FT Essential Guide to Writing a Business Plan How to win backing to start up or grow your business

by Evans, Vaughan

• ISBN13: 9780273757986
• ISBN10: 0273757989
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-15
• Publisher: Ft Pr

Summary

Whether you seek financial backing or board consent, this book will give you the critical knowledge you need to get the go-ahead. Written by a seasoned practitioner with years of experience in both writing and evaluating business plans for funding, it will help you formulate a coherent, consistent and convincing business plan with your backer#146;s needs in mind. Follow its guidance and your plan will have every chance of winning the backing you need for your business to succeed. FT ESSENTIAL GUIDES: THE KNOW-HOW YOU NEED TO GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT

Table of Contents

Introduction  

Part 1 Preparing your plan  

1        Essential preparation

Result

Need

Preparation

 

Part 2 Writing your plan

2        The business

Background

Business mix by segment

Segmentation in a start-up

 

3        Market demand

Market size

Market growth

Market demand for a start-up

Market demand risks and opportunities

 

4        Competition

Your competitors

Competitive intensity

Competition in a start-up

Industry competition risks and opportunities

 

5        Strategy

Competitive position

Strategy

Strategy in a start-up

Strategic risks and opportunities

 

6        Resources

Management

Marketing

Operations and capital expenditure

Resource risks and opportunities

 

7        Financials and forecasts

Historic financials

Market-driven sales forecasts

Competition-driven margin forecasts

Funding the plan

Full financial forecasts

Forecasts in a start-up

Financial risks and opportunities

 

8        Risk, opportunity and sensitivity

Meet the Suns and Clouds chart

What the Suns and Clouds tell you

Sensitivity testing

 

9        Conclusion

Conclusion

Executive summary

Investment highlights

 

Part 3 Reviewing your plan

 

10      Monitoring and evaluating

Monitoring your plan

Evaluating your plan

Beware these characters!

 

Postscript: 12 hot potatoes

 

Appendices

Appendix A: Deriving competitive position

Appendix B: Structured interviewing of customers

 

Index