The Ohio Small Business Development Center at the Summit Medina Business Alliance Presents...
The Business Plan
What is its purpose? Forces owners to think through the details Makes the case that the business idea can be suc- cessful to the owner and other stakeholders Provides lenders and investors with information needed to evaluate investment quality Provides the owner with self-evaluation tool
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Technology / New IP Common vs. Unique Business Model Amount of Capital Required Potential Market Size
Professionalism Not overly graphic No fill-in-the-blank forms No hand written sections No software imposed format Write in 3 rd person It is OK to be redundant where information is relevant to more than one section of the plan
Think Resume for the Business
The Cover Page
Table of Contents for longer plans only
Executive Summary Placed first, but written last Extrapolated from key points made in the body of the plan
Business Description
The Marketing Plan Industrial Analysis Target Market Competitive Analysis Marketing Plan / Sales Strategy / Brand Image
Product Development & Intellectual Property
Operations Section
Key People & Key Roles
Legal & Compliance Considerations
Financial Information Significant accounting practices Loan or Investment Need Financial History Financial Projections
The Appendix
Small Business Development Center Summit Medina Business Alliance, Inc. 526 S. Main Street, Suite # 813 Akron, Ohio Web Site: