Business plan text book

BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDE BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDE LEE A SWANSON Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Copyright:2017 by Lee A Swanson Version 8.0 2017 Lee A Swanson Business Plan Development Guide by Lee A Swanson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted CONTENTS Business Plan Development Guide i Acknowledgements ii Introduction iii Main Body Chapter – Developing a Business Plan Chapter – Essential Initial Research 17 Chapter – Business Model 26 Chapter – Initial Business Plan Draft 31 Chapter – Making the Business Plan Realistic 51 Chapter – Making the Plan Appeal to Stakeholders and Desirable to the Entrepreneur 55 Chapter – Finishing the Business Plan 64 Chapter – Business Plan Pitches 67 References 69 Appendix A – Business Plan Development Checklist and Project Planner 70 Appendix B – Fashion Importers Inc Business Plan 77 Business Plan Excel Template 136 Business Plan Development Guide BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDE Lee A Swanson 8th Edition Publishing Date 2017 i Business Plan Development Guide ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am thankful for the feedback provided by my MBA and undergraduate students as they used previous versions of this book Its current form reflects their suggestions and advice Thanks also to Grant Wilson for his help in converting this book from its print form into this open access format Business Plan Development Guide ii INTRODUCTION This textbook and its accompanying spreadsheet templates were designed with and for students wanting a practical and easy-to-follow guide for developing a business plan It follows a unique format that both explains what to and demonstrates how to it iii Business Plan Development Guide MAIN BODY Business Plan Development Guide CHAPTER – DEVELOPING A BUSINESS PLAN LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this chapter, you will be able to: Describe the purposes for business planning Describe common business planning principles Explain common business plan development guidelines and tools List and explain the elements of the business plan development process Explain the purposes of each of the elements of the business plan development process Explain how applying the business plan development process can aid in developing a business plan that will meet entrepreneurs’ goals OVERVIEW This chapter describes the purposes for business planning, business planning principles, the general concepts and tools related to business planning, and the process for developing a business plan PURPOSES FOR DEVELOPING BUSINESS PLANS Business plans are developed for both internal and external purposes Internally, entrepreneurs develop business plans to help put the pieces of their business together The most common external purpose for a business plan is to raise capital INTERNAL PURPOSES The business plan is the road map for the development of the business, it: Defines the vision for the company Establishes the company’s strategy Describes how the strategy will be implemented Provides a framework for analysis of key issues Provides a plan for the development of the business Is a measurement and control tool Helps the entrepreneur to be realistic and to put theories to the test EXTERNAL PURPOSES The business plan is often the main method of describing a company to external audiences such as potential sources for financing and key personnel being recruited Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 122 123 Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 124 125 Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 126 127 Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 128 129 Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 130 131 Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 132 133 Business Plan Development Guide Business Plan Development Guide 134 135 Business Plan Development Guide BUSINESS PLAN EXCEL TEMPLATE Click the following link to access the Business Plan Excel Template If it doesn’t open, please try another browser Business Plan Development Guide Spreadsheet Templates v7 April 2017 Business Plan Development Guide 136 ... Inc Business Plan 77 Business Plan Excel Template 136 Business Plan Development Guide BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDE Lee A Swanson 8th Edition Publishing Date 2017 i Business. .. the business plan development process can aid in developing a business plan that will meet entrepreneurs’ goals OVERVIEW This chapter describes the purposes for business planning, business planning... general concepts and tools related to business planning, and the process for developing a business plan PURPOSES FOR DEVELOPING BUSINESS PLANS Business plans are developed for both internal and