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BUSINESS PLAN DESCRIPTION BY SUBHEADINGS

Manufacturing Process / Operations

Location

Describe your company's location or proposed location. State if the land will be purchased, leased, or rented. Describe the surrounding area and other types of businesses in the neighborhood. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your location in terms of proximity to customers or markets; availability of labor, suppliers, and capital; access to transportation, energy, utilities, and other resources. Discuss the state and local laws such as zoning, licenses, and other regulations that may affect your company. Highlight the favorable climate that affects your operating costs. Finally, state whether your long-range plans and needs call for you to remain where you are or move to establish a new location.

Facilities and Equipment

Describe the characteristics of the facilities in terms of size, structure, and condition. Describe the kind of equipment used in your manufacturing operations and its condition. State whether the facilities and equipment are purchased, leased, or rented. Discuss any special parts or needs that must accompany the facilities and equipment. Discuss the maintenance and replacement requirements of the facilities and equipment. Highlight how and why the facilities and equipment give you better production or operating advantages over similar businesses. Finally, discuss the long-range needs and plans for your facilities and equipment.

Manufacturing Process and Operations

Describe how you will manufacture and produce your product and/or conduct service operations. Discuss the methods and processes involved. State how much of this will be done internally and how much will be subcontracted. Discuss how internal operations or subcontracting relationships may change over the next few years. Describe the raw materials and/or components used in producing your product. Discuss how these are supplied and what your backup system is should your primary suppliers become unavailable.

State your current or initial projected capacity for level of production or operations in dollars and in units. Discuss how this may be expanded or changed in any other way. Break down the fixed and variable costs of production and operations at different volume levels. Describe the costs to produce each unit by material and labor. Include the indirect costs (utilities, taxes, insurance, etc.) and show the breakeven point.

Describe the product/operations layout (see Sample). Discuss work flow and production control procedures. Discuss your safety program, quality control system, and inventory control system. Show how they are conducive to a positive and productive work environment and are cost-effective as well.

Labor Considerations

Discuss what labor requirements you will have and how you will hire and train personnel. Discuss how you will handle the possibility of strikes and other labor union activities. Discuss how you will minimize turnovers and structure compensation, productivity quotas, and employee benefits. Discuss how you will handle discipline cases and how you will communicate company policies as they relate to infractions and expectations.

Environmental and Economic Impact

Describe how your company and its manufacturing operations will affect the environment and the community. Discuss how you will dispose of waste, apply for applicable licenses, and be affected by other restrictions, such as pollution and noise control. Highlight the economic benefits that will result from your business's operating in the community. Discuss the "trickle down" effect of your business boosting others, creating jobs, etc.

Management and Ownership

Management

Discuss your management team. Give a brief background of the principals (decision-makers). Describe each principal's distinctive competence and what each brings to the company. Discuss education, experience, knowledge of industry, special talents, training, skills, and abilities.

Discuss the principal's position, duties, and responsibilities. State how long they have been with the project and any significant accomplishments with the company; Discuss each principal's compensation package, i.e., salary, profit sharing, bonuses and incentives, fringe benefits, and other term of employment. State what the principals' objectives with the company are, i.e., what they want to get out of their involvement, short-term or long-range. Discuss any noncompete agreements or other legal contracts that each has executed with the company.

If all the management positions have not yet been filled, describe the qualifications that a person will need to fill these positions. State how and when you expect to recruit additional key people. Discuss how you intend to attract and compensate them. Along these lines, describe any positions that may be created as your company grows.

Describe what options or alternatives you may pursue if you lose a key person. State what your own personal plans are for grooming a successor. Discuss how you will minimize the negative impacts of losing or having to fire key managers.

Allude to the resumes and personal references from customers, suppliers, bankers, former employers, etc., on each of your key people that are included as supporting documents in your plan's Appendix.

Board of Directors

Discuss who is on your board of directors and why they are valuable to the business. State what their field of expertise is and their other corporate affiliations. Describe any special contributions they have already made or are expected to make. State how the board members are compensated for their time and advice, how often they meet, and how much control or influence they wield.

If you have not yet recruited a board of directors, describe the kind of individuals you would like to place and how and when you expect to recruit them.

Ownership

Give a breakdown of the ownership interest of all parties - who owns what and how much. Describe the form of ownership, i.e., stock, partnership percentages, notes, etc. State the type of ownership, i.e., preferred stock, common stock, straight debt, debt with warrants, convertible debentures, etc.

Discuss the amount and kind of ownership in reserve (not yet issued). Discuss how the ownership breakdown may change by taking on additional managers and/or capital from investors. Describe the proposed distribution of ownership if not yet firm.

Discuss any plans or agreements you have pertaining to buyouts, dissolution of company, managers/owners leaving the company, and other possible developments. Discuss the warrants, privileges, rights, and options of all current and future owners.

If you are seeking financing through this business plan, allude to personal financial statements included in your Appendix.

Professional Support Resources

Describe your support team and how each member has assisted or will assist in the development and ongoing management of your company. A partial list may include lawyer, accountant, banker, tax specialist, trade association affiliation, public relations consultant, marketing/advertising consultant, technical/systems consultant, etc.

If you have not yet used consultants, show the reader you are aware of the support services your company may need. Discuss which professional you may use and when he or she would come into play.

Administration, Organization, and Personnel

Organizational Chart

Illustrate the lines of authority, responsibility, and delegation with a chart. Make it clear who answers to whom. Do not make these areas of accountability look too authoritarian or rigid. Allow for flexibility and overlap of duties if appropriate for your situation. The reader should be able to glance at the chart and get a clear understanding of the management and personnel structure of the company (see Sample).

Administrative Procedures and Controls

Describe your administrative systems, procedures, and controls. Mention specifically how you will handle the accounting and bookkeeping functions. Discuss how you will monitor and audit customer payments, bills incurred by the company, and accounts receivable. State how you will track and control internal expenses and operating costs. Discuss any other major administrative systems that are a necessary function of your venture, such as ordering, collecting, receiving, organizing, filing, storing, disseminating, and disposing of goods, services, and/or information.

Staffing and Training

Discuss your current or needed personnel and their functions. State how they complement one another. Describe the nature, length, and cost of training needed for employees. Discuss any present or planned employment contracts you expect to utilize and enforce. Describe how personnel are identified, attracted, hired, and compensated. State your current or planned number of employees and future provisions for growth. Describe the learning and experience curve for different positions and the amount of time before personnel can function independently and productively in these positions. Sample job descriptions may be included in your plan's Appendix.

Management Control Systems

Briefly summarize your management philosophies and style. Tie these in with how you will go about getting the most out of your people. Describe your plans to encourage group goals over individual goals. Discuss how you will prevent your team from stagnating or becoming too bogged down in the routine and predictable decisions. In general, discuss how you will keep the lines of communication open, encourage creativity and commitment to company goals, and remain lean, flexible, and action-oriented.

Milestones, Schedule, and Strategic Planning

Major Milestones

Summarize the significant goals that you and your venture have already reached. Describe how you attained them and what you learned in the process. Discuss what needs to be done and what must happen for you to be successful with the company. State who is in charge of seeing that these things are accomplished. Refer the reader to the time line schedule for when these things are expected to be completed. Describe why these goals and time frames are realistic. Finally, give an example of the teamwork and unified commitment toward the attainment of these goals.

Schedule

Include a time line chart. This chart is a schedule of significant milestones and their priority for completion. The far-left-hand column indicates the day, month, and year for completion. The second column from the left states the milestone or goal to be completed. The third column from the left states who is charged with the task of overseeing or completing the goal. The last column states what options or alternatives may be pursued if the goal is not attained (see Sample).

There are several ways to present the milestones within the chart. You may list them in order of priority or in order of importance. (The two are not necessarily the same.) You may also list them in logical order for completion. In order words, one must happen before the other can be considered or reached.

Strategic Planning

This is normally a very difficult issue for an owner/manager to tackle. It takes quite a bit of foresight and expertise, combining academic techniques with past experience in the company/industry. As with all other issues in your plan, do not try to bluff or be afraid to admit that you don't have all the answers. Your best bet is to consult professionals in the field. Lacking the resources to get professional help, get together with your partners, managers, staff, friends, and other people involved and conduct a brainstorming session.

In a brainstorming session no idea or comment is too farfetched. Creativity and openness are to be encouraged, without criticism or qualification. Have your team throw out ideas on all major aspects of your product/service and operations. After all ideas are exhausted, prioritize, assign, and begin putting some direction toward their exploration.

You should strategize according to:

• learning/expertise curve
• industry participants
• leadership/management style
• available resources
• security of information
• flexibility, simplicity
• new approaches, element of surprise

The biggest factor in formulating effective strategies, while avoiding ones with inherent risks and failure, is to have an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and to ask the right questions. In writing this section of your business plan, make it clear to the reader that you are indeed addressing the right questions.

The Critical Risks and Problems

Summary of Major Problems Overcome

Start by summarizing the major problems you have already had to deal with. Give examples of how you attacked and resolved these. Highlight especially innovative and creative approaches you have used to solve problems in your start-up and what was learned from addressing these problems.

Inevitable Risks and Problems

Describe the nature of the problems and risks that your venture will be faced with. Discuss when these problems and risks are expected to present themselves. Discuss how you may avoid or minimize their impact. Describe how you will deal with them. Discuss any threatened or pending litigation or disciplinary action the company or principals may be involved in. Discuss any other legal liability or insurance problems.

Potential Risks and Problems

Describe and discuss, in the same manner as above, the problems and risks that may present themselves. Discuss what circumstances or situations would prompt these to happen and how you would deal with them if they did.

Worst-Case Scenarios

Give a worst-case scenario of all inherent and potential risks that the company may suffer. Summarize the downside and what, if anything, could be salvaged or recovered if these risks did materialize.

Financial Data and Projections

Funding Request/Terms of Investment

State the amount and type (debt or equity) of funding being sought. Describe the intended use of the funds. Give a breakdown of how the money will be applied, i.e., capital equipment, property, facilities, inventory, and operating costs. Discuss what effect the capital will have on the business in terms of growth and profitability.

State when the money will be needed. Include a graph showing the amount and timing of the funds. Discuss the level of investment already made in the venture. State whether it is funded internally or externally. Discuss the amount of stock or ownership that will be made available but not issued in the current offering. Discuss future funding expectations and the stages at which it will be needed. Describe how the unissued ownership may be used at future stages and how, if at all, this future fund-raising will affect the current offering.

Describe the terms of investment. State the minimum amount to participate. Describe how this offering will dilute the ownership of the initial and subsequent investors. Discuss the rationale for the proposed distribution. Discuss the payback period and potential return on investment. Describe why the investment is attractive and how it compares to other deals within the industry. Discuss any provisions for investor liquidity and the earliest date the investor can recover the initial investment.

State any collateral being offered. Discuss whom you have already approached about investing and the results of the contact. Discuss any access you have to additional investors or funding sources. Discuss what the total exposure of the investor is if the deal goes bad. State what percent, if any, of the investment could be recouped via tax benefits, liquidation, or other means.

Finally, describe how this package fits in with the venture objectives and why the ownership structure being proposed is the most suitable for the business.