Business Plan Guidelines
Business Plan Guidelines
November 2011
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
Table of contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 3
2. Business Summary............................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Company Summary........................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Management Summary .................................................................................................. 3
2.3 Products and Services .................................................................................................... 4
2.3.1 Products/services description.................................................................................. 4
2.3.2 Production............................................................................................................... 4
6. Monitoring ......................................................................................................................... 10
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................ 10
2
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
Introduction
A business plan is a written document that describes a business, its objectives, its strategies,
its market and its financial forecasts. It states business goals, argues why they are believed
attainable and shows a plan to reach them. It is also a helpful tool to monitor the business
performance to stay on track.
Main advice:
- ensure it is feasible, be realistic!
- be flexible, remember it is a decision-making tool
- take an objective and honest look at the business, avoid own judgements
- ensure it is understandable for all the stakeholders, do not get lost in complicated
reasoning
- if it is helpful, see the business plan as a collection of sub-plans, one for each business
discipline (e.g.: finance, human resources management, marketing, operations
managements, etc)
1. Executive Summary
It is a summary of the entire plan and should include highlights from each section of the
document. It is aimed at explaining the basics of the business in a way to inform and interest
the reader.
Main advice:
- be concise! No more than one page
- it should provide a brief answer to the following core questions related to your
business: What? Where? To whom? Why?
- it is not an extended table of contents
- do not overemphasise any information, be precise and to the point
2. Business Summary
Describe the vision of the business related to the Eco-Innovation initiative.
3
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
Some suggestions
- What makes your product/service different, i.e. Unique Selling Point or competitive
advantage
- What benefits it offers
- Why customers would buy it from you instead of your competitors
- Potential patents, trade marks or design registrations
2.3.2 Production
Some suggestions
- Technology in use
- Sourcing (e.g. raw materials and other inputs, way of procurement)
- Production capacity
Main advice: be simple! The reader might not be an expert of your business sector
Overview of the industry and of the macroeconomic framework2. Consider past and current
situation, together with future trends and outline which are most relevant variables to
consider. Don't forget possible barriers to enter the market!
Provide an answer to the following questions: Which is your market? How do the distribution
channels work, i.e. how do the customers receive your products? Which are your segments?
How are your segments? In what position are your competitors?
1
Throughout the document, the word "products" is to intend what is your project about (e.g. technology, process,
material, etc)
2
P.E.S.T.E.L. analysis, i.e. six questions asking what are your political, economic, social, technologic,
environmental and legal barriers?
4
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
- Strengths: company internal factors that are helpful to achieve the objectives;
- Weaknesses: company internal factors that are harmful to achieve the objectives;
- Opportunities: external factors out of the company’s control that are helpful to achieve
the objectives;
- Threats: external factors, out of the company’s control, that are harmful to achieve the
objectives.
5
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
Provide an estimation of the overall value of what you are offering to the market.
6
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
- Product portfolio
- Product differentiation
- Brands, models, packaging
- Development of related services
- Modification and removal of existing products
- Planning of new products
- Distribution channels: How will you reach your customers? Which partners will be
needed in your distribution channels?
- Sales management: How will you make your sales? Do you have a sales plan? Have
you considered which sales method will be the most effective and most appropriate for
your market, such as selling by phone, over the internet, face-to-face or through retail
outlets? Are your proposed sales methods consistent with your marketing plan? And
do you have the right skills to secure the sales you need?
- Sales promotion: How will you promote your product or service and attract new
customers? Identify your sales process methods, e.g. direct marketing, advertising, PR,
e-mail, e-sales, social marketing.
- Corporate image
Inside each product-market couple, determining which strategic segment is the company
addressing and provide a "cost vs added value" analysis, ideally as a positioning map (see
Figure 2).
7
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
5.1 Assumptions
Include possible assumptions underlying your figures projection, both in terms of costs and
revenues so as to clarify the thinking behind the numbers.
Your cash balance and monthly cashflow patterns for at least the first 12 to 18 months. The
aim is to show that your business will have enough working capital to survive, so make sure
you have considered the key factors such as the timing of sales and salaries. Explain also
individual costs such as; overheads, wages, equipment, legal, direct costs, loans, etc.
8
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
A statement of the trading position of the business: the profits you expect to make, given your
projected sales and the costs of providing goods and services and your overheads.
The break-even point is the time when costs equal revenues and the costs are revenues values
for this parity. Break-even analysis is a useful tool to provide a dynamic view of the
relationships between sales, costs and profits for different price levels.
In this section you should briefly explain what is going to happen before, during and after the
break-even. A chart might also be useful (see Figure 3).
Sales (€)
Total Revenue
Profit
Break-Even Point
Total Cost
Variable Costs
Fixed Costs
Loss
5.6 Seasonality
In case your business is subjected to seasonality, explain the situation for the different phases
of the cycle and provide a seasonality chart3.
5.7 Scenarios
Your forecasts should include at least one worst and one best scenario, i.e. to include
subsidiary forecasts based on sales being significantly slower/smaller or faster/higher than
you are actually predicting.
3
The seasonality chart is a standard Cartesian chart, with time on the x-axis and sales value (quantity or revenue)
on the y-axis.
9
Call for Proposals 2011 – CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects
Alongside your financial forecasts it is good practice to show that you have reviewed the risks
your business could be faced with, and that you have looked at contingencies to cover such
risks. Risks can include:
- competitor action
- commercial issues - sales, prices, deliveries
- operations - IT, technology or production failure
- staff - skills, availability and costs
- force majeure
6. Monitoring
The obtained results need to be assessed in order to measure any possible deviation from
initial forecasts, and if so, to analyse the causes of this deviation and take the appropriate
corrective actions. Moreover, knowing that markets change over time, it is necessary to
control and re-evaluate the realisation of the business plan. If necessary, it may even be
advisable to change the objectives initially set.
We suggest you clarify which crucial parameters you will follow to monitor your performance
and the likely evolution of market conditions.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the coordinator of the Project ECO/09/255887 ECOTPU for allowing
us to access internal deliverables of the project.
Several other sources have been used to draft this document, including resources from
national and international organisations such as, for example, the UK Cabinet Office
10