Write a Business Plan ...In No Time

Summarize the Opportunity and Business Concept

1. What is the name of your company?

2. What opportunity for making money does your business offer?

3. What is your business concept? What is your company mission statement?

4. Briefly describe what your company offers the consumer and how it differs

from the competition.

5. Briefly describe your unique selling position.

6. What is the goal of your business plan? What do you want the reader to do?

Summarize the Marketing and Promotion Plan

1. Briefly explain your marketing and promotion plan.

2. What are your marketing objectives?

3. What is your marketing strategy for meeting the competition?

4. What are your sales and distribution strategies?

5. Briefly describe your customer acquisition, retention, and monetization plans.

6. If you have a company slogan, include it here.

7. What is your expected percent of market penetration?

8. Briefly describe the frequency and quantity of marketing and advertising

needed to reach that percentage.

Summarize the Financial Elements

1. Briefly describe your immediate and long-term sales goals for your company.

2. What are the activities necessary to achieve those goals?

3. What are your sales and profitability projections? When will you break even?

4. What are your revenue and profit projections after you break even?

5. What are your capital requirements? How much money or what type of com-

pany resources will you need to break even and show a profit?

6. Will you be looking for additional funding down the line?

7. What is your exit strategy for investors or lenders? How will your investors get

their money back with a reasonable return on their investment? If you are

asking for a loan, explain what dividends or interest payments you will pay

and when you plan to pay off the loan.

Summary

The Executive Summary is the last thing you write and it’s the first thing read by

investors and supporters. Besides giving the readers their first impression of your

business concept, it also is the primary place for your salesmanship to come shin-

ning through. The Executive Summary conveys the excitement and essence of the

rest of your plan.

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Write a Business Plan In No Time

A good Executive Summary should summarize the opportunity, the business con-

cept, the marketplace, the competition, the capital requirements, the exit strategy,

and the projected profits of your company. Like a solid building, your business plan

rests on the firm foundation of the Executive Summary.

CHAPTER 14 Presenting Your Executive Summary

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