Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, is a type of industry where buying and selling of product or service is conducted over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Electronic commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic

funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction

processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at one point in the transaction's life-cycle, although it may encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile devices social media, and telephones as well.

Create a Business Plan

A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals,

the reasons why they are believed to be attainable, and the plan for

reaching these goals.

The information provided here is for external stakeholders- for example a

bank (if you are approaching them for finance), venture capital firm, a

private equity firm and any others from whom you seek investment or a

loan.

Content of a Business Plan

Before reading this section, please do note that the content provided here is

just for guidance purposes. Your business is unique and your plan should

reflect this fact. The content here is not specific to any type of business.

The material provided here is to guide you on what aspects to consider

when preparing a business plan.

Executive Summary

A business plan should contain an executive summary. This summarizes

the key points of a business plan. If you are approaching a bank for a

loan, or a venture capital firm for investment, you must include the

following points:

Company Information: Name, Proposed legal structure, minority and

majority investors. We have provided a section on Forms of Business

Organisation for your information. We also have a section on Legal

Basics to help you better understand the legal environment.

Brief description of project

Amount and length of loan (if approaching a bank)

Amount of investment required (if approaching a venture capital firm)

Show that the company can pay the bank back by including details on:

o Past financial performance

o Future revenue streams

o Any contracts that build some confidence on future revenue

streams

Terminal value (for venture capital firms)

Description of market opportunity and how the company seeks to take

advantage of this opportunity.

Background Information

Some information may be included in the executive summary

(mentioned above) and details may be provided in this section.

Current Status of Company:

Some information you may want to include-

Number of employees, annual sales figures, key product lines

Current stage of development (for start-ups)

Corporate structure-

o Sole proprietorship

o Partnership

o Limited Liability Partnership

o Private Limited

o Public Limited

History of company

You may want to include the founding date, major successes and

strategically valuable learning experiences.

A profile of the management team

Talk about the owners, board members, promoters (in case of

venture capital funding), partners and other key positions in

your company.

Marketing Plan

Usually, a marketing plan has five objectives. For in-depth information,

please visit our Marketing section.

1)Product

Here you should seek to differentiate your product from its

substitutes. Questions such as why your product is better, how

will customers adapt to your new product (any switching costs

involved) should be answered here.

2)Pricing

   How will you price your new product, and pricing strategy

should be included here.

3)Distribution/Positioning

How are you planning to distribute your goods? Are you

partnering with any distributors? Include any on-going

negotiations here as well. Read our Distribution

Channels section for more information.

4)Demand Management

This term refers to the management and distribution of, and

access to goods and services based on needs.

5)Promotion and Brand Development

Mention the steps you have taken or plan to take in relation to

building your brand name and promoting your product. Visit our

section on Marketing Communications for ideas and help on

how to promote your product.

6)   User Experience

Apart from the traditional marketing functions, a lot of

companies are now focusing on the user experience. Factors

such as the purchase process, the retail environment, exclusivity

of the product are some important considerations here.

Operational Plan

In this section you should talk about how to service your clients

effectively and efficiently. You may want to include the following:

Manufacturing Plan- talk about your supply chain, inputs required

for production, facility requirements, equipment requirement and

warehousing needs (if any).

Information and Communications Technology Plan- what

technology and communications mechanisms do you plan to include?

Talk about software requirements- off the shelf or custom made. Read

our section on how to integrate Information and Communication

Technology in your company. If you plan to have a website, include

the development plan here.

Team Building- Define key roles of staff, compensation, list of roles

and management structure here. We have provided a section

on Human Resources which will help you in determining what to write

here. Similarly, training needs and methods need to be talked about

here. Visit our Training and Skill Development Section to gain further

insights.

Intellectual Property Plan- your intellectual property is a very

important asset to your company. Talk about how you plan to protect

your IPR (trademarks, patents, copyrights etc) in this section. We

have provided a database on IPR where more information is available.

If your company faces a lot of variable costs, then you may want to

include a cost allocation model.

Financial Plan

A financial plan is a series of steps which are carried out, or goals that

are accomplished which relate to a business’ financial affairs. You may

want to include the following:

Current Financing- key investors or owners, existing loans and

liabilities, any financing received prior to approaching a bank or

venture capital firm.

Funding Plan

Financial Forecasts-

balance sheets,

income statements,

cash flow statements

The above should all be mentioned here. Sometimes you may want to

include projections for future earnings (may be useful if you are

approaching a bank for a long term loan or a venture capital firm).

Risk Analysis

1.Risk Evaluation

Market Risks- threat of new competitors, slower than expected

adoption are some of the risks involved which fall under market

risks.

Operational Risks- risks that may arise in the day to day

running of operations

Staffing Risks- any risks related to your workforce should be

identified and mentioned here.

Financing Risks- liabilities, cash flows, working capital are

some of the financing risks that companies face. Clearly identify

the risks your business faces here.

Managerial Risks

Regulatory Risks- Government policies and rules may change

at any given time and some of these changes may adversely

affect your business.

2.Risk Management Plan

Now that you have identified the risks your organisation faces,

in this section you will have to talk about how you plan to

mitigate these risks. Examples are- methods and procedures to

limit liabilities, reserve funds, continuity of operations plan.

Women Entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurship has been recognised as an important source of

economic growth. Women entrepreneurs create new jobs for themselves

and others and also provide society with different solutions to management,

organisation and business problems. However, they still represent a

minority of all entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs often face gender-

based barriers to starting and growing their businesses, like discriminatory

property, matrimonial and inheritance laws and/or cultural practices; lack

of access to formal finance mechanisms; limited mobility and access to

information and networks, etc.

Women’s entrepreneurship can make a particularly strong contribution to

the economic well-being of the family and communities, poverty reduction

and women’s empowerment, thus contributing to the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs). Thus, governments across the world as well as

various developmental organizations are actively undertaking promotion of

women entrepreneurs through various schemes, incentives and promotional

measures.

Women entrepreneurs in the four southern states and Maharashtra account

for over 50% of all women-led small-scale industrial units in India. Click

here for a state-wise break-up of women-led SSIs

 

Policies and Schemes for Women Entrepreneurs in India

In India, the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises development

organisations, various State Small Industries Development

Corporations, the Nationalised banks and even NGOs are conducting

various programmes including Entrepreneurship Development

Programmes (EDPs) to cater to the needs of potential women

entrepreneurs, who may not have adequate educational background

and skills. The Office of DC (MSME) has also opened a Women Cell to

provide coordination and assistance to women entrepreneurs facing

specific problems.

There are also several other schemes of the government at central

and state level, which provide assistance for setting up training-cum-

income generating activities for needy women to make them

economically independent. Small Industries Development Bank of

India (SIDBI) has also been implementing special schemes for women

entrepreneurs.

In addition to the special schemes for women entrepreneurs, various

government schemes for MSMEs also provide certain special

incentives and concessions for women entrepreneurs. For instance,

under Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY), preference is

given to women beneficiaries. The government has also made several

relaxations for women to facilitate the participation of women

beneficiaries in this scheme. Similarly, under the MSE Cluster

Development Programme by Ministry of MSME, the contribution

from the Ministry of MSME varies between 30-80% of the total

project in case of hard intervention, but in the case of clusters owned

and managed by women entrepreneurs, contribution of the M/o

MSME could be upto 90% of the project cost. Similarly, under

the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small

Enterprises, the guarantee cover is generally available upto 75% of

the loans extended; however the extent of guarantee cover is 80% for

MSEs operated and/ or owned by women.  

Some of the special schemes for women entrepreneurs implemented

by the government bodies and allied institutions are provided below.

 

Schemes of Ministry of MSME

o Trade related entrepreneurship assistance and development

(TREAD) scheme for women

o Mahila Coir Yojana

To read more on activities of Ministry of MSMEs for women

development, click here.

Schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development

o Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women

(STEP)

o Swayam Siddha

Schemes of Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation

o Self employment loan programmes

o Educational loan schemes

o Single women benefit schemes

o Job oriented training programmes

o Marketing support for women entrepreneurs

o Autorickshaw / school van’s driver scheme

Kerala Government’s Women Industries Programme

Delhi Government’s Stree Shakti Project

Schemes of Delhi Commission for Women (Related to Skill

development and training)

Incentives to Women Entrepreneurs Scheme, 2008, Government of

Goa

Magalir Udavi Scheme, Pudhucherry Government

Financing Schemes by Banks/ Financial Institution's

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Description of Idea

Cereal SachetsEach sachet should just have enough cereal for one glass of milk so that it neither gets too thick nor stay watery.

Low Fat FoodCreate commercially producible low fat food which also takes into account certain dietary requirements of customers like gluten intolerance and lactose intolerance.

Gluten Free Baked Products

As an increasing number of people are gluten intolerant, this business venture will cater to their needs.

Homemade Potpourri

There has been an increase in the popularity of homemade potpourri in the last few years. This has the potential to be transformed into a profitable venture by using innovative techniques and having good marketing and sales skills.

Gourmet Popcorn

Use innovative recipes and flavors of popcorn to make this business venture successful. The profit margin is high and the potential to expand is there if proper marketing and sales strategies are incorporated.

Frozen Foods

The work hours of people are increasing. Due to this they no longer have the time to make meals from scratch. This business will target these people. This business requires a mix of good recipes and skills of managing sales and marketing.

Dog TreatsBaking gourmet dog treats and selling them either directly to consumers or to bigger distibutors like malls etc.

Fresh Pasta Making

Supply Italian restaurants with fresh or dried pasta. This business has the potential to expand.

Chocolate Making

Starting a business that creates chocolate treats is a great new enterprise to initiate. It can be opened as a joint venture with a restaurant or catering service.

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Selling Rare Fruits, Flowers and Nuts

Exotic products and gift items are proving to be popular everywhere. Find yourself something new and exciting to sell