Business Plan

Disclaimer
Please refer to the following terms and conditions before using this
business plan template. By using this template, you agree to the terms
and conditions set out below.
This template is jointly compiled by ACCA (Association of Chartered
Certifed Accountants !ong "ong and the Trade and #ndustry $epartment
of the %o&ernment of !ong "ong 'pecial Administrati&e (egion
(collecti&ely referred to as )the Compiler) for use as general reference
only. *hile e&ery e+ort has been made by the Compiler to ensure the
accuracy of the information deli&ered in this template, the Compiler shall
not be liable for any error, omission or misrepresentation in such
materials. ,oreo&er, the Compiler shall not be liable for any economic or
any other loss or damages (including without limitation to any real or
anticipated increased costs or e-penses, loss of profts, business contracts
and re&enues, and business interruption incurred or su+ered by any
person using this template.
To encourage a wider distribution of business planning information for
general reference purpose, the Compiler would ha&e no objection for users
to disseminate or reproduce the materials or part of the materials on this
template, pro&ided that the users indicate the materials are obtained from
ACCA and the Trade and #ndustry $epartment, and that the re.
dissemination or reproduction is for a non.commercial purpose.
BUSINESS PLAN
Purpose of a Business Plan
As the owner of your business, you probably ha&e an e-tensi&e /nowledge
of your business and the industry you are in. 0e&ertheless, regardless of
your current business stage, it is worthwhile for you to ta/e one step away
from your daily operations and spend some time to prepare a business
plan and re&iew it regularly as you wor/ along. A business plan &isuali1es
your thin/ing process about your own business and helps you to focus on
where you want to go. #t also acts as an operating tool to help you to
e&aluate your business performance. !ence, during the process of
preparing your business plan, you will be able to assess how &iable your
business is, and what options and alternati&es you may ha&e for future
business growth.
#n practice, a business plan can also ser&e a critical role to obtain funding
for de&elopment and growth of the business. #t is an e+ecti&e tool to
facilitate your communication with e-ternal parties including ban/s,
fnancial institutions and potential in&estors by means of a systematic
presentation of your business.
*hile we stress the importance of a business plan, business owners should
not deem that the preparation of a business plan ensures any fnancing
opportunity. 2ach fnancial institution and in&estor has its own guidelines
and criteria when considering a fnancing proposal, so conducting a
business plan itself $32' 03T guarantee a higher chance in getting
e-ternal funding.
General Principles of Writing a Business Plan
4. ,a/e your business plan user.friendly, easy to read and understand.
5. 6se charts and fgures along with descriptions and interpretations.
7. $ecide who is the reader8 ban/ or in&estor, and tailor your business
plan for specifc purpose. 9or instance, you should focus on cash :ow
ade;uacy for ban/s and potential return with paybac/ period for
in&estors.
<. 9ollow a complete structure to present your business in an organised
way.
=. #nclude a general mar/et o&er&iew > mar/et analysis to show your
understanding of the industry and your business position.
?. 2mphasi1e your business uni;ueness, strengths and competiti&e
ad&antages.
@. $e&elop realistic but aggressi&e projections, e-plain use of fund and
e-pected paybac/ period.
A. Complete all the sections of a business plan frst, then put all the
highlights in the 2-ecuti&e 'ummary concisely.
B. (e&iew and edit before presenting it.
Tips to write a Business Plan
4. Tailor your business plan to suit di+erent readers.
5. 9ocus on what the reader is loo/ing for in a business plan, e.g.,
paybac/ period, return on in&estment, etc.
7. 2mpha1ise your real strengths.
<. *rite in plain words, get to the point and ma/e it clear and
comprehensi&e.
=. 6se fgures, percentage and ;uantifable information.
The attached template is only for reference.
BUSINESS PLAN
C0ame of CompanyD
EXEUTI!E SU""A#$
General guidance
This is the most important part of your business plan. It provides a
summary of the highlights of your business plan and tells the readers
what you want. The length of this statement depends on the complexity
of the business. Although this statement is put at the front of the
document, it is the last section to be written, bearing in mind the
following tips:
Have a concise statement to emphasie the main points of your
plan.
Technical !argons should be avoided.
Tailor your business plan to suit di"erent use.
#hen using your business plan to raise $nance, highlight the
investment % loan amount re&uired, how the funds raised will be
used, how your company is going to generate su'cient cash (ow to
service the loan, and % or how your company is able to generate an
acceptable rate of return for investors.
.
Section %& T'E BUSINESS
General guidance
)ou have to tell what your business really is, such as the nature and
substance, the type of operation, to whom you sell, how the product is
distributed, and the business* support systems. )ou should be speci$c in
showing how you give your business a competitive edge.
#hen preparing this section, the following points could also be noted:
+,- Mission
,
+.- Eco/coalition
.
+0- Attraction
0
+1- Trade situation
1
+2- Social relation
2
4
This is the core &alue of the business. Apart from generating proft, how the business can create
betterment of the community could also be considered.
5
2co balance and en&ironmental protection is a &ery popular topic nowadays. Things li/e sewage
control, recycle fuels could be considered. Eabel your business green, it helps.
7
Tell people the niche, selling point of your business.
<
This refers to the macro.en&ironment of your business.
=
!ow do you manage to carry out your social responsibility by being the owner of your businessF !ow
do you get in&ol&ed in the local communityF
SETI(N )& INDUST#$ ANAL$SIS
General guidance
There are two elements to consider in preparing this section: an
overview of the industry and a summary of your business3 position within
the industry. It helps to footnote ma!or observations and sources of
information for the data provided where appropriate, to show the
reliability of the information.
)*% In+ustr, o-er-iew
General guidance
)ou need to understand the industry in which your business operates.
4oints to cover the industry include sie, ma!or players, the entry
barriers
5
, the mar6ets and customers, the pro$t margin, the national,
economic and technological trend a"ecting it, any special regulation
relating to it, and its long/term outloo6, etc.
?
9actors such as go&ernment policy, capital re;uirements for the particular industry, switching cost,
changing technology, competiti&e pricing, e-isting patents and trademar/s, etc, are to be considered.
)*) Position in t.e in+ustr,
General guidance
#hilst the previous section covers the industry as a whole, this section
refers more particularly to your own business. The mostly adopted way
of presenting the company*s position within the industry is by means of
an analysis of the company*s strengths and wea6nesses, as well as the
opportunities and threats in the external environment.
SETI(N /& "A#0ET ANAL$SIS
General guidance
In this section, you need to demonstrate your 6nowledge about the
mar6etplace you operate in, as well as the important trends and drivers.
It helps if you can show that you have done the mar6et research to
!ustify what you say in this plan.
/*% Target mar1et
General guidance
)ou need to de$ne the group of customers you want to target,
characteristics of this group of customers such as their gender and
income level, the geographic location of the group, the sie of the group,
the estimate of your share of this group, as well as your pricing strategy
to achieve this share, and any factors which may cause your customers
to switch to other products % services, etc. )ou can also indicate whether
the particular mar6et segment is growing or declining. Important trends
and the reasons behind should also be illustrated.
/*) "ar1et segmentation an+ positioning
General guidance
)ou will need to identify a speci$c group of customer amongst your
target group, and assess how your product % service is perceived and
evaluated as compared to your competitors.
/*/ ompetitor anal,sis
General guidance
7irst of all, identify who your competitors are. 7or each competitor,
determine what their mar6et share is, and estimate how long before new
competitors enter the mar6et. Identify your competitors* strengths and
wea6nesses. If possible, try to understand your competitors* operations
such as their cost structures, ma!or mar6ets, sie, sales, production
methods, etc. It is not only important to understand why and how a
competitor is doing so well, but also important to 6now what mista6e a
competitor has made.
SETI(N 2& "A#0ETING ST#ATEG$
General guidance
This section is crucial. It gives a good indication of the business* chance
to succeed. It refers to your adoption of various means or ways that
ma6e your products % services 6nown to your targeted customers and
arouse their interest to purchase your products % services. )ou can start
formulating by using 14*s approach, i.e., product % service, pricing,
promotion and place.
2*% Pro+ucts 3 Ser-ices
General guidance
How do your products % services meet your customers* speci$c needs8
)ou can focus on the uni&ueness of your product % service and how
customers bene$t from using your product % service.
2*) Pricing
General guidance
Is the price that you charge along with the mar6et8 9r are they value/
for/money8 9r are they charged at a premium that creates a social
status that customers en!oy8 The price you charge has to be
competitive but still allows you to ma6e a reasonable pro$t.
2*/ Promotion
General guidance
This section describes how you are going to deliver your :ni&ue ;elling
4roposition to your prospective customers. #hich medium is the most
e"ective way in reaching your target mar6et8 How much do you plan to
spend on advertising8
2*2 Place
General guidance
This refers to the distribution channel, physical or visual, to ma6e your
product % service easily accessible by your targeted customers. )ou can
also consider the costs associated with the distribution channel, whether
the distribution method a"ects production timeframe or delivery, etc.
SETI(N 4& P#(DUTS AND SE#!IES
General guidance
This gives a description of your products % services and your reasons that
they can ful$ll the needs in the mar6et. Are they innovative8 <o your
existing products % services have new features that ma6e them more
attractive to users8 <o you invent a new application of the products8 9r
can you charge the existing products at a much lower price because you
have a way to lower your own cost8 These are the cutting edges of your
products %services that are appealing to investors. The statement that
you ma6e should refer to the $ndings and conclusion you presented in
previous section.
)ou can also classify your products % services into 1 groups, animated by
1 icons, according to the mar6et growth and mar6et shares: ;tar
=
, >ash
cow
?
, <og
@
or Auestion mar6
,B
.
@
This refers to business units with a high mar/et share in a fast growing industry. 'ustaining the
business unitGs mar/et leadership may re;uire e-tra cash. *hen growth slows, stars can become cash
cows if they ha&e been able to maintain their category leadership.
A
This is the business unit with high mar/et share in a slow growing industry, and generates cash in
e-cess of the amount of cash needed to maintain its business. #n&estment may not be worthwhile as it
may be wasted in an industry with low growth.
B
This refers to business units with low mar/et share in a matured, slow growing industry. They
typically Hbrea/ e&enI and generate barely cash to maintain the business unitsG mar/et share.
4J
Kuestion mar/s are growing rapidly and thus consume large amounts of cash. !owe&er, as they
ha&e low mar/et share and do not generate much cash, they need to be analysed carefully to
determine whether in&estment is worthwhile.
SETI(N 5& (#GANISATI(NAL ST#UTU#E
General guidance
)ou should set out the ownership structure, your management team and
the organiational structure in this section. Cac6grounds of 6ey
members of the management team, personnel strategy and details could
be included. This is important as it sets out how the experiences of
these 6ey members can help the business to be successful. The
organiational structure provides a basis to pro!ect the operating
expenses. <epending on the nature and sie of the business, you should
determine the type of personnel re&uired to perform the re&uired tas6s
and whether there are any gaps that need to be $lled.
SETI(N 6& (PE#ATI(NAL PLAN
General guidance
In this section, you need to describe how the company*s production and
operational management, mar6eting and human resources management
and $nancial management are done. This includes who your suppliers
are, what alternative arrangements you have in place if these suppliers
let you down, the &uality control measures you have made, etc. )ou
may show that the internal control and ris6 management systems are in
place. Assessing the ris6s is also very important. )ou should consider a
range of what/if scenarios and how you plan to mitigate these ris6s.
SETI(N 7& 8INANIALS
General guidance
In this section, you need to demonstrate whether your business is
$nancially viable. Casically, you should prepare three/year pro!ections of
the following statements: 4ro!ected income statement
,,
, 4ro!ected cash
(ow statement
,.
and 4ro!ected balance sheet
,0
. 7inancial ratios and 6ey
performance indicators such as brea6/even, turn/around time,
pro$tability ratios, paybac6 period, rate of return on investment, li&uidity
ratios and stoc6 turnover can also help readers to have a better
understanding of your $nancial and operational performance. A realistic
sales forecast forms the basis for all your other $gures. 7or every
forecast, list all your 6ey assumptions such as prices, sale volume,
timing, etc.
44
#t gi&es a clear indication of when and why the business is proftable.
45
#t shows how much money you e-pect to be :owing into and out of your ban/ account and when.
Lou must show that your business will ha&e access to enough money to sur&i&e.
47
This shows the fnancial state of your business on day one and at year end.