How to Write a Business Plan (Creating Success series, 107) - Softcover

Finch, Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 074944553X ISBN 13: 9780749445539

Publisher: Kogan Page, 2006

Synopsis

<p>Anyone involved in business will, at some point, have to prepare a business plan, whether it is to raise finance, sell a business or develop a specific project. While people are unlikely to invest solely in a beautiful document, they are very unlikely to support something that is scrappy, untidy and badly written.</p><p>Starting with the premise that there's only ever one chance to make a good impression, <i>How to Write a Business Plan </i>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.</p><p>Presented in a highly accessible format, <i>How to Write a Business Plan</i> 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.</p>

About this title

About the Author

<b>Brian Finch</b> is an independent consultant, with considerable experience of preparing and delivering effective business plans, as well as advising others on their preparation of winning material. He is the author of <i><b>Effective Financial Management</b></i>, also published by Kogan Page.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

<p><b>Introduction 1</b></p><p> <b> 1. The structure of the plan 15</b></p><p> Using appendices 18</p><p> <b>2. Summary 20 </b></p><p> <b> 3. The business background 24</b></p><p> The business 24; What is the product or</p><p> service? 25; The markets 25; Supply 26;</p><p> How did you get here? 27</p><p> <b>4. The market 29</b></p><p> Overview 29; Market structure 30; Competitors 31;</p><p> Customers 32; Distribution 32; Trends 35;</p><p> Competitive advantage 36; Market segmentation 37;</p><p> Differentiation 38; Pricing 39; Barriers to entry 39;</p><p> New technologies 40; Mixed strategies 41</p><p> <b> 5. Operations 42</b></p><p> Differences 43; Processes 43; Control 44;</p><p> Experience 45; Supply 46; Systems 46; Location</p><p> and environment 47; Regulatory control 48</p><p> <b> 6. Management 49</b></p><p> The essential difference 53; What skills are</p><p> required? 54; Organisation structure 55;</p><p> Demonstrating control 56</p><p> <b>7. The proposal 61</b></p><p> Explain 61; The proposition 61; Why will you</p><p> succeed? 63; Ask for what you want! 64;</p><p> What have you invested? 65; Closing the deal 66;</p><p> The exit 67</p><p> <b>8. The forecast 68</b></p><p> The sales forecast 68; Costs 70; The five-year</p><p> forecast 70; Reviewing the plan 72; Sensitivity 73;</p><p> Key assumptions 75; Explain important points 78</p><p> <b>9. Financial information 80</b></p><p> Profit and loss account 81; Cash forecast 84;</p><p> Sensitivity 85; Funding 86; Reconciling and</p><p> checking 87; Timing 87; Balance sheet 89;</p><p> Some important terms 91</p><p> <b>10. Risks 93</b></p><p> <b>11. Legal issues and confidentiality 96</b></p><p> Confidentiality 96</p><p> <b>12. Selling your business 100</b></p><p> Explain why are selling 101; Emphasise the great</p><p> opportunities for the business 101; Don't waste</p><p> time illustrating that sudden upturn in business</p><p> expected imminently 101; Do you include a</p><p> forecast 102; Who is the buyer? 103; Holding</p><p> back information 103</p><p> <b>13. The internal business plan 105</b></p><p> How to use plans to help run organisations 105;</p><p> Planning is not budgeting!! 110; Non-traditional</p><p> plans 112; The corporate vision: soft data and</p><p> hard data 113; Creating strategy 116; Conduct</p><p> action-oriented planning 118; Where are you</p><p> starting from? 121; Involving staff - building</p><p> the team 125; Tips for producing and using the</p><p> internal plan 126; The dead hand of corporate</p><p> politics 130; Using business plans for bidding 134</p><p> Appendices 138</p><p> 1. The confidentiality letter 138</p><p> 2. Reconciling profit and cash flow 140</p><p> Glossary 143</p>

Edition details

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 074944553X
• ISBN 13: 9780749445539
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 160