Business plan examples. Structure, description, sections. How to analyze a business plan from an investor's point of view Business plan and its analysis

Last update: 02/17/2020

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Hello, dear readers of the Internet magazine about money "RichPro.ru"! This article will talk about how to write a business plan. This publication is a direct instruction for action that will allow you to turn a raw business idea into a confident one. step by step plan to achieve a clear goal.

We'll consider:

What is a business plan and why is it needed;
How to draw up a business plan;
How to structure it and write it yourself;
Ready-made business plans for small businesses - examples and samples with calculations.

At the end of the topic, we will show the main mistakes of novice entrepreneurs. There will be a lot of arguments in favor of creating quality And thoughtful business plan that will bring the realization of your idea and success affairs in the future.

Also, this article will provide examples of finished works that you can simply use, or you can take as a basis for developing your project. Ready-made examples of submitted business plans can be download for free.

In addition, we will answer the most frequently asked questions and clarify why not everyone writes a business plan, if it is so necessary.

So, let's start in order!

The structure of the business plan and the content of its main sections - a step-by-step guide to compiling it

1. How to write a business plan: detailed instructions on how to write it yourself 📝

7. Conclusion + related video 🎥

For every entrepreneur who wants to develop himself and develop his business, a business plan is very important. He performs many responsible functions that no other person is able to do differently.

With it, you can get financial support and open, develop your business much earlier than you can collect a significant amount for the business.

Investors generally react positively to a good, thoughtful, error-free business plan, as they see it as a way to make easy money with all the troubles invented and described.

In addition, even before the establishment opens, you see what awaits you. What risks are possible, what solution algorithms will be relevant in a given situation. This is not only investor-friendly information, but also the right plan if you get into trouble yourself. In the end, if the calculation of risks turns out to be too intimidating, you can redo it a little, transform general idea to cut them down.

Creating a Good Business Plan is an excellent solution for finding investments and developing your own action algorithms even in the most difficult situations, which are more than enough in business.

That is why, in addition to their own efforts it is worth using "other people's brains". A business plan includes many sections and calculations, research and knowledge, only with successful operation, with which success can be achieved.

The ideal option would be to study all aspects on your own. To do this, it is not enough to sit and read the relevant literature. It is worth changing the circle of contacts, turning to courses and trainings, finding specialists for consultations on certain issues. That's the only way really figure it out in the situation and dispel all your doubts and delusions.

A business plan is worth writing for many reasons, however home is a clear algorithm of actions by which you can quickly get from point A(your current position, full of hopes and fears) to point B(in which you will already be the owner of your own successful business that consistently and regularly generates income). This is the first step towards fulfilling the dream and the confident status of the middle class.

If you still have questions, then perhaps you will find the answers to them in the video: "How to write a business plan (for yourself and investors)".

That's all we have. We wish everyone good luck in business! We will also be grateful for your comments on this article, share your opinions, ask questions on the topic of the publication.

You have drawn up a business plan and are looking for investors. Look at it through the eyes of a person who will decide whether to invest in your project. By what parameters do investors evaluate business plans?

The investor considers various investment objects (investment projects) in order to choose a method of investing funds that will provide the highest return at an acceptable level of risk for this investor. Analysis of an investment project begins with a review of the characteristics of the investment environment (investment climate).

The investment environment in relation to a specific investment object is considered at the general economic level, at the industry level and at the local level, i.e. as an activity (business) of a company in competitive conditions. In accordance with generally accepted international practice, a survey and verification of the truth of all information (due diligence) about the investment object is carried out in order to prepare for the implementation of the investment project and its financing.

1. General economic analysis of the investment project

The process of analyzing the investment environment begins with a study of the state of the national economy as a whole. International investment and financial institutions are especially attentive to this when choosing countries for the implementation of investment projects supported by these institutions.

General economic analysis usually considers:

economic growth rates

level of socio-political stability

level of legal stability

inflation rate

stability of the national currency

state of the country's balance of payments

interest rate on a loan

size and dynamics of public spending and investment

market infrastructure development

2. Industry analysis of the investment project

The industry in which the investment project is supposed to be implemented should be considered from the following positions:

industry growth rates and prospects

state of markets

level of competition

availability of special tax regimes and other elements of state regulation

3. Microeconomic (local) analysis of the investment project

An analysis of all significant aspects of the company's activities, which is a promising investment object, is presented in the form of either a business plan or a feasibility study (feasibility study - an analogue of “feasibility study”) and reflects the following aspects:

history of the company

legal status

financial condition

status of contracts

the state of the manufacturing sector

manufactured products

managment structure

state of the social sphere

marketing policy

The completeness of the microeconomic analysis carried out depends on how the investment project is planned to be implemented: with the creation of a new legal entity or within an existing one. In the first case, a detailed consideration of all these aspects of the company's activities will be required, in the second, it will be enough to get by with a more brief description of the proposed project participants.

The analysis of the investment project itself includes verification of the initial data, analysis of the organizational and legal form of project implementation, construction of a financial model and evaluation of the project in accordance with the selected criterion. If the project meets the selected criteria, then the information obtained forms the basis for drawing up a business plan.

Along with the preparation of a business plan, an analysis of possible ways to raise capital (issuance of shares, bonds, obtaining a loan, etc.) is carried out in accordance with the existing practice of corporate finance (corporate finance), as well as with the terms of placement of securities (underwriting).

Investment project analysis

1. Checking the initial data

The information used in the analysis of an investment project must be verified. This is especially true for the following data:

amount of investment in the project (construction costs, R&D, etc.)

costs of production and sale of products/services

depreciation rates

loan interest rates

available and forecast prices for products manufactured under the project

2. Marketing analysis

The project may fail if there is no demand from potential consumers for the products manufactured under the project. Therefore, the construction of a financial model should be preceded by work to determine the demand and market opportunities (marketing analysis). The latter is carried out in the following steps:

1) assessment of competition and other external factors:

degree of competition

potential sources of competition

presence of state regulation

2) definition of marketing strategy:

marketing strategy

pricing strategy

company location analysis

follow-up marketing strategy

3) market research:

search and analysis of primary information

assessment of the market reaction

4) sales forecast:

sales volumes by periods

sales volumes by products and services

sales volumes by consumer groups

market share

The reliability of the information obtained during the marketing analysis determines the reliability of financial calculations for the project.

3. Analysis of the legal form

The organizational and legal model of the project implementation may vary depending, first of all, on the following initial prerequisites:

1. The project is implemented on the basis of an existing enterprise - an investment object, and the provision of investor funds is carried out through the sale of securities of this enterprise or within the framework of lending.

2. The project is implemented on the basis of a newly created enterprise, the founders of which include a potential investor, contributing the agreed amount to the authorized capital.

In addition, it is necessary to decide on the organizational and legal form of the enterprise created for the implementation of the project (LLC, OJSC, CJSC, etc.).

The use of one of these or other organizational and legal models and forms in the future leaves an imprint on the entire further process of investment planning.

4. Financial analysis

Financial planning is an integral part of the investment planning process and is a simulation of the future financial results of an enterprise under given forecast values of the main parameters and the corresponding restrictions. Financial planning is carried out by creating and using a financial model and interpreting the results of calculations.

The use of the financial model allows:

analyze and predict financial results

perform a sensitivity analysis

reduce time and money spent on storing and processing information

reduce the risk of human error

reduce the time for calculations

The basis of the financial model is developed in such a way as to take into account all the factors that have a significant impact on the enterprise. In its most complete form, the financial model allows not only to calculate the results with given forecast parameters and draw up forecast financial reports, but also to choose the most appropriate investment schemes and types of funding sources in accordance with the established criteria. Some models include statistical forecasting methods that are used to build trends in key parameters based on past performance data.

The financial modeling process has several stages:

Conceptualization (the goals of creating a model, the parameters of input and output information are set).

Model creation.

Trial run and validation of the model.

Making changes to the model (if necessary, based on the results of the check).

Model use.

When building a financial model, elements such as, for example, are usually taken into account.

accounting methods

depreciation procedure

tax payment calculations

debt repayment schedule

stock formation strategy, etc.

When performing work on financial modeling, all information, assumptions, and the format of documents should be presented in such a way that it is easy for a specialist to reflect the specific characteristics of the enterprise in the model, and then calculate the projected results when the specified conditions are realized.

The main difference is the use various methods financial analysis when evaluating investment projects and business (calculation of cash flow, calculation of present value, risk assessment, etc.), since accounting methods do not provide an adequate description of ongoing and expected processes in the future. However, the application of financial analysis methods is often not possible without the use of accounting documentation, relevant forecasts, compiled as part of the financial planning of the enterprise.

For example, for any enterprise, it is important to estimate the amount of receipts and expenditures of funds, based on an analysis of the enterprise's activities for previous periods and forecasts. For these purposes, cash budgets are compiled - forecasts of receipts and payments for future periods (month, week). The calculation of the cash flow of the enterprise is carried out on the basis of the cash budget.

Compared to a cash budget, cash flow is usually built for a single investment project, and not for an organizational unit of an enterprise. The calculation of cash flow is carried out most often in order to evaluate the return on investment, and the cash budget is used in the planning process. This is one of the many points that demonstrate the need to clearly think over the goals and scheme of the created financial model, the relationship between the elements, take into account the specific conditions for the functioning of this enterprise, the implementation of the project.

Scheme of the main relationships between input and output parameters in the financial model

*When building a financial model, information on the required capital investments and funding amounts is a special type of initial information, since depending on the purpose of building the model, the initial initial data available, the volume and use of this information will be different. For example, the calculation of the amount of taxes due on the implementation of an investment project is carried out on the assumption that the project will be financed by equity capital. Interest on the loan is not taken into account in the calculation of income tax on this investment project.

** Analysis of the movement of resources includes the construction and calculation of various types of cash flows (cash flow after tax, net cash flow, ordinary cash flow, etc.), the calculation of relevant indicators when building a financial model for evaluating an investment project, a business, or a report on sources and use of funds, calculated on the basis of the income statement and the balance sheet of the operating enterprise.

5. Criteria for comparison and selection of investment projects

To compare and select investment projects, an investor usually uses the following criteria:

net present value

internal rate of return

profitability index

average accounting profitability

payback period

* Calculations use average data for Russia

Step 6: Preparing the Market Analysis Section of the Business Plan

Any business plan should have a section describing the target market, analyzing its general trends and conditions, and determining how these trends affect the results of your operations and the profits of the new company.
If you are a professional marketer with extensive experience, then this part of the work will not cause you any difficulties. For everyone else, we present detailed recommendations with illustrative examples.

Market characteristics

First of all, collect as much information as possible about the current market situation, the main industry trends, forecasts and prospects for its development. Investors are interested in the size of the market you are going to enter with your products - regional, Russian, CIS or worldwide, the level and trends of the industry, price dynamics over the past five years.

Answer the question, what are the sales trends of your main products or services in the market over the past five years? Describe what projections the trend analysis makes for the next five years and indicate sources of information. Describe how these changes may affect your company's operations in the future.

For example:

The industry engaged in the production of goods or the sale of a product or service in ____ showed rapid growth from ___ rubles. up to ____ rubles, which is ___% for ___ years.

According to data from specialized publications (research companies, trade organizations, reports, marketing agencies), the market is expected to increase by ___% over the next ___ years. As expected, by the end of ___ the volume of the industry will be ____ million rubles.

The most promising and rapidly developing segment of the product or service market is ____, which allows us to consider this direction as optimal for opening a new type of business.

The level of attention to be given to market and industry analysis in your project depends on size and prospects of your enterprise.

Of course, if you are going to open a shoe repair shop on your street, it is hardly worth describing in detail the volumes and forecasts for the development of the global market for such services.

However, even if your business will cover only a district or city, assessing the situation in this area on a large scale will not only add solidity to your business plan, but will also allow you to assess the prospects for expanding the company, developing new areas of work in the future, and the range of goods and services offered.

Ready-made ideas for your business

If your business does not require large investments and/or you do not have accurate data for a new industry, then you can do without deep analysis, accurate data and references to authoritative sources. Moreover, you can use your own estimates and forecasts of the situation based on your research.

For example:

Since the product we offer appeared on the market relatively recently, and the market for its sale is just beginning to form, it is rather difficult to accurately estimate its sales volumes for the next few years. The size of potential sales can range from ___ to ____ rubles. However, it is safe to say that the market is expected to grow rapidly.

At the moment, sales in monetary terms are increasing by ____% annually, and the number of products sold is growing by ___ units per year. Growth slowdowns are not expected over the next few years.

Moreover, since the market is just beginning to be mastered by an increasing number of large manufacturers, experts predict a further increase in sales by ____% per year.

In a business plan for large enterprises, it is necessary to describe what market share the company will be able to take and assess its export potential (plans for the business to go outside the country).

Here it is worth mentioning the specifics of the chosen industry (entry threshold, seasonality factor), as well as the special goals of your presence in the market, if any.

When evaluating market share, try to be as objective as possible and do not wishful thinking. To do this, justify your forecast with the results of your research and expert assessments.

Determine the total size of the market, its growth rate, the size of the market in one year, three years, five years, the percentage of profits you expect to receive in one year, three years, five years, and the percentage of profits that competitors have.

For example:

According to the data obtained by __________, the local / regional / federal / international market for a product or service generates annual sales in the amount of ____ rubles. (dollars or euros). According to our estimates, the company _________ will be able to take ____% of the market over the next ___ years.

Characteristics of product consumers

Determine if your target market is consumer or industrial (called B2B market - "business to business").

If the product or service you are offering is intended for end users, then provide their age characteristics, education level, family composition, gender, income level, describe their lifestyle, professional activities, general needs, purchasing behavior.

For example:

The target audience of our company includes men and women aged ___ unmarried (married / having children), with secondary vocational / higher education, with an income of _____, working on a full-time basis (part-time / unemployed / students / pensioners).

They live in large cities (suburbs/medium and small towns/districts), tend to read ____, listen to ____, watch ____ and often (occasionally/rarely) use the Internet.

Describe the factors that guide your potential customers when buying products or services similar to yours. If your product is already on the market, or if market research and focus group testing have been conducted, include in your business plan their results and the opinion of potential buyers about the goods and services offered.

Marketing strategy

An effective pricing policy is an important factor in the success of an enterprise's marketing activities. In this section of your business plan, give the calculation and justification for the prices you set for goods or services.

The prices you set for your products will directly affect your sales volume and profit margins. To define your pricing policy, it is necessary to set tasks, develop a pricing system taking into account all the expenses of the enterprise, choose a pricing strategy to create a presence in the market.

For example:

Before pricing our product, we calculated the cost per unit. We then studied the prices of similar products on the market.

If our product had an average market price, and its sales were the minimum predicted volume, the company would make a profit of ___ in ___ days/months/years.

But since the product we developed has additional unique characteristics, including _____ (multifunctionality, reliability, long service life, etc.), we considered it possible to price it ___% above the market average.

Before approving the cost, we conducted a survey among potential users of the product. The questionnaire included questions about the benefits associated with additional product features and the demand for new features.

Thus, we found out whether the established price is acceptable to consumers.

According to the results of the study, it turned out that 50% of the respondents showed interest in the new product and considered its price fair. 20% of this group have already sent orders for our products. Thus, our proposed system of pricing and discounts for the product is _________.

Attach a price list to the business plan, if you already have it approved.

Describe the sales distribution system currently and the planned distribution pattern in the future. The secret to good distribution is simple: you need to get your products and services to the people who need them in right time, in the right quantity and at minimal cost to you.

The traditional distribution scheme includes sales to consumers directly, through agents or a network of distributors, through a wholesaler or retailer. The volume of sales through each of these channels depends on the number of consumers your product is aimed at, the concentration of the market, the price and complexity of the product, financial resources and the need for control.

For example:

The company's main distribution channels are ____. We chose to use channel A because its target market has similar characteristics to our potential customers. Channel B was chosen by us for the reason that it has exclusive rights to trade in the market of this region. Channel B provides a high quality customer experience and has the widest market coverage in the region.

Now you need create a marketing plan for your product, which covers the promotional tools you intend to use, sales promotion, service and warranty, and public relations.

Write about what you want to convey to your customers and / or about the possible topics of advertising messages. List the advertising media you plan to use and explain why you chose those media.

For example:

During the period of seasonal promotions and sales, we will ______. For special events, our company will use the services of an advertising agency to develop the entire concept of an advertising campaign or individual materials.

When choosing an agency, we plan to pay special attention to its professionalism (experience in related fields, client base, creativity, etc.).

Sales promotion is a combination of several activities provided by the promotion plan. The main purpose of sales promotion is to improve the wholesale and retail sales of products.

To do this, methods such as selling through catalogs, distributing flyers with information about promotions, decorating shop windows and expositions in trading floor, placement of banners and signs (that is, everything that is not directly related to advertising, but contributes to sales growth and awareness of your company).

This also includes participation in trade shows and demonstrations.

Describe your company's special promotions or offers that could increase sales of the products or services offered. Specify the duration and frequency of these sentences, their target audience and ways to inform potential buyers about them.

For example:

In order to increase the sales of our products or services, we plan to organize the following special offers and promotions (discounts, special events, exclusive offers, discount card system, sales, distribution of free trial products or services, contests, charity events).

These events will be held weekly (daily, monthly, every three months, every six months, during sales downturns) and will last an average of ___ days. We plan to inform our customers about the next promotions with the help of _____.

The direction of Public Relations (public relations) is closely related to the others, but is usually considered as a separate component of promotion.

This includes issuing and distributing press releases, holding press conferences, participating in radio and TV programs, attending various public and commercial events, and creating other favorable informational occasions that will attract the attention of the public and the press.

For example:

The main purpose of our public relations activities is to increase general public awareness of our products and/or services.

In addition, we plan to emphasize our competitive advantages and inform potential customers about the latest trends and new developments of our company and the entire industry as a whole.

As part of the ongoing PR campaigns, press releases, test samples, multimedia products are sent out, publications are initiated in the media, interviews are organized with top officials of the company, product reviews are prepared and press conferences are held.

Often this section contains information about the service and warranty service that you offer to your customers. Do not copy data from the previous section. Try to present these services as an additional competitive advantage that will attract the attention of consumers.

For example:

As a rule, the average warranty period for this type of product is one year. We are confident in the high quality of our products and extend the warranty period to two years.

Characteristics of competitors

Description of the competitive environment is an integral part of any business plan. Indicate who your direct and indirect competitors are. Assess their market share and profit margins. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses, describe what technologies and equipment they use, what promotion methods they prefer, what kind of staff they have, what kind of response you can expect from them after your product is launched on the market.

It is quite possible to conduct such a study on your own. Look for information in directories and industry publications, talk to customers (including former ones) of a competitor company, conduct a survey among buyers, carefully study competitors' products, pay attention to their advertising and promotion methods.

For example:

Our main competitors in the product or service market are companies A, B and C. Competitor A is known for its aggressive pricing policy.

Competitor B has developed and implemented the most efficient service plan. Competitor B has been in the market for the longest time and has a favorable reputation and a large number of loyal customers. However, none of the competing companies expands the range or offers additional services.

Our direct competitor in the region is _________________ located in _______.

It has the following advantages: advantageous location (located at the intersection of major transport interchanges, close to suppliers), competitive prices, fast delivery, competent managers.

The disadvantages of a competing company include a low level of service (customer complaints about a long repair period under warranty), outdated equipment, lack of affiliate programs, etc.

Here you can also describe your main competitive advantage by comparing your offer with the offers of other companies.

For example:

Despite the fact that our company is still unknown in the market, we have two distinct advantages compared to our competitors.

We buy goods in large quantities, which allows us to reduce the cost of a unit of production and transportation costs and, therefore, set a lower retail price for the goods than competitors.

We also offer the highest level of customer service, offer a free telephone information service, sell through our website and regularly run promotions and sales.

Those who drew up a business plan for an enterprise probably want to know how successful their ideas are, how well they are implemented. In order to find out how this strategy will work, it is necessary to analyze the business plan of the enterprise.

What is an expert assessment of a business plan

The development of such a document as a business plan from scratch is a time-consuming and complicated procedure. The use of standard plans, which are full of consulting services markets, involves a correction in accordance with real circumstances.

The purpose of evaluating a business plan is to calculate the market value of the submitted document. Experts during the examination should:

consider all components of the business plan,
identify planning gaps
give advice on how to fix them
provide recommendations for the speedy implementation of work in accordance with this document.

The best option is considered to be the development of a business plan by one company, and the holding of expert events by another. This is a somewhat costly approach, but it guarantees optimization efficiency when the plan is implemented.

If the business plan received positive ratings, then the document has the ability to move quickly. And the ideas set out in it are to guarantee high levels of product sales or high business profitability.

If the business plan was created on an individual basis, then its expert assessment will help determine how much has changed:

market conditions since the creation of this document,
how the realities of the political or economic situation in the country have changed,
what changes the market situation has undergone.

Conducting an examination by a third-party organization also makes sense from the point of view of assessing its cost today.

Analysis of the business plan of the enterprise

This procedure can be qualitatively carried out not only at a large enterprise, but also in small companies and firms. Working with ready-made documents provided by the consulting services market, despite some similarities in the work of firms or enterprises in the same industry, may have regional differences. This specification is characterized by:

saturation of this part of the market,
the demand for the product or service offered,
rental rates,
the amount of capital investments in the cultivated region,
equipment depreciation cost.

It is carried out in accordance with the following steps:

preliminary work on the evaluation of the investment project,
step-by-step technical expertise of project implementation possibilities,
the financial analysis,
calculation of opportunities to attract the resource base, money,
business performance modeling for each of the participants,
assessment of possible risks of doing business in this business and their analysis.

A preliminary assessment allows you to understand the feasibility of launching this project.

The need for a business plan assessment

Obtaining an expert opinion is the purpose of evaluating a business plan. The examination should include:

assessment of the need and feasibility of involving all partners,
assessment of the possibility of implementing this idea,
comparative analysis of many similar projects,
the compliance of this project with both Russian and international standards and certification is analyzed.

Risk assessment

The main types of risk include:

industrial,
financial,
investment,
market,
political.

When choosing the design parameters of the plan, situations are simulated in accordance with:

with the optimistic
basic,
pessimistic scenarios.

The most important scenario is the pessimistic one. Only he is able, with slight exaggerations, to show minimal business growth rates.

Thus, an expert opinion on the effectiveness of a business plan makes it possible not only to assess the market value of the project, but also to state its high efficiency, to clarify the prospects for implementation. Buying decision ready plan naturally with insufficient funding at the initial stage of activity.

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Business plan examples. Structure, description, sections. How to analyze a business plan from an investor's point of view Business plan and its analysis

1. How to write a business plan: detailed instructions on how to write it yourself 📝

7. Conclusion + related video 🎥

Step 6: Preparing the Market Analysis Section of the Business Plan

Market characteristics

Characteristics of product consumers

Marketing strategy

Characteristics of competitors

What is an expert assessment of a business plan

Analysis of the business plan of the enterprise

The need for a business plan assessment

Risk assessment

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

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