Example Business Plan

This session opens a new series of articles containing information and resources on planning a business, developing business plans and proposals etc. Each session will provide a step by step guide on how to write a business plan, how to prepare an effective mission and vision statement, a budget summary a marketing plan etc.

Example business plan – Where to start?

A business plan is a consolidation document which specifies the guidelines of how a business functions. It shows the strategic path along with the particular targets to reach and ways on how to reach them.

There is no such thing as a one-fit-all example business plan. All companies are different, have different objectives and directions, different clients with different needs. However, a good example business plan includes a shared structure and shared elements that can be adopted and applied in any business plan.  All business plans are inclusive because they contain critical ingredients of both hard and soft elements. Hard elements are those typically looked at as goals and objectives. Soft elements are the intangible but essential components that include core values, principals and vision.

As a leader and CEO of your company it is important to work with both those elements right from the beginning. Since your business plan is going to determine the strategic path of your company, you need to do more than simply set goals.  You need to design a plan that shares the entire story of  your company, its uniqueness, its present status and its long-term vision as well the business conduct to be followed.

This program will not only provide the foundation of an example business plan, but it will assist you to practically develop a plan solid enough to guide your business and fluid enough to adopt to different contexts and situations.  You will be given tools and resources to start or improve your business by developing its blueprint, its approach and road map to support you and your employees reach goals. In the end your plan will be a user-friendly tool that echoes the values and vision of each employee, manager and customer.

The program offers a new and refreshed approach to business planning; an approach that is flexible, realistic, contemporary and its fits in today’s business world. This approach views the plan as a living and active tool designed to change and evolve as quickly as the world changes. The process of designing the plan it’s not a static task with a defined outcome. It’s a holistic approach with many different angles that change the dimensions of the traditional planning. 

I hope you enjoy reading the sessions as I much as I do writing them!

Session 1 - How to Plan a Business 

Session 2 - Making a Business Plan

Session 3 - Marketing Business Plans

Session 4 - Business Plan Formats