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

What:
What is your business structure?
What are your (measurable) goals?
What is the time span of this plan?
What products and/or services will you offer?
What of resources will you already have?
What of resources will you need?
Where:
Where your business operate?
Where are your customers located?
Where are your competitors located?
Where are your suppliers located?
How:
How will the business acquire the resources it needs?
How will the business manage its finances?
How will the business manage its other resources?
How will the business manage its operations?
When:
When are the major decision points?
When will the business be fully operational?
When will it be profitable?
Business Plan Structure:
Following some boilerplate preliminary items (cover sheet, statement of purpose, table of
contents), all business plans have three major sections; detailed information about the
business, financial data, and supporting documentation.
Rule Number 2: Don't get creative with your business plan structure. Give the
users the kind of plan they expect. It makes them comfortable.
The Business
Rule Number 3: Let your enthusiasm for the business show through.
In general, there are a number of sections to this part of the business plan. I will use the
sections listed in the Small Business Administration's web site. Various pieces of business
planning software will usually display a similar structure.
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