This guide has been designed to assist you in developing a comprehensive business plan. It describes what a business plan is, why it is important and the key elements you should cover when creating it. This plan is a ‘stand-alone’ document, however, it can refer to other plans that describe associated areas of business in more detail, such as a Sales and Marketing Plan or a Financial Forecast / projected Cash Flow statement. Please refer to the accompanying topic guides to assist you to explore and understand a range of related business topics.
The guide contains a template and a series of practical steps to ensure that you have covered all of the essential elements vital to creating a successful business plan. It will help you to focus on what activities are important for your business, what outcomes you intend to achieve and how you will achieve them within a realistic timescale.
Intended Readers: This guide is primarily aimed to assist:
• Individuals who are writing a business plan for the first time.
• Individuals who are thinking about starting their first business venture and who want to create a development plan for their business, identifying a future vision of the business they want to build and how / when they will achieve this.
• Individuals who are re-developing their business plan and/or who are attempting to raise funding or apply for finance to get their business started or growing further.
The information provided in this guide has been prepared for individuals who are approaching this area for the first time. By following the practical steps outlined in this guide it will help you to gain important information and insights about the marketplace that you intend to enter and how you plan to establish your business and grow it in the future. The knowledge and understanding you gain from the time and effort you put into writing it will help you to find opportunities in the market and identify ways to grasp them that will give you an advantage over those who do not property plan or prepare themselves for the entrepreneurs journey you are thinking of embarking on. It is recommended that you read around the topic area when using this guide to further broaden your understanding of business planning. You should also consider speaking to a professional business advisor who can answer any specific questions you may have.
