Small Business Plan – The Key to Survival

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin



One of the key issues with business success is the small business plan. No plan – no direction – no progress.

Each business needs to have an overall plan plus a detailed plan for each quarter, month, week and day. Just to turn up at the workplace and react to the situation of the day is not an option. Your competition will swallow you unless you take action every working day. Consistency is the key here.

Set up your plan carefully and then stick with it – through hell and high water. If you think through the plan carefully and establish something that’s ambitious but achievable, then you can focus all efforts on achieving the short term goals, which in turn, will contribute to the long term goals. The worst scenario for small businesses in tough times is to be reactionary – just waiting for the next event – be it crisis or sale and then jumping into gear to deal with it.

The business owner needs to be the prime mover at all times and he must believe in himself and his business, sometimes when the odds look grim.

As that great wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill said… “Where would we be without those few individuals who refuse to accept defeat and who continue to soldier onwards when common sense tells the rest of mankind that there’s no use trying?”

Whilst this ultra tough market place will push many businesses over the edge, there are many that will survive and thrive. Why? In England, we call it the “Bulldog Spirit”. It goes back to Sir Winston Churchill and his wartime declaration that “we shall fight them on the beaches etc”.

From a business perspective and particularly in regard to working to a small business plan, it means that you’re better off being “a stubborn cuss” – particularly in these current tough market conditions. It could well help you survive and thrive.

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Trucking Business Plan

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin



The following are excerpts from the trucking business plan you’ll receive. Start-Up Trucking Company With 1 – 10 Trucks and Trailers. The Plan can be presented modified with your information to apply for a Government Grant and Funds.

Use the sample plan to create a plan that reflects your vision for the future. Incorporate your personal information and research findings into your plan, adding information in each category to express your business plan goals and objectives. The following categories should be outlined in detail and information specific to your venture should be added:

Step 1: Your Trucking Business Plan

List your major competitors with names and addresses. Region where you plan to operate? Which products and what companies will compete with your business.

Competition: Will they compete with you across the board, or just for certain products. Will you have important indirect competitors? How will your company, products and services compare with the competition? What distinguishes your business from the competition? This detailed analysis of your competition will give you a clear picture how your trucking plan will fit into the marketplace and allow you to make adjustments accordingly.

Financial Projections: Management Mistakes: Several common mistakes will limit the effectiveness of the management team section of your business plan, leading to rejection by lenders or investors. Your financial projections will be highly scrutinized by the individuals who read your trucking business plan; therefore, it is important that you present accurate and truthful information and that your financial forecast is realistic. We have included sample financial projects based on years of experience along with a sample spreadsheet, which will assist you to create your own realistic financial projections based on your personal situation.

We recommend you use a spreadsheet to create your own financial projections. Financial statements and projections should follow generally accepted accounting standards and must include properly prepared balance sheets. If you feel that this task is beyond your expertise, you may seek the assistance of a good accountant who is willing to prepare financial projections for a reasonable fee, based on the trucking plan information you provide.

Demonstrate your professionalism by avoiding the following pitfalls:

Placing unqualified friends or family members in key management positions

Presenting a one-man-team management philosophy

Assuming that previous success in another field will guarantee success for your trucking business plan

Failing to obtain a knowledgeable board of advisers

Hiring top managers without sharing ownership

Your business plan to establish your start-up trucking company is almost complete. You did the research and you followed the instructions to create your personalized trucking plan. You proofread and reviewed it and you are proud of your accomplishment; however, your work is not yet complete. Set the plan aside for a few days and then review it again critically from the viewpoint of a banker or investor. Ask yourself if the information presented makes sense business-wise, is the information presented in a professional language, and does your plan make a good impression. If you are not completely satisfied with the results, then implement new ideas for a trucking business plan, and make the appropriate changes.

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Sample Clothing Store Business Plans – Three Reasons to Use Them

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin



Finding a sample clothing store business plan to base your own on or at least to read over first, can set you on the right foot for a number of reasons.

The Big Picture

By looking at a sample clothing store business plan before creating your own, you see the big picture of what the business plan should be achieving, assuming you are looking at a quality, successful plan. You’ll see the overall outline and order of sections, but, more importantly, the interrelationship of these sections – how they build on each other, refer to each other, and require each other for support. For example, the industry analysis provides background for the customer and competitive analyses, which provide background for the marketing plan and its promotion strategy. The experience of the management team lays out the rationale for the hiring plan you need to fill out the functional roles of the store. Remember these lessons in your own plan.

Level of Detail

Secondly, a sample plan will provide a good example of the level of detail that is appropriate for a business plan. If the logic of the business idea cannot be made simply (by showing the opportunity, the means of the business to move on it, how it will do so, and the expected results) then no amount of writing may be enough to shoehorn the idea into a business plan. Readers are looking for good opportunity spotting, talented management, sound operations and marketing plans, and financial results that compensate them for the level of risk in the clothing store. A few pages should be all that is needed to present any of these areas and if it gets more confusing than that, investors and lenders who read business plans for a living may be more than happy to move on to the next plan.

Financial Statements Layout

If you have never created a financial statement before, you are in the same boat as many small business entrepreneurs. While you don’t necessarily have to create the statements yourself, line by line (using a financial model or hiring a business plan writer or financial analyst can do the trick) you do have to know what these statements look like and the key elements that readers look for in them. Take a look for yourself in the sample plan, to see how the statements show the company’s break-even, maintenance of a healthy cash balance, and returns flowing to the lenders or investors over time, for example. Knowing what convincing financial statements look like will give you a good sense of how to check the quality of your own.

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