thinkbusiness.ie business plan template

8/18/2019 ThinkBusiness.ie Business Plan Template

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Company Logo[Your business name goes here]

This template should be completed using the guidelines included in the ThinkBusiness.ie

Business Plan Guide

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[Strictly private and confdential] [Your business name goes here]

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Table of Contents

[This table of content is automatically generated. When you have completed the business plan

template you should update the table in MS Word

Table of Contents

Table of Contents........................................................................................1

Confidentiality Agreement..........................................................................3

Explanation of Confidentiality Agreement...................................................................3

1.Executive Summary..............................................................................4

2.Company Description............................................................................5

2.1 Promoters and Shareholders..........................................................................................................5

2.2 Advisers............................................................................................................................................ 5

2.3 egal Stat!s..................................................................................................5

2." #ain Prod!$ts and Servi$es...............................................................................5

2.5 ong%Term Aim of the &!siness..........................................................................5

2.' &!siness (oals..............................................................................................6

3. Market Analysis.....................................................................................7

3.1 PESTE

Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………..7

3.2 S)*T Analysis...............................................................................................8

3.3. Competitor Analysis........................................................................................8

4. Marketing and Sales...............................................................................9

".1 C!stomer Trends and *pport!nities.....................................................................9

".2 #ar+eting,Sales Strategy...................................................................................9

".3 Sales Strategy................................................................................................9

"." Pri$ing.......................................................................................................10

".5 C!stomer Servi$e..........................................................................................10

5. People............................................................................................... 11

5.1 -etails of ey Employees...............................................................................11

6. R&D, Business Assets...........................................................................12

'.1 /esear$h and -evelopment..............................................................................12

'.2 &!siness Assets...........................................................................................12

7. Financial............................................................................................ 13

0. 1 inan$ial nformation.....................................................................................13

0.2 Ass!mptions...............................................................................................13

0.3 !nding /e!irements...................................................................................14

8. Appendices.........................................................................................15



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Confidentiality Agreement

[!nsert te"t of agreement here

[Signature

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

[$ate

Explanation of Confidentiality Agreement

[%s the promoter you are giving a third party access to your business idea& plans and finances.

'ou need the third party to agree to keep this information confidential. By getting them to sign the

(onfidentiality (lause they are legally committed to keeping all details of your business plan

confidential.



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1. Executive Summary

[This section should be completed last& after you have completed all of the other sections of the plan

Give a brief summary of the business& ho) you are currently financing the business and thee"pected future development of the business and )hat this )ill re*uire. +ighlight those keyaspects that )ill be of interest to an investor or lender.

!t is important that you capture the attention of potential investors )ith the ,"ecutive Summary&

as they are more likely to study the business plan in greater detail. -ey items to consider

covering include

• Purpose of the plan

• $escription of your product or service and its advantages

• Market opportunity

• (ompetitor analysis

• Management team

• Track record& if any

• /inancial pro0ections

• /unding re*uirements

• 1elevant strategic and functional elements of the business

/inancial pro0ections should be summarised and highlighted. The follo)ing format is suggested as a guide

€’000 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Sales

Exports

4et profit before tax

nvestment

Employment n!mbers6



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2. Company Description

[!nclude details of the business& history& products& services& markets and other key information

2.1 Promoters and Shareholders

[!nclude names& roles and shareholdings of the people involved in the business. /or a ne) business& detail the founders2 previous business e"perience and *ualifications. !nclude any contacts you have )ith potential customers and suppliers. !nclude

• Promoters

• Management structure and areas of responsibility

• Shareholders names2& number of shares& shareholding and cash investment to date

2.2 Advisers

[3ist your financial& legal and other advisers& including their names& addresses& email addressesand phone numbers

2.3 Legal Status

[State )hether the business is a

• Sole trader

• Partnership

•

3imited company • 4ther 5specify 6

2.4 Main Products and Services

[$etail your product or service offering& )hat it is and )hat it does. !nclude

• Background to its development

• Benefits and features

• 7ni*ue selling points

• %dvantages to customers

• $isadvantages or )eak points

• Planned developments

2.5 Long-Term Aim of the Business

[4utline your long#term aims for the business 5for e"ample& further e"pansion& diversification&

commercial alliance& ac*uisition& etc.



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2.6 Business Goals

[Briefly detail specific goals you have set for the business to achieve over the ne"t three 5or five6

years 8 including sales& e"ports& employment& product development& ne) factory or outlet etc.

These are the items in )hich a potential investor )ill be interested.

Goals should have clear timeframes and be demanding& yet realistic. 4utline your goals in thebo" belo)

• ---

• ---

• ---

• ---



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3. Market Analysis

This section should be completed )ith the assistance of ThinkBusiness.ie2s market analysis guide

[4ther forms of analyses can be included apart from the P,ST3,& SW4T and (ompetitor %nalysis

3. 1. PESTLE Analysis % P,ST3, analysis is often a useful )ay of looking at a business or opportunity& from an e"ternal perspective. The 9lenses: or perspectives most often used are 5;6 Political 56 Technological. 5?6 93egal: and 5@6 9,nvironmental: factors are sometimes consideredas separate lenses& making it a 9P,ST3,: analysis. 1emember& some lenses )ill be moreimportant for some businesses than others& so your lists of factors do not have to be of e*uallength.


P [political]

• XXX

E [economic]

• XXX

E [environmental]

• XXX

Business/company name

goes here

S [social]

• XXX

L [legal]

• XXX

T [technological]

• XXX


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3.2 SWOT Analysis

[% SW4T %nalysis is a method commonly used to identify the strengths and )eaknesses of abusiness& along )ith its opportunities and threats& given the resources and capabilities of thebusiness at the present time. Threats and opportunities refer to those that e"ist in themarketplace& often not no)& but in the future.

Strengths Weaknesses

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

Opportunities Threats

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

• AAA

3.3. Competitor Analysis

['ou should outline details of your competitors and an analysis of their products or services. 'oucan use the ThinkBusiness.ie (ompetitor %nalysisTemplate to assist you )ith this.



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4. Marketing and Sales

[This section should be completed )ith the assistance of guides and other resources in

ThinkBusiness.ie2s Marketing and Sales sections.

4.1 Customer Trends and Opportunities[4utline briefly key customer segments& segment characteristics& )hether the segment is gro)ing

or declining& the sie of each segment and other factors affecting segment sie or gro)th rate.

This demonstrates the potential for your business to gro).

Segment

name

Segment

characteristics

Estimated number

of potential

customers

Segment

revenues/

potential

Other

4.2 Marketing/Sales Strategy

[,"plain ho) you )ill attain the sales targets that you have set. What are your marketing andsales strategiesC +o) )ill you generate interest and deliver your service andDor product for the

market5s6 you are targetingC Some points to consider including in your marketing strategy

• ,"amine the sie of the target market. Will it e"pand or contractC

• Which segments of the market )ill be targeted first& and )hyC

• +o) )ill this be developed to reach the full target marketC

• +o) )ill you differentiate your product or serviceC

• What key customer benefits )ill be highlightedC

• What potential customers have you already targetedC• What contacts can be used to generate market a)areness and salesC

• %re there opportunities for cross#sellingC

• $o you have a marketing budgetC !s it )ell#resourcedC

4.3 Sales Strategy

['ou should detail ho) you )ill sell your product or service to the target market. State )hy youhave chosen that sales option5s6& sho)ing your research and the advantages of the preferred sales strategies& such as

• $irect



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• 1etail

• $istributor

• %gent

• Sales representatives

• 4nline 5your )ebsite& other )ebsites6

4.4 Pricing

[Sho) your price and your pricing structure and ho) this pricing structure fits into the market.Typical factors to consider include

• Production costs and overheads

• Euality of product

• (ompetitors2 prices

• 3evel of competition in the market

• Proposed credit terms

4.5 Customer Service

[!s e"cellent customer service going to be a defining part of your business modelC 'ou should

ask yourself the follo)ing *uestions

• Will you compete on service levelsC %re these valued by customersC

• Will you obtain the necessary !S4 standardC

• Will you have a dedicated customer service phone lineC

• Will your )ebsite have a customer care sectionC

• What are your after#sales service termsC

• +o) )ill you handle complaintsC



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Name & title

Name & title

Name & title Name & title

Name & title Name & title

Name & title

5. People

5.1 Details of Key Employees

• [Fame

• Position

• 1ole

• 1esponsibilities

• Eualifications

• Pro0ection of employee numbers over coming year& < years and = years

[!nclude sample organisation chart& adding in names and titles )here appropriate.



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6. R&D, Business Assets

6.1 Research and Development

[$etail costs incurred by you in research and development 51$6. !nclude analysis of your 1$

in the appendices. State )hether 1$ is an ongoing part of the business. +ave you anydevelopments in progress but not yet ready for releaseC What is the target date for release of

ne) developmentsC +ave you secured any patents& or are any pendingC

6.2 Business Assets

[Will you be )orking from homeC $o you o)n the premisesC %re you renting the premisesC

Where are the premises located& including outlets and branchesC $escribe properties and title to

properties. !f you o)n the premises& )hat is its valueC !f premises are rented& detail the terms&amount& payment& fre*uency of rent& lease term& years remaining and rent revie) periods. This

section is particularly important )hen the business is seeking asset#backed finance.

3ist all e*uipment 5including vehicles& furniture and fittings6 used for the business currently& as

)ell as proposed e*uipment needs. $etailed information should be included on the items& cost&

ho) it )ill be funded& )hen it )ill be o)nedDfully paid#off and its current value.



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7. Financial

7. 1 Financial Information

[$etail your financial arrangements& ho) financials are structured& )ho the providers of financeare& and ho) much funding are you seeking. !nclude

• Fames of current lenders

• %mounts and terms of loans

• Maturity of loans

• (ovenants

• Security and guarantees

• !nternally generated capital& including directors2 loans& and terms

• 4ther sources of finance& such as grant aid

• /unding sought

Where available& include historic financial statements or summaries for the last fe) years&

including management accounts for the current period. !nclude

• Profit and loss account

• Balance sheet

• (ashflo) statement

Pro0ected /inancial Statements for three to five years are important. !nclude

• (ashflo) statements& indicating peak borro)ing re*uirements

• Profit and loss accounts

• Balance sheets

'ou may )ish to add in the above statements from e"isting documentation 5for instance& ,"cel

spreadsheets6. %lternatively you can use the follo)ing templates in ThinkBusiness.ie )hich can

be adapted and formatted to suit the presentation of your business plan

• ThinkBusiness.ie (ashflo) Template

• ThinkBusiness.ie Sales /orecast Template )hich has three inter#related resources& the

first is for unit prices )hich allo)s you to vary the prices and see the impact. The second

)ill give you a forecast of sales on a month to month basis. The third is a P3 template

)hich )ill sho) you a net profit.

7.2 Assumptions

[Set out the key assumptions on )hich your financial plan is based.



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• Sales levels e"plain market sie& competitors2 sales levels& your pricing strategy& and the

percentage of the market you hope to attain.

• (ost of sales include materials cost& production costs& efficiencies you have compared to

your competitors& and ho) or if currency e"change rates are impacting your pro0ections.

• 4verheads e"amine ho) they may vary& changes in number of staff& increaseDdecrease in

rent on premises& variation in cost of borro)ings depending on cashflo) and the level of borro)ings re*uired.

• !nvestment re*uired in fi"ed assets.

• Preferential distribution agreements you hope to achieve.

• %ny problems you envisage and their impact.

'ou should also consider including a sensitivity analysis )hich )ould sho) the impact of any

given changes in any of your key business assumptions for e"ample ;HI less sales& ?I

reduction in cost of sales.

7se the ThinkBusiness.ie Sensitivity %nalysis template to assist you in conducting this analysis

7.3 Funding Requirements

'ou should detail e"isting and potential sources of funding in this section.

Sources of funding:

• Principals

• $irectors

•

4ther shareholders

• Bank loans

• %gency grant or loan

Application of funding

• Premises

• ,*uipment

• Sales

• Staff

• 1$



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8. Appendices

!t may be useful for you to include supporting pages covering some of the follo)ing topics&

depending on the significance of these to your business plan

• Market research• Product brochures

• %)ards

• (ustomer en*uiriesDletters of intent

• Sales pro0ections

• (ashflo) forecast

• Profit loss forecast

• Sensitivity analysis

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