Writing a Business Plan can be a daunting task. You have so many ideas floating around in your head that it can be difficult to capture them all in a logical format. However, committing time to writing an effective Plan can help improve your chances of success. In this article I will be giving you some tips on how to write a killer Business Plan!

Tip 1 Understand the Need for a Plan

Without a clear strategy and long term objectives you may be reducing your chances of success and so its important to commit time to plan ahead. Having put in time, energy and resources to come up with the ideas, why spoil it all by not having a structured plan for the future? The benefits of business planning cannot be underestimated. There are some potentially business-changing reasons to prepare a Business Plan. You must view planning as a crucial investment of your time, which could mean the difference between success and failure.

Tip 2 Dont Go It Alone, Ask For Help

Picture this. You've never written a Business Plan before; you sit down at your table and end up staring at a blank piece of paper for 3 hours! Then, another 3 hours later, all you have is a bin full of scrap paper. However, in order to help you put a plan together there are a variety of sources of help you can tap into:

Professional advisers

Business colleagues

Advice agencies

Your staff

Books (see our free e-book offer at the end of this article)

Tip 3 Follow a Framework

Having a framework or outline to follow can make the task of writing a Business Plan so much easier. The 3 parts to your Plan are:

Where you are now

Where you intend to be

How you are going to get there

This is your framework which will guide both you and the reader through your business and your idea.

Tip 4 Tell the Reader Where You Are Now

In your first section you want to paint a picture of where your business is now. These are the main areas to cover:

Business history

Location and premises

Your product or service

Your market

Your customers

Your competition

Your staff

Equipment

Provide an insight into each part of your business so that the reader of your Plan knows how the business looks now. Obviously if you are just starting up, give an idea of how you see these parts of your business once you get going.

Tip 5 Tell the Reader Where You Intend To Be

Having given an overview of your business, the next step is to tell them where you want to be. The main points to cover are:

Your objectives and goals

State what you want from the reader a loan or overdraft for example

Explain why you need and what it will be used for

Tip 6 Tell the Reader How You Are Going To Get There

Its all very well promoting your idea and business but the important point to put over is how you are going to get there. Here are the key points to cover:

Marketing plan

Additional resources needed to meet your objectives and goals

Your contribution in terms of cash or equipment

Security you can offer to support a request for finance

Profit and loss and cash flow forecast to show that you plan to make money and that you can pay back the loan

Tip 7 Provide Some Supporting Information

Your Plan will have contained a lot of information, so it is helpful to include supporting documentation to provide more background. Placing these additional items as an appendix ensures that the flow of the Plan has not been affected by additional information.

What sort of items could you include?

Letter of support from your Accountant

Confirmation of pending orders from customers

If you are purchasing a property, you could include the sales particulars

Independent industry surveys showing that your sector is doing well

If you are buying machinery, include quotations

If you business main asset is you, include your CV!

Tip 8 Ask Someone to Review It

When you are totally immersed in a task you can easily miss obvious mistakes. Ask someone to review your Plan to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors dont rely on Spell Check! Does it all make sense? Have you been logical in your arguments?

Tip 9 Get the Presentation Right

After having spent a lot of time and effort on the content you dont want to spoil it all with poor presentation! Here are some tips:

Get the Plan typed; it will make it look more professional

Make sure all the papers are clean and that there are no dirt marks or coffee stains! Buy some good quality paper

Purchase a classy folder or binder to put your Plan in (paper clips or staples may not portray the right image!)

dont forget to include all your contact details

Tip 10 Deliver Your Plan to the Reader in Time

Once you are satisfied that your Plan is a good representation of your business you can post it but ideally you should deliver it, at least you know it has got there! Prior to a formal interview (if your aim is to obtain finance) you need to give the Manager time to read your plan. Ask to make an appointment with him in 3 days so he has time to read it.

Enclose a covering letter saying that you have made an appointment and your Plan is attached for him to review and to prepare any questions.

All that remains for you to do is to turn up at the agreed time and present your case!

Robert Warlow Small Business Success