Business planning. Step-by-step instructions for drawing up a business plan

To begin with, I will briefly talk about my results in business. At the moment I am the owner of several large Internet projects, the total cost of which is more than several million rubles, including the portal site. It is for this reason that I can openly express my opinion regarding business planning and various business processes. The knowledge and skills that I possess were acquired not in a university and a textbook, but in the conditions of market competition through dozens of experiments.

To write or not to write a business plan?

Let's open any of the university textbooks on business, and in each of them it will be written that business begins with a business plan. And let the bearded professors in glasses not like what I have to say next, but let's build on what these professors have achieved in business. As a rule, these are theorists who have never led large companies. But they all echo that a well-written business plan is 50% of the success of your future company.

To be honest, I even find it funny at such moments. You can plan for at least a whole year, make a plan for 100 A4 sheets, and then your business will fail.
Do you know why? Yes, because this is a market! The market is constantly changing, transforming, and it is cruel, especially to newcomers. You can never predict everything that can happen to you or your business idea. That is why my personal opinion boils down to the fact that a long business plan is a waste of your time.

Although there are a few situations where a business plan can come in handy.

When is a business plan really needed?

In our age of bureaucracy, a business plan is simply indispensable in two main cases:

- You want to receive a grant or a subsidy for business development from the state.
Unfortunately, the entrepreneurship support system in the Russian Federation is such that you will not even be accepted without a business plan. The main reason is that most of the officials in the business support centers have no idea what a business is, because. they have never dealt with it and are accustomed to acting according to textbooks and regulations. Here the principle works: the more paper in the business plan, the better. In the eyes of officials, such a business plan will look like serious work has been done on it.

— You are preparing a business plan for an investor.

It is important to clearly understand here that an investor is far from being an official! As a rule, this is already an experienced businessman who will not poke around in a bundle of papers that you brought him. For him, two things matter the most:
1) The idea you came up with. She must “infect” him, he must want to do this business.
2) How well you understand the topic. Get ready for dozens of questions. And you will have to answer all these questions.

Perhaps these are the two main situations in which you really need a business plan.

When not to make a business plan!

I remember when I was 22 years old, I even bought myself a smart book called "Compiling a Business Plan." At that time, I generally had a vague idea about business. Now I can already say that this was one of my most stupid acquisitions. I wanted to write a business plan FOR MYSELF! Never write business plans for yourself! Better devote this time to studying the market, study it inside and out, and finally, start your business. The maximum time that you can spend on creating a business plan is 1-2 hours of working time! Just take a piece of paper, a pen and calculate all the indicators. A business plan should fit on a maximum of 1 piece of paper, no need to write 30-page Talmuds!

Sample business plan “Business on social networks”

One of the main areas of my business is a business in social networks, namely a business on public pages.

I want to immediately note that the data that is presented is already confirmed, and I drew up this business plan after launching the project and making a profit from it. That is, after the fact. I will add my comments to each paragraph.

Idea: creating a public page on VKontakte in order to sell advertising on it, own goods, participate in affiliate programs.

Ways to make money on the project:
— sale of advertising,
- partnership programs,
- Selling your products.

Main affiliate programs:
— ,
— .

What items can be sold:
- women's beauty and health products,
- Products for children,
- goods for the economy.

Competitor project analysis

Sample Business Plan “Parking Lot”

Of course, I couldn't help but cite a typical university-style business plan as an example! And such an example was a sample of a BP for organizing a parking lot. As for my opinion about this business plan, I can say that the abundance of numbers in it can please only an official or a teacher at a university, but not a real entrepreneur. You can download this business plan from the link below:

Startup basics: a good financial plan, not a drive and cats

How to write a business plan correctly? We share recommendations, convenient ways, samples and calculations.

Business plan is the document from which the implementation must begin. If you do not first calculate expenses and incomes, do not take into account demand and the presence of already working competitors, you can waste your budget. In our article, you will find a sample business plan with calculations and learn how to prepare it for yourself.

But when the development of a business plan for a small business is needed specifically for investors, guarantors, creditors, then the document must comply with the requirements of the Federal Fund for Support of Small Business. You can learn how to draw up a business plan in accordance with these requirements from, and consider a brief structure of the plan here.

The structure of the business plan from the Federal Fund for Support of Small Business:

If you follow all the recommendations of the Federal Fund for Support of Small Business, then it is quite difficult to draw up your own business plan on your own. But there is another way to calculate the prospects for your project - using the SME Business Navigator.

How to write a business plan yourself

If you decide to open such a store, you will need to find the missing amount of 1.7 million rubles. Of course, you can take out a loan, especially since Business Navigator offers you to choose one of the partner banks. However, we should not forget that such interest-bearing borrowed funds increase the cost of the project and extend its payback period. We need to weigh carefully whether it is worth it.

If you do not want to attract additional funds to the project, especially borrowed funds, the navigator will offer you to select the type of business by the amount of investment. We go to the appropriate tab and see an extensive list of projects that you can start using only your own funds. It remains only to choose a few areas of interest to you and calculate their payback.

Now you know how to make a business plan with calculations for a small business in a specific situation. On the Internet, you will find many more methods for writing and compiling business plans, samples for various businesses (coffee shop, car service, beauty salon, etc.). But remember - you need a business plan for your specific business, individual, and no one has written one for you yet. Here in this video briefly and succinctly “on the fingers of a milling machine” it is told how to do this:

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Everyone knows that a business plan is one of the most effective tools for the successful implementation of a new project. Despite this, many aspiring entrepreneurs do not understand how to properly write a business plan. For some, simple calculations from the “bought and sold” category are enough, others build a complex strategy instead of clear goals and objectives. So does an entrepreneur need a business plan and how to develop it?

Why is a plan needed?

In the practice of doing business, there are a huge number of force majeure circumstances that can affect the course of business. Their list is so huge that it is unlikely to fit into the format of this material. Moreover, it is practically impossible to take into account all the factors in one document and develop a mechanism for responding to them. So does it make sense to have a strategy, or is it enough to limit yourself to basic techniques and apply them as needed? As practice shows, having a business plan is still worth it.

It is needed for two tasks:

1. Business plan for "internal use":

- As the saying goes, 10 minutes of planning saves an hour of hard work. Having a well-designed business plan for small businesses allows you to establish management processes. This is especially important when working in a team. A detailed plan eliminates discrepancies and stipulates the steps that each member of the team takes in a given situation.

- Tracking performance. A well-designed business plan has a number of key milestones that your business must achieve at certain intervals. By how clearly you pass these “marks”, you can draw conclusions about the effectiveness of business processes and “tighten the screws” if necessary. In addition, you can be sure that your team will be focused on the right goals in the event of a temporary lack of leadership.

A well-designed business plan has a number of key milestones that your business must achieve at certain intervals. By how clearly you pass these "marks", you can draw conclusions about the effectiveness of business processes.

— Risk reduction. We have already written that it is impossible to foresee all force majeure circumstances, but the general pattern of actions in a crisis situation is a very useful thing. As a rule, such steps are quite universal and reduce risks. A clause on who, when and under what circumstances will perform them should be present in the business plan.

2. Business plan for investors.

The master plan for business development, however, is needed and not only for internal use. In some cases, it may be presented to third parties. Very often, potential investors study a business plan for evaluation. The decision to invest in your business depends on how well all the nuances are worked out in it. In this case, the document has the status of a conditional "promissory note" and is binding. This may be a business plan for an employment center, receiving grants or subsidies. In order to receive a subsidy to open their own business, the applicant must submit a number of documents to the Employment Center (CZN). Including - a business plan prepared in accordance with the structure that is set by the EPC. Deviations from it are not allowed.

Where can I get a plan?

A business plan can appear in two ways:

1. The first option is to contact a specialized company that will perform this work. As a rule, such a service is provided by various marketing agencies. Specialists will assess the market situation, conduct the necessary research and calculations, formulate the most appropriate development concept and key key indicators. Naturally, ordering the development of a business plan will require certain expenses. The cost of the service depends on the region, the qualifications of the agency and the amount of work. As a rule, individual wishes of the client are also taken into account in the final document.
2. You can write a business plan from scratch on your own. It's free, but the process requires effort and certain knowledge. As a first step along this path, we can recommend downloading a sample with calculations or ready-made examples, adapting them to your own business.

Independent business planning

We offer you a universal step-by-step instruction for self-development of a business plan.

1. Determine the type of document

Business practitioners and theorists in Russia argue that business plans can be divided into four main types:

• Company business plan. This is the most common type. Document "for internal use", which was written above;

• An investment business plan is developed for investors, describes the characteristics of your business and contains market research data;

• A credit business plan is required to get a loan from a bank. Shows the real need for a loan, the possibility of using credit funds and their repayment;

• Business plan for obtaining a grant or or non-state structures. In such a business plan, it is necessary to focus on the benefits of your business for the region or country as a whole, or its social component (for example, environmental projects).

2. We collect and analyze information

• A description of the product or service you intend to sell. Emphasis should be placed on the competitive advantages of the product. If it is cheap, technologically advanced, or has no analogues at all, be sure to mark it;

• Sales market analysis. It is important to carefully study the potential market for your product or service. This can be done using various tools. For example, analyze sales of similar products or launch a trial batch of your product on the market. At the same time, in practice, one can understand how the product will be distributed, its current price, opportunities to stimulate consumers and promotion channels (advertising);

• Assessment of competitors. You need to study your competitors thoroughly. This will help highlight the advantages of your product, as well as predict the actions of other market players;

• Production analysis. Here it is important to evaluate your own production capabilities (know how much product you can supply to the market), their flexibility (the possibility of modernization, expansion, re-profiling, etc.). It is not bad to evaluate the maximum possibilities of uninterrupted supplies of raw materials and consumables. If a business plan is drawn up for a company or an agricultural enterprise, then it is necessary to make a certain adjustment for the risks of a natural nature, and all calculations should be carried out based on a pessimistic scenario for the development of the situation;

• organizational moments. Recruiting a team of professionals and organizing work also requires resources. Analyze these points carefully;

• Estimated financial plan. In this part of the study, you need to calculate the costs of the above items and current activities, as well as evaluate revenue, profit, and payback periods.

Recruiting a team of professionals and organizing work also requires resources. Consider these points carefully.

3. We draw up a business plan

So, all the data is collected, systematized and double-checked. The last point is especially important, since mistakes in a business plan can be fraught with serious problems in the future. The time has come to bring all the data and conclusions into a single document and issue it:

• The title page of the document is drawn up according to certain standards. It should contain information about the address and contact details of the enterprise, to whom the document is intended and whether it is confidential. Be sure to indicate the full and short name of the project, the head of the enterprise and this project, the date of commencement of implementation and its duration. Specify the time period during which the data in the document will be relevant;

• Brief summary. On 2-3 pages, describe the essence of the project and its prospects;

• Main part. To prepare this chapter of the business plan, we use pre-collected and structured information, which we already wrote about above. The main part should include the following:

– a detailed description of the type of activity and services of the company;

– market assessment indicating the competitive advantages of the company;

- marketing strategy;

- promotion of goods on the market.

- the cost of providing services;

- a plan for the technical equipment and activities of the company and production capabilities;

– management structure, personnel search;

– assessment of potential risks;

- financial forecast.

• Application. In this part of the business plan, it is worth adding additional materials with the rationale for the theses of the document.

To draw up a business plan, you can use special programs. This will somewhat simplify and automate the process, but the essence of the document will not change from this.

A short algorithm for self-development of a business plan

1. Document type selection: enterprise business plan, investment, loan or grant document.
2. Collection, analysis, verification and systematization of information: description of the product with identified competitive advantages; study and analysis of the market, competitors, production and organizational measures; investments, revenue, profit and payback periods.
3. Making a business plan. Inclusion in the final document of all data and conclusions drawn on their basis. Let's not forget about the application.

1. Check and recheck the data you use when writing your business plan. Incorrect or out of date information can lead to fatal errors. Use data from official and independent sources for comparison. Use research: surveys, focus groups, launching trial batches of goods.
2. Include in the business plan options for the development of negative scenarios and your actions in this case. This approach allows minimizing risks in the implementation of the project.
3. Pay special attention to the design. Errors in the final document are not allowed.
4. The business plan in your company must have the status of law. Deviations from actions and key indicators are possible only if you or your investors decide so.

Remember that any, even the most well-developed business plan, is just one, albeit a very likely, scenario. Be prepared to adjust it if necessary.

From the desires of wealth does not come. They come from a clear plan of action based on equally clear aspirations. Napoleon Hill, philosopher, bestselling author of Think and Grow Rich

your future project. How to write a business plan? The step-by-step instructions in this article will help in this matter.

Business plan goals

Writing a business plan can be different depending on why you need it. One of the most common purposes is to present it for investment. Such a business plan of the project is the most complex. Often third parties are involved in writing it - experts in their field who will create a suitable business plan for investor approval.

It happens that the manager instructs to write a business plan for the company, for example, to open a branch. In this case, too, they often turn to third-party specialists in the preparation of such plans. From the contractor in the end, only some adjustment to the needs of the company may be required.

Well, when a business plan is necessary for starting your own business, it is best to write it from cover to cover yourself. Although this is a difficult process, it is exciting and very interesting. After all, your own business is the real brainchild of an entrepreneur. And therefore, its creation is treated very reverently and thoroughly. The article provides instructions for drawing up a business plan for your business.

initial idea

Basically, those who decide to open their own business have already chosen and know their field of activity well. But there are entrepreneurs who want to have their own business, but still do not clearly know what exactly they will do. They are looking for a business idea. It is difficult to overestimate its importance. The idea should suit the interests and desires of the entrepreneur himself.

It can be a favorite thing that a person is ready to do even for free, or a business that already brings a guaranteed income. In any case, having chosen a niche for yourself, it is important not to be distracted by anything else and not to dream of unattainable peaks, but to turn your real idea into reality step by step. A business plan will really help in this matter.

How to write a business plan? Step-by-step instruction

So, having imagined what the future business will be, you can proceed to writing a business plan. There are special planning standards. Therefore, if it is submitted for investment, you should choose an appropriate standard and adhere to it when writing.

To understand how to write a business plan, step-by-step instructions and generally accepted standards will serve you well, as they are approved by people who are professionally versed in these matters. The entrepreneur will be able to sort out his, perhaps, not yet fully formed thoughts, and bring his business to life.

A standard business plan consists of the following chapters:

• General provisions.

  Market analysis.

  Marketing and strategic plan.

  Costs.

  Production plan.

  Investments.

  Financial plan.

Summary

It should briefly display the essence of the matter, a description of the business idea, information about its objective need in the market, the timing of implementation, and competitiveness.

Of course, this part is more intended for potential investors. It is they who, after reading the resume, make a conclusion about whether it is worth getting acquainted with this plan further or not. Therefore, if it is to be presented to an investor, it is necessary to describe this part carefully, possibly returning to it again and again, making adjustments after the next chapters are completed.

However, for their own needs, this part is also important, because it helps the entrepreneur to better see the whole process of organizing a business as a whole.

General provisions

If the resume is written for about one - a maximum of two pages, then this chapter can be written in more detail. That is, in fact, the chapter "General Provisions" contains the same information as the summary, but in a more detailed form invites the reader to familiarize himself with the project as a whole.

It describes the characteristics and implementation of the project, its life cycle, the possibility of additional development and the forecast of product changes with a possible change in market trends.

The service business plan in this chapter should contain information about what the specific service is about and how it will attract customers. For example, a business plan describes all the proposed services, their characteristics and distinctive features. An attractive feature here will be the legend of how celebrities undergo procedures in the salon or how individual specialists provide them with these services, how specialists were trained directly with the brand of product with which they work.

Market analysis

In parallel with writing a business plan or before drawing up one, it is necessary to conduct a market analysis. This is an extremely important part, because the success of the future project directly depends on it.

Having chosen a market niche and target audience, a thorough analysis is carried out in order to determine how relevant the business plan of the project, the initial proposal and its idea are. If the analysis reveals an oversupply, then it is worth returning to the idea and trying to correct it in such a way that it corresponds to the state of affairs in the market. If there is an increased demand, then everything is in order, and you can safely proceed to further actions.

Market analysis is carried out in different ways. But if there are problems with its implementation, there are companies where you can outsource market analysis.

Nevertheless, the entrepreneur is advised to sort this issue out himself, since any third-party organizations will only give an objective average result, not fully taking into account the business plans of a small business and all the nuances of the business idea of ​​the author of the project.

Marketing and strategic planning

This plan includes bringing the product to the market, its development, pricing, sales and distribution system, as well as advertising. To launch a product, it is advisable to build a Gantt chart, which will display the dates for the implementation of various events. Based on the analysis of the market and competitiveness, a strategy is calculated, how the market will be conquered and what tactical actions will be required for implementation.

Pricing is based on economic calculations and the company's expected earnings. Sales and marketing can be presented in the form of a diagram, where the whole process will be visible in stages. For example, from the receipt of goods at the warehouse and to the receipt of money for the goods and its sale.

Costs and production schedule

This chapter includes the purchase of necessary equipment, repairs, rent of premises and other costs. The production schedule must reflect how many people are required to implement the project, their work schedule, salary deductions and related payments.

They will become much more attractive for the investor if there is a ready-made team that will work on the project, as this proves the ability of the entrepreneur to realize his plans. Therefore, it would be appropriate to emphasize this fact in the business plan.

Production plan

If the company will be a manufacturing company, then it is necessary to describe the production process, as well as partners and suppliers who will be involved in the case. For example, the farm business plan in this chapter should include equipment for milking, bottling, milk packaging and a mechanism for marketing it through specific suppliers.

Financial plan and investments

The most important part of the entire business plan is, of course, the financial plan. Moreover, if the project is intended to familiarize the investor, then after reading the summary, a serious investor is likely to look at the financial plan. After all, it is here that the real ability of an entrepreneur to implement business ideas will be visible. This is the essence of entrepreneurial activity.

The financial plan provides all the information about the possible costs and income of the project. Based on the marketing, strategic plan and costs, a table is compiled for several years, which displays the required investments and their repayment schedule, all costs and possible income.

The final part of the financial plan must necessarily be the calculation of the profitability of the future business.

The reader now knows how to write a business plan. The step-by-step instructions given in the article are a quick guide demonstrating the importance of understanding goals and the need for business planning.

Brief briefing

You have an idea. You want to create your own business. Great. What's next? Next, you need to “sort everything out”, think through the details (as far as possible), in order to first of all understand: is it worth developing this project? Perhaps after researching the market, you will realize that the service or product is not in demand, or you do not have sufficient funds to develop your business. Maybe the project should be improved a little, to abandon unnecessary elements, or, on the contrary, to introduce something?

A business plan will help you consider the prospects of your venture.

End justifies the means?

Starting to write a business plan, remember its goals and functions. First of all, you carry out preparatory work in order to understand how realistic the achievement of the planned results is, how much time and money are needed to implement the plan.

In addition, a business plan is necessary to attract investors, receive a grant or a bank loan. That is, it should include information about the potential profit of the project, the necessary costs and the payback period. Think about what is important and interesting for your recipients to hear.

Use a little cheat sheet for yourself:

• Analyze the market you are going to enter. What leaders-companies exist in this direction. Study their experience and work.
• Determine the strengths and weaknesses of your project, future opportunities and risks. In short, do a SWOT analysis*.

SWOT analysis - (English)strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,Threats - strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A method of planning, developing a strategy that allows you to identify the main factors influencing business development.

• Be clear about what you expect from the project. Set a specific goal.

The main goal of the business plan is to help, first of all, you yourself in developing the company's strategy and planning its development, as well as assistance in attracting investments.

So every plan has a structure. Regardless of the specifics of the project and the requirements of investors, a business plan, as a rule, contains the following elements:

1. Firm CV(short business plan)

• Product Description
• Description of the market situation
• Competitive advantages and disadvantages
• Brief description of the organizational structure
• Distribution of funds (investment and own)

2. marketing plan

• Definition of a “problem” and your solution
• Definition of the target audience
• Market and competition analysis
• Free niche, unique selling proposition
• Methods and cost of attracting customers
• Sales channels
• Stages and terms of market conquest

3. Plan for the production of goods or services

• Organization of production
• Infrastructure features
• Production resources and areas
• Production equipment
• Production process
• Quality control
• Calculation of investments and depreciation

4.Workflow organization

• Organizational structure of the enterprise
• Distribution of powers and responsibilities
• Control system

5. Financial plan and risk forecast

• Cost estimate
• Calculation of the cost of a product or service
• Calculation of profit and loss
• Investment period
• Break even point and payback point
• Cash flow forecast
• Risk Forecast
• Ways to minimize risks

It is clear that a business plan is one whole and its parts are inextricably linked with each other. However, a well-designed structure will help you not to forget the important, as well as to look deeper into each of the aspects.

Company resume. Briefly about the main

Marketing plan. There are empty seats?

When drawing up a marketing plan, you will have to analyze the market you are going to enter. Thus, you will identify trends for yourself, collect information about competitors and get to know your consumer, your target audience better.

After evaluating a potential client, his interests and preferences, you must determine the optimal location of the office, outlet, etc. It should be comfortable. Calculate the required number of customers for your business to pay off and compare with the audience living or working around the intended location of the business. For example, for a public service business, this audience should not be less than 2% of the number of people living within a short walk or five-minute drive.

It is possible that the market that you were going to conquer is oversaturated at the moment. Analyze the actions of competitors, create your strategy, focus on your uniqueness, bring something new to fill an empty niche in a certain area.

Of course, creating something that is not yet on the market is quite difficult. However, you can carefully analyze the situation and open, for example, a point where the consumer really needs it or play on the difference in prices and the level of services provided relative to nearby competitors.

Also, you will definitely have to decide on the sales channels. After reviewing the existing methods on the market - find the best for yourself. Calculate how much it costs you to acquire each client.

Finally, when deciding on pricing, you will need to calculate: which is more profitable? A high price with a small number of sales or a price lower than competitors, but a large client flow. We should also not forget about the service, because for many consumers it is crucial. They are willing to pay a price above the market average, but receive a high quality of service.

Production plan. What are we selling?

Here you will finally tell in detail about the essence of your business: what do you do?

For example, you decide to produce dresses and sell them. In the production plan, indicate the suppliers of fabric and equipment, where you will place the sewing workshop, what will be the volume of production. You will write down the stages of manufacturing products, the necessary qualifications of employees, calculate the necessary deductions to the depreciation fund, as well as logistics. From many factors: from the cost of threads to the cost of labor, the costs of the future business will also depend.

Prescribing the technology for creating your course product, you will pay attention to many little things that you have not thought about before. There may be issues with the storage of goods or difficulties with imported raw materials, problems with finding employees with the necessary qualifications, etc.

When you have finally written down the entire path of creating a product or service, it's time to calculate how much your project will cost you. It may well be that later, when making financial calculations, you will realize that you need to make adjustments to the production plan: cut some costs or radically change the technology itself.

Organization of the workflow. How will it work?

Will you manage the business alone or with partners? How will decisions be made? These and many more questions you need to answer in the "Organization of the workflow" section.

Here you can register the entire structure of the enterprise and identify duplication of authority, mutual exclusion, etc. Having seen the whole organization scheme, it will be easier for you to optimally distribute rights and responsibilities between departments and employees.

Having understood, first of all, for yourself how your company functions, it will be possible to more effectively develop a system of interaction between structures, a system for monitoring employees and the entire personnel policy.

The importance of this section is that it describes who and how will implement the project in reality.