Blank Form (#3) Begin your business plan Tell us, what business sample most closely resembles your own business? Sole Proprietor Partnership Corporation As a small business owner, you've put time and energy into your business and it’s future, and envisioned what you hope to achieve. General Business InformationLegal Business Name: Your Name: Operating/Trading As: Your Title: Business Address: Fax: Mailing Address: Email Status: - Select -Starting UpEstablishedWinding DownPhone Type: - Select -Business MobileHome PhonePersonal MobileOffice PhoneRole: Name of Owner(s) % Ownership Banking and Background InformationDate Business Established Nature of Business: Bank and Branch Location (Business): Bank and Branch Location (Personal): Personal Goals As a small business owner, you are your own boss.What is most important to you in life? What do you value? How do you define personal success? Why did you decide to own your own business? If you run an established business, have your reasons for owning a business evolved and changed? What do you hope to achieve financially? Business Vision & Objectives How your business got to where it is today & future goals.Describe how your business got to where it is today, including your origin story. State your business vision. Describe your business' key short-term objectives for the next 3-12 months. Describe your business' key long-term objectives for the next 1-3 years, or longer if you prefer. Product or ServiceWhat are you selling? Describe your product or service. Your competitive advantage is aspect of your business that provides an edge over the competition and is hard to imitate. What makes your product or service unique? Industry Factors & TrendsDescribe factors and trends affecting your industry, and consider their implications for your business including: demographic, social economic, technological, regulatory and environmental. Based on the factors and trends you've described, what's the outlook for your industry over the next 3-5 years? Will it grow or shrink? How else do you think it will be different? Be sure to include your sources. Estimate the size of the market for your product or service. Be sure to cite sources of your information. Competition Every dollar a customer spends is a choice made between you and your competitors. That's why your competitors' weaknesses can translate into opportunities for your business. Likewise, their strengths can be challenges your business will have to defend itself against.List your main competitors. If you compete with many businesses, consider grouping them as "large," "mid-size," and "small" competitors. Rank your competitors in terms of Market Share and outline their strengths and weaknesses. Which of your competitors' weaknesses can you improve upon? What will you do to protect your business against the competition to win customers? Customers Your business' success depends on your ability to attract customers and keep them satisfied. In fact, satisfied customers are one of the most effective marketing tools you can have, since they refer more customers to your doorstep. In this section, put yourself in your customers' shoes.List your customer segments. Customer segments are groups of different types of customers your industry serves. Each segment is bound together by buying behavior, needs, demographics, tastes, or other characteristics. From your list of customer segments, identify your target customers—the type of customer your business focuses on— and their defining characteristics. Position, Price & Promotion By defining what customers value about your product or service or the way it is delivered, your positioning serves as the foundation for all your marketing efforts.Positioning: State the key benefits you'd like customers to value in your product or service or the way it is delivered. Pricing: Explain your pricing. Discuss how you came up with your prices, and illustrate where they fall in relation to your competitors'. Promotion: Describe your promotional efforts, including advertisements, online efforts and other plans to generate awareness of your business. Sales: Where do you provide your product or service? In your office or retail store, online, on the phone, or in the customer's home? Describe the sales process.
