Aquaculture Business Plan

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This Business Plan is confidential and is the proprietary property of Insert your
business name here. No reproduction of any kind or release of this document is
permissible without prior written consent of Insert your business name here.
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary Page

Section I: Management Page

Section II: Marketing Page

Section III: Money Page

Section IV: Milestones & Measures Page

Section V: Appendix Page

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Executive Summary

The Executive Summary comes first, but can be written last. The
Executive Summary provides an overview of the business plan in on
page or less.
This section provides the financial institution a “first impression” of
your business concept.

The Executive Summary should include:

 The name and address of the fish farm.
 The owner(s) names.
 The Mission Statement of the business.
 A brief description of the business to be conducted.
 Legal Structure of the business.
 Product(s) and/or services(s) to be offered.
 Purchase terms, if buying an existing business.
 Requested loan amount and how the loan will be repaid.
 How the loan amount will be spent (broken down into
categories).
 Amount and form of the owner(s) equity (owner’s investment).
 Expected outcome of business operations

The following sections of this template will help you gather the
necessary information for your business plan. The information can
then be summarized for the Executive Summary.

A. Company Overview
1. Company Name
2. Location (benefits, limitations, zoning)
3. Legal Structure and reasons for choosing this form of entity.
List the names of all principals involved in the business.
4. Type (product, service, retail, wholesale)
 Describe your fish farm. Be sure to include total acreage,
acres of water, size of ponds, species of fish raised, and
whether this will be a pond or cage-cultured operation.
5. Size (sales, # of employees, sq. ft.)
6. History Highlights
 If the business is being purchased or expanding an existing
business fish farm, a history of the business in required.
Details should include existence, current owner, current
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location, types of species raised, market share, strengths,

weaknesses, why selling, and financial information for the
past three to five years.
7. Mission – Why you exist (values)
8. Vision – Where you want to go (nonspecific, directional,
motivational)

B. Nature of the Business

1. What product/service you sell?
2. For what need/problem/opportunity? (Benefit to buyer?)
3. For what market area and target audience (market potential)
4. What are the alternatives to your product/service? (competitive
advantage)

C. Key Characteristics of the Industry

Aquaculture is the cultivation and marketing of aquatic animals or
plants in a controlled environment for all or part of their life cycle.
The aquaculture industry in the United States is one of the fastest
growing segments of the agriculture market today. The growth
potential for the aquaculture market is at its strongest level ever.
The demand for fish is increasing due to the ever-increasing health
consciousness of the American consumer. Per capita consumption
of fish in the US has increased from 13 pounds per person in 1980
to ?? pounds per person in 2010. These increases in demand are
stressing the world’s natural fisheries, which are generally
considered to be at or near their maximum sustainable yield, thus
increasing the demand for the fish raised in aquaculture facilities.
Not to mention the increasing demand in our society for locally
grown products.
Describe any additional industry information you wish to include in
your business plan as well as any general business conditions
affecting your fish farm.

D. Brief Financial Highlights

Sales Forecast, Breakeven Point, Financing if needed – how much
& for what/when payback

E. Strategic Management
1. How you are addressing internal strengths and weaknesses &
external opportunities and threats?
2. Summary of short range & long range goals.
3. Key measurable “drivers” that impact your costs, revenue and
business goals? (ratios such as # of clients per year, # of
projects
per year, average $ per client, return on investment, # of
employees

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per $, inventory turns, product rejection rate, quality, capacity,

cost of lead/sale, etc.)

START HERE

Section I: Management

Human Resources
A. Owner, Manager/s
(experience and key skills – skill level) Include resumes of owner
and key personnel. The resume should include past-related
employment experience, professional training and education,
related certifications or degree(s) held, and other personal
information related to business operations. Be sure the business
related experience is highlighted.

B. Employees
HR Policies & Procedures (Job analysis and job descriptions, hiring
strategy, compensation, performance evaluation process, employee
training, retention, motivation)

Develop a personal hiring and Pay Schedule.

Job Title Duties Qualification Salary ($) Hiring Date
s

Develop a Work Schedule. The work schedule shows work coverage for the
scheduled operating hours of business. See Sample below.
Job Sun Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Total
Title Hours/Week

C. Consultants & Advisors

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List of professional services providers to be utilized (e.g. attorneys,

accountants, consultants, etc.) the type of services to be rendered
and anticipated costs.
Type Name Address and Start-up Recurring
Telephone # Costs ($) Costs ($)
Accountant
Attorney
Other (list)
Other (list)
Total
Professional
Fees

D. Organizational Structure/Communications
(job descriptions - who does what and reports to whom?)

E. Individual & Organizational Development

As the business owner, how will you prepare for ongoing continuous
improvement for yourself and others throughout the organization?

F. Management Strategies
How will you make the most of the people involved with your
business? What can you delegate or outsource? What help and
support do you need? How would you describe your organizational
culture?

Include information on suppliers of fry, fingerlings, feed, equipment,

etc. Include their address, their product lines and any special credit
terms.
Supplier Address & Telephone Products/Services/Term

Operations
A. Location (Site Selection)

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Considerable thought and planning should go into selecting sites for

commercial fish production ponds. Construction costs, ease of
operation, and productivity can be greatly affected by the site
selected. Selection of a site at times would seem to be a simple
matter but after considering all of the variables involved it rarely is
as simple as it would seem. Describe your location including
topography, water supply and soil type. Where is the business
located & conducted? Include any aspect that makes it especially
suitable for a fish farm. Are there any zoning issues?

Complete the following table. For your planning purposes, actual

current price quotes are needed.
Item Source Cost ($)

Land
Pond Construction
Well Construction/
Water Supply
Road Work
Feed Storage Bin
Office Building
Electric line &
Switch Boxes
Harvesting Dock
Other
Other
Total Fish Farm Cost

B. Equipment
What equipment and inventory items are required to start and run your
business? What do you currently own? What will you lease? What will
you purchase?

List equipment, fixtures, furniture, vehicles, tools and other fixed assets that are needed for
the business and their associated costs.
Item Source Buy/Lease Cost ($)
Description
Tractor
Truck(s)
Boat, Motor &
Trailer
Aerators (2hp/ac)

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Mower
Generator
Vehicle
Air Blower &
Hose
Cage, Cover &
Floatation
Feed Hoppers &
Blowers
Back-up Aerator
(PTO Driven)
Water Quality
Test Kit
Shop Equipment
Office Equipment
DO Meter
Live Haul Tank
Radio Com
System
Seines
Other
Other
Total Cost of
Equipment

C. Outside Influences
Other issues that are not necessarily within the control of the
business must also be addressed. Many of these issues may
directly affect your sales both positively and negatively. Complete
the following selections as they apply to your business.
1. Describe the economic factors that will affect your product
or service. Include economic trends, spending trends, taxes,
inflation, interest rates, etc.
2. Describe any legal or governmental factors that will affect
your business. Potential changes in laws and ordinances, IRS,
OSHA, EPA, Local Health Department, ADA, and zoning
regulations.
3. Describe any environmental factors that will affect your
business. Include raw material availability, weather, pollution,
and waste management.

D. Data Management
How do you manage data (entry, processing, back-up, contacts,
correspondence, bookkeeping, other files)?

E. Intellectual Property

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Will your business have any intellectual property that will

patentable or need to be protected? How will you protect designs,
copyrights and other intellectual property?

F. Risk Management
How do you manage risk? (prevent & protect)
Financial, Liability, Environmental and Safety, Security, Record
- Retention & Security of data – company, employee, customer,
supplier
- Political Risks, Legal Risks, Loss, Decline/Growth, Other

G. Insurance
What have you learned from an insurance broker about costs/types
of insurance you need? What have you learned about the potential
risks of loss inherent to your business? These risks form the basis
for your business insurance needs. Some of these types of
insurance have been listed below:
 Workers Compensation
 Fire or Structural Damage
 Business Liability
 Vehicle Coverage
 Loss & Theft of Building Contents
 Glass and Sign Breakage
 Business Interruption
 Care, Custody & Control

Some sources of information on business insurance have been

listed below.
 Ohio Department of Insurance – maintains experience
information on insurance companies.
 Best Key Rating Guide – maintains financial strength
information on insurance companies
 Local insurance agencies – Check yellow page listings.

Include copies of your insurance carriers’ cost quotes

Insurance Type of Upfront Cost Monthly Cost
Company Insurance

Total Insurance
Cost

H. Taxes

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Which local, state and federal regulations and taxes apply to your
business?

I. Licenses & Permits

What permits, licenses and registrations have you determined apply
to your business? (EPA permit, state professional license, vehicle
license, food handler’s certification, Assumed Name Act
Registration, etc.)

Provide a copy of the required licenses, permits and registrations if available.

Name of Issuing Valid Time Start-up Recurring
Permit/License Agency Period Costs ($) Costs ($)

Total Permit
and License
Cost

J. Business Cycles
What do you know about your business cycles? (Production,
Delivery, Sales, Inventory, Financials)

K. Operational Strategies
How will you make the most of you location, purchasing &
production processes?

Section II: Marketing

A. Business, Industry & Situation Overview
General description of the business. Describe any industry
information you wish to include in your business plan as well as any
general business conditions affecting your fish farm.

B. Distribution Strategy
Describe the distribution strategy for your fish farm. A distribution
strategy answers the following questions: How are you going to get
your product to your customer? How will the crop be sold? How are
you going to price your crop? Below are some examples of ways to
move your product to your customer. Your strategy may involve
one or more of these techniques.
 Sales to a Processing Plant of Cooperative
 Contract Sales
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 Phone Sales
 Trade Shows (Licensure Required)
 Internet Sales (Licensure Required)
 Sales off the Farm (Licensure Required)
 Sales on the Farm
 Other

C. Target Market & Trade Area

Who is your target market (who & where)? The key element of a
successful marketing plan is to know your customers – their likes,
dislikes, and expectations. By identifying these factors, you can
develop a marketing strategy that will allow you to attract customers
and fulfill their needs.

Use the following selection to help define your target market.

Type of customer % of Business

 Processing
Plant/Cooperative
 Retail Customer
 Restaurant and Grocery
 Organizations
 Other

(Total must equal 100%) 100%

D. Products/Services
Product/Service - What need/problem/opportunity?

E. Competitive Advantage
What is your competitive advantage/positioning?

F. Sales Forecasts and Assumptions

How much money will you generate? Include a sales forecast
summary and narrative on your assumptions - how you developed
projected revenue.

G. Measures of Success
What are the key factors you will measure and when will you
measure them? ($/customer, number of customers/day or month,
expansion of trade area, product return rate, etc.)

Section III: Money

A. Financial Assumptions
1. Discuss assumptions made to arrive at financial projections –
how did you determine your cost of production, pricing, dollars
of sales, etc.
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2. If seeking funding for your project, discuss how much money

you are seeking and what that money will be used for. How will
the money be repaid? Do your financial worksheets support
this?
3. Discuss your Break Even Analysis.
4. Describe where needed funds will be obtained and what all
funds will be used for. (i.e., personal contribution of 20% used
to acquire equipment, loan for building, etc.)

B. Bookkeeping, Record-keeping, Accounting System & Process

1. Ratio Analysis (liquidity, leverage, activity, profitability, growth)
2. Business Financing (personal savings, equity financing - risk &
reward, debt financing - can you pay/debt ratio; will you
pay/credit score; what if you don’t pay/loan to value, other
sources of financing)
3. Discuss Factors such as Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral,
Credit, Cash flow, Conditions of the industry, market &
economy, Confidence/Commitment.

C. Financial Worksheets
For any type of loan request the financial section of the business plan
must include the following:

 Historical Information on Existing Business – Three (3) years

of past income tax returns, financial statements (Balance Sheets &
Income Statements), and aging of accounts receivable/payable
should be included.
 Personal Income Tax Returns – Three (3) years of personal
income tax returns of the principals involved in the business are
required. A principal is an individual or entity who owns or will
20% or more of the business.
 Personal Financial Statement – This form must be completed
for each principal who owns or will own more than 20% of the
business, or who have a significant say in the operations of the
business.
 Financial Projections – Three (3) year projection of financial
data is suggested in most aquaculture loan requests including:
1. Start-up Worksheet (If start up operation)
2. Cash Flow Projections
3. Balance Sheet
4. Profit and Loss Statement
5. Income Statement
6. Break Even Analysis

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 Letters of Commitment – If the plan includes multiple

loans, each loan must be documented in commitment letters.
Loans from financial institutions must have language indicating
the loan amount, the specified term and interest rate, collateral,
any other conditions attendant to the loan, and the fact that the
loan is approved (loan approval can be contingent on securing
other financing).

Section IV: Milestones & Measures

A. Goals
1. Where do you want to go? (vision; short & long range strategic
objectives/priorities) SMART Goals – Specific Measurable Attainable
Rewarding Timed
2. Tactics - How are you are going to get there? (manageable tasks
& precise action plans) “Never confuse motion with action.” – Ben
Franklin
3. Data Gathering & Analysis - Track & adjust to progress.
How does performance compare to target measures? What are your
key milestones and critical success factors? What “benchmark”
information do you need for data-based decisions? Who will measure
what/when? Measure what is meaningful.
“Not everything that counts can be measured and
not everything that can be counted counts.”
– Sign hanging in Einstein’s Office at Princeton

B. SCENARIO PLANNING
1. Long View … If/Then - Key crossroads, milestones and other
factors that prompt you to continue or modify strategic directions?

C. AFTER THE PLAN

1. What do you need to Keep Doing (Preserve), Stop Doing
(Destroy/Let Go), Start Doing (Create/Change)?
2. Project Notebook/s, Portfolio, Customer Comments, Recognition &
Awards, Mentoring, Continuing Education, Individual & Organizational
Development–Time Management, Organizational Skills, Creativity,
Communication…

Section V: Appendix

In appendix, attach any supporting information such as resumes,

promotional materials, contracts with customers, etc.

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