How to Prepare a Business Plan: Create Your Strategy; Forecast Your Finances; Produce That Persuasive Plan (Business Success)

A good business plan is the best means of impressing potential financial backers. Indeed, without such a plan no bank or venture capital house will consider a loan for start-up or expansion. How to Prepare a Business Plan describes the best way to prepare a business plan that will get the financial backing needed. Now updated with case studies and information on technology and the internet, it includes cash flow forecasts and sample business plans, as well as advice on expanding a business, planning the borrowing and monitoring business progress. Every new business needs a comprehensive and detailed plan if it is to survive. How to Prepare a Business Plan helps aspiring entrepreneurs take this step. Contents......Page 5 Acknowledgements......Page 7 What do you really want out of the business?......Page 9 Clarity......Page 12 Designing the business plan......Page 13 Getting down to it......Page 14 Tackling each section......Page 15 2 Simple cash flow forecasts......Page 25 Is a cash flow forecast of any real use?......Page 26 Principles to observe when filling in a simple cash flow form......Page 27 The break-even analysis......Page 39 3 The very small business......Page 42 Example 3.1: Alexander Battersb......Page 44 Example 3.2: Nicola Grant......Page 58 4 Retail and catering......Page 62 Example 4.1: Flurry Knox......Page 67 Example 4.2: Robert Herrick and Deirdre Williams......Page 71 Catering......Page 80 Example 4.3: Osbert Wilkinson......Page 81 5 Manufacturing......Page 87 Example 5.1: Marcus Garside......Page 88 Example 5.2: Rosemary Rambler and Muriel Tonks......Page 89 Example 5.3: James Turbotte, Brian Fletcher and Julian Watchman......Page 100 6 Expanding a business......Page 107 Example 6.1: John S Brook......Page 111 Example 6.2: Kenneth Jackson Allen and Anthony Kevin Spooner......Page 117 Example 6.3: George Weston......Page 121 7 The market......Page 126 Example 7.1: Norbury Williams......Page 131 8 Planning the borrowing......Page 132 9 How not to write a business plan – or run a business......Page 141 10 Maintaining the plan......Page 148 11 Small business and the trade cycle......Page 156 12 Monitoring progress......Page 162 Example 3.1: Alexander Battersby (page 36)......Page 164 Example 5.2: Rosemary Rambler and Muriel Tonks (page 81)......Page 167 Example 4.2: Robert Herrick and Deirdre Williams (page 63)......Page 173 Example 4.3: Osbert Wilkinson (page 73)......Page 177 Example 5.1: Marcus Garside (page 80)......Page 178 Example 5.3: Turbotte Manufacturing Company (page 92)......Page 179 Postscript......Page 180 Where to go for further advice......Page 181 The chamber of commerce......Page 182 Your suppliers......Page 183 Chambers of commerce......Page 185 Development agencies (for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)......Page 186 Jobcentres......Page 187 Newspaper Publishers Association......Page 188 Tourist boards......Page 189 Appendix 2 Useful names, addresses and websites......Page 190 More useful websites......Page 200 A good business plan should impress potential financial backers by clarifying aims, providing a blueprint for the future of your company and a benchmark against which to measure growth