TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages Symposium 1 - the National Sea ...

Introduction
Business Planning for Urban Aquaculture
Lawrence D. Tagrin
Turner, Harper & Associates, Inc.
http://www.turnharp.com/
Your business plan is a critical document in the development of a successful enterprise.
The quality of your business plan may determine whether or not you get the financing you
need in order to start or expand your business and whether or not you can manage your
business for long-term success.
Lenders or venture capital providers may not have significant knowledge of the
aquaculture business, but they know how to read a business plan and judge from that plan
the risk involved in providing the financial resources you need.
Who will use your business plan?
Rule Number 1: Understand who will read and use your business plan and write
it accordingly.
� Lenders will use the business plan as a major element in determining your eligibility for
a loan
� Venture capital providers will use the plan to determine if they should invest in your
enterprise
� You and your executive staff will use the plan to provide a road map for your long
term goals and immediate milestones which will let you know if you are on track to
meet your goals.
Questions answered by your business plan:
The business plan answers a number of questions categorized as who, what, where, how,
and when.
Who:
Who are you?
Who will be running your business?
Who are your customers?
Who are your competitors?
Who are your suppliers?
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