How to Write a Business Plan: Create Your Strategy; Forecast Your Finances; Produce a Persuasive Plan (Sunday Times Creating Success)

starting With The Premise That There's Only One Chance To Make A Good Impression, how To Write A Business Plan covers All The Issues Involved In Producing A Business Plan – From Profiling Competitors And Forecasting Market Development, To The Importance Of Providing Clear And Concise Financial Information. it Also Includes A Full Glossary, Case Histories And A Detailed Section On The Related Issue Of How A Company Can Best Use Internal Business Plans. Table of contents ......Page 6 Introduction......Page 10 1 The structure of the plan......Page 26 Using appendices......Page 29 2 Summary......Page 32 The business......Page 36 The markets......Page 37 Supply......Page 38 How did you get here?......Page 39 Overview......Page 42 Market structure......Page 43 Competitors......Page 44 Customers......Page 45 Distribution......Page 46 Trends......Page 48 Competitive advantage......Page 49 Market segmentation......Page 51 Pricing......Page 52 New technologies......Page 54 Mixed strategies......Page 55 5 Operations......Page 56 Differences......Page 57 Processes......Page 58 Experience......Page 59 Supply......Page 60 Location and environment......Page 61 Regulatory control......Page 62 6 Management......Page 64 What skills are required?......Page 69 Organisation structure......Page 70 Demonstrating control......Page 71 Explain......Page 76 The proposition......Page 77 Why will you succeed?......Page 78 Ask for what you want!......Page 79 Closing the deal......Page 81 The exit......Page 82 The sales forecast......Page 84 Costs......Page 86 The five-year forecast......Page 87 Reviewing the plan......Page 88 Sensitivity......Page 89 Key assumptions......Page 92 Explain important points......Page 95 9 Financial information......Page 98 Profit and loss account......Page 99 Cash forecast......Page 102 Break-even......Page 104 Funding......Page 105 Timing......Page 107 Balance sheet......Page 109 Some important terms......Page 115 10 Risks......Page 118 Confidentiality......Page 122 12 Selling your business......Page 126 Don’t waste time illustrating that sudden upturn in business expected imminently......Page 127 Who is the buyer?......Page 129 Due diligence......Page 130 Planning is not budgeting......Page 132 Strategic vision and action......Page 141 Planning for people......Page 153 Practicalities......Page 156 The confidentiality letter......Page 168 Reconciling profit and cash flow......Page 170 Glossary......Page 174 According to Antarctic explorer Roald Amundsen, "Adventure is just bad planning." Adventure is certainly not a priority in business. To avoid it, all firms need a well-conceived, properly organized and expertly written business plan. A good business plan can help your business accomplish vital objectives, such as securing the financial backing you need to take your company to the next level or getting top dollar if you decide to sell the firm. Brian Finch, a seasoned business professional, has assembled a basic, practical - though list-heavy - book on how to write a concrete business plan to achieve maximum impact. Although he rightly remarks that "there is bound to be some repetition in your business plan, just as there is in this book," getAbstract finds that rookie entrepreneurs will benefit from his savvy advice Starting with the premise that there's only ever one chance to make a good impression, How to Write a Business Plan covers all the issues involved in producing a plan - from profiling competitors and forecasting market development, to the importance of providing clear and concise financial information. Presented in a highly accessible format, How to Write a Business Plan also includes a full glossary, case histories and a detailed section on the related issue of how a company can best use internal business plans. A guide to writing a business plan that covers markets, operations, management, proposals, forecasting, finances, risks, legal issues, and selling a business and discusses how business plans can aid in the improvement of performance