How to Write a Winning Business Plan

Executive Summary

Here is where you begin to create your business plan. This is the elevator pitch that you will use to introduce yourself. A mission statement as well as a description of your products or services should be included in your business plan, as well as an overview of your plans for financial growth in the future. You might find it easier to write the executive summary at the end of the document, even though it will be read first by your investors. The information that you have presented in the other sections of the plan can be highlighted when you do this.

Company Description

The description of your company should explain the nature of your business - whether it is a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation - and the level of ownership each owner has. It is important to describe the history and nature of your company in your company description, as well as its current business practices. It is through a detailed description of your company that potential investors will be able to gain a deeper understanding of what your company is about and its goals.

Your company description should go beyond a list of your products or services. You should show potential investors more about how your company is built. In this section, it is appropriate to include a list of staff, suppliers, vendors, and contributors. You may also describe in detail the members of your business team, their expertise, and their responsibilities.

Objective Statement

In a business plan, the objective statement describes the company's goals and objectives for the future. It is in this section that both short- and long-term goals are set out. If you're seeking a loan or external investment, explain why you need funds, how they will help you grow your business, and how you'll reach your growth targets. You must make sure that you clearly outline the investment opportunity and how you intend to utilize the resources to grow your company in this section.

Products and Services

In this section of your business plan, you will describe in more detail what your product or service is and what it does. You can use this space to describe what you are offering as a company in more detail. One of the most important considerations is that you need to thoroughly describe your product, how it works, and how much you anticipate charging.

It is important that you provide investors with a complete picture of your company, beyond the products and services you are providing. The best way to describe your supply chain, customer base, marketing strategy, and distribution channels is to provide them with a detailed description. Here is the section where you can discuss the future of your products if there are any pending trademarks or patents.

Marketing and Sales Strategies

There will be a lot of interest from prospective investors in terms of how you plan to reach out to your potential customers with your product in order to get them interested in the product. It is essential that you conduct market research before you outline this section of your business plan. In your plan, you should identify your potential customer base, and include the results of your research.

Describe your marketing and sales strategy in detail to investors in order to attract their attention. Tell them what you plan on doing in order to keep in touch with your customers, bring in repeat business, and build a trusted brand for the future in order to build a successful business.

Financial Analysis

In the early stages of your business, you may not know how your business is doing financially. Those businesses that are already in operation and are looking to expand their operations should include all pertinent financial information about their company in their application. You should include the following information in this section:

A balance sheet
Profit and loss statements
Cash flow details
A list of your debts and assets

Company Projections

The inclusion of this element in your business plan is essential if you are planning on seeking funding or investors for your company, or even if you are planning to raise funds yourself. Investors are looking for information in your business plan about how you plan on making money or repaying your loan. Assuming that you've obtained a new loan, you'll provide:

Sales for your business on a monthly or quarterly basis
Expenses
Estimates of profits over the next three years

It is very important that you make accurate projections, so you will need to analyze your past and present financial statements before you can do so. While it may be okay to have lofty financial goals, your projections should be realistic as well.