Business Planner’s RoadMap Steps

Get Equipped for Business Planning


Step 1: Welcome to the RoadMap
Step 2: Prepare to Embark
Step 3: Chart Your Path
Step 4: Organize Your Work Space
Step 5: Establish Your Timelines
Step 6: Create Your Action Plan
Step 7: Wade Into Your Industry
Step 8: Start a Research Scrapbook
Step 9: Write Your Business Vision
Step 10: Prove Your Business Case

Embrace Market Research


Step 11: Set Up Your List of Appendices
Step 12: Brainstorm Products & Services
Step 13: Prioritize Products & Services
Step 14: Discover Your Assumptions
Step 15: Set Market Research Goals
Step 16: Write Research Questions
Step 17: Prove Your Assumptions
Step 18: List Key Industry Points
Step 19: Segment Your Market
Step 20: Describe Customers
Step 21: Assess What You Are Learning
Step 22: Research Competitors
Step 23: Prioritize & Target Customers
Step 24: Primary Research Questions
Step 25: Gather Primary Research
Step 26: Create Survey Questionnaire
Step 27: Survey Your Customers
Step 28: Compile Survey Information
Step 29: Update Customers Draft
Step 30: Make a Go/No-Go Decision

Build Your Business Concept Section


Step 31: Describe Your Business
Step 32: List Products and Services
Step 33: Describe Your Industry
Step 34: Write Your Biography
Step 35: Develop Strategies and Goals

Map Your Marketing Section


Step 36: Describe Your Market Area
Step 37: Describe Your Location
Step 38: Describe Your Customers
Step 39: Analyze Your Competitors
Step 40: Describe How You Will Sell
Step 41: Servicing and Guarantees
Step 42: Craft Your Business Image
Step 43: Advertising and Promotion
Step 44:Prices and Pricing Strategy
Step 45: Create Marketing Action Plan

Organize Your Operations Section


Step 46: Describe Your Operation
Step 47: List Equipment and Methods
Step 48: Source Materials and Supplies
Step 49: Identify and Control Your Risks
Step 50: Describe Management Team
Step 51: Select Your Professionals
Step 52: Determine Labor Requirements
Step 53: Operational Action Plan

Forecast Your Financial Section


Step 54: Forecast Your Sales
Step 55: Explain Your Projections
Step 56: Estimate Your Market Share
Step 57: Present Cost of Goods Sold
Step 58: Summarize Labor Projections
Step 59: Build Cash Flow Forecast
Step 60: Identify Operating Expenses
Step 61: Project Income Statement
Step 62: Determine Your Break-Even
Step 63: Pro Forma Balance Sheet
Step 64: Identify Start-Up Expenses
Step 65: Sources and Uses of Funds

Assemble Your Appendices


Step 66: Build a Resume
Step 67: Determine Personal Net Worth
Step 68: Certificates and Accreditation
Step 69: Provide Historical Financials
Step 70: Create Organizational Charts
Step 71: Get the Approval of Your Board
Step 72: Build Your List of References
Step 73: Include Letters of Reference
Step 74: Include Letters of Intent
Step 75: Signed Contracts & Offers
Step 76: Create a Partnership Agreement Step 77: Include Lease Agreement(s)
Step 78: Include Insurance Documents
Step 79: Develop Your Price List
Step 80: Include Price Quotes
Step 81: Get Written Estimates
Step 82: Provide the Right Survey Info
Step 83: Map Your Marketing Area
Step 84: Environmental Information
Step 85: Gather Free Publicity
Step 86: Create Promotional Materials
Step 87: Add Product Literature
Step 88: Add Technical Information
Step 89: Explain Any Confusing Terms

Craft Your Final Presentation


Step 90: Create Your Title Page
Step 91: Write Your Executive Summary
Step 92: Develop Table of Contents
Step 93: Confidentiality & Copyright
Step 94: Evaluate Your Business Plan
Step 95: Have Others Critique Your Plan
Step 96: Revise Your Business Plan
Step 97: Complete Financing Application
Step 98: Write Your Cover Letter
Step 99: Present Your Business Plan

Business Plan Resources

Worksheets

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01. Personal Reality Check

Use this worksheet to complete a personal reality check and determine the areas you might wish to improve or need to improve in order to start your business.

02. Personal Strategic Plan

Develop your personal strategic plan with this worksheet. Reflect on the eight categories and then write out at least one strategic objective and a couple of goals for each.

03. Personal Inspiration

Use this worksheet to create your personal inspiration lists for strengths, successes, areas of excellence and dreams.

04. Personal Financial Management Strategy

Scan your personal financial situation and list your financial goals in this worksheet.

05. Owner’s Drawings

List your personal income and expenses in this worksheet. Your business must meet your personal financial needs.

06. What’s In It For You

Use this worksheet to list your reasons for starting or growing a business.

07. Business Readiness

Are you ready for business? This worksheet will help you identify your strengths and areas for improvement.

08. Building a Business Planning Team

Use this worksheet to identify the people and skills you need to help you build your business.

09. Business Planning & Implementation Goals

Decide when you will complete your business plan and launch your business and list your goals in this worksheet.

10. Action Planning

Use the Action Planning Worksheet to write out your action plan to start your business.

11. Ideas for Proving Your Business Case

Use the worksheet to map out how you will prove your business case.

12. Appendices

Use this worksheet to help identify which appendices you will need for your business plan.

13. Prioritizing Products and Services

Use this worksheet to help you list and prioritize your products and services, and identify the units of sale.

14. Assumptions

Write a list of assumptions about your business. This worksheet will help you discover your assumptions.

15. Strategic Market Research Objectives

Identify the objectives that will enable you to research your market, and list them in this worksheet.

16. List of Market Research Questions

In this worksheet, write the questions your market research will answer, and what proof you will need.

17. Key Industry Statements

In this worksheet, organize your list of key points in preparation for writing your Industry Element.

18. Statements Describing Customers

Use this worksheet to write statements that describe your customers.

19. Draft Description of Customers

Write a draft description of your customers in this worksheet.

20. Assessing What You Have Learned

It can be humbling and rewarding to take a few moments to review how much you have learned about your business. List what you’ve learned in this worksheet.

21. Competitive Analysis

Use this worksheet to list your competitors, their strengths and weaknesses.

22. Target Market Priority

Use this worksheet to determine which market segments you will prioritize.

23. Clarifying Statements About Customers

As you learn more, you become clearer about your customers wants and needs. Use this worksheet to write your statements.

24. Proving Your Business Case

Prove your case for the nine key areas in this worksheet.

25. Feasibility and Return on Investment

Use this worksheet to determine what return you will earn on your investment.

26. Return on Investment Comparison

This worksheet will help you compare the return on your investment with other investments.

27. Products and Services

This worksheet is for a list of your products and services to go into your business plan.

28. Competitive Advantage

Use this worksheet to list the features, benefits and competitive advantage for each product and service.

29. Strategic Plan

Build a strategic plan for success in this worksheet.

30. Goal and Timelines

In this worksheet, list your short-terms goals and timelines for year one.

31. Describing Your Market Area

In this workhsheet, describe where you will market your goods and services.

32. Profile of Customers

This worksheet is for a description of your customers to go into your business plan.

33. Pricing

Use this worksheet to establish prices for your products and services. You will likely employ all three methods: pricing to market, pricing to cost and break-even pricing.

34. Marketing Action Plan

Plan a strategy for marketing your products and services in this worksheet.

35. Equipment List

Make a list of all significant items of equipment in this worksheet. Any equipment with a useful life of more than one year should be included.

36. Materials and Supplies

Use this worksheet to list suppliers and the materials you will need.

37. Threats and Mitigation

In this worksheet, identify significant threats and how you will mitigate them.

38. Professional Services

Identify who you will employ or retain for accounting and legal work in this worksheet.

39. Labor Projections

In this worksheet, project your labor requirements for the first three years in business.

40. Operational Action Plan

Develop an action plan for your business operations in this worksheet.

41. Sales Forecast

Build your three-year sales forecast in this worksheet.

42. Sales Forecast Summary

Create a three-year sales summary in this worksheet.

43. Explaining Your Projections

In this worksheet, explain anything about your projections that might be confusing to the reader.

44. Market Share

In this worksheet, determine the size of your potential market and what share your business will capture.

45. Cost of Goods Sold

Use this worksheet to calculate how much your goods will cost to purchase or produce.

46. Projected Labor Summary

Use this worksheet to summarize your labor requirements for the first three years in business.

47. Cash Flow Forecast

In this worksheet, forecast your cash inflows and outflows monthly for year one, and yearly after that.

48. Operating Expenses

Research and estimate your operating expenses in this worksheet.

49. Projected Income Statement

Use this worksheet to develop pro forma income statements for the first three years in business.

50. Projected Income Summary

Summarize your pro forma income statements for the first three years in this worksheet.

51. Break Even Analysis

Use this worksheet to determine the point during the year when your business will break-even and begin to earn a profit.

52. Pro Forma Balance Sheet

In this worksheet, create a pro forma balance sheet for opening day and the end of years one, two and three.

53. Start-up Expenses

In this worksheet, estimate how much money you will need to start your business.

54. Use and Source of Funds

In this worksheet, identify the amount of money needed and where the funding will come from.

55. Appendices Goals

Use this worksheet to create a short-list of the Appendices you will attach to your business plan.

56. Resume for Entrepreneurs

Use this worksheet to create your resume to include with your business plan.

57. List of Certificates and Documents

Use this worksheet to list any significant certificates you plan to include in the Appendices of your business plan.

58. List of References

In this worksheet, build a list of references to include in the Appendices of your business plan.

59. Insurance Checklist

Use the checklist in this worksheet to make sure you don’t miss important areas to insure.

60. Price List

Develop a list of prices for your products and services in this worksheet.

61. Executive Summary

Use this worksheet to write an executive summary for your business plan. This is the first thing the reader will read.

62. Business Plan Evaluation

Use the checklist in this worksheet, or provide it to others to evaluate your business plan.

63. Business Plan Revisions Checklist

This worksheet is a checklist of things to look for when reviewing your business plan.

64. Advertising and Promotion Plan Checklist

This worksheet includes a checklist of different advertising and promotion ideas.

65. Business Plan Elements Checklist

This worksheet includes a complete list of the sections and elements of the business plan.

66. 99-Step RoadMap Checklist

This worksheet includes a checklist of all 99 steps in the Business Planner’s RoadMap.

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Business Plan Resources

Business Plan Examples

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