Business Plan Contents

The details of what is in a complete plan can be found in many reference books and web sites. One detailed description of the content is in The Business Planning Guide, 8th edition, Upstart Press, by David Bangs. Other resources are available.

The initial Business Plan will determine whether or not you make it into the finals, so it is important that you do your best.

The general outline of a complete plan includes, roughly speaking:

• Cover Sheets: Each plan should have 2 coversheets - The 1st coversheet should include both company name and student names; the 2nd coversheet should include just the company name. When the plans are distributed to the readers, only the 2nd coversheet remains; this will help prevent any bias. (The 1st coversheet serves as back-up in case there is any confusion about what parties belong to what business plan).
• Executive Summary: a 1-2 page high level view of your plan and why it will work.
• Statement of Purpose: More detailed description of what your organization is about; its product, service, technology, philosophy, values, mission, are possible topics.
• Marketing Plan: Customer description, market size, marketing approach, sales strategy, competitors.
• Operations Plan: How the product or service will be made and/or delivered. Location? Capacity? Schedule? Staffing?
• Financing Plan: How much money you need, where you will get it and how you will return it.
• Financial Projections
• Resumes

Be sure to consider the Enterprise Plan Score Sheet when writing your plan.