Chapter 1: Executive summary
   Chapter 2: The business
   Chapter 3: Market demand 
   Chapter 4: Competition
   Chapter 5: Strategy
   Chapter 6: Resources
   Chapter 7: Financials and forecasts
   Chapter 8: Risk, opportunity and sensitivity
   Chapter 9: Conclusion
   Appendices
   • Appendix A: Market data
   • Appendix B: Competition data
   • Appendix C: Competitive position data
   • Appendix D: Management CVs
   • Appendix E: Marketing plan
   • Appendix F: Operations data
   • Appendix G: Environment, health and safety data
   • Appendix H: Financial data
         I. Executive Summary
   • One paragraph summary for each segment of the business plan.
   • What makes a good business plan?
    –It is clear and concise
    –It is orderly and consistent
    –It tackles risks
   • What is the difference between a start-up business plan and one 
    for an established business? Nothing much except that the 
    structure plan is set largely in the future tense.
    –What changes most is the level of uncertainty throughout. In a start-up, 
     this market reception is largely unknown. However, it can be researched, 
     assessed and estimated in advance. 
   • Need: What’s the purpose of the business plan?
    –For start up, for raising equity finance, for raising debt finance, for board 
     approval, for a joint venture partner, for the sale of the business, a plan 
     versus a project plan and business planning as a managerial tool. 
         I. Executive Summary
   • Preparation
    –Research: the business plan has to be CREDIBLE and CONVINCING. How you 
     arrived at the market growth estimates and other details on your paper 
     should be properly supported. 
    –Organization: organize the team, set timetable, determine the tools you are 
     going to need, what contents are important for the reader, what appendices 
     to include, set maximum length to 35 pages, excluding the appendices. 
    –Main chapters on market demand, competition and strategy should be 3-4 
     pages each; those on resources and forecasts can be a bit longer at 4-6 pages 
     each. The rest (other than the conclusion) should be just 2 pages each. The 
     conclusion, in just half a page, should be well written and upbeat.
    –The appendices can be the same numbers of pages, depending on what 
     further information or evidence is necessary to include to convince your 
     reader.
             The business
   • The plan starts here. 
   • This is where you introduce more detail on the background to your 
    business. Don’t put too much detail, though. 
   • You brief your reader on the bare essentials of the business – what 
    it does, for whom, why, where, with whom, with what and how it 
    got to where it is. 
   • If established business, how well the business has done so far.
   • If start-up, briefly discuss why the business is set to enjoy a 
    sustainable competitive advantage.
   • The rest of the chapter will be about segmentation. Introduce to the 
    reader the segments that matter in your business. Each segment will 
    be analyzed in some depth in the coming chapters.
                            II. The business
      • Background
         –The opener
            • The essential bits of information will be in this first paragraph. 
            • Who are you (the name of your company)
            • What products or services it focuses on
            • Its main customer groups
            • Where it is based, where else it has operations and where it sells to.
            • With what success, in terms of revenues and operating margin and by which year. 
         –Goals and objectives
            • Goals are directional and objectives are specific.
            • A goal (i.e. mission and vision statements) is something your business aims to be, as described in words.
            • An objective is a TARGET that helps to MEASURE whether that goal has been achieved, and is typically 
             set out in NUMBERS
               – Specific (a market share target in that segment)
               – Measurable 
               – Attainable or rational
               – Relevant (market share is a good indicator of corporate progress)
               – Time-limited or time-bounded