Como escribir un plan de negocios exitoso para su empresa (Inglés)

As a small business owner you have spent a great deal of time considering your business future and what you hope to achieve. So why should you write a business plan? By doing through the process, you will have an opportunity to consider the right work-life balance for you. Your business plan will also become a user-friendly guide for employees, investors, and a tool to measure your business progress and plan for future staffing and financing.

Business Description

Describe your business, your personal goals, your products and the overall vision for your company. Like planning a trip, planning for your business begins with two questions: Where are you now? Where would you like to go? This first section of your business plan will help you to answer these questions. This is where you will present background information, define what is important for you and your business, establish specific milestones for measuring success in the future, and introduce your product or service, such us: Business Overview, Personal Goals, Business Objectives and Product Overview.

The Marketplace

Knowing where your business fits in the larger marketplace is a key success factor. As a business owner, you spend a lot of time focusing on details, like how to satisfy a specific customer or negotiate with a certain supplier. But your business also operates within a much larger context. By thinking carefully about the marketplace in which your business operates, you will be better prepared te seize opportunities and deal with challenges. In this section of the plan you will analyze your industry, the competition and look at who are your customers.

Sales & Marketing

Creating satisfies customers can go a long way in attracting and growing your customer base. Turning a perfect stranger into a happy customer takes more than a great product or service. People need to know about your offering, be willing to pay for it, and be able to find it. In this section, you will outline your strategy for attracting and satisfying customers. You will need to analyse positioning – which is your business’ answer to the question every customers ask when considering whether or not to buy: “What’s in it for me”, pricing – the amount you change your customers, promotion – your plan for informing people about your product or service, and sales – how and where your product will be sold, as well as customer service features you offer.

Business Operation

Look inside your business and talk about the people involved in your business. Attracting and holding onto customers is only half the battle. Making your business run as smoothly and efficiently as possible is the other. You will also discuss your suppliers, changes that you anticipate in the future and how you plan to handle any unforeseen challenges. You will also focus on your team, suppliers and alliances, planned changes and contingency plans.

Financial Information

Consider your personal financial plan and provide financial statements for your business. This section rethinks the business plan you have just written, using numbers instead of works. It can help you assess the current and future health of your business, and measure your business success. If you are not familiar with financial statements, it is a good idea to have your Financial Information section reviewed bay reputable accountant before you share it with others. You will focus on Personal Finances what you personally own and owe and consider your plans for your long-term financial well-being; Business Finances financial statements that describe the past, present and future of your business and Financial Highlights to help you to draw key conclusions. These will appear at the beginning of the Financial Information section in your printed plan.

Finishing Your Plan

You can new focus on the “finishing touches”, which transform your business plan into a formal business document. A brief Executive Summary is very useful and provides an essential quick reference for readers (including yourself) by summarizing the key findings of your plan and a wrap-up of your key findings, insights and strategies. Well-written, enthusiastic, and to-the point, it convinces readers to delve deeper.

Using Your Plan

Your plan is now ready to be used in communicating your vision to employees, partners, advisors, investors and bankers. Not everyone needs to see each section of your business plan.

Here are some guidelines on how you can use your business plan. Share your business plan with people you trust; use your findings from your Cash Flow Projections to get cash in hand before you need it; measure your progress on a monthly basis: use your business plan to communicate with suppliers, advisors, professionals, and employees: review your business plan at least once a year, and consider revising it whenever significant changes occur in your personal life, inside your business, in the marketplace, or in the economy; and be sure to discuss changes in your plan with key advisors, like your banker and accountant.

By Scotiabank