How to make your business plan. The most common mistakes

To begin with, I will briefly talk about my results in business. At the moment I am the owner of several large Internet projects, the total cost of which is more than several million rubles, including the portal site. It is for this reason that I can openly express my opinion regarding business planning and various business processes. The knowledge and skills that I possess were acquired not in a university and a textbook, but in the conditions of market competition through dozens of experiments.

To write or not to write a business plan?

Let's open any of the university textbooks on business, and in each of them it will be written that business begins with a business plan. And let the bearded professors in glasses not like what I have to say next, but let's build on what these professors have achieved in business. As a rule, these are theorists who have never led large companies. But they all echo that a well-written business plan is 50% of the success of your future company.

To be honest, I even find it funny at such moments. You can plan for at least a whole year, make a plan for 100 A4 sheets, and then your business will fail.
Do you know why? Yes, because this is a market! The market is constantly changing, transforming, and it is cruel, especially to newcomers. You can never predict everything that can happen to you or your business idea. That is why my personal opinion boils down to the fact that a long business plan is a waste of your time.

Although there are a few situations where a business plan can come in handy.

When is a business plan really needed?

In our age of bureaucracy, a business plan is simply indispensable in two main cases:

- You want to receive a grant or a subsidy for business development from the state.
Unfortunately, the entrepreneurship support system in the Russian Federation is such that you will not even be accepted without a business plan. The main reason is that most of the officials in the business support centers have no idea what a business is, because. they have never dealt with it and are accustomed to acting according to textbooks and regulations. Here the principle works: the more paper in the business plan, the better. In the eyes of officials, such a business plan will look like serious work has been done on it.

— You are preparing a business plan for an investor.

It is important to clearly understand here that an investor is far from being an official! As a rule, this is already an experienced businessman who will not poke around in a bundle of papers that you brought him. For him, two things matter the most:
1) The idea you came up with. She must “infect” him, he must want to do this business.
2) How well you understand the topic. Get ready for dozens of questions. And you will have to answer all these questions.

Perhaps these are the two main situations in which you really need a business plan.

When not to make a business plan!

I remember when I was 22 years old, I even bought myself a smart book called "Compiling a Business Plan." At that time, I generally had a vague idea about business. Now I can already say that this was one of my most stupid acquisitions. I wanted to write a business plan FOR MYSELF! Never write business plans for yourself! Better devote this time to studying the market, study it inside and out, and finally, start your business. The maximum time that you can spend on creating a business plan is 1-2 hours of working time! Just take a piece of paper, a pen and calculate all the indicators. A business plan should fit on a maximum of 1 piece of paper, no need to write 30-page Talmuds!

Sample business plan “Business on social networks”

One of the main areas of my business is a business in social networks, namely a business on public pages.

I want to immediately note that the data that is presented is already confirmed, and I drew up this business plan after launching the project and making a profit from it. That is, after the fact. I will add my comments to each paragraph.

Idea: creating a public page on VKontakte in order to sell advertising on it, own goods, participate in affiliate programs.

Ways to make money on the project:
— sale of advertising,
- partnership programs,
- Selling your products.

Main affiliate programs:
— ,
— .

What items can be sold:
- women's beauty and health products,
- Products for children,
- goods for the economy.

Competitor project analysis

Sample Business Plan “Parking Lot”

Of course, I couldn't help but cite a typical university-style business plan as an example! And such an example was a sample of a BP for organizing a parking lot. As for my opinion about this business plan, I can say that the abundance of numbers in it can please only an official or a teacher at a university, but not a real entrepreneur. You can download this business plan from the link below:

Startup basics: a good financial plan, not a drive and cats

Having a business is a great way to start earning money on your own, but it is impossible to open it without first developing a special project. In this publication, you will find the answer to the following questions: what is a business plan, how to draw up this document, are there any design nuances.

What is a business project?

The business project describes all the features of the future organization. It analyzes possible problems, identifies options for their solution and predicts the result. How to draw up a business plan correctly - this question is asked by people who are going to attract investors. Proper drafting of the document will guarantee the successful future of your enterprise.

Drawing up a correct business project is not easy even for an experienced entrepreneur, so it is advisable to entrust this work to a team of competent economists. The plan must contain, regardless of the type of activity:

1. Substantiation of economic feasibility.
2. The state of the economic environment in which it is planned to open a business.
3. Financial results (sales volume, revenue and profit).
4. Sources of financing.
5. Task execution schedule.
6. Appointment of people responsible for the implementation of the business.
7. Define indicators that allow you to monitor intermediate results.

Development of your business. Now it's time to calculate everything in detail. Step-by-step instructions will help you with this: how to write a business plan.

A business plan is a detailed description of your project with calculations and perspectives for the next few years. It is needed by potential investors or the bank to which you will go for a loan; partners, intermediaries, your team and, in the end, you as the creator of the project.

A business plan is usually written three to five years in advance. But you can take a year, as economic conditions change rapidly.

The main task of the business plan is to convince potential partners that this is an interesting project in terms of investment that will pay off the money and effort invested.

If you are going to open a typical offline or franchise business (for example, a candy store), the Business Navigator of the Federal Corporation for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME Corporation) will help you automatically create a business plan in a minute.

Let's say you are ready to invest 200,000 rubles of your own funds in the project and you managed to get the same amount from investors. In total, this is 400,000 rubles. It is also worth evaluating the expected income in the first month. For example, you plan to sell 100 chocolates for 200 rubles each. In total, your expected income in the first month is 20,000 rubles.

Example of cost plan for the first month

And this calculation will need to be done every month.

Do not forget about the taxes that will need to be paid at the end of the calendar year. To calculate taxes, choose one of the five taxation systems.

For a small online store, you can choose, for example, a simplified taxation system for individual entrepreneurs. Under this system, you pay only tax on IP income - 6%, and in some regions - only 1%. If the profit is negative, no tax is due.

Taking into account the financial plan, you will be able to calculate how much money you will need to launch the project, when it will reach self-sufficiency and when you will be able to return all the invested funds.

An example of a financial plan for an online chocolate store

Conclusion: the store will break even in the third month. By the end of the year, the project will fully pay off the investment. A business idea worthy of implementation.

If you doubt your calculations, it is better to involve a specialist in drawing up a financial plan. It costs some money, but the costs will be much lower than in the event of a mistake.

The text was prepared with the support of experts from the All-Russian Public Organization of Small and Medium Enterprises

How to write a business plan yourself: sample and tips.

A business plan is what helps an entrepreneur navigate the market environment and see goals. Many successful people note that the idea must be written down on paper, otherwise it will never be realized. Therefore, a business plan is essential for running a successful business. How to write a business plan yourself: a sample and step-by-step instructions are contained in our new publication!

A business plan is a program according to which a company operates. It is necessary in order to competently coordinate the actions of the organization and see the direction of its development.

A business plan can be called a kind of rehearsal. The entrepreneur plays various scenarios in which he can see the problems and find ways to solve them. At the same time, a person does not lose money, as it would happen in a real situation.

Business plan objectives

• Formulate the goals of the organization (both short-term and long-term)
• Set project deadlines
• Determine the target audience and markets for products
• Analyze the competitiveness of the organization
• Determine company benefits
• Assess the level of costs
• Develop an action plan aimed at improving the economic efficiency of the organization
• Predict the amount of profit and the level of profitability of the business.

General scheme for the development of a business plan and feasibility study.

What is included in a business plan?

1. Title page and content

The imprint of the company and the contact details of the founders, as well as the content of the document, should be indicated here.

2. Summary (introduction)

This part is a summary of the entire business plan. The most important thing should be here, i.e. substantiation of the relevance of the business and the financial part.

The resume should not take up about two pages. Although it is located at the very beginning, you need to start compiling it at the end. You need to approach this responsibly, because this is the part that the investor studies.

3. Company history

If you already have an operating organization, then you need to tell about the history of its emergence, about successes.

4. Market opportunities

In this section, it is necessary to conduct a SWOT analysis of the enterprise, i.e. identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

7. Business model

This is a financial plan. Here it is necessary to describe all sources of income and costs. You also need to specify your suppliers and main buyers.

Cafe business plan: an example with calculations and step-by-step instructions for creating your own cafe from scratch are

8. Forecast

In this section, you need to make a financial forecast. It is necessary to write about the amount of profit and the payback period of the project.

The entire business plan should be 30-40 pages long.

How to write a business plan yourself: a sample for small businesses

Consider some sections of a business plan using an example

SWOT Analysis Matrix

How to write a business plan yourself: a sample for small businesses.

you will find the best franchises with the cost and terms of purchase in our new publication at the link.

Business model

Thus, the starting capital is 290,000 rubles. At the same time, fixed costs amount to 105,000 per month.

The expected average income is 130 000 rubles per month, the average profit is 25,000 rubles.

To find out the payback period, you need to divide the start-up capital by profit. It will be 11-13 months.

Writing a business plan is not difficult at all. If you are willing to spend enough time, then it is in your power to write a quality business plan.

How to write a business plan yourself - a sample for a small business, as well as step-by-step instructions with recommendations, are contained in the following video:

Brief briefing

You have an idea. You want to create your own business. Great. What's next? Next, you need to “sort everything out”, think through the details (as far as possible), in order to first of all understand: is it worth developing this project? Perhaps after researching the market, you will realize that the service or product is not in demand, or you do not have sufficient funds to develop your business. Maybe the project should be improved a little, to abandon unnecessary elements, or, on the contrary, to introduce something?

A business plan will help you consider the prospects of your venture.

End justifies the means?

Starting to write a business plan, remember its goals and functions. First of all, you carry out preparatory work in order to understand how realistic the achievement of the planned results is, how much time and money are needed to implement the plan.

In addition, a business plan is necessary to attract investors, receive a grant or a bank loan. That is, it should include information about the potential profit of the project, the necessary costs and the payback period. Think about what is important and interesting for your recipients to hear.

Use a little cheat sheet for yourself:

• Analyze the market you are going to enter. What leaders-companies exist in this direction. Study their experience and work.
• Determine the strengths and weaknesses of your project, future opportunities and risks. In short, do a SWOT analysis*.

SWOT analysis - (English)strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,Threats - strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A method of planning, developing a strategy that allows you to identify the main factors influencing business development.

• Be clear about what you expect from the project. Set a specific goal.

The main goal of the business plan is to help, first of all, you yourself in developing the company's strategy and planning its development, as well as assistance in attracting investments.

So every plan has a structure. Regardless of the specifics of the project and the requirements of investors, a business plan, as a rule, contains the following elements:

1. Firm CV(short business plan)

• Product Description
• Description of the market situation
• Competitive advantages and disadvantages
• Brief description of the organizational structure
• Distribution of funds (investment and own)

2. marketing plan

• Definition of a “problem” and your solution
• Definition of the target audience
• Market and competition analysis
• Free niche, unique selling proposition
• Methods and cost of attracting customers
• Sales channels
• Stages and terms of market conquest

3. Plan for the production of goods or services

• Organization of production
• Infrastructure Features
• Production resources and areas
• Production equipment
• Production process
• Quality control
• Calculation of investments and depreciation

4.Workflow organization

• Organizational structure of the enterprise
• Distribution of powers and responsibilities
• Control system

5. Financial plan and risk forecast

• Cost estimate
• Calculation of the cost of a product or service
• Calculation of profit and loss
• Investment period
• Break even point and payback point
• Cash flow forecast
• Risk Forecast
• Ways to minimize risks

It is clear that a business plan is one whole and its parts are inextricably linked with each other. However, a well-designed structure will help you not to forget the important, as well as to look deeper into each of the aspects.

Company resume. Briefly about the main

Marketing plan. There are empty seats?

When drawing up a marketing plan, you will have to analyze the market you are going to enter. Thus, you will identify trends for yourself, collect information about competitors and get to know your consumer, your target audience better.

After evaluating a potential client, his interests and preferences, you must determine the optimal location of the office, outlet, etc. It should be comfortable. Calculate the required number of customers for your business to pay off and compare with the audience living or working around the intended location of the business. For example, for a public service business, this audience should not be less than 2% of the number of people living within a short walk or five-minute drive.

It is possible that the market you were about to conquer is oversaturated at the moment. Analyze the actions of competitors, create your strategy, focus on your uniqueness, bring something new to fill an empty niche in a certain area.

Of course, creating something that is not yet on the market is quite difficult. However, you can carefully analyze the situation and open, for example, a point where the consumer really needs it or play on the difference in prices and the level of services provided relative to nearby competitors.

Also, you will definitely have to decide on the sales channels. After reviewing the existing methods on the market - find the best for yourself. Calculate how much it costs you to acquire each client.

Finally, when deciding on pricing, you will need to calculate: which is more profitable? A high price with a small number of sales or a price lower than competitors, but a large client flow. We should also not forget about the service, because for many consumers it is crucial. They are willing to pay a price above the market average, but receive a high quality of service.

Production plan. What are we selling?

Here you will finally tell in detail about the essence of your business: what do you do?

For example, you decide to produce dresses and sell them. In the production plan, indicate the suppliers of fabric and equipment, where you will place the sewing workshop, what will be the volume of production. You will write down the stages of manufacturing products, the necessary qualifications of employees, calculate the necessary deductions to the depreciation fund, as well as logistics. From many factors: from the cost of threads to the cost of labor, the costs of the future business will also depend.

Prescribing the technology for creating your course product, you will pay attention to many little things that you have not thought about before. There may be issues with the storage of goods or difficulties with imported raw materials, problems with finding employees with the necessary qualifications, etc.

When you have finally written down the entire path of creating a product or service, it's time to calculate how much your project will cost you. It may well be that later, when making financial calculations, you will realize that you need to make adjustments to the production plan: cut some costs or radically change the technology itself.

Organization of the workflow. How will it work?

Will you manage the business alone or with partners? How will decisions be made? These and many more questions you need to answer in the "Organization of the workflow" section.

Here you can register the entire structure of the enterprise and identify duplication of authority, mutual exclusion, etc. Having seen the whole organization scheme, it will be easier for you to optimally distribute rights and responsibilities between departments and employees.

Having understood, first of all, for yourself how your company functions, it will be possible to more effectively develop a system of interaction between structures, a system for monitoring employees and the entire personnel policy.

The importance of this section is that it describes who and how will implement the project in reality.