How to find a sample business plan, and mirror it

Congratulations! You have decided to go into business for yourself and are taking the steps to make this dream of yours a reality. However, there are a few warnings that you should heed. Having a good idea is one thing, having a good plan and successful implementation is quite another. A business plan can make or break your prospects of carrying your idea through to reality. You need to ask yourself the hard questions of reality and make sure that you are willing to work at the level necessary to build your business from the ground up.

Important questions to ask:
Is the plan simple?
Is it easy to understand and to act on?
Does it communicate its contents easily and practically?
Is the plan specific?
Are its objectives concrete and measurable?
Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets?
Is the plan realistic?
Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic?
Is the plan complete?
Does it include all the necessary elements?

Ok, so you may have some good ideas and the motivation to implement them. Now comes the challenging part: the business plan. A business plan is very much like a proposal that you will present to potential investors. Your business plan is also your guide to the actions that you are going to take during your first years of operation. You must have a business plan if you plan on surviving in the industry.

One size does not fit all
There are many business plans that have been published and are readily available for reading. Although it may be wise to look and learn from how others have formatted their business plans, it is not wise to simply mirror it. This is because each business plan is by nature very unique. In fact you have to tailor your plan to its real business purpose. Your business is never going to be exactly like another person's business. People have different strengths, weaknesses and budget limitations. Even the most successful business plans will not always work for you if you simply replicate them.

In addition to having the final business plan itself, it is important to consider the added benefit of researching and re-evaluating your process. Simply mirroring another person's business plan gives you no insight into the development process. There is a great deal of valuable information that can be gained from researching business plans and creating a well thought out plan that will work specifically for you.

Sample business plan outline:
If you are looking for some direction in how to format your business plan, below you will find a sample contents page outline.
A. Executive summary (including business plan highlights)
1. Objectives
2. Mission
3. Keys to success
B. Company summary (analysis in the form of charts and tables of start-up)
C. Product/service description
D. Market analysis summary (with chart/table of market analysis and market summary)
1. Market segmentation
2. Target market segmentation strategy
3. Market needs
4. Competitions and buying patterns
E. Strategy and implementation summary (with chart/table of annual sales)
1. Competitive edge
2. Sales strategy (with chart/table of sales forecast and monthly sales)
F. Management summary
G. Financial plan
1. Break-even analysis (With charts/tables)
2. Projected profit and loss (With charts/tables)
3. Projected cash flow (With charts/tables)

Other sample business plans can be found in a number of places. For immediate access you can easily find completed business plans on the internet. If you are looking for a specific type of business plan you may consider contacting the business owner or looking in literature printed by that market segment. Software is also available to provide you with helpful examples and direction for writing your own business plan.

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How to find a sample business plan, and mirror it