Business Plans and Business Advice
Applied Support Services can assist you with:
• Business plans for board and shareholder reporting.
• Business plans for attracting outside investors.
• Business plans for grant funding.
• Business plans to set goals for management.
• Export plans.
• Marketing plans.
• Research and development plans.
• Project management plans.
Download a printer friendly version of this page here Business Plans Oct 2011.pdf
Business plan templates customised to your needs are supplied in Microsoft Word format and essential tables in Microsoft Excel format.
Business Plans
The business plan fulfils two main tasks. It acts as a selling document to investors and other outside bodies and as an aid to management. Organisations who implement practical business plans increase their survival chances. Formalised business planning leads to longer-term profitability and stability. Structured planning also helps reduce management frustration and communicates your vision to staff and investors.
What to include in your Business Plan
Your business plan will not be completed in a single draft. The plan may require technical, marketing and financial input from different people, but the final version should be the responsibility of the owners or senior management. The plan covers almost every aspect of the business, therefore it is best to start collecting the information you need early. This may take a number of weeks or even months. As you research material - store it. Write down your ideas as they occur. Our business plan template sets out the facts and figures you need to collect and assists with the logical flow of information between the different sections. The level of detail required will depend on the size and nature of your enterprise. Your business plan should include sections on:
• Industry background
• The product or service.
• The market.
• Operations.
• Management.
• Implementation schedule.
• Finance.
• Executive summary.
How to Get Started
To help you get started on your business plan download a copy of our business plan checklist Business Plan Check List Oct 2011.pdf
Who is the Audience for your Plan?
Having a current business plan is an important decision making tool. The content and the format of your business plan is determined by your goals and your audience. We can help you prepare business plans for attracting outside investors, business funding or setting management objectives. We can help you research and collect the information you need from different parts of your business.
Presentation Formats
Elevator Pitch: A thirty second to one minute summary of the business plan. This is often used as a teaser to awaken the interest of potential funders, customers or strategic partners.
Verbal Presentation: A verbal narrative that is meant to trigger discussion and interest potential investors in reading the written presentation. The content of the presentation is usually limited to the executive summary and a few key graphs showing financial trends and key decision making points. If a new product is being proposed and time permits, a demonstration of the product may also be included.
Written Presentation: A detailed, well written, and pleasingly formatted plan usually targeted at the board, shareholders, external stakeholders and potential business partners. This documentation usually includes supporting information to support the business case. For example detailed financial statements, technical drawings, management CV’s, or market studies.
Internal Operational Plan: A written operational document describing planning details that are needed by management but may not be of interest to external stakeholders. Such plans may have a somewhat higher degree of informality than the version targeted at external stakeholders.
Business Case Preparation
A business case captures the reasoning for initiating your project and how it will address a specific business need. The business case helps management, stakeholders and investors evaluate the value and risk of a project. A well reasoned business case sets out the benefits you need to achieve and at what cost. It helps determine if your investment in the project is likely to generate a worthwhile return. We can assist you:
• Define the business need and opportunity.
• Clearly document the scope of the project.
• Identify resource requirements, both internal and external.
• Prepare a budget for the project.
• Complete the cost benefit analysis.
• Set milestones, go/kill points and deadlines.
• Monitor the project to ensure it achieves its objectives.
Many business projects fail because of poor planning, lack of leadership or internal competition for resources. We are experienced at working with managers, marketing, finance and R&D personnel to prepare the business justification required to fund their projects. We have prepared business plans for firms across sectors ranging from agriculture, biotechnology, chemicals, electronics, food, horticulture, to IT, manufacturing, oil & gas, packaging and transport. Our experience includes working with the private sector, government and multinational firms.
Guide to Preparing a Business Case
Download our guide to preparing a business case Business Case Oct 2011.pdf
Applied Support Services can assist you through all stages of the business plan. We help you establish realistic objectives, budgets, and timetables. Our approach ensures business planning skills are transferred to your staff. We have completed business plans for the private and state sectors, both locally and internationally. We can help you prepare your business plan presentation to your target audience.
Useful Links:
Business templates.
Sources of business funding and support.
Government business planning advice.
New Zealand Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.
The Australian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.
Help planning and managing business projects.
Help planning and managing research and development projects.
Excel spreadsheets and excel business models.
Marketing strategy and marketing plans.
Market research and market analysis.
Dropbox for sharing business planning files across the internet.
Business news from Fortune Magazine, The Economist Magazine, The Financial Times.
Help with export marketing plans and export market research
Applied Support Services home page.
This page was last updated on 1 November 2011
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