Client Business Plan Template

Com pany Nam e

Client Nam e

Phone Num ber Consultant

Client Signature

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Executive Summary
The Executive Summary is the doorway to your business plan. The summary should outline and
emphasiz e your plan’s main points.

Objectives
Setting your objectives, such as market share, sales, and profit, will determine your business goals. Make
sure your objectives are concrete and measurable. They should indicate a level of sales or profits, a
percentage of gross margin, a growth rate, or a market share you plan to attain. Avoid using vague
objectives like “being the best” or “growing rapidly.” You should set at least three objectives for your
business.

Objective 1

Objective 2

Objective 3

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Mission Statement
A mission statement expresses the higher goals of your company, such as providing services to unique
industries, spreading new technologies, or improving education. If your company has a mission, state it
simply and in one or two sentences.

Company
Summariz e your company by briefly explaining what your company sells, through what channels, and to
whom.

Company Ownership
Describe the ownership of your company. Is it a partnership, sole proprietorship, or corporation? Is it
publicly traded or privately owned?

Company History
Indicate when your company was founded, by whom, and with what purpose. How has it progressed
since being founded? When did you relocate offices, expand product lines, or otherwise change
substantially? Remember to include information about sales, products/ services, and markets serviced as
well as how these items have changed over time. If the company is new, state why you have decided to
start the business.

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Company Location and Facilities

Briefly describe the offices and locations of your company, the nature and function of each, square
footage, lease arrangements, and other facilities information.

Product(s)/ Service(s)
This paragraph is a summary of the product(s)/ service(s) section. Your summary should outline and
describe your product(s)/ service(s). Describe how the product(s)/ service(s) compliment one another or
are sold together, if applicable.

Product Description / Service Description

List your product(s)/ service(s) individually and describe how they benefit your customers.

Product/ Service 1

Product/ Service 2

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Product/ Service 3

Important Product(s)/ Service(s) Features and Competitive Comparison

Describe the important competitive features of your product(s) or service(s), or both. Why will people
buy your product(s)/ service(s) instead of others? Do you offer better features, price, quality, or service?
Describe your unique selling feature(s) that gives you an advantage over the competition.

Customer Service / Follow-up Service

Explain how you propose to service the product(s)/ service(s) you sell. If your company offers only
service(s), change the heading to follow-up service and describe how you intend to provide customer
support. Also include your hours of operation as well as your guarantee policy.

Market Analysis
Industry Analysis
The information you provide here will set the scene for the Market Forecast section. Identify and
describe the market segments which will affect your business. Use standard information sources to
produce an evaluation of current market trends that affect your company’s marketing plan.

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Market Forecast / Target Market

Discuss your company’s position as it relates to other businesses within your market niche. Highlight
key elements, including your market siz e and growth-rate projections.

Keys to Success
Identify unique or “key” selling points that are needed to succeed in your market. These key factors,
such as quality, price, or selection, determine your success in business. Fill in each placeholder with one
competitive factor, and explain how these selling points relate to your specific target audience.

Com petitive Quality 1

Com petitive Quality 2

Com petitive Quality 3

Business Strategy and Implementation

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Introduce your company’s overall strategic thrust and describe how you will implement an effective
business program. Determine if your strategy is based on a new technology, a new product, or product
features; or if its focus is on better marketing, distribution, or services. (Present only one business
strategy.)

Advertising
Describe how you plan to advertise/ market your new business to your target audience. Include any
brochures, direct mail, print advertising, radio advertising, or word-of-mouth strategies you plan to
pursue.

Marketing Strategy
When describing strategy, emphasiz e what makes your company special. For example, your marketing
strategy might focus on a specific market segment. Or, it might depend on special ways to distribute the
product; on new products that are new solutions to existing problems; or on new ways to promote
products or services. What will your company do to be better than other businesses? How will you use
advertising to market your product(s)/ service(s) to your customers?

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Sales Plan
Describe how you sell your products. For example, will you sell your products at retail, wholesale, over
the Internet, mail order, or phone order? Will you maintain a sales force? How are salespeople trained
and how are they compensated?

Strategic Alliances
Explain how your company handles co-marketing, co-development, commission, and cooperative
arrangements. Can you link your promotion or distribution strategies to other companies in a way that
improves your company’s position?

Organiz ation
Indicate the number of employees and management personnel within your company. Also, specify the
number of company founders. Will your company be divided into departments? Explain.

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Organizational Structure
Draw a diagram of the organiz ational structure that your business will have.

Management Team
List the members of your management team. Include summaries—brief resumes—of each member’s
background and experience and describe their functions within the company.

Nam e, Position, & Background

Nam e, Position, & Background

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Nam e, Position, Background

Nam e, Position, & Background

Management Team Gaps

Identify skills the team does not possess and discuss how the company plans to fill these needs. For
example, who will provide legal or tax advice?

Other Management Team Considerations

Describe other criteria that affect your company’s business operations. For example, do any managers or
employees have “non-compete” agreements with competitors? Also, identify the members of your board
of directors (if you have one) and discuss contributions they or any other council make to the business.
In addition, list your major stockholders and describe their roles in management.

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Financial Analysis
Discuss your company’s most significant financial attributes, such as projected cash flow and net profit
for the next three years; return on investment; or internal rate of return. Explain any fluctuations that
may occur from seasonal sales.

Financial Plan
Along with pro forma projections, you’ll need to summariz e the important points of your financial plan
or strategy. Specify how you intend to finance your business.

Start-Up Costs and Capitalization

This section includes the start-up costs and capitaliz ation tables. Summariz e the information in these
tables in an introductory paragraph. Highlight the total cost required to start your business, identify
your major assets, and/ or list your owners and their investments.

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Note: If yours is an ongoing business, disregard this section.

Start-Up Costs
Item Cost

Total

Notes:

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Financial Statements
**These char ts must be filled out in or der to effectively complete your business plan.

Annual Growth Rate:

Cost Of Goods Sold:
Average Sales Transaction:

Year 1 Sales Forecast

Month January February March April May June

Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

Month July August September October November December

Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

Year 2 Sales Forecast

Month January February March April May June

Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

Month July August September October November December

Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

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Year 3 Sales Forecast

Month January February March April May June

Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

Month July August September October November December

Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

Estimated Expenses
Note: Expenses can be listed as either fixed or variable. Fixed expenses are those expenses that do not change
from month to month regardless of sales volume. For example, rent and insurance are fixed expenses. Variable
expenses are those expenses which will change in total proportion to the to the sales volume. For example, office
supplies are a variable expense. Office supply expenses will change in proportion to your total sales volume.

Item Average Expense

Advert ising OR of Sales

Bad debt s from sales or services OR of Sales

Car and t ruck ex penses OR of Sales

Commissions and Fees OR of Sales

Deplet ion OR of Sales

Depreciat ion OR of Sales

Employee benefit programs OR of Sales

Insurance (ot her t han healt h) OR of Sales

Int erest : Mort gage OR of Sales

Int erest : Ot her OR of Sales

Legal and Professional Services OR of Sales

Office Ex pense OR of Sales

Pension and profit -sharing plans OR of Sales

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Rent or lease: Vehicles, equipment , et c. OR of Sales

Rent or lease: Ot her business propert y OR of Sales

Repair and maint enance OR of Sales

Supplies OR of Sales

Tax es and licenses OR of Sales

Travel, meals, and ent ert ainment OR of Sales

Ut ilit ies OR of Sales

Wages OR of Sales

Ot her ex penses (please specify) OR of Sales

Ot her ex penses (please specify) OR of Sales

Ot her ex penses (please specify) OR of Sales

Ot her ex penses (please specify) OR of Sales

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