Developing a Business Plan

Writing an Executive Summary

Write this section last. This can be one page Explain the fundamentals of the proposed business: What will your product be? Who will your customers be? Who are the owners? What do you think the future holds for your business and your industry?

General Enterprise Description

What business will you be in? What will you do? Mission Statement: Many companies have a brief mission statement, usually in 30 words or fewer, explaining their reason for being and their guiding principles. If you want to draft a mission statement, this is a good place to put it in the plan, followed by:

Enterprise Goals and Objectives: Goals are destinations—where you want your business to be. Objectives are progress markers along the way to goal achievement. For example, a goal might be to have a healthy, successful Enterprise that is a leader in customer service and that has a loyal customer following. Objectives might be annual sales targets and some specific measures of customer satisfaction.

Business Philosophy: What is important to you in business? To whom will you market your products? (State it briefly here—you will do a more thorough explanation in the Marketing Plan section). Describe your industry. Is it a growth industry? What changes do you foresee in the industry, short term and long term? How will your Enterprise be poised to take advantage of them? Describe your most important Enterprise strengths and core competencies. What factors will make the Enterprise succeed? What do you think your major competitive strengths will be? What background experience, skills, and strengths do you personally bring to this new venture?