The Definitive Business Plan, 3rd Edition

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. The Definitive Business Plan
3. About the author
4. Acknowledgements
5. Contents
6. Foreword
7. Introduction to the First Edition
8. Introduction to the Revised Second Edition
9. Introduction to the Third Edition
10. Symbols used
11. What’s it all about?
    1. Have you heard the one about …
    2. Who should read this book
    3. A quick fix or a longer-term tool?
    4. What is a plan anyway?
    5. Why bother?
    6. Key objectives for your plan
    7. Your target audience
    8. Ten steps to a successful business plan
    9. Don’t trust consultants
    10. Who writes the business plan?
    11. How to use this book
12. A winning presentation
    1. A concise communication
    2. Computer software
    3. Make it feel good
    4. First thoughts on layout
    5. Creating an outline document (1/2)
    6. Creating an outline document (2/2)
13. Getting down to it
    1. Why?
    2. When you don’t want to be a big fish
    3. What to do if you have several businesses
    4. Your list of contents
    5. The executive summary
    6. The conclusion
    7. Responsibilities – and the timetable
    8. Be a SWOT
    9. Where now?
14. Know yourself
    1. Taking stock
    2. Start with the basics
    3. The central objective
    4. Are you visionary?
    5. How did you arrive here?
    6. Some numbers to please the bankers
    7. Building up value
    8. The all-important management team
    9. Business organisation
    10. Business infrastructure
    11. Products and services
    12. Core competencies
    13. The next step
15. Know the world
    1. For or against you?
    2. The next steps
    3. Collecting information
    4. Understanding the world at large
    5. Business partners
    6. The market – what you are fighting for
    7. The industry – what you are up against
    8. Competitive advantages
    9. Now write about it
    10. Moving on
16. The core of your plan
    1. A strategy and an operating plan
    2. What is strategy?
    3. Portfolio strategy – what businesses should you have?
    4. Business strategies to satisfy your desires
    5. Strategies for department managers (1/2)
    6. Strategies for department managers (2/2)
    7. Resource requirements
    8. Strategic objectives
    9. Documenting the strategy
    10. Creating an operating plan
    11. Documenting the operating plan
    12. Onwards
17. About these numbers
    1. ‘The time has come,’ the walrus said, ‘to speak of other things’
    2. Varying views of the same numbers
    3. The way that bean counters think
    4. The planning horizon
    5. Looking back
    6. Estimating the present
    7. Crystal ball gazing
    8. Software tools
    9. Putting it to good use
18. Getting to gross profit
    1. Breathe easily
    2. Forecasting sales volumes
    3. The big picture – the economy
    4. Up close and personal – industry and product demand
    5. Pulling it all together
    6. Cost of sales (1/2)
    7. Cost of sales (2/2)
    8. Gross profit
    9. Writing it up
19. Getting to net profit
    1. Where the money goes
    2. Capital spending
    3. Capital assets that you already own
    4. Capital assets that you want
    5. Accounting for fixed assets
    6. Operating expenditure (1/2)
    7. Operating expenditure (2/2)
    8. Net profit
    9. Other income and expenditure
    10. Moving on
20. Funding the business
    1. Balancing your cheque book
    2. Balance sheets and cash flow mechanics (1/2)
    3. Balance sheets and cash flow mechanics (2/2)
    4. Balance sheet headings
    5. Producing the paper
    6. Watching cash flow (1/2)
    7. Watching cash flow (2/2)
    8. Using a surplus
    9. Getting it funded
    10. Debt or equity? (1/2)
    11. Debt or equity? (2/2)
    12. What’s the deal?
    13. Putting a price on success
    14. Does it all hold together?
21. Managing risks
    1. Identify risks and improve planning
    2. It’s normally like this (1/2)
    3. It’s normally like this (2/2)
    4. How many coconuts do you need to sell?
    5. Marginal likelihood of shutting down?
    6. What you need, when you need it
    7. Will it pay off? (1/2)
    8. Will it pay off? (2/2)
    9. What if?
    10. The economy
    11. If the worst comes to the worst …
    12. Grand finale
22. Getting it approved
    1. Pulling it all together
    2. Focus
    3. What readers of the plan will look for
    4. Those financials again (1/2)
    5. Those financials again (2/2)
    6. Final check on the plan
    7. They don’t know what’s coming to them
    8. Preparing for the meeting
    9. At last, the first meeting
    10. Meeting post-mortems
    11. Follow up
    12. Back to the drawing board
    13. Due diligence
    14. The contract
    15. Cash in the bank
23. Now make it happen
    1. Time for a break?
    2. From plan to reality
    3. A change of focus
    4. Communicating the plan
    5. Where do you draw the line?
    6. Policies, rules and procedures
    7. Who does what?
    8. Employee objectives
    9. How much freedom?
    10. Financial objectives
    11. Monitoring other objectives
    12. Monitoring the world
    13. Confirming and revising strategy and plans
    14. Don’t forget the carrots
    15. And into the next business plan
    16. Trying to catch the tail
24. Appendix A Tetrylus Inc business plan (1/2)
25. Appendix A Tetrylus Inc business plan (2/2)
26. Index (1/2)
27. Index (2/2)