company summary. Briefly about the main thing

Marketing plan. There are empty seats?

When creating a marketing plan, you will have to analyze the market you are going to enter. In this way, you will identify trends for yourself, collect information about competitors and get to know your consumer, your target audience, better.

Having assessed the potential client, his interests and preferences, you must determine the optimal location of the office, retail outlet, etc. It should be comfortable. Calculate the required number of clients for your business to pay off and compare it with the audience living or working around the intended location of the business. For example, for a business in the field of public services, the size of this audience should not be less than 2% of the number of people living within a short walk or five-minute car ride.

It is quite possible that the market you were planning to conquer is oversaturated at the moment. Analyze the actions of your competitors, create your own strategy, focus on your uniqueness, bring in something new to fill an empty niche in a certain area.

Of course, creating something that is not yet on the market is quite difficult. However, you can carefully analyze the situation and open, for example, a point where the consumer really needs it or play on the difference in prices and level of services provided relative to nearby competitors.

You also definitely have to decide on sales channels. After reviewing the existing methods on the market, find the ones that are best for you. Calculate how much it costs you to attract each client.

Finally, when deciding on pricing, you will need to calculate: what is more profitable? A high price with a small number of sales or a price lower than that of competitors, but a large customer flow. You should also not forget about service, because for many consumers it is crucial. They are willing to pay a price higher than the market average, but receive high quality service.

Production plan. What are we selling?

This is where you finally get into detail about the core of your business: what do you do?

For example, you decide to produce dresses and sell them. In the production plan, indicate suppliers of fabric and equipment, where you will locate the sewing workshop, and what the production volume will be. You will describe the stages of product manufacturing, the necessary qualifications of employees, calculate the necessary deductions to the depreciation fund, as well as logistics. The costs of future business will depend on many factors: from the cost of threads to the cost of labor.

When prescribing the technology for creating your final product, you will pay attention to many little things that you had not thought about before. There may be issues with storing goods or difficulties with imported raw materials, problems with finding employees with the necessary qualifications, etc.

When you have finally written down the entire path to creating a product or service, it’s time to calculate how much your project will cost you. It may well be that later, when making financial calculations, you will understand that you need to make adjustments to the production plan: cut some costs or radically change the technology itself.

Organization of the work process. How will it work?

Will you manage the business alone or with partners? How will decisions be made? You need to answer these and many more questions in the “Workflow Organization” section.

Here you can describe the entire structure of the enterprise and identify duplication of powers, mutual exclusions, etc. Having seen the entire organization diagram, it will be easier for you to optimally distribute rights and responsibilities between departments and employees.

Having understood, first of all, for yourself how your company functions, it will be possible to more effectively develop a system of interaction between structures, a system for monitoring employees and the entire personnel policy.

The importance of this section is that it describes who and how will implement the project in reality.

It is a document that highlights all the characteristics of the future organization, analyzes possible problems and risks, predicts them and methods by which they can be avoided.

Simply put, a business plan for an investor is the answer to the question “Should I finance the project or throw it in the trash?”

Important! A business plan is drawn up on paper, taking into account some procedures and rules. This presentation of the project to some extent materializes your idea and shows your desire and willingness to work. Also, putting it on paper makes it easier for investors to perceive the idea.

Drawing up a business plan yourself

Making a business plan yourself is not that difficult, you just need to think about the idea carefully. Before you grab a calculator and calculate your income, there are several steps you need to take.

Identify the “pros” and “cons” of the idea that has arisen. If the number of “minuses” is off the charts, don’t rush to give up. Some aspects can be turned in the opposite direction, think about ways to solve such “cons”.
Important characteristics are competitiveness and market sustainability.
The sales market needs to be thought through to the smallest detail.
The payback of the product (service) and the time of receiving the first profit will allow you to determine (approximately) the required amount for investment.

If after such a superficial analysis you don’t want to abandon your brainchild, then it’s time to take a clean slate and start creating a business plan.

It is important to know! There is no single structure and step-by-step instructions on how to calculate a business plan. Therefore, the presence and order of items included in the plan are determined independently. However, experts have established the most optimal plan structure option. If you have no experience in drafting such documents, you need to use these recommendations to correctly compose your work.

Structure and procedure for drawing up a business plan

The structure of a good business plan, according to economists, should include 12 points. Each of them is described below.

Title page

The following parameters are specified here:

name of the project;
name of the organization where the project is planned to be implemented, indicating telephone numbers, addresses and other contact information;
head of the above organization;
developer (team or manager) of a business plan;
date of document preparation;
It is allowed to include the most significant indicators of financial calculations for the project on the first sheet.

This document is necessary to protect the copyright of the idea and business plan. This reflects the reader's awareness that he does not have the right to distribute the information contained in the document without the permission of the author. There may also be an instruction prohibiting copying, duplicating the document, or transferring it to another person, or a requirement to return the read business plan to the author if the investor does not accept the agreement.

An example of a confidentiality memorandum can be seen below.

The next 2 sections of the plan – “Brief Summary” and “Main Idea of the Project” – are introductory. They can be used as a preliminary proposal (for review) to partners and investors until negotiations are scheduled.

Brief summary

Although a brief summary of such a document is at the beginning, it is written at the final stage, as a summary. A summary is a short description of the project idea and a list of the most significant characteristics of the financial component.

The following questions will help, answering which can lead to an excellent resume:

What product does the company plan to sell?
Who would want to buy this product?
What is the planned sales (production) volume for the first year of the company’s operation? What will be the revenue?
What is the total cost of the project?
How will the enterprise be formed according to its organizational and legal form?
How many workers are planned to be recruited?
What is the required amount of capital investment to implement the project?
What are the sources of funding for this project?
How much is the total profit (profitability) for a specific period, the payback period, the amount of cash at the end of the first year of operation of the enterprise, profitability. Net present value.

It is important to know! The summary is read by the investor first. Therefore, the future fate of the project depends on this section: the investor will either become interested or bored. This part should not exceed 1 page.

Main idea of the project

What is the main project goal?
What are the objectives of the enterprise to achieve the main goal?
Are there any obstacles to your goal and how to get around them?
What exact actions does the author propose to perform in order to achieve results and achieve the goal as soon as possible? What are these deadlines?

Important! It is necessary to provide clear, real and explicit arguments that will confirm confidence in the profitability and success of the project. The volume of this part is optimal within 1-2 pages.

In this section, it is customary to use the conducted SWOT analysis – assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, opportunities (prospects), as well as possible threats. It is unlikely that you will be able to make a business plan correctly and as completely as possible without such an analysis.

A SWOT analysis reflects two aspects that influence the life of an organization: internal, relating to the enterprise itself, and external (everything outside the company that it cannot change).

Do not forget: You are describing a company, not a product! A common mistake authors make is that they start writing product characteristics in the “strength” column.

Here are some parameters you can use to describe strengths or weaknesses:

high-tech production;
service and after sales service;
versatility of the product (without affecting its specific properties);
level of qualifications and professionalism of employees;
level of technical equipment of the enterprise.

External factors (“opportunities” and “threats”) include:

market growth rate;
level of competition;
political situation in the region, country;
features of legislation;
features of consumer solvency.

Example

Characteristics of the industry on the market

dynamics of sales of similar products in the industry in recent years;
market industry growth rate;
trends and features of pricing;
comprehensive assessment of competitors;
search and identification of new and young enterprises in the industry, as well as characteristics of their activities;
description of the consumer market, their desires, intentions, requirements, opportunities;
assessment of the possible impact of scientific, social, economic aspects;
prospects for development in the market.

Essence of the project

This section reveals the idea, the subject of the business plan. It also reflects the level of preparedness of the enterprise to go “into the world”, the availability of all the funds required for this.

The most important provisions in this section:

primary goals;
description of the target consumer segment;
key performance factors for market success;
a detailed presentation of the product, the characteristics of which must be within the market segment defined above;
stage of product development (if production has started), patent and copyright purity;
characteristics of the organization;
the total cost of the project, indicating the financing schedule by periods and investment amounts;
required initial expenses for a marketing campaign and the formation of a coherent organizational structure.

Marketing plan

The objectives, goals of marketing policy and methods for solving and achieving them are indicated here. It is important to indicate which task is intended for which personnel, in what time frame it is required to be completed and with the help of which tools. The funds required for the latter also need to be indicated.

Marketing plan is a strategy, a set of sequential and/or simultaneous steps created to attract consumers and provide effective returns on their part.

The investor will be attentive to such points as:

a well-developed system of comprehensive market research and analysis;
the planned volume of sales of goods (services) and its assortment, scheduled by time periods until the enterprise reaches full capacity;
ways to improve products;
description of product packaging and pricing policy;
procurement and sales system;
advertising strategy – clearly formulated and understandable;
service planning;
control over the implementation of the marketing strategy.

Production plan

Everything that directly concerns the creation of products is reflected in this part. Therefore, it is advisable to compile this section only for those companies that plan not only distribution, but also production of products.

Points that must be specified:

required production capacity;
detailed interpretation of the technological process;
a detailed description of the operations entrusted to subcontractors;
necessary equipment, its characteristics, cost and method of purchase or rental;
subcontractors;
required area for production;
raw materials, resources.

It is important to indicate the cost of everything that requires expenses.

Organizational plan

At this stage, the principles of organizational strategic management of the company are developed. If the enterprise already exists, then this point is still mandatory: the compliance of the existing structure with the intended goals is determined here. The organizational part must certainly contain the following data:

name of the organizational and legal form (individual entrepreneur, JSC, partnership and others);
an organizational management system that reflects the structure in the form of a diagram, regulations and instructions, communication and dependence of departments;
founders, their description and data;
management team;
interaction with staff;
supplying the management system with the necessary material and technical resources;
location of the company.

Financial plan

This chapter of the business plan provides a comprehensive economic assessment of the written project, accompanied by calculations of the level of profitability, payback period, and financial stability of the enterprise.

A financial plan is very important for an investor; here it determines whether a given project is attractive to him.

Here you need to make some calculations and summarize them:

Risk analysis

In a risk analysis, the author must examine the project and identify potential threats that could lead to decreased revenue. It is necessary to take into account financial, industry, natural, social and other risks. At the same time, it is necessary to develop a detailed and effective plan to prevent them or minimize the impact on the company. Therefore, the business plan must indicate:

a list of all potential problems;
a set of techniques and tools that prevent, eliminate or minimize risks;
models of the company’s behavior when events occur that are not conducive to its development;
justification for the low probability of such problems occurring.

Applications

This is the last link in the structure of a business plan. It includes documents, quotes, sources, copies of contracts, agreements, certificates, letters from consumers, partners, statistical data, calculation tables used in the preparation of this document. It is required to insert links and footnotes to the appendices in the text of the business plan.

General requirements for the document

it is necessary to write a business plan in clear, precise language, without long and complex formulations;
desired volume – 20-25 pages;
the business plan must cover all the information required by the investor in full;
the document must necessarily be based on real facts, substantiated rational proposals;
the plan must have a strategic foundation: strict, delineated and complete, with clear targets;
interconnectedness, complexity and consistency are important features of drawing up a plan;
the investor must see the future, prospects for the development of the project idea;
The flexibility of the business plan is a significant plus. If adjustments can be made, amendments to the written project are a pleasant bonus for the investor;
conditions and modes of control over the functioning of the enterprise should become part of the business plan.

Making a business plan from scratch without the help of a specialist is not easy, but it is possible. It is important to adhere to the above rules, construction structure and avoid mistakes.

The most common mistakes

Illiterate syllable

The rules of language cannot be ignored. It often happens that the most incredible and promising idea goes into the trash bin along with a bunch of plans of mediocre IP specialists. And all because errors in spelling, vocabulary, punctuation and poor presentation of the text completely discourage any investor.

Careless design

The design should be the same throughout the document: bullets, headings, lists, font, size, numbering, spacing, etc. Contents, headings, numbering, names of figures and tables, designation of data in graphs are required!

Incomplete plan

To properly draw up a business plan, you need a comprehensive amount of information. The sections of the document listed above are the minimum that should be unconditionally included in the project.

Vague plan

The work should be “like in a pharmacy on a scale.” Clear, defined, specific statements of goals and (important!) ideas.

Too many details

An abundance of technical, financial, and marketing terms will only help in exams. For a business plan, you need to select only the most significant details. If there is a great need for a thorough description of a process, then you can add it to the appendix.

Unrealistic data

Business proposals like these are based on assumptions. Therefore, the author needs to approach the idea rationally and have a reasonable background, a real reason, supported by calculations.

Few facts

For each assumption there is its own justification - real, valid. Facts give work meaning and confidence. You shouldn’t create a fountain of facts either, but if you get carried away, then look at the rule about details.

“We have no risks!”

The main rule: there is no business without risk. There is no such business in which it is “quiet and calm.” The investor knows this, and the author should know this. Therefore, it’s time to come down from the clouds to the ground and study, explore, analyze.

“And we have no competitors either!”

There is always a competitor, as well as a risk. It can be direct or indirect. Study this topic carefully and meticulously, and a rival will definitely appear on the horizon, waving his hand at you.

Neglecting outside help

Creating a business plan yourself does not mean doing absolutely everything yourself. Moreover, obtaining a high-quality result is possible through the joint efforts of several specialists. Don't be afraid of helpers!

Everyone knows that a business plan is one of the most effective tools for the successful implementation of a new project. Despite this, many novice entrepreneurs do not understand how to correctly draw up a business plan. For some, simple calculations like “bought and sold” are enough, others build a complex strategy instead of clear goals and objectives. So does an entrepreneur need a business plan and how to develop one?

Why do you need a plan?

In business practice, there are a huge number of force majeure circumstances that can affect the course of business. Their list is so huge that it is unlikely to fit into the format of this material. Moreover, it is almost impossible to take into account all the factors in one document and develop a mechanism for responding to them. So does it make sense to have a strategy or is it enough to limit yourself to the basic techniques and apply them as needed? As practice shows, it is still worth having a business plan.

It is needed for two tasks:

1. Business plan for “internal use”:

— As the proverb says, 10 minutes spent on planning saves an hour of hard work. Having a clearly developed business plan for a small business allows you to establish management processes. This is especially important when working in a team. A detailed plan eliminates discrepancies and specifies the steps that each team member takes in a given situation.

— Tracking work efficiency. A well-developed business plan has a number of key indicators that your business must achieve at certain intervals. Based on how clearly you pass these “marks”, you can draw conclusions about the effectiveness of business processes and “tighten the screws” if necessary. Plus, you can be confident that your team will be focused on the right goals in the event of a temporary leadership absence.

A well-developed business plan has a number of key indicators that your business must achieve at certain intervals. Based on how clearly you pass these “tags,” you can draw conclusions about the effectiveness of business processes.

— Risk reduction. We have already written that it is impossible to foresee all force majeure circumstances, but the general template of actions in a crisis situation is a very useful thing. As a rule, such steps are quite universal and help reduce risks. A clause about who, when and under what circumstances will carry them out must be present in the business plan.

2. Business plan for investors.

A master plan for business development, however, is needed not only for internal use. In some cases it may be provided to third parties. Very often, potential investors study a business plan for evaluation. The decision to invest in your business depends on how well all the nuances are worked out in it. In this case, the document has the status of a conditional “promissory note” and is binding. This could be a business plan for an employment center, obtaining grants or subsidies. To receive a subsidy for starting your own business, the applicant must provide a number of documents to the employment center (PEC). Including a business plan, prepared in accordance with the structure specified by the Central Planning Committee. Deviations from it are not allowed.

Where can I get the plan?

You can get a business plan in two ways:

The first option is to contact a specialized company that will do this work. As a rule, this service is provided by various marketing agencies. Specialists will assess the market situation, conduct the necessary research and calculations, formulate the most appropriate development concept and main key indicators. Naturally, ordering the development of a business plan will require certain expenses. The cost of the service depends on the region, the qualifications of the agency and the amount of work. As a rule, the final document also takes into account the individual wishes of the client.
You can write a business plan from scratch yourself. It's free, but the process requires effort and certain knowledge. As a first step on this path, we can recommend downloading a sample with calculations or ready-made examples and adapting them to your own business.

Independent business planning

We offer you universal step-by-step instructions for independently developing a business plan.

1. Determine the document type

Business practitioners and theorists in Russia argue that business plans can be divided into four main types:

Business plan of the company. This is the most common type. The document “for internal use”, which was described above;

An investment business plan is developed for investors, describes the characteristics of your business and contains market research data;

A business credit plan is required to obtain a loan from a bank. Shows the real need for a loan, the possibility of using loan funds and their repayment;

Business plan for obtaining a grant or or non-governmental entities. In such a business plan, it is necessary to focus on the benefits of your business for the region or country as a whole or its social component (for example, environmental projects).

2. Collect and analyze information

Description of the product or service that you intend to sell. Emphasis must be placed on the competitive advantages of the product. If it is cheap, technologically advanced or has no analogues at all, be sure to note this;

Market analysis. It is important to carefully study the potential market for your product or service. This can be done using various tools. For example, analyze sales of similar products or release a trial batch of your product to the market. At the same time, in practice it is possible to understand how the product will be distributed, its current price, possibilities for stimulating consumers and promotion channels (advertising);

Assessing competitors. You need to study your competitors thoroughly. This will help highlight the advantages of your product, as well as predict the actions of other market players;

Production analysis. Here it is important to evaluate your own production capabilities (know how much product you can supply to the market), their flexibility (the possibility of modernization, expansion, repurposing, etc.). It is also a good idea to evaluate the maximum possibilities for uninterrupted supply of raw materials and consumables. If a business plan is drawn up for a company or agricultural enterprise, then a certain adjustment must be made for natural risks, and all calculations must be made based on a pessimistic scenario for the development of the situation;

Organizational aspects. Recruiting a team of professionals and organizing work also requires resources. Analyze these points carefully;

Estimated financial plan. In this part of the study, you need to calculate the costs of the above items and current activities, as well as estimate revenue, profit and payback periods.

Recruiting a team of professionals and organizing work also requires resources. Analyze these points carefully.

3. We draw up a business plan

So, all the data has been collected, systematized and double-checked. The last point is especially important, since mistakes in a business plan can lead to serious problems in the future. The time has come to summarize all the data and conclusions in a single document and formalize it:

The title page of the document is drawn up according to certain standards. It must contain information about the address and contact details of the company, to whom the document is intended and whether it is confidential. Be sure to include information about the full and short name of the project, the head of the enterprise and this project, the start date of implementation and its duration. Specify the time period during which the data in the document will be relevant;

Brief summary. Describe the essence of the project and its prospects on 2-3 pages;

Main part. To prepare this chapter of the business plan, we use pre-collected and structured information, which we have already written about above. The main part should include the following:

– a detailed description of the type of activity and services of the company;

– market assessment indicating the company’s competitive advantages;

- marketing strategy;

– promotion of goods to the market.

– costs of providing services;

– plan of technical equipment and activities of the company and production capabilities;

– management structure, personnel search;

– assessment of potential risks;

– financial forecast.

Application. This part of the business plan should include additional materials justifying the thesis of the document.

You can also use special programs to draw up a business plan. This will somewhat simplify and automate the process, but the essence of the document will not change.

A short algorithm for independently developing a business plan

Selecting the type of document: enterprise business plan, investment, loan or grant document.
Collection, analysis, verification and systematization of information: description of the product with identified competitive advantages; study and analysis of the market, competitors, production and organizational activities; investments, revenue, profit and payback periods.
Preparation of a business plan. Inclusion in the final document of all data and conclusions drawn on their basis. Don't forget about the application.

Check and double-check the data you use when writing your business plan. Incorrect or irrelevant information can lead to fatal errors. Use data from official and independent sources for comparison. Use research: surveys, focus groups, launching trial batches of goods.
Include in your business plan options for the development of negative scenarios and your actions in this case. This approach allows us to minimize risks during project implementation.
Pay special attention to design. Errors in the final document are unacceptable.
The business plan in your company should have the status of law. Deviations from actions and key indicators are possible only if you or your investors decide so.

Remember that any, even the most well-developed business plan is just one, albeit a very probable, scenario. Be prepared to adjust it if necessary.

Wealth does not come from desires. They come from a clear plan of action based on equally clear aspirations. Napoleon Hill, philosopher, bestselling author of Think and Grow Rich