Knowing how to make a business plan is very important for anyone starting a business. Many entrepreneurs face serious difficulties at the beginning of the journey and are not always able to survive the market – the lack of planning is one of the main reasons for this to happen.
The business plan is an instrument that helps the entrepreneur to plan the future of the company, drawing a picture of the market and foreseeing different scenarios. Thus, you can foresee adverse situations and already have a plan in place to overcome them.
If you are planning to start a business, be sure to read this article to the end. Here, we will show you how to make a business plan step by step, in addition to presenting the benefits that this process can bring both to the company and to your professional maturation!
What is a Business Plan?
The business plan is the document that will guide you along your journey as an entrepreneur. It describes the goals of the enterprise and outlines a roadmap for achieving them.
For this, it must contain a complete analysis of the market and competitors, an in-depth study of the public and strategies for the operation. Analyzing all this information will help you identify potential challenges and understand how to overcome them.
Another important point about the business plan is that it demonstrates the viability of the company to partners , investors and customers.
What is the Business Plan for?
We have already said that the plan serves to help the entrepreneur understand the viability and challenges of a business, in addition to showing its positioning within the market and providing information about the public.
But this is not the only use of this tool. It can also be used by entrepreneurs who already have a business running, but want to expand their activities or open a new business unit.
You can use the business plan template to plan for any major change in your business, such as creating a new product line, launching a new service, or even opening a franchise.
Planning your steps as an entrepreneur is never harmful. This habit always has positive consequences!
Why is the Business Plan important for my company?
The business plan works like a map. Without it, you only know where you are and where you want to go. It is the plan that will show which are the best paths and which will be the obstacles to be overcome. And this is very important for you to know how to face situations and overcome challenges without having losses or even making the company's operation unfeasible.
It is important to say that drawing up a business plan does not eliminate risks, but it helps to face them and prevents managers from making mistakes that can harm the company.
With this instrument, you and investors will have a prior notion of how the company will work and how it will enter the market, in addition to having a projection of financial return.
Do you understand why it is important to have a well-designed business plan? And in addition to all that we have already said, the preparation of the document also brings other benefits:
- organizes ideas;
- supports the company's management both in terms of numbers and strategies;
- facilitates communication between the team;
- help in raising funds and obtaining credit;
- Align the expectations of partners and investors.
How to make a business plan?
Before we start showing you step-by-step how to make a business plan, you need to know that the structure of the document may vary depending on your business.
Here you will get to know the basic structure, but keep in mind that the plan can be adapted according to your reality – that is, you can add sections if you think that the ones presented here do not cover any part of your business!
Our tip is that you start with these parts that we are going to present and then, little by little, add others according to your needs and the particularities of the company.
Removing sections is not recommended, ok? Everything here is very important and if you miss out on your business plan you could be sorely missed in the future!
Now let's go?
Executive Summary
The first section is much more than a simple introduction. If you want to know how to make a successful business plan, you should look at the executive summary as a mirror of everything you intend to do with the company.
It is the section that will make future partners, clients and investors have a good first impression of the document and its content – it must convince them that the idea has potential.
That's why the executive summary is considered such an important section! It must contain the following information:
- business description;
- differential;
- impact it may have on the market;
- mission;
- profile of entrepreneurs;
- profile of collaborators;
- products and services offered and the benefits they bring;
- profile of potential customers;
- location if it is a physical company;
- investment to be made;
- legal nature and
- Chosen tax regime .
Our tip is that you save the executive summary for last, even though it is the first session of the business plan. So, you can build on the information already recorded in the other sections to create this one more easily.
Market analysis
This is one of the most complex sections of your business plan. It encompasses in-depth analysis of customers, competitors and suppliers .
The purpose of this section is to help you better understand the most important aspects of the market in order to strategize to succeed.
Customer segmentation
There is no company without a customer, right? That's why it's so important to know your audience well – so you can create better attraction and retention strategies, which will naturally bring better results for the company.
To get to know your audience well, consider the following points:
- Are your customers natural or legal persons ?
- What is the predominant age group and gender in your audience?
- How often do they consume the product or service you offer?
- Where do you usually buy?
- Where would you like to buy?
- Which companies in the area do you most admire ?
- What do you value most in a company?
- What drives them to search for the product or service in question?
- Which media do you prefer to get information through?
- What criteria do you consider when making a purchase decision?
It is very important that you know that the answer to these questions should not leave your head. We are not here dealing with speculation, but with research data, ok?
You can collect this information with forms, interviews and even with the support of a specialized company.
Competition Analysis
The main point of this section is to identify who are the main players in the market and discover their strengths and weaknesses. That way, you find out what your business's competitive differential is.
With this research, you will learn a lot about good practices and also about behaviors and actions that can be avoided.
Here are some questions you can ask for a complete analysis:
- What is the quality of the product or service offered by the competitor?
- How much?
- Is the audience the same?
- What drives a customer to choose the company in question?
- What makes a customer give up doing business with this company?
- What actions and promotions does the company do?
- How is the service?
- What are the payment terms you offer?
- What time does it open and close?
- What extra services do you offer (Ex: delivery)?
Another important point to consider is how each competitor can react to the opening of your company!
Supplier analysis
Suppliers are companies that provide raw materials, equipment, systems and other items necessary for the proper functioning of the business.
Before opening your company, you need to map the likely suppliers and do a study on each of these companies. Thus, you will be able to make more conscious choices and be sure about the feasibility of supplying each necessary item.
Here are some points you can consider when analyzing vendors:
- What do I need?
- Which companies supply each necessary item?
- What are the prices charged by each of them?
- What are the payment terms?
- What are the delivery times?
- How is support offered?
- What are the minimum order quantities?
You need to know more than one supplier for each item you need. Thus, it reduces the chances of running out of items if the supplier has problems and gains more bargaining power. After all, nothing like competition to make someone lower prices, right?
Marketing plan
When we talk about marketing, many people immediately think about how the company will promote its products or services. But if you want to know how to make a complete business plan, know that the Marketing Plan goes far beyond publicity and communication strategies with the public.
In this section, you should list all the products you will be offering and detail each one in detail. Write about the colors, sizes, quality, labels, brands and everything that applies to each product you work on. This will help the whole team to know better what is being sold!
You also need to set the prices and profit margin for each of the products here.
Then, it's time to outline the dissemination strategies, that is, to think about how to make the public know and want what is being offered.
Here are some questions that will help you create your marketing plan:
- How does my product or service stand out among competitors?
- Is the chosen price in line with the reality of the market?
- How can I describe my customer's buying behavior?
- What's the best way to let customers know what I'm offering?
- Will sales take place in any physical space?
- Will it be necessary to create an online store ?
- Which dissemination channels are the most appropriate?
Operational plan
This is the section that will show you how the business will work in practice. What are the steps that must be followed for the products or services to be sold? This is what needs to be answered here, in short.
The purpose of the operating plan is to help you understand how much you can sell in a given period. Thus, it will be easier to make financial projections and plan the operation, so that there is no shortage or investment in labor, tools and even stock.
These are some points that you should consider in this phase of building the Business Plan:
- how long it takes for a sale to be made;
- how many employees will be needed;
- what qualifications the team must have;
- what equipment and materials are needed for sales to be made;
- its distribution and storage capacity;
- the availability of products or raw materials from suppliers and the delivery time for each of these items.
If you are researching how to make a business plan for a company that will have physical headquarters, this is where you should record the arrangement of furniture and equipment in the available space — position of employees, shelves, sectors and offices.
Financial plan
This is one of the most important sections of the Business Plan, after all, without financial health, no company can survive for a long time. Read about financial intelligence . Therefore, it is very important that all information registered here be discovered based on data and calculations — any error or guesswork here could jeopardize the viability of the business.
Put everything that involves money in the company at the tip of the pencil. This includes costs , expenses, investments, working capital , equipment purchases and everything necessary to put into practice the other actions provided for in your Business Plan.
Thus, you will know exactly what is the total investment needed for the company to start operating and be able to maintain itself in the first few months, when it will probably still not bring a profit.
After doing this analysis, you will surely know if you will be able to afford the entire investment yourself or if you will need to look for partners, investors or even a loan.
Scenario analysis and Business Plan evaluation
Scenario analysis is a concept of military origin, but it is widely used by entrepreneurs who are making Business Plans. The idea is to establish strategies to deal with possible future contexts, considering optimistic, pessimistic and realistic situations.
This allows for a clearer view of the current scenario and helps to make more informed decisions in the future, regardless of the type of context that will be encountered by the company.
The projection of scenarios can consider the different aspects of a company: strategy, finances, budget, operation, etc.
Learn more about each of the main scenarios considered by entrepreneurs when putting together a business plan:
- optimistic scenario: considers a very favorable environment for the business, with goals hit, expenses below the limit and low production cost;
- pessimistic scenario: considers possible adversities, predicting the worst possible situations so that the team knows in advance how to deal with them, if necessary;
- realistic scenario: it is a more down-to-earth context, but it is not necessarily a middle ground between the optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. It must be thought based on true information and in a very critical way.
8 books to create your Business Plan
If you enjoy reading, you can count on some books that will help you discover how to make a business plan.
- Business Plan: Your Definitive Guide
John Labunski is one of the greatest specialists in entrepreneurship in United State. The book, as the title suggests, works as a guide, showing you step-by-step how to develop your business plan.
- Building business plans
In the book, We provides an objective guide on how to make a business plan, detailing all the aspects that must be part of the document. The book's differential is that it highlights, throughout the chapters, critical factors that need to be carefully observed by the entrepreneur.
- The lean startup
Eric Ries wrote this book focusing on startups, technology companies with scalable and innovative businesses. It introduces the concept of Lean Startup and brings a new way of thinking about launching products and businesses.
- Business Plan — Practical Examples
The book features examples of business plans and is a continuation of the first title featured here on the list. Also written by José Carlos Assis Dornelas, it deepens concepts and encourages entrepreneurs to learn by doing.
5.Business Model generation: Innovation in Business Models
Written by Alexander Osterwalder, the book presents the Canvas Business Plan, widely used by startups and technology companies. The title is very popular and is constantly recommended to anyone who wants to know how to make a business plan.
- Business Plans — Step by Step
The book is divided into three parts and, as the title implies, presents the detailed step by step of how to make a business plan. The author is Adonai José Lacruz.
- Entrepreneurship Practices — Business Cases and Plans
The book is a collection of business plans that have been awarded in competitions. It is ideal for those who are starting and would like to follow the traditional model, but like to have some references to be inspired by.
- Business Plan Manual
Luiz Antonio Bernardi's book presents important structures and concepts for anyone who wants to know how to make a business plan.
If you are researching how to make a business plan, then you are certainly starting a new company. We at John Labunski want to help you succeed on this journey!
We are the first online accounting in United State and we have always been on the side of entrepreneurs. Our mission is to make accounting simpler and easier!
We offer accounting and business opening services, so you don't have to worry about the bureaucratic part and have more time to dedicate to putting into practice everything you've planned for the company.
Contact us and request a proposal! We will send you a personalized material, explaining how our company works!