Business Plan Launch Outline

Use this outline as a launching pad for your idea to bring something to the world through the marketplace!

Cover page

Table of contents

1.    Executive Summary  

a.    Write this last! It is a 2 Page summary of the project

b.    Write it so that it could stand-alone

c. Include your sales and profit forecasts, information on your team, and what next steps you want to take, including financing needs

2.    Industry analysis

a.    What industry is the business in/describe the sector

b.    Industry size, growth rate, & sales projections

c.     Industry structure: What is the maturity of the industry—old, new, emerging; concentrated or fragmenting

d.    Nature of industry participants

e.    Key success factors for the industry

f.      Long-term prospects for the industry

3.    Company Description

a.    Company history/ history of the idea

b.    Mission

c.     Brief overview of products & services with pricing

d.    Current status of the company

e.    Legal status and ownership structure

f.      Key partnerships (if any)

4.    Market analysis

a.    Market segmentation and target market

                                          i.    Describe your customer personas

                                         ii.    What is your market strategy: low cost or product differentiation?

b.    Buyer behavior

                                          i.    Use your observation studies

c.     Competitor analysis

d.    Estimates of annual sales and market share

                                          i.    What is the size of the market (people, $)

e.    SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

5.    The economics of the business

a.    Revenue drivers and profit margins

                                          i.    List top 2 to 5 products / services with pricing & profit margins

b.   Fixed and variable costs

                                          i.    Present in chart form

c.     Startup costs  

                                          i.    Present in chart form

d.    Break-even chart

                                          i.    Present in chart form

6.    Marketing plan

a.    Overall marketing strategy

b.    PPP and distribution

                                          i.    Describe the Pricing strategy

                                         ii.    How does your price compare with your competitors

c.     Sales process

                                          i.    How will you acquire customers?

                                         ii.    What is your customer acquisition cost?

d.    Sales tactics

                                          i.    Include advertising/marketing/sales methods

7.    Design & development plan

a.    Development status and tasks – what are the steps you need to take to get live?

b.    Challenges and risks

c.     Projected development costs

d.    Proprietary issues/ patents/ copyrights/ etc.

8.    Operations plan

a.    General approach to operations

b.    Describe operations, location(s), etc.

c.     Facilities & equipment needed

9.    Management & Organizational team

a.    Describe organizational structure

b.    Describe the Management Structure            

c.     What relevant experience does each member of the management team possess

d.    Who does what, why, when and how

10.  Overall schedule for going “live”

11.  Financial projections

a.    Sources and uses of funds

b.    Pro-form Sales Estimate – 2 years

c.     Pro-forma Income Statement – Revenue and Expenses – 2 years

d.    Pro-forma Cash Flow Statement – 2 years