5 Tips for Writing a Successful Business Plan
A solid plan is an essential part of launching a successful business because it helps to keep you grounded and tells potential investors/suppliers why they should work with you.
However, knowing what to include can be tricky, which is why we’ve gathered together the following five tips.
Conduct Market Research
Before putting pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – you’ll need to spend time on market analytics. This will involve a thorough assessment of the existing supply and demand. The reason this step is so important is to determine whether there’s enough of an untapped market in your local area for your product or service to satisfy.
As well as figuring out supply and demand levels, you’ll have to closely observe current industry trends including consumer habits, purchasing behaviors, and an analysis of your primary competitors.
When conducting market research, it’s important to step beyond the digital realm. After all, your services will be bought by people. Therefore, allocate time to talk with various market players and potential customers – their opinions may help shape your plan.
Anticipate Potential Hurdles
Being full of optimism is fantastic for launching a business, but you need to step back and realize that there will be hurdles. The best way to prepare for the unforeseen is to consider everything that can go wrong. Typically, dealing with unforeseen circumstances will involve timeline flexibility, a little support, and plenty of cash flow.
Outline All Business Expenses
Financial planning is essential for any business plan, and a large part of this will include writing down where your money will be invested. Therefore, it’s essential to write a list of every single resource you’ll need to successfully launch your business including:
- Materials.
- Energy bills.
- Furniture.
- Rent.
- Maintenance.
- Cleaning.
- Employees.
- Insurance.
- Legal expenses.
Understanding where you’ll need to spend money will help you to establish how much financial backing you’ll need, which will come in handy when it comes to sourcing investments.
Include Staffing and Outsourcing Structures
The majority of startup businesses have access to limited resources, meaning staff levels are typically low. Therefore, you’ll need to determine what tasks will be taken care of by employees, how tech solutions will help, and if any of your business will be outsourced. For example, instead of spending an enormous chunk of your budget on implementing an IT infrastructure, consider using a managed services provider.
Have Your Plan Proofread
Your business plan is just as much for you as it is for potential investors and lenders. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure your business plan is direct and simple to understand, which means avoiding complex niche jargon. To make sure your plan is 100% accessible to anyone, find someone trusted that’s unfamiliar with your business to have a read-through – they may have insights you hadn’t thought of.
The success of your business is intrinsically linked to the quality of your business plan. To steer your plan in the right direction, make sure you keep the tips outlined above in mind.
