Welcome

The Business Plan

You’ve got a business idea. You’ve decided to start a

business.
You want to get going.

But there’s a lot more to a good business than a good idea.

You need to think things through to maximise your chances
of success.
Are you the right person to run the business? Will customers
like your product?

A business plan will help you turn an idea into a business. It

needs you to think through all the parts of your business to
plan how everything will work. It will take a few weeks to
write if you’re going to do it properly. Some parts will be
easier to complete than others.

Stick at it because it’s not the final document that’s

important, it’s the process. Although you want to have a
good plan when you’re done, an OK plan is better than no
plan.

DARe Business Plan Pack

The best business plans aren’t long and complex; they explain only the most
important information – what you want to achieve, how you will get there and the
things you need to do along the way.

It’s best to tackle a business plan in small chunks. DARe Business Plan Pack can help.
This is The Business Plan divided into sections to help you develop your business
idea. You can use the information in The Guide to help you complete the sections.
Some of the sections of The Business Plan have tables to record the financial parts of
your business. The tables are also available in MS Excel format and the sums in these
are automatic.

DARe Enterprise Programme

DARe has helped many young people to complete their business plans and start their
own businesses. Our Enterprise Programme team runs regular workshops to guide
you to prepare your Business Plan.

To take part, you need to be interested in self employment and have a business idea
that you would like help to test and explore. The programme can then help you to
see if your business idea will work and whether self employment is right for you. If
through this process you find out it is, the programme can offer mentoring support
and, if you really need it, financial support to start your business. However, if self
employment turns out not to be the right option, the programme can offer support to
secure other goals in employment, education, training or voluntary work.

We can’t guarantee that your business will work or that we will be able to offer you
money, but if you are up for a challenge and want our help to explore your business
idea, get in touch and come and meet us.

Getting started
WHOSE PLAN IS THIS?

Business and owner details:

Business name:

Owner(s) name:

Full business address:

Business telephone number:

Business email address:

Full home address (if different from above):

Home telephone number (if different from above):

Home email address (if different from above):

Section one
Executive summary

1.1 Business summary:

1.2 Business aims:

1.3 Financial summary:

Elevator Pitch

1.4 Your business name:

1.5 Strapline:

1.6 Elevator pitch:

Section two

Owner’s background

2.1 Why do you want to run your own business?

2.2 Previous work experience:

2.3 Qualifications and education:

2.4 Training:

Details of future training courses you want to complete:

2.5 Hobbies and interests:

2.7 Additional information:

Section three

Products and services

3.1 What are you going to sell?

a product
a service
both

3.2 Describe the basic product/service you are going to sell:

3.3 Describe the different types of product/service you are going to be selling:

3.4 If you are not going to sell all your products/services at the start of your business, explain why not and
when you will start selling them:

3.5 Additional information:

Section four

The market

4.1 Are your customers:

individuals
businesses
both

4.2 Describe your typical customer:

4.3 Where are your customers based?

4.4 What prompts your customers to buy your product/service?

4.5 What factors help your customers choose which business to buy from?

4.6 Have you sold products/services to customers already?

yes
no

If you answered “yes”, give details:

4.7 Have you got customers waiting to buy your product/service?

yes
no

If you answered “yes”, give details:

4.8 Additional information:

Section five

Market research

5.1 Key findings from desk research:

5.2 Key findings from field research – customer questionnaires:

5.3 Key findings from field research – test trading:

5.4 Additional information:

Section six

Marketing strategy

What are you going to do? Why have you chosen this marketing How much will it
method? cost?

TOTAL COST
Section seven

Competitor analysis

7.1 Table of competitors

Name, location Product/service Price Strengths Weaknesses

and business size
7.2 SWOT Analysis :

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

7.3 Unique Selling Point (USP):

Section eight

Operations and logistics

8.1 Production:

8.2 Delivery to customers:

8.3 Payment methods and terms:

8.4 Suppliers:

Name and location of Items required Payment arrangements Reasons for choosing
supplier and prices supplier

8.5 Premises:

8.6 Equipment

If being bought

Item required Already owned? New or second Purchased from Price

hand?

8.7 Transport:

8.8 Legal requirements:

8.9 Insurance requirements:

8.10 Management and staff:

8.11 Additional information:

Section nine
Costs and pricing strategy

Product/service name

A Number of units in calculation

B Product/service components Components cost

C Total product/service cost

D Cost per unit

E Price per unit

F Profit margin ($)

G Profit margin (%)

H Mark up (%)
Section ten
Financial forecasts

10.1 Sales and costs forecast

Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TotaL

A Month name

Sales forecast

B Product/service

C Product/service

Costs forecast

D Product/service

E Assumptions
(e.g. Seasonal trends)
10.2 Personal survival budget

Section Monthly cost (£)

Home financing/Rent
A

Estimated costs
Electricity

Water

Clothing

Food and housekeeping

Telephone

Subscriptions (clubs, magazines etc.)

Dining out (meals and drinks)

Car tax, insurance, service and maintenance

Car petrol

Children’s expenditure and presents

Credit card, loan and other personal debt

repayments
Other

B Total costs ($)

Income from family

C

Estimated
income

Part time job

Other benefits

Other income

Total income ($)

D
Total survival income required ($)
E
 10.3 Cashflow forecast

Month Pre-start 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 Tota

l
2
A Month name
Money in ($)
B Funding from
DARe
Funding from
other sources
Own funds
Incomes from
Sales
Other
C Total Money in ($)
Money out ($)
D Financing
repayments
to DARe
Personal
drawings

E Total money out

($)
F Balance ($)
Opening balance
Closing balance
10.4 Costs table

Cost item What is included and how you worked it out Total cost
Section eleven

Back-up Plan

11.1 Short-term plan:

11.2 Long-term plan:

11.3 Plan B:

11.4 Plan B continued...: