How to write a business plan
--------------------------------------------For those who are seeking funds, The quality of a business plan often determines the success or failure of an investment transaction.
For start-up venture enterprises, the role of business plan is particularly important. A brewing project is often vague. By making a business plan, write down both the positive and negative reasons. See you later and weigh them one by one. Entrepreneurs can have a clearer understanding of this project in this way. It can be said that the business plan first sells the enterprises to be established in the plan to the entrepreneurs themselves.
Secondly, the business plan can also help to sell the planned venture enterprises to venture capitalists. One of the main purposes of the company's business plan is to raise funds. Therefore, the business plan must explain:
(1) the purpose of starting a business-why take risks and spend energy, time, resources and funds to start a venture enterprise?
(2) How much does it cost to start a business? Why so much money? Why is it worthwhile for investors to inject funds into this? For established venture enterprises, the business plan can set a more specific direction and focus for the development of the enterprise, so that employees can understand the business objectives of the enterprise and encourage them to work hard for the same goals. More importantly, it can make the investors, suppliers and sellers of the enterprise know the operating conditions and objectives of the enterprise, and persuade the investors (original or new) to provide funds for the further development of the enterprise.
for the above reasons, the business plan will be the most important business document written by entrepreneurs. So, how to make a business plan?
1. How to write a good business plan
Those business plans that can neither give investors sufficient information nor make investors excited can only end up being thrown into the dustbin. In order to ensure that the business plan can "hit the target", entrepreneurs should do the following:
1. Pay attention to products
In the business plan, all the details related to the products or services of the enterprise should be provided, including all the surveys conducted by the enterprise. These questions include: What kind of development stage is the product in? What is its uniqueness? What is the method for enterprises to distribute products? Who will use the products of the enterprise and why? What is the production cost and price of the product? What is the enterprise's plan to develop new modern products? Pull investors into the products or services of enterprises, so that investors will be as interested in products as entrepreneurs. In the business plan, entrepreneurs should try to describe everything in simple words-the definition of goods and their attributes is very clear to entrepreneurs, but others may not know their meaning. The purpose of making a business plan is not only to convince investors that the products of the enterprise will have a revolutionary impact in the world, but also to convince them that the enterprise has arguments to prove it. The elaboration of the product in the business plan should make the investors feel: "Oh, how wonderful and inspiring this product is!"
2. Dare to compete
In the business plan, entrepreneurs should carefully analyze the situation of competitors. Who are the competitors? How do their products work? What are the similarities and differences between competitors' products and our own products? What are the marketing strategies adopted by competitors? It is necessary to clarify the sales, gross profit, income and market share of each competitor, and then discuss the competitive advantages of this enterprise relative to each competitor. It is necessary to show investors that customers prefer this enterprise because of its good product quality, rapid delivery, moderate positioning and appropriate price. The business plan should convince its readers that this enterprise is not only a strong competitor in the industry, but also a leader in determining industry standards in the future. In the business plan, the entrepreneur should also explain the risks brought by competitors to the enterprise and the countermeasures taken by the enterprise.
3. Understand the market
A business plan should provide investors with an in-depth analysis and understanding of the target market. It is necessary to carefully analyze the influence of economic, geographical, occupational and psychological factors on consumers' choice to buy the products of this enterprise, and the role of each factor. The business plan should also include a major marketing plan, which should list the areas where the enterprise intends to carry out advertising, promotion and public relations activities, and clarify the budget and income of each activity. The business plan should also briefly describe the sales strategy of the enterprise: does the enterprise use outside sales representatives or internal staff? Does the enterprise use resellers, distributors or franchisees? What kind of sales training will the enterprise provide? In addition, the business plan should also pay special attention to the details of sales.
4. indicate the policy of action
the enterprise's action plan should be unsolvable. The following questions should be made clear in the business plan: How can the enterprise bring the products to the market? How to design production lines and assemble products? What raw materials do enterprises need for production? What production resources do enterprises need? What is the cost of production and equipment? Does the enterprise buy equipment or rent equipment? Explain the fixed and variable costs related to product assembly, storage and delivery.
5. Show your management team
The key factor to turn an idea into a successful venture enterprise is to have a strong management team. Members of this team must have high professional and technical knowledge, management skills and many years of work experience, so as to give investors the feeling: "Look, who are in this team! If this company is a football team, they will always reach the World Cup finals! " The function of managers is to plan, organize, control and guide the company's actions to achieve its goals. In the business plan, we should first describe the whole management team and its responsibilities, and then introduce the special talents, characteristics and accomplishments of each manager respectively, and describe in detail the contribution each manager will make to the company. The business plan should also specify the management objectives and organization chart.
6. Excellent plan summary
The plan summary in the business plan is also very important. It must make readers interested and eager to get more information, and it will leave a lasting impression on readers. The plan summary will be the last part written by entrepreneurs, but it is the first thing investors should read. It will extract the most relevant details from the plan, including a concise and vivid summary of the basic situation within the company, the company's capabilities and limitations, the company's competitors, marketing and financial strategies, and the company's management team. If the company is a book, it is like the cover of the book. If it is done well, it can attract investors. It will give venture capitalists the impression that "this company will become a giant in the industry, and I can't wait to read the rest of the plan."
second, the content of the business plan
1. Plan summary
The plan summary is listed at the front of the business plan, which is the essence of the condensed business plan. The plan summary covers the main points of the plan, so as to be clear at a glance, so that readers can review the plan and make judgments in the shortest time.
the plan summary should generally include the following contents: company introduction; Main products and business scope; Market overview; Marketing strategy; Sales plan; Production management plan; Managers and their organizations; Financial plan; Capital demand, etc.
when introducing an enterprise, we should first explain the idea of establishing a new enterprise, the formation process of new ideas, and the goal and development strategy of the enterprise. Secondly, it is necessary to explain the present situation, past background and business scope of the enterprise. In this part, we should objectively comment on the past situation of the enterprise and not avoid mistakes. A pertinent analysis can often win more trust, thus making it easy for people to agree with the business plan of the enterprise. Finally, it is necessary to introduce the background, experience, experience and expertise of the entrepreneurs themselves. The quality of entrepreneurs often plays a key role in the performance of enterprises. Here, entrepreneurs should try their best to highlight their own advantages and express their strong enterprising spirit in order to leave a good impression on investors.
in the plan summary, the enterprise must also answer the following questions: (1) the industry in which the enterprise is located, the nature and scope of its operation; (2) the contents of the main products of the enterprise; (3) Where is the market of the enterprise, who are its customers and what their needs are; (4) Who are the partners and investors of the enterprise; (5) Who are the competitors of the enterprise, and what is the influence of the competitors on the development of the enterprise.
the abstract should be as concise and vivid as possible. In particular, it is necessary to explain in detail the differences of their own enterprises and the market factors for their success. If an entrepreneur knows what he has done, only two pages of abstract is enough. If the entrepreneur doesn't know what he is doing, the abstract may be more than 21 pages long. Therefore, some investors will "pick out the wheat from the chaff" according to the length of the abstract
2. Introduction of products (services)
When evaluating investment projects, one of the issues that investors are most concerned about is whether and to what extent the products, technologies or services of venture enterprises can solve real-life problems, or whether the products (services) of venture enterprises can help customers save expenses and increase their income. Therefore, product introduction is an essential part of the business plan. Generally, the product introduction should include the following contents: the concept, performance and characteristics of the product; Introduction of main products; Market competitiveness of products; Product research and development process; Plan and cost analysis of developing new products; Market prospect forecast of products; Brand and patent of products.
in the product (service) introduction section, entrepreneurs should give a detailed explanation of the product (service), which should be accurate and easy to understand, so that investors who are not professionals can understand it. Generally, product introductions should be accompanied by product prototypes, photos or other introductions. Generally speaking, product introduction must answer the following questions: (1) What problems do customers want the products of enterprises to solve, and what benefits can customers get from the products of enterprises? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of an enterprise's products compared with those of competitors? Why do customers choose their own products? (3) What protection measures has the enterprise taken for its products, what patents and licenses does the enterprise have, or what agreements have been reached with manufacturers who have applied for patents? (4) Why can the pricing of enterprise products make the enterprise generate enough profits, and why do users buy enterprise products in large quantities? (5) What methods do enterprises adopt to improve the quality and performance of products, and what plans do enterprises have for developing new products, etc. The content of product (service) introduction is relatively specific, so it is relatively easy to write. Although praising one's products is necessary to promote sales, it should be noted that every promise made by an enterprise is a "debt" and should be honored with efforts. Keep in mind that entrepreneurs and investors have established a long-term cooperative partnership. Empty promises can only be complacent for a while. If an enterprise can't fulfill its promise and repay its debts, its reputation will be greatly damaged, so it is disdained by real entrepreneurs.
3. Personnel and organizational structure
With the product, the second step for entrepreneurs is to form a management team with fighting capacity. The quality of enterprise management directly determines the size of enterprise management risk. High-quality managers and good organizational structure are important guarantees for managing enterprises well. Therefore, venture capitalists will pay special attention to the evaluation of the management team.
The managers of an enterprise should be complementary and have team spirit. An enterprise must have professionals in charge of product design and development, marketing, production operation management, corporate finance and so on. In the business plan, it is necessary to clarify the main management personnel, introduce their abilities, their duties and responsibilities in the enterprise, their past detailed experience and background. In addition, in this part of the business plan, the company structure should also be briefly introduced, including: the organization chart of the company; Functions and responsibilities of various departments; Responsible persons and main members of each department; The company's remuneration system; List of shareholders of the company, including stock options, proportion and privileges; Board members of the company; Background information of directors.
4. Market forecast
When an enterprise wants to develop a new product or expand into a new market, it must first make a market forecast. If the forecast results are not optimistic, or the reliability of the forecast is doubtful, then investors will have to take on greater risks, which is unacceptable to most venture capitalists. Market forecast should first predict the demand: Is there a demand for this product in the market? Can the degree of demand bring the expected benefits to the enterprise? How big is the new market? What is the future trend of demand development and its state? What are the factors that affect demand? Secondly, the market forecast should also include the analysis of the market competition-the competition pattern faced by enterprises: who are the main competitors in the market? Is there a market gap that is beneficial to the products of this enterprise? What is the expected market share of this enterprise? How will our competitors react when we enter the market, and what impact will these reactions have on the enterprise? Wait a minute.
in the business plan, the market forecast should include the following contents: a summary of the current market situation; Overview of competitors; Target customers and target markets; The market position of the products of this enterprise; Market area and characteristics, etc. The market forecast of venture enterprises should be based on rigorous and scientific market investigation. The market faced by venture enterprises is inherently more volatile and elusive. Therefore, venture enterprises should try their best to expand the scope of information collection, attach importance to environmental prediction and adopt scientific prediction means and methods. Entrepreneurs should bear in mind that market forecasting is not imaginary, and the understanding of market errors is one of the most important reasons for the failure of enterprises.
5. Marketing strategy
Marketing is the most challenging link in enterprise management, and the main factors affecting marketing strategy are: (1) the characteristics of consumers; (2) the characteristics of the product; (3) the situation of the enterprise itself; (4) Factors in the market environment. What ultimately affects the marketing strategy is the marketing cost and the marketing benefit. In the business plan, the marketing strategy should include the following contents: (1) the choice of market institutions and marketing channels; (2) marketing team and management; (3) Promotion plan and advertising strategy; (4) Price decision. For start-ups, due to the low popularity of products and enterprises, it is difficult to enter the stable sales channels of other enterprises. Therefore, enterprises have to temporarily adopt high-cost and low-benefit marketing strategies, such as door-to-door sales, advertising goods, making profits to wholesalers and retailers, or handing them over to any enterprise willing to distribute. For developing enterprises, on the one hand, it can use the original sales channels, on the other hand, it can also develop new sales channels to adapt to the development of enterprises.
6. manufacturing plan
the manufacturing plan in the business plan should include the following contents: the current situation of product manufacturing and technical equipment; New product production plan; Requirements for technical upgrading and equipment updating; Quality control and quality improvement plan.
in the process of seeking funds, in order to increase the evaluation value of enterprises before investment.