In Part I of the series, we reviewed some of the most common business structures to get our brains geared in the right direction. Now, if you’ll remember, I will be approaching this as if I were planning to start a business as consultants in the entertainment and technology industry. Chances are that unless you have a specific and well-developed idea, product, or service in mind, that you’re basically taking a shot in the dark.
What is a business plan?
Every business should have a business plan, even if it has operated thus far without one. It’s not so much about the document as it is about the thought process and critical thinking that goes on during the writing phase. A business plan is meant to help you focus your ideas, goals, think more effectively about your capital, and prepare for future obstacles as well as anticipate opportunities. You need to determine your priorities, distinguish your constraints, and optimize the tools at hand.
But I still haven’t provided a definition.
See your business plan as a dynamic framework for the business. Your business plan will include a company description, background on key members of your management and execution teams, cover your business strategy and implementation, market analysis, a financial plan, and an executive summary.
Here’s how I the plan for my company would look (the following has benefited from Entrepreneur’s wisdom):
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
Entertainment Solutions Consulting (ESC) is a young consulting firm dedicated to serving the needs of a rapidly growing industry in the full range of the business cycle. With a knowledgeable staff of a wide variety of strengths collectively working together to assist clients, ESC will be able to offer a more balanced quality service than many of its competitors.
The Company
Entertainment Solutions Consulting consists of eight business consultants, with each specializing in a particular discipline, including business development, sales, marketing, management, technology, human resources, metrics, etc.
ESC will target the mid-sized to large businesses which dominate the biggest portions of the market though the firm will offer services for start-up companies as well with the intentions of maintaining these relationships over the long term.
ESC will be established as a California based LLC with five principal partners, each of whom owns a 20% share in the company. Mr. Ash Ketchum brings in experience in the arenas of gaming, hunting, and tracking and has held various titles including Pokemon Master and honorary Elite Four member. Mr. Steve Jobs is relatively new to the scene, but has made a modest name for himself through his work at a humble company called Apple Computer, Inc. Mr. John Smith brings with him a lifetime of gaming and video game development, etc.
The Market
The entertainment industry is one of the biggest industries in existence and the term requires some elaboration. Entertainment Solutions Consulting will focus primarily on video games, films, board games and other interactive games, eBooks, and several other consumer-side technologically-relevant products.
Talk about the competition and what differentiates your business from them, and even mention your competitors specifically.
Financial
Each of the five partners will provide $20,000 which will cover the bulk of the start-up expenses. The rest of the financing will come from the Bank of America 10-year loan in the amount of $100,000. Combined, these funds will be sufficient to cover the company’s expenses throughout the first year of operations, which is the most critical from the cash flow standpoint.
MISSION STATEMENT
Entertainment Solutions Consulting aims to offer comprehensive consulting services. ESC will focus on providing personal and specialized services to meet each client’s specific entertainment needs.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
ESC’s keys to success include:
- A group of professionals with a broad range of specialty areas that complement each other.
- A high level of experience in these specialty areas.
- A team approach on most consulting projects.
- Many business contacts among the consultant group.
COMPANY SUMMARY
Entertainment Solutions Consulting is startup firm which will focus on providing a wide range of business consulting services to large and established companies as well as those in the earlier stages of operations. ESC is a team of eight business consultants. Each consultant specializes in a particular discipline including business development, sales, marketing, management, technology, human resources, metrics, etc.
COMPANY OWNERSHIP
Entertainment Solutions Consulting was registered as a California LLC, equally owned by…
START-UP SUMMARY
Co-owners Edris, Ash Ketchum, Steve Jobs, … and … will each provide $20,000 investments which will cover the bulk of start-up expenses. The rest of the financing will come from the Bank of America 10-year loan in the amount of $100,000. Combined, these funds will be sufficient to cover the company’s expenses throughout the first year of operations, which is the most critical from the cash flow standpoint.
This is where you insert a bar or some other type of graph broken up by expenses, assets, investments, and loans. Then include an excel balance sheet for your business.
SERVICE DESCRIPTION
Entertainment Solutions Consulting offers a list of services or business owners to choose from, depending on their business needs. Services include business plan preparation, marketing campaigns, product development, design services, IT consulting, e-commerce consulting services, operation advising, etc.
ESC is flexible, working with its clients in the fashion preferred by the client, be it on-site, remotely or a combination of both. ESC typically works on a project in a team fashion to assist the client in all areas of the business simultaneously. This allows for all involved parties to be in sync in terms of understanding the interconnections of all functional areas of the business.
SALES FORECAST – include graphs of your forecasting.
MANAGEMENT TEAM – Go over team’s bios and their individual past accomplishments.
BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS
ESC’s Break-even Analysis is based on the average of the first-year figures for total sales by salaries, bonuses costs, and all other operating expenses. These are presented as per-unit revenue, per-unit cost, and fixed costs. These conservative assumptions make for a more accurate estimate of real risk. Such analysis shows that ESC will break-even by the x month of operations.
Now, if after reading this, you’re determined to write up your own expanded business plan, click through this link here and follow the directions. You’re at a crossroads now, and I promise you that this initial preparation stage of your efforts could make or break the success of your businesses’ future.
I combined or completely omitted several very important steps all into one in this post. Steps such as finding start up money, naming your business, determining your business structure (though the last post cover this), obtaining your license/permits, determining your business location, obtaining insurance, creating an accounting system, etc.
But like I’ve said before, there’s a method to my madness. Now that you’ve got in your possession either a complete business proposal, a rough outline, or even just an idea of what you’re up against, we can backtrack and go over some of the specific behind these steps.
Some more business plan templates:
Catering and ballroom rental business.
BizTech Blog 