There are a couple of questions that I am asked on a regular basis. Would my company require a business plan? What should I include in my business plan? These are questions that I will be answering within this article.

Do I require a business plan?

For most businesses the answer to this question would be yes, it certainly was my stuttering therapies company. I actually thought that a stuttering treatment would not really benefit from such a plan – I guess that shows you just how un-educated in this field that I used to be. For the majority of new businesses and ones which require investment by way of a loan or a business partner, a business plan is a must.

This is the type of business which does not require a business plan:

A business which is happy to stay as it is and which has no plans to expand.

A business which never has a need to take out a loan.

A business which is a one man band and is self-sufficient, without the need of any outside help – as an example a composite door company business.

The business plan will aim to show its readers all about your aims for your business and how you are going to reach these targets. You need to have a strategy firmly in place before even attempting to write the plan.

What should be included in my business plan?

The readers of the business plan are of course interested to learn more about the proposed services that you provide however they will also want to discover more about you as an individual. Give them a brief summary of your history and what you have achieved in the past. This is where you need to really sell yourself to the person; therefore really give it some – tell them about all of the positives and about your aspirations for the future.

Describe the market place that your business is a part of, such as DVD replication, the competition and also the opportunities for growth in that market.

Give them financial figures including running costs, projected earnings, projected growth forecasts and also any financial history the business might have had.

Show them that you are flexible in that you have a plan B if plan A does not come to fruition.