Professional Documents
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Cisco Company
Cisco Company
Cisco Company
By Julian M. Combs
Contributors:
Table of Contents
9.0 References........................................................................................................................................51
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is an Oregon-based corporation that specializes in the setup, delivery, marketing and
maintenance of secure wireless communications (Wi-Fi) for individuals, businesses & entire communities. Pie
in the Sky Wi-Fi offers custom, ground-up metropolitan areadata and VoIP installation and delivery.Wi-Fi is
quickly becoming the standard in the delivery of Internet connectivity throughout
many organizations, government agencies and businesses. Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi, Inc. is focused
on the delivery of secure Wi-Fi services to commercial and residential property owners as well as
traditional Internet service providers that are looking to improve the service offerings within their
buildings and current services. The primary focus of Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is to provide full
service installation, support and management of wireless networks for individual building owners
and municipalities. Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is a wholesale provider of services to businesses looking
to improve their competitiveness and amenities in their commercial properties and townships.
The opportunity for wireless (Wi-Fi) installations and ongoing management of these networks has
increased greatly in the past year and is projected to grow at an annual rate of no less than
50% a year. The total industry segment targeted spec ifically by Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is
expec ted to grow to $2 billion annually by year four. The Wi-Fi industry as a whole is on trac k to
bec ome a $190.8 billion powerhouse. This year is the beginning of a paradigm shift in how
Internet services, hardware and security are all delivered to users throughout the world. Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi has an opportunity to be one of the first movers in this rapidly growing market.
Because of the fragmented nature of the market in its current state, the threat from potential
competitors is not necessarily a bad thing. Additional competitors in the market will help to
increase industry awareness and drive overall sales within the industry. The overall opportunity
in this industry is great. Due to the short-term opportunity to grab a foothold in this emerging
market, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is aggressively rolling out the services anywhere demand is
generated. As demand increases, the innovative Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi sales and installer
management strategy will allow the company to take advantage of all opportunities, regardless
of location. We estimate that by year four, the opportunity or "gold-rush" will be over and
consolidator looking to gain market share and build a larger national network by end of year
three. If the business plan is executed as described and all milestones are met on time, Pie in the
Sky Wi-Fi will be in a good position to sell the company. The most likely aggregators will be the
larger telecom, cable or electrical companies currently looking at providing these services via
public "Hot Spots" or through cellular networks. Many companies will enter the market over the
next four years, including these traditionally larger telecom and cellular companies. Fortunately,
the Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi market focus allows for many competitors, both large and small. Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi expec ts to sell the company as a going concern for no less than $20 million
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Mission
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will make it easier and more affordable for our customers to provide
Internet ac cess. We will dec rease the costs of their initial installation, allow for portability, and
provide high-quality, ongoing customer service. For our investors, we will provide a groundlevel
entry port to the next high-impact technology trend, turning around high value returns
when we sell the company at the end of the plan to a market consolidator.
Wi-Fi is quickly bec oming the standard in the delivery of Internet connectivity throughoutmany organizations,
government agencies and businesses. Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi, Inc. is focused
on the delivery of private, secure Wi-Fi services to commercial and residential property
owners, as well as small municipalities and governments that are looking to improve the service
offerings within their buildings or townships. The primary function of Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is to
provide full service installation, support and monthly management of wireless networks. Pie in the
Sky Wi-Fi is a wholesale provider of services for organizations looking to improve their Competitiveness and
amenities in their commercial properties and townships. Pie in the Sky Wi-
Articles of Incorporation
Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State of Oregon on December 22, 2003.
Board of Directors
· Mr. A Chairman
· Mr. B Director
· Mr. C Director
· Mr. D Director
Election of Officers
The following individuals have been elected by the Board of Directors to serve as Officers in the Corporation:
The company founders plan to handle all day-to-day operations of the business and will work with outside
vendors and partners in order to ensure that this business venture is a success. It is estimated that the start-up
expenses will be $16,500 (including legal costs, advertising, and related expenses). Total start-up requirements
include an additional $33,500 for cash on hand to cover the first year's operating expenses.
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
7
Table: Start-up
Start-up
Requirements
Start-up Expenses
Legal $500
Stationery etc. $1,000
Insurance $1,000
Rent $2,000
Computers $10,000
Other $2,000
Total Start-up Expenses $16,500
Start-up Assets
Cash Required $33,500
Other Current Assets $0
Long-term Assets $0
Total Assets $33,500
Total Requirements $50,000
3.0 Services
It has now beome standard procedure to include wired connections for all new construction
projects, both residential and business-related. The costs associated with wiring an entire
building are extremely high when compared to adding a wireless network that will allow for greater speed and
flexibility. As more developers focus on this as a utility which must be
included, the demand for greater amounts of wireless technology grows. We are also a great
solution for those developers looking to provide services for older buildings that do not already
have wired connections in plac e, or where eac h tenant has individually set up his own wired
network. A private Wi-Fi network would be the most cost-effective and quickest way to offer
this service ac ross all tenants. As connectivity to the Internet has bec ome a necessary utility,
just like water, phone and electrical hookups, so has the trend of providing a central Internet
connection.
Pie in the Sky Enterprise - The Pie in the Sky Enterprise solution is a full-service plan for
owners and landlords of large commercial and industrial properties. With industrial vac ancy
rates close to 10% and commercial office space reac hing 16%, property owners are looking for
ways to stand out in the market and increase revenue. Quickly bec oming the "fourth" utility,
wireless Internet ac cess gives property owners the ability to provide this service at a frac tion of
the cost of a traditional high-speed wired network. Pie in the Sky Enterprise is a completely
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
9
managed service that includes complete installation, 24/7 management and maintenance.
Pie in the Sky Residential - The Pie in the Sky Residential solution is a full-service plan for
owners and landlords of multi-family housing units and communities who are looking for ways to
add value and improve their occupancy rates. With new housing being built daily, interest rates
falling and climbing rental vac ancy rates, multi-family property owners are looking for ways to
add valued amenities. Over 66 million Americans use the Internet from home and pay individual
ac cess fees for their primary Internet connections. By offering a built-in alternative, landlords
now have an easy way to dec rease their vac ancy rates and increase monthly income. The Pie in
the Sky Residential solution gives owners the ability to aggregate and redistribute a high-speed
Internet connection throughout their property. With c able or DSL, tenants pay anywhere from
$10 to $50 a month for an individual Internet connection, either through dial up or broadband.
With the Pie in the Sky Residential Enterprise, multi-family property owners can bec ome the
preferred Internet provider for their tenants, saving tenants money and increasing landlords'
Pie in the Sky Travel Hub - Truck Stops: Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is in the unique position of
being able to offer Wi-Fi services to truck stops throughout the U.S. quickly and efficiently.
Because of the management team’s prior experience in the trucking industry, our ability to
educate and sell to individual truck stops is easily handled using current contac ts within the
marketplac e.
Pie in the Sky ISP Enterprise - Internet Service Providers (ISPs): ISPs play an important role
within the company. Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will partner with key ISPs in order to resell the Pie in
the Sky Enterprise solution. The benefit to partnering with the ISPs is focus. The core focus
for an ISP is to provide raw connectivity to their clients, whether wired or wireless. In either
case, these ISPs need service providers to handle the installation of these networks. ISPs
usually either outsource these services, or refer them to a reputable provider, if the company
does not do the installation themselves. By partnering with Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi as a hardware
solutions provider, the ISPs can remain focused on their core competencies and Pie in the Sky
Wi-Fi will tap into an established customer base. Since Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will need a primary
connection to the location where the wireless network is requested, the partnership further
solidifies the ISP's role in providing connectivity to the location. In all circumstances, Pie in the
Sky Wi-Fi depends on local ISPs to provide the raw feed to any wireless installation, whether it
be a T1 direct to the property or a DS3 powering a larger wireless base station, where Pie in
The Pie in the Sky Enterprise Wi-Fi solution can provide network connectivity at speeds
starting from 54mbs sc alable up to 1Gbps. This connectivity can be distributed throughout a 3.1 What is Wi-
Fi?
"Wi-Fi" is short for wireless fidelity, technology for broadcasting a high-speed Internet
connection to a given area. The Internet connection is plugged into a transmitter, called an
ac cess point, and is broadcast to an area about 300 feet in diameter, called a "hotspot."
Properly equipped laptop computers or other portable devices can then pick up the signal and log
onto the Internet without the need to be plugged into a hard line connection.
Wi-Fi not only allows users to connect anywhere without the cost and delay of installing wired
connections, but it is also faster than traditional DSL or Cable connections. Just like traditional
wired connections, Wi-Fi can be securely set up with an existing wired network or set up as a
stand-alone wireless network. Wi-Fi prevents the need to install a custom wired network,
allowing for greater flexibility, particularly for growing businesses that may need to remain flexible
Wi-Fi uses radio technology called 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g in order to provide secure,
reliable, fast wireless connectivity. All Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz
radio bands, with an 11 Mbps (802.11b), or 54 Mbps (802.11a) data rate, or with products
that contain both bands (dual band). 802.11g is equally as fast as 802.11a and 802.11b, but
boasts the backward compatibility to 802.11b required in order to make inexpensive upgrades.
Enterprise level Wi-Fi is just beginning to gain ground with Internet Service Providers
worldwide. The ability to distribute large amounts of bandwidth up to 30 miles between Wi-Fi
base stations solves the "last mile" problem in many communities, as well as providing a
substantial savings when compared to digging trenches and laying fiber in the ground.
Although eac h Wi-Fi installation is unique to the specific needs of eac h c lient and building, the
options available are simple. The more coverage area needed, the greater economies of sc ale Pie
in the Sky Wi-Fi will enjoy due to the cost structure described below. All products are based
on a fixed 40% gross margin on the equipment needed for eac h installation, plus appropriate
installation charges. In addition to the initial installation, a fixed monthly maintenance charge
to manage and monitor the network will also be added as part of the standard service offering.
These monthly prices are based on the variable raw connection cost (i.e. T1 approximately
$800 per month) plus an applicable service fee based on the number of users utilizing the
network and the preferred bandwidth for eac h. For a detailed breakdown of the financial
assumptions and pro-forma income statement please refer to the financials section in this
Each location receives its primary Internet connection from a wired T1 line or greater. This
provides the base station with the ability to transmit connectivity to ac cess points throughout
the coverage area so users can ac cess the network. Note: in some cases a high-speed DSL
line may be substituted in order to lower the overall installation cost for the client. Although
the primary target market for these services consists mostly of larger installations, this may be
considered if a T1 is not needed on the property or nearby properties. Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi provides the
installation and maintenance of high-speed wireless networks
for specific market segments. All of the installation services are packaged as the "Pie in the
Sky Enterprise Solution" with the spec ific industry applications added. As of the creation of
this document the company is ac tively marketing the Pie in the Sky Enterprise solution to three
owners, and travel hub operators; we will follow up with marketing to ISPs in the next two to
three months. These industry segments will eac h have a custom package, called Pie in the
Sky Wi-Fi Enterprise, Pie in the Sky Residential Wi-Fi & Pie in the Sky Travel Hub Wi Fi,
respec tively. These three primary service categories will be divided up from a marketing and
sales approach, but will all follow the same install and maintenance process.
The Pie in the Sky Commercial Enterprise and Pie in the Sky Residential Enterprise services are
both packaged in such a way to allow property owners or individual business owners to
increase the value of their property or business by providing tenants or customers with access
to high-speed wireless Internet ac cess. These packages are specifically designed to add value
to the owner's enterprise. It is not the goal of Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi to install networks on
speculation and market its services directly to the end user. Instead these services are offered
to the commercial or residential owner as a way to increase revenue for themselves through
greater demand for their services as a result of installing a wireless network, or by ac tually
charging a fee themselves for user ac cess. This can be done in a number of different ways, from
increasing base rent or lease rates and including it as an amenity of the property, to adding it as
an additional ac cess fee. The Pie in the Sky Enterprise service allows all working areas of the
In addition to the initial installation, the service also includes secure 24/7 remote management
and maintenance for a monthly fee. This service provides full service maintenance, user
management and monitoring of the entire wireless network. This allows the owner the freedom to
offer these services without fear of trying to manage a complex wireless network or
troubleshooting problems should they arise. It is completely hands-off for the owner and no
The Pie in the Sky ISP Enterprise solution utilizes the same Enterprise installation and monthly
management as described above, but it is positioned differently for the ISPs. Since Pie in the Sky
Wi-Fi is a wholesale provider of wireless Internet ac cess and does not directly market its
services to the end users of any network, an ISP partnership is a great fit. ISPs have similar
relationships already created with c ommercial and residential owners and this is an easy addon
sale when disc ussing options with these clients. The Pie in the Sky ISP Enterprise service
simply allows the ISP to offer the Pie in the Sky Enterprise package through their ISP ac count,
already in plac e. The installation and management is the same, except the primary connection
is still provided through the ISP. The ISP can receive additional revenue as a Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi
reseller (at 10%), while adding new customers and maintaining focus on their strengths - raw
connectivity.
· Network reporting
· Bandwidth management
· Security maintenance
· User management
· User support
Additional services may be added at a later date once the networks are in plac e at eac h site.
Some of these additional services might include voice over IP (VOIP) and security services. For
additional details regarding how these three industry segments will be targeted from a sales
and marketing standpoint, please refer to the Marketing Plan section of this document.
The opportunity for wireless (Wi-Fi) installations and ongoing management of these networks has
increased greatly in the past year and is projected by industry experts to grow at an annual rate
of no less than 50% a year. The total industry is expec ted to grow to $2 billion annually by the
year 2008. Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi has an opportunity to be one of the first movers in this rapidly
growing market. Because of the fragmented nature of the market in its current state, the
threat from potential competitors is not necessarily a bad thing. Additional competitors in the
market will help grow industry awareness and help drive overall sales within the industry. The
overall opportunity in this industry is great and there is unlimited opportunity for wireless
installations throughout the next few years. Due to the short-term opportunity to grab a
foothold in this emerging market, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is aggressively rolling out the services
anywhere demand is generated. As demand increases, the scalable sales and installer
management strategy will allow the company to take advantage of all opportunities, regardless
By 2008, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will be in a good position to sell the company to a market
aggregator looking to increase market share and build a national integrated network of private
wireless networks. The most likely aggregators will be the larger telecom, cable or electrical
companies currently looking at providing these services via public "Hot Spots" or through
cellular networks.
Wi-Fi Advantages
The primary advantage lies in the technology of Wi-Fi itself. Using unlicensed radio frequencies
(802.11b, 802.11g & 802.16), eac h new location can be installed quickly without requiring FCC
approval. This not only dec reases the total cost of a new installation, but also increases the
ability to roll out new networks quickly and efficiently. Cellular technology (including the new
3G band) has significantly higher costs and FCC approval is required. Wi-Fi has absolutely no
barriers to entry and can be installed with no restrictions or government regulations. Coupled
with the faster connection rate of wireless, the value proposition bec omes obvious.
The industry itself has many key advantages over traditional wired networks, from cost to
ease, to time for implementation. In many cases, the newer wireless technology will also improve
the connection speed at a frac tion of the cost. The industry advantage combined with the Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi management team, Board of Advisors and current marketplac e demand for such
services gives the company a strong starting position and ability to execute on the plan
described herein.
Part of the Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi marketing and technology plan is to include a site assessment
in order to determine the costs and return on investment at that particular location. The rep
for that particular client will perform the site assessment using a worksheet provided by the
company. This site assessment will include mapping out all the necessary data points and
equipment needed.
In addition to this initial equipment site assessment, the rep will also provide surveys for
owners to distribute to their current tenants in order to determine the demand for the secure
Wi-Fi network. In many cases, the survey will help to determine the ROI and potential use of the
new wireless network. If the primary connection costs, plus the variable costs to install the
necessary ac cess points, is less than the potential revenue that can be derived from the
tenants, then the install will not be done unless the client opts for the purchase plan for that
location.
Each potential site for a wireless network will be evaluated heavily in two areas before
implementation is considered:
1. Local needs, goals, and constraints of the company or group of users where the network
is being installed.
2. Evaluation of role and needs of the site installation in the overall Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi
network backbone.
Planning
· Gather and define the business and community requirements of the installation.
· Interview property managers/owners and identify the needs of the users of the network.
· Obtain all site and building plans and documents that are available.
Design
· Determine the plac ement and charac teristics of appropriate ac cess points, power
· Design the RF solution based upon optimum ac cess point, bridge, and repeater plac ement.
· Determine appropriate security solution for the organization and the environment.
· Shortlist all manufacturers and their equipment and software that will be needed for the
installation.
· Design the wireless network producing detailed diagrams and drawings for the installation
· Bandwidth Requirements
· What is the business and residential density surrounding and beyond localized network?
Careful planning of all types of wireless network installations prior to implementation will
contribute to localized network stability and QOS, as well as contribute to the overall Pie in
Not all resources for Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will come from internal sources; the company will
depend on a wide variety of consultant resources for site assessment, installation, service, and
support.
We have recruited initial service providers via a directory of potential contrac tors, compiled
through online and offline lists of wireless and network installers nation-wide. We now have a
service provider database where the information is refined and qualified to verify they meet the
needs of Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi. For a snapshot of this database, please refer to Appendix VII.
We have contac ted service providers and solicited their partnership with Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi in
review the service provider's business record and establish communication with a few of their
Continued service provider recruitment will consist of continued online and offline list
With good planning, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi can move to implementation fairly rapidly. A
standardized approach to installations utilizing proven methods will be used, with a careful eye to
the evolution of the process as the industry stabilizes and moves forward.
Pre-Installation
· Put out Request for Proposal (RFP) to all available installers in Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi
database.
· Schedule network install with approved design and most qualified installer.
Installation
· Install equipment.
Once a network has gone live, it will be plac ed into management mode to ensure continued
growth and enhancements to the network will be conducted upon initial project rollout to
To satisfy the growing demand for bandwidth, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will utilize existing fiber
networks tapped with a network switch providing our initial Internet feed. We will always start
with a T1 (1.5 Mbps) connection as a foundation. Connected to a network switch, we will use
a Point to MultiPoint (PtoMP) wireless base station utilizing the Wireless Outdoor Router
Protocol (WORP), 802.16 standard and radius antenna to deliver carrier class broadband Internet
to multiple subsc riber units at "node points" ac ross an area from the size of fac ility to several
miles. This Point to Multipoint (PtoMP) backbone will utilize the 5.4 GHz unlicensed frequency
to deliver eac h "node point" subsc riber unit the broadband c onnectivity it will need to deliver the
Each subsc riber unit will then redistribute the broadband Internet wirelessly utilizing the 802.11a,
802.11b, and 80211.g standards via an enterprise-level Access Point (AP) to clients/users with
laptops or workstations that are Wi-Fi enabled. Because of the usage of 3 widely adopted
wireless standards, authenticated users will be able to connect to the network with low-cost
Achieving a high level of Quality of Service (QOS) can prove to be a chore in a wireless network.
To ensure success in this area, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will follow 802.11e Standards that offer a
roadmap for providing a stable, high quality of service for customers connecting to the network.
In order to widen our network and offer inter-operability with outside networks, we will
integrate aspec ts of the 802.11f Standards into our external vendor plans. By watching the
802.11f standards, we can offer roaming and extended off-network services to our customer
Network security will be a high priority for the technology team at Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi. The
802.11i Standards will be used as a guideline for Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi security strategies; we
will utilize many methods for evaluation and monitoring network usage to ensure security of the
network. Though the standard is not 100% ratified it offers a clearer path to follow to take
network security beyond current methods and offer security for the network in the future.
Utilizing carrier-class, proven equipment and following global standards for wireless broadband
delivery, the Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi technology team will provide Internet services that are just
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi uses equipment primarily manufactured by Company A, a global leader in
wireless networking technology. Company A provides the equipment needed for backbone
distribution, ac cess points, and client ac cess equipment. In additional to Company A, other
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi has established an account relationship with E Industries, a value-added
distributor which sells all the equipment currently used by Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi. Pie in the Sky
Wi-Fi is ac tively seeking new vendor relationships as manufacturers evolve their product lines
and new technologies emerge. Other potential vendors include Company F, a leading 802.16
(MAN) equipment manufacturer, and Company G, an IP voice and video equipment manufacturer.
Keeping an eye on emerging technologies in this fast-paced emerging industry will keep Pie in the
Sky Wi-Fi on the cutting edge of the wireless wave. By carefully evaluating standards,
equipment, and potential new relationships, we will be able to offer a high level Quality of
Once a local network has been successfully launched and plac ed into management mode it will
bec ome part of a larger network that is being monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by
system engineers utilizing standardized management software tailored to Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi’s
Every ac cess point with the network will be configured with management software that can be
ac cess remotely by a highly secure network administration interfac e. Each access point can
system.
· Quality of Service
· User congestion
· Billing requirements
The entire network will be managed during regular business hours by network engineers, with most changes and
updates occurring remotely. However, a team of field resources will be in
place to respond to physical equipment failures throughout the network. When c critical aspect ts of
the network fail there will be a pager/cell phone communication network to ensure quick
The spectrum Wi-Fi utilizes to deliver broadband is unlicensed by the FCC, which greatly reduces
costs in setting up a new network and the time needed in order to install such a network. In
turn, this creates a low barrier to entry for Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi and the ability to deliver services
in any location without the need to apply for special licenses or permits with the FCC. When
compared to setting up a cellular tower in just one area, Wi-Fi takes just a frac tion of the time
and investment with absolutely no regulatory interference or special permits needed from the
FCC.
Fortunately for all users of Wi-Fi, and the company, Wi-Fi is the global standard for this type
of connectivity to the Internet. Unlike GSM or CDMA with non-conforming standards, Wi-Fi has
bec ome the de fac to standard for wireless Internet ac cess, and bec ause of its quick and rapid
ac ceptance, this open standard will stand the test of time. The price of wireless related
components, such as the specialized processor chipsets that enable better utilization of this
technology, have dramatically dec reased in price and jumped in c ustomer demand. For example:
in 2002, a Wi-Fi radio chipset cost about $16 wholesale; at the current pace, this price is
expec ted to be lower than $2 by 2006. Demand for these same chipsets has increased over 80%
With dropping wholesale prices and rapidly rising demand, the ac ceptance and implementation
of this technology will be very swift. Already in 2003 many manufacturers are offering Wi-Fi
cards very inexpensively if not already providing them as built-in options. In 2003 almost all
There are various estimates regarding the growth potential of the wireless industry. Some
reports look at the Wi-Fi industry as an entire sector, including the sale of both services and
hardware, while others examine only the delivery of hardware, chips or services separately. In all
cases, the estimated growth is positive for a company like Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi, as a new player
in an emerging market. The Wi-Fi industry as a whole is expec ted to grow at an incredible
rate, with projections range from no less than a compounded annual growth rate of 50%, all
The annual recurring revenue for ac cess services based on unlicensed broadband wireless (UBW)
'Unlicensed Broadband Wireless: Solutions and Applications,' a new research report from Parks
Associates. This report profiles more than 20 equipment vendors and their unlicensed products,
wireless ISPs, and consumers, addresses market challenges, and forecasts service and
According to this report, residential service revenue will post the most dramatic growth, followed
by the small enterprise (SME) market, and the UBW market will have an overall compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 50%. Underserved markets in the U.S. still represent
the low-hanging fruit for service providers using UBW technologies, according to the report,
The current market needs for Wi-Fi are infinite as this is a new industry that is already
changing the way Internet ac cess and many other services, such as Voice Over IP (VOIP), will
eventually be delivered throughout the world. Although there are many traditional wired networks
already established and continuing to roll out today, the cost and ease of implementing a new
wireless network will soon bec ome obvious to many businesses and individuals alike. As Wi-Fi
capacity increases over the next few years, companies such as Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will be in the
unique position to roll out additional wireless locations without the use of any wired line to the
new location. This will dec rease the installation time and will require minimal installation and wear
and tear on the desired location in order to saturate the entire area with high-speed Internet
ac cess.
The true opportunity and advantage Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will enjoy as the market demand for
these services expands will ac tually result in greater gross margins on the primary connection
costs. This is the result of greater economies of sc ale as eac h geographical location "fills up"
with wireless Internet ac cess. Economies of scale are generated when a spec ific area within
reac h of a powered Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi base station has a need for a greater amount of
bandwidth. Because of the ability to transmit large amounts of bandwidth through the Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi base stations, one base station can be powered by a T3 or OC3 c onnection and
then provide additional Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi base stations with their primary connection, replac ing
The ability to "cut the cord" at locations that were previously dependent on the primary T1
connection increases the margins for eac h affected location and centralizes the primary
connection point, giving Pie in the Sky even greater ability to provide T1 c onnections quickly and
easily to new locations within reac h. For example, a primary base station location with a OC3
without any additional landline use. This will allow Pie in the Sky to ac tivate a new location
within minutes of installing the necessary hardware without depending on ac tivating a fixed T1
The cost savings released by the company would be great, as the fixed T1 c ost is no longer
needed at the affected location. An example of the break-even point is illustrated on the chart
below.
For purposes of this example, existing T1 c ontrac ts are not figured in to the return on
investment equation, although this is a fac tor to consider as eac h area is ac tivated. For
estimating purposes the example uses as average monthly service fee estimate of $1,500, T1
wired cost of $800 per location and an OC3 c onnection cost of $9,000. The break-even point
on the monthly connection revenue for installing a central OC3 c onnection is six clients. From a
cost standpoint, the break-even point for expansion is reac hed when 11 clients are added to the
Although the wired T1 c onnections to eac h location in this illustration will no longer be needed, it
should not jeopardize any existing relationships with any partner ISPs, as a larger primary
connection to power the base station will still be required. This primary connection will be
provided by the partner ISP in that area, thus, mitigating any potential displeasure with the
switch from multiple broadband c onnections to a single larger connection. Long-term, as new
wireless installations are added from the new primary base station it could potentially lower the
overall margin for the ISP, but significantly increase the overall margins for Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi.
The true potential market for Wi-Fi installations is currently unknown, as the industry is
expanding at break-neck speeds and companies are employing multiple strategies in order to
build a niche within the industry as a whole. The current trend for many Wi-Fi providers is the
rapid deployment of public hot spots, which provide Internet connectivity in plac es like coffee shops, hotels
and other public gathering spots. Although this strategy may prove to be a longterm
advantage for these larger providers, the time, resources and return on investment are
further out than the Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi business model and are spec ulative in nature.
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is part of the Data Communications Services industry. Our services are
similar to those provided by ISPs and cable modem and DSL installers, in that we help our
customers obtain access to the Internet in residential and commercial settings. Unlike the
majority of these businesses, however, Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi's wireless Internet ac cess points
are less expensive, less invasive of building infrastructure, more portable, and more sc alable. At
the moment, wireless data communications are largely being driven by customer demand.
With the explosion of cell phone popularity, consumers have bec ome more demanding about
wide-ranging, wireless ac cess to data, communications, and the Internet. The initial wave of
Wi-Fi "hotspots" in c afes and airports has fed this demand, and the public now wants better,
faster, cheaper, and more ac cessible wireless connections. Many travelers now seek out wireless
As consumers push demand individually, they are also creating a paradigm shift in business
workplac es. Employees comfortable with wireless technology more clearly see the
property owners come to see the public's eagerness for such technologies, wireless is bec oming
The current market for Wi-Fi services is wide open. Aside from a few major providers, mainly
focused on public hotspots, the industry is mostly comprised on small local or regional
providers. In most cases, the Wi-Fi providers are focused on a small geographical region. The
first install a network, then try to sell to individual users within the radius of that signal. Not only
is this an expensive and spec ulative proposition, but the lengthy sales cycle and individual
For the first two target markets (commercial property owners, multi-unit residential property
owners, and business owners), we are competing against hard-wired Internet ac cess, often
tenant-installed, and against inertia. There are no direct competitors in our area currently
Our challenge here is to educate potential customers on the advantages of wireless over wired
ac cess, and to encourage them to assume the costs of installation for a larger payoff from
tenants in the future (or for the benefits of sc alability and upgrading, for business owners).
With ISPs, we are competing against established installers of cable and DSL. We will make
public's demand for wireless ac cess. As a preferred partner for wireless ac cess installation, we
will have a first-mover advantage with ISPs by the time larger conglomerates enter the market.
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will create a user-friendly, content-packed website with information on our
services and prices, as well as on the general benefits of wireless connections. As we are geared
toward wholesale with property owners and ISPs, we will also maintain a section with c urrent
news about the use of technology in c ommercial and residential property management/marketing,
We will aggressively target managed property advice, information, and association sites with
banner ads and pay-per-click links to our website. We will also regularly submit a "technology"
column to one of the better real estate management magazines, in order to bec ome known as
The main phase of our website development is already completed. We have assembled the
service, pricing, and portal pages for our different target markets, and are compiling articles
and useful links for the same groups. We are developing the site ourselves, and will contrac t with
a hosting company for maintenance under our own domain name, once the site is established.
Ongoing expenses for maintenance (exclusive of extra marketing, such as pay-per-clicks and
banner ads designed to draw traffic) are listed under "Misc ellaneous" expenses in the Profit and
Loss statement.
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will focus on its strengths, and exploit the market opportunities, by
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
New and emerging, fast-growing market demand, "gap-filler" position in nationwide coverage
Threats
6.1.1 Strengths
The new and emerging market for this technology will require companies with proven expertise
in providing technology. The Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi management team has substantial
experience, not only in launching new businesses in new markets, but also in developing
The biggest strength of Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is its dynamic and experienced management team.
The four principles have an average of ten years of experience directly within new businesses
team, coupled with an emerging industry with a projected growth rate of over 300% per year will
give Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi a first mover competitive advantage from the outset, with the longterm
6.1.2 Weaknesses
Although the management team has substantial experience in new business creation and industry
expertise in the target market, none of the members have successfully raised enough working
capital needed in order to grow a business such as Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi in an emerging market.
The stated exit plan is to build the business in a profitable manner and find a company to ac quire
it by 2008. In order to provide value and attain the stated exit plan it is critical that the
business grow as described in this document, stay focused on the businesses model and
successfully set up the business so that the equity holders are rewarded for their investment
should an ac quisition occur. Subsequently, none of the members of the management team
To mitigate the risk of these weaknesses, the management team has elected key individuals to
participate on the Board of Advisors. This Board of Advisors is set up to fill any perceived
management gaps in order to ensure the long-term success of this business plan. The Board of
Advisors is comprised of financial experts, merger and ac quisition experts, planning experts and
technical experts. Members on the Board of Advisors are not compensated monetarily in
exchange for their work done on behalf of the company. They will provide an additional feedback
to the management team on the implementation of this business plan and assist in the
6.1.3 Opportunities
Our focus is on owners and managers of commercial and residential property, with an emphasis
on private networks for businesses. Although Wi-Fi has started bec oming mainstream in the
form of public "hotspots," there is a largely untapped opportunity to introduce Wi-Fi as the new
standard in c ommercial and residential property, particularly in multi-tenant dwellings and business parks.
However, a secondary opportunity will come from the current rac e to create a blanket Wi-Fi
network ac ross the U.S. Many companies right now are trying to cover the entire U.S. with
their technology and brand in the form of public hotspots. With our network in plac e, Pie in the
Sky Wi-Fi will be well-positioned to fill in the gaps in this network, through partnerships with
many of these aggregators. The fac t that Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is solely focused on non-public
hotspots, on private businesses with the ability to broadcast to potential public hotspots, makes
the company a strong strategic ac quisition for one of the many aggregators currently in the
market.
6.1.4 Threats
Because of the current demand and increasing popularity of Wi-Fi installations, many new
businesses will enter the marketplac e, increasing the competition. This will drive additional
investment into the market and create additional competitors which will directly compete with
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi. Fortunately, the market opportunity is still in its early stages, so our firstmover
advantage, coupled with our plac ement as a partner to aggregators and sufficient equity
For all three-market segments targeted, the Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi Enterprise solution can
provide value-added services to residential or commercial buildings. With vac ancy rates
climbing and new housing developments going up every day it is bec oming vital for property
As vac ancies in c ommercial buildings climb into the double digits, building owners are seeking
ways to differentiate themselves in a cluttered market. A recent trend for many commercial
property owners has been to provide additional services such as finished office space,
including broadband Internet ac cess, finished office space and even office furnishings like
conference tables and office chairs. According to Michael Belka, Senior Vice President of
management and leasing at Unico Properties Inc., "it’s all about standing out in a cluttered
market. With so much space in the market and few potential tenants, it bec omes more important
Pre-built or "speculative" office suites suites offer a fast solution for tenants needing space right
away. A tenant with only a month or two to find an office for a start-up business, or one who
needs to relocate quickly, is much more likely to choose a pre-built suite with full amenities
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi offers property owners that extra edge in a competitive market, and offers
ISPs a reliable partner in meeting the demands of an increasingly wireless customer base.
Why Wireless:
· Secure
· Lower costs
· Value added
· Quicker ROI
· Competitive advantage
· Low Impact
· Hands-off management
Managed Services:
· Techonology changes
· Security
· Guaranteed uptime
· User support
· Network administration
· Network monitoring
· Lower cost
Due to the competitive nature of this rapidly growing market it is necessary to expand and
market Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi services through the use of independent contrac tors. This will allow
the company to expand quickly without the added cost and liability of adding employees inhouse.
These positions will be paid 10% of the initial set-up and a 10% recurring fee based on
the recurring revenue collected on a monthly basis. These contrac tors will solicit residential
and commercial business through various forms of contac t, i.e. telephone, personal contac t,
networking groups, etc. All of these independent contrac tors will report directly to Mr. Jones
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will rely on these reps to provide information about the service to both the
initial client (landlords, municipalities, etc.) and the end-users. The Commercial division has a
longer sales cycle than the Residential division, due to the contrac t situation of current
tenants with their existing wired Internet providers. Commercial ac counts are plac ed into a
database with their current contrac t length and estimated time of expiration for follow-up by the
The core sales focus, regardless of sales cycle, is equal ac ross all three divisions. Each
division will be set up quickly and simultaneously. The company will begin with independent
contrac tors dedicated to these divisions within the specific markets. Although Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is a
nationally focused company, eac h division will be rolled out using a staged approach,
entering region by region for maximum efficiency in installations and sales management.
Rollout started in Oregon, and will begin shortly throughout the northwest, launching a new state
no later than every two months, while keeping contrac tors within their specific divisions. This
staged rollout will be ac complished strategically by separating the nation into 6 individual regions
consisting of the Northwest, Southwest, North Central, South Central, North East, and South
East. The regional breakdown or "footprint" described is illustrated in greater detail in Appendix of this
document. The goal is to hire a spec ific regional manager to oversee these specific
territories, their businesses, and their contrac tors as the states in the regions bec ome ac tive.
Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith will kick off the business the week of Jan 26, 2004 with initial sales
calls. They will begin actively pursuing business within all 3 divisions while recruiting
independent contrac tors to seek customers within the territories. Since the county in which
we are based is somewhat of an anomaly when it comes to the adoption of new business and
technology, the founders will not be deterred by the lac k of ac ceptance in the local market. The
opportunity for this business model is far greater than one individual market; although the
business is based in one location, rapid movement into new markets will be essential to grow
the business.
The first goal is to immediately make contac t with the primary ISPs and other key accounts.
These relationships will give Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi instant credibility in the marketplac e and will
provide the company with an established business and sales team that will promote the service.
· First, we can help them fill the current void in the marketplac e by providing a product/
· Second, when they sell Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi services, we will compensate them ISP, as
well using the ISP as the primary connection provider. This will solidify the clients'
dependency on that ISP's connection, giving the ISP a competitive advantage and
The ISP resale program ac counts for 50% of the overall business, so making inroads in this area
is vital to the overall success and sustainability of Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi.
The Executive Management Team will handle key ac counts in the beginning; these key
ac counts will consist of ISPs, Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs), hardware
providers, and installers. Establishing relationships with these groups quickly and effectively will
be vital to the success of the business. As we grow, the employed Regional Managers will take
on this responsibility. When entering a new market, we will focus immediately upon establishing
these relationships.
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi's sales objectives are to reac h as many building owners and ISP operators
throughout North America as possible, quickly and for the least amount of capital outlay. The
sales department will grow and manage as many capable independent contrac tors as
possible, while maintaining the high level of quality service and the good reputation of Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi in the marketplac e. Dedicated management and oversight of these contrac tors is
Each territory is split up by spec ialty and certain metropolitan boundaries will be defined as
eac h location is added to the sales team. The area in which the reps will be working will
determine territories. Within eac h of territory, the company will simultaneously target both the
commercial and residential divisions to gain maximum market share and market penetration as
quickly as possible.
Sales growth shown in the table and chart below is based on solid industry data, as outlined in
Using the average install cost of $10,000 in gross income with a monthly management fee of
$1,500, total sales of $586,750 should be easily attained for the first year of operations. Cost
of Goods includes all up-front costs assumed by Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi for installation of base
stations. Costs for these installations are averaged out into the prices for all customers. Monthly
details for the first year sales forecast can be found in the Appendix.
Sales Forecast
Sales
6.4 Milestones
in plac e. Responsibility
for implementation falls
on the shoulders of the
founders fairly equally
in
the first year. This Milestones Table below will be updated as the year progresses using the
ac tual tables. New milestones will be added as the first year of operations commences.
Milestones
$10,000/month
Totals $0
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is targeting the 4.25-billion-square-foot commercial office market, the even
larger multi-family housing market, the nation’s independent trucks stops and travel plazas, as
well as all the ISPs currently providing Internet connectivity throughout the world. The focus is
on expanding our customers' available services by providing value-added features in the form
Wi-Fi providers are a part of a very fragmented market, with many players all trying to find
their niche. Currently there is a rac e going on to create public hotspots in an effort to control
a nationwide network. Although this may be a sound business model in the long-term, Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi does have the desire to provide these services, nor does it have the resources
to compete against the major players at this level. Currently there are a few major providers
making a name for themselves in the public hotspot arena, but this is a very speculative and costly process.
These ac cess points are dependent upon subsc ribers signing up for a monthly
plan or logging in and paying a site ac cess fee. Although this may prove to be a viable way to
By focusing on the middle-man (the building owner or ISP), Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi does not have to
negotiate contrac ts with individual end-users, but can focus on installation and service of
ac cess for entire buildings, or let the ISP develop contrac ts and wholesale contrac t to do the
installations. This model gives us a huge advantage over our competitors, who are focused on
creating geographical coverage, and then have to find ways to sell this existing utility to endusers,
one by one.
For example, MobileStar Network Corp. filed for bankruptcy bec ause it couldn't sign up enough
customers to cover the cost of building its wireless network. With dozens of companies in
every city chasing the same market, few people have been willing to pay for the service,
which c osts about $30 a month. According to analysts, MobileStar was paying large fees to
Since Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is a wholesale provider of Wi-Fi networks, a new location is not
installed until the hardware and installation costs are paid for, plus a 40% margin. Once installed,
the wireless feed is provided and managed by Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi, but the individual who
requested the network to be installed is responsible for the promotion and user participation of
the network. Since the business model does not depend on individual users subsc ribing to the
network, the risk/reward proposition is maximized. It is more effective to sell and maintain one
large client and get paid up front, than depend on multiple users sold individually while covering
the costs up front. This will allow us to be profitable from the outset and outlast our
competitors, so we are well-positioned when the consolidation of the market occurs in 2008 (see
Although Wi-Fi has been around for a while, it has just recently bec ome known to the general
public and many property owners are still unaware of what it is, much less how it can positively
increase the services inside their buildings or municipalities. The largest marketing challenge will
be trying to convey the vast benefits of using Wi-Fi and how it works with a simple and easy
to understand message. Many traditional clients may not truly understand how the technology
works and may shy away from looking at Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi as a viable solution for their
broadband needs. The educational materials produced will promote the industry as a whole;
Residential Division:
The residential division will have specific reps targeting apartment buildings, condos, residential
developments, and upper end housing developments with an owners' association. The CRO will
Commercial Division:
The commercial division will include specific reps targeting Commercial buildings, such as office buildings,
industrial parks, and general large-scale businesses and office buildings. Although
"hotspot" implementation is not the primary focus, these may be a residual benefit as these
ISP Division:
The ISP division will be handled in the beginning by the Executive Management team. However,
as Regional Sales Managers are employed, the responsibility for generating these ISP ac counts
The primary outlet for announcing information about the company will be through the use of
press releases distributed on the AP wire and through our website. The company will utilize PR
Newswire in order to promote news and updated information about Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi on an
ongoing basis. The cost associated with the distribution of each press release is minimal when
The marketing budget will increase as a result of increased sales (variable budget of 2% of revenue). As we
increase marketing monies, we will introduce additional promotional initiatives to
increase brand awareness in specific target markets. These opportunities will be evaluated on
a quarterly basis as they come available. Promotional sponsorships of events may be of benefit in
certain areas, based on the sales and marketing mix already used in a particular area.
Wi-Fi allows individual users to connect to the Internet via a high-speed connection without
being tied to a phone line or broadband c able. With recent advancements in Wi-Fi technology,
the speed, security and reliability are on par with traditional wired connections. Wireless
connections have several advantages over traditional wired ones, including the low cost to
connect large areas and the spatial flexibility of locating desktop or laptop computers within
the connected area. As described earlier in this document, the cost savings in the first year
alone could amount to more than $100,000 when compared to a similarly configured network.
User Benefits
The benefits of a wireless network are still being realized every day. Some of the many exciting
· Mobility
There are many small ways in which wireless is saving time and gaining efficiencies for people
every day. For instance, the ability to go through e-mail in the lobby, check your database during an
appointment, or present networked data to colleagues in a meeting, all add up. Businesses
and individuals are realizing every day how wireless connections can break down barriers for
collaboration and introduce new ways to make the most of online time.
The pricing structure for all installations is based on the direct hardware and installation
costs for eac h particular site plus 40%. For the purposes of this plan, we have based our
direct costs on an average 30,000 sq. ft coverage area. With the 40% markup on materials,
installation and hardware, the company is assured positive variable margins on any job before
it begins. The monthly fee charged will be based on the number of users on network:
· 100 + negotiable
This pricing structure is intended to be competitive with the current fees incurred for
traditional networks. Because of the remote management feature of the Pie in the Sky Enterprise
system, the cost savings compared to an on-site managed network is significant. For a
detailed customer ROI analysis, please refer to the Target Market Segmentation Strategy
topic, above.
Our marketing objective is to quickly and aggressively establish Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi's wireless
"footprint." The executive management team will employ a low-key educational approach.
1. First we will introduce Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi to the potential prospec t, setting an
appointment to disc uss Wi-Fi and how it might benefit the prospec t.
2. We will gain buy-in from the prospec t, then do a site assessment of the location to
3. When the site assessment is made, the prospec t may choose to survey his/her tenants
4. Once the site assessment is done, the rep will return and do a question and answer
5. We will then present the site assessment and the detailed cost analysis for launching a
wireless network.
6. The rep will close the prospec t, write up an order form, and establish an installation
The Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi management team was put together spec ifically for the purpose of
building Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi aggressively. This team has worked together for some time
in other capacities and can quickly adjust to maintain c ontrol, competitiveness and an undying
In addition to the diversified and competent management team, we have created a Board of
Advisors in an effort to lend additional experience and expertise to the company. These
individuals are not employees of the company, but rather an advisory group selected by the
management team in order to assist with the execution of the business model moving forward.
Members of the advisory board were selected for their industry knowledge, experience and
Salesperson/Reseller Recruitment
This is the great challenge, finding good sales people. Our ideal salesperson would be an
outside "employed" rep; however, bec ause of the nature of this beginning we are required to
start with independent contrac tors. Initially, we will use the CRO's pool of contac ts for
Monster.com. We will look for experience in sales, telecom, commercial or residential building
management will be looked for, professionalism with a can do attitude will be a must as is the
single intangible above the others. Commission payments for these independently
contrac ted sales people can be found in the Profit and Loss Statement.
As Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi grows and our sales team grows we will hire sales field assistants for
the regional managers; these assistants will work out of the corporate office, but will assist
regional managers in the field. We plan to hire up to five in-house sales staff in the first year.
Table: Personnel
Personnel Plan
Total People 9 9 9
Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi's establishment requires an investment of $50,000 during start-up, which will
be provided by the founders. In order to keep up our growth, and, in particular, to build the base
stations necessary for generating sales in the first year, we will need a first-round outside
investment of at least $100,000 by March. In July, unless we have raised additional outside
Based on solid market research, and known c osts, we will be able to grow the business rapidly
over the first three years, if we obtain this initial funding. The business will reac h the break-even
point early in the second year, and begin to generate reasonable profits for a venture of this
kind.
After the first year, our Balance Sheet is quite positive. Our ratios will be good for the industry in
We do not plan to pay any interim dividends to founders or outside investors, by investment
will be bought out at the liquidity event described below in the Exit Strategy, when we sell to
a market consolidator. Our financial and sales plans are geared toward positioning us well for this
event.
The ultimate goal for Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi is to sell to a market consolidator by 2008. These
market consolidators may consist of larger companies such as telecom, cable or other utilities
looking to aggregate their services further or well-funded development stage companies formed
for the sole purpose of creating a large wireless network both public and private. Air-Q, a
development stage company, is a prime example of the type of aggregator currently in the
marketplac e that builds itself on the ac quisition of companies such as Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi.
2004 marks the beginning of a new market with the widespread application of wireless
applications across the world. While many large companies are still installing fiber networks to tie
major metropolitan areas together a cross their own proprietary network the "last mile" problem
still exists. It is far too costly to roll out fiber to eac h individual home and business, which c learly
give wireless ac cess an advantage long-term. With the upcoming adoption of the 802.16
standard speeds available through wireless installations that Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will have in
the Pie in the Sky Enterprise installations will be comparable to fiber at a frac tion of the
As the major companies begin to look at filling in the gaps in their fiber networks, they will use
wireless networks and companies with experience installing and maintaining these to do so. Pie in
the Sky Wi-Fi will position itself from the outset not only to be an industry leader in the Wi-Fi
marketplac e, but to make it known that the network and installations and going concern is
available for purchase when the market consolidators begin to look at expanding market share.
By 2008, we project that Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi will have over 2,000 installed wireless
applications under management with the rights and ability to increase the bandwidth and range
The installed wireless network, coupled with the expertise Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi can offer a
larger company, will give an aggregator a competitive advantage in the marketplac e with a single purchase as
well as the ability to launch new wireless networks quickly and easily. Industry
analyses suggest that the wireless market will undergo a large market consolidation in the year
2008, with larger companies purchasing smaller companies such as Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi in order
to quickly expand their wireless capabilities with installed ac cess points. With both c able and
telephone companies competing for this same user base, we anticipate multiple potential bidders.
The larger telecom companies have already identified wireless as a solution to the cost
The owners of the company will contribute $50,000 to begin operations in January. Although
we will need additional funding within the first year (see Cash Flow for details), this amount
should be enough to see us through the initial months, as we set up the office and begin to
hire staff.
Start-up Funding
Assets
Liabilities
Current Borrowing $0
Long-term Liabilities $0
Total Liabilities $0
Capital
Planned Investment
Owner $50,000
Investor $0
Sales: All base stations will be installed by Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi, at no additional charge to the
customer. The cost for this installation is figured into the Cost of Goods sold.
Approximate costs used for planning purposes in this document are as follows:
· Per 100,000 square foot, outdoor installation (Travel Hub Application) = $4,100 w/o
base station
· Per 100,000 square foot, outdoor installation (Travel Hub Application) = $2,900 w/ base
station
· Per 100,000 square foot, indoor installation (Enterprise Application) = $5,500 w/o base
station
· Per 100,000 square foot, indoor installation (Enterprise Application) = $4,300 w/o base
station
Approximate pricing for each application is as follows. The price to the client remains the
· Per 100,000 square foot, outdoor installation (Travel Hub Application) = $6,000 w/ base
station
· Per 100,000 square foot, indoor installation (Enterprise Application) = $4,200 w/o base
station
Accounts Receivable: The majority of the sales will be cash sales with approximately 25%
Accounts Payable: The average AP goal is no more than 30 days, with c ertain payments
Personnel Burden: Personnel Burden is estimated at 15%. This includes taxes, benefits,
The following table and chart show a break-even analysis for the first year of business. We will
pass this point in September, but by that point in the year, we will have hired the full
complement of staff, and so the yearly average calculated in this table will not be enough to
ac tually break-even at the end of the year, with such high operating expenses. We anticipate
Break-even Analysis
Assumptions:
Expenses
Marketing/Promotion $0 $0 $148,170
Depreciation $0 $0 $0
Payroll Taxes $0 $0 $0
Taxes Incurred $0 $0 $0
Cash flow is expec ted to be favorable,if we can obtain sufficient funding, as noted in the
table, below. It will be necessary to obtain outside funding for the venture two times during
the first year. We will need first-round capital of $100,000 as soon as possible in order to begin
operations according to the business plan; we have set the deadline for this funding at March.
The second round of funding will be needed if all the sales target and expense goals are met
ac cordingly. This is expec ted to be in the month of September and will need to be a minimum
of an additional $100,000. This will allow the cash balance to stay positive, despite a
There are no dividends paid out during the operating period of the plan. Investors will be paid out
upon the liquidity event described in the Exit Strategy described above.
Cash Received
Dividends $0 $0 $0
After the first year, when we invest heavily in establishing Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi's staff,
contac ts, infrastructure and reputation, our Balance Sheet will bec ome increasingly solid.
Assets
Current Assets
Long-term Assets
Long-term Assets $0 $0 $0
Accumulated Depreciation $0 $0 $0
Current Liabilities
Current Borrowing $0 $0 $0
The following table outlines some of the more important ratios from the Data Communications
Services industry. The final column, Industry Profile, details specific ratios based on the
Table: Ratios
Ratio Analysis
Percent of Sales
Main Ratios
Activity Ratios
Debt Ratios
Liquidity Ratios
Additional Ratios
9.0 References:
2. The Strategis Group, predicts that wireless broadband revenues will increase at a 418%
3. Parks Associates
4. wirelessnewsfac tor.com
6. US Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Rural Utilities Service: Hilda Gay Legg
7. Wall Street Journal, Building Owners Finish Offices to Lure Tenants, December 24, 2003
8. Wall Street Journal, Building Owners Finish Offices to Lure Tenants, December 24, 2003
10. Wireless ac cess firms plac e Net bets, Yuki Noguchi, WASHINGTON POST 1/29/04
11. Peac e, Love & Wi-Fi, BY DAN O'SHEA, Telephony, Mar 18, 2002
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
57
12. http://doc.advisor.com/doc/11165
16. Wall Street Journal, January 20, 2004. "Now Comes the Hard Part"
17. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-983099.html
18. New happy hour, December 26, 2003 Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
References:
Vantage Point (August 11, 2010); Vantage Point Intermarket Analysis Software
https://tradertech.webex.com/mw0306lb/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=tradertech&service=1&main_url=
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%253Dfalse%2526NM%253DJulian%252BCombs%2526AD%253Djuliancombs%2540live.com%2526STD
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Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 1: Alignment of Cultures and Value Systems with Planning
http://courses.jonesinternational.edu/display.jkg?clid=22465&uid=12244&tpl=frameset
Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 2: Universal Values--a Basis for Business Cooperation
http://courses.jonesinternational.edu/display.jkg?clid=22465&uid=12244&tpl=frameset
Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 3: Techniques for Using Culture as a Basis for Planning and
http://courses.jonesinternational.edu/display.jkg?clid=22465&uid=12244&tpl=frameset
· "Wi-Fi is going to get cheaper and easier to deploy," said Schmidt of NYCWireless. "As
people encounter these networks increasingly for free, they are going to expec t them
for free--as a fac ility service, just like AC, heating or water."
· "We needed it to provide what the customers were telling us they wanted -- they
· The total number of enterprise mobile Internet users will grow more than 18% in the
next five years. "The greatest percentage of growth will take plac e in Latin America,"
Sales Forecast
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Sales
ISP Plan Revenue 0% $0 $0 $0 $10,000 $10,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $30,000 $30,000
$30,000 $30,000
Monthly - Enterprise Plan 0% $0 $0 $0 $1,500 $3,000 $6,000 $9,000 $12,000 $16,500 $21,000
$25,500 $30,000
Monthly - ISP Plan 0% $0 $0 $0 $750 $1,500 $3,000 $4,500 $6,000 $8,250 $10,500 $12,750
$15,000
Total Sales $0 $0 $0 $22,250 $24,500 $49,000 $53,500 $58,000 $84,750 $91,500 $98,250
$105,000
Direct Cost of Sales Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8
Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Enterprise Plan Revenue $0 $0 $0 $6,000 $6,000 $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 $18,000 $18,000
$18,000 $18,000
ISP Plan Revenue $0 $0 $0 $6,000 $6,000 $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 $18,000 $18,000 $18,000
$18,000
Monthly - Enterprise Plan $0 $0 $0 $800 $1,600 $3,200 $4,800 $6,400 $8,800 $11,200 $13,600
$16,000
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales $0 $0 $0 $12,800 $13,600 $27,200 $28,800 $30,400 $44,800
$47,200 $49,600 $52,000
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Sales $0 $0 $0 $22,250 $24,500 $49,000 $53,500 $58,000 $84,750 $91,500 $98,250 $105,000
Direct Cost of Sales $0 $0 $0 $12,800 $13,600 $27,200 $28,800 $30,400 $44,800 $47,200
$49,600 $52,000
Total Cost of Sales $0 $0 $0 $12,800 $13,600 $27,200 $28,800 $30,400 $44,800 $47,200
$49,600 $52,000
Gross Margin $0 $0 $0 $9,450 $10,900 $21,800 $24,700 $27,600 $39,950 $44,300 $48,650
$53,000
Gross Margin % 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 42.47% 44.49% 44.49% 46.17% 47.59% 47.14% 48.42%
49.52% 50.48%
Expenses
Payroll $0 $0 $0 $7,000 $7,000 $27,000 $30,500 $30,500 $34,000 $34,000 $37,500 $37,500
Marketing/Promotion 2% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Depreciation $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Sales Commissions 10% $0 $0 $0 $3,338 $3,675 $7,350 $8,025 $8,700 $12,713 $13,725
$14,738 $15,750
Telephone $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $350 $350 $350 $350 $350 $350 $350
Internet & Utilities $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800
Maintenance
$0 $0 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500
Travel $0 $0 $0 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500
Misc. $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $750
Total Operating Expenses $800 $800 $2,300 $15,138 $15,475 $41,950 $46,125 $46,800 $54,313
$55,325 $59,838 $60,850
Profit Before Interest and Taxes ($800) ($800) ($2,300) ($5,688) ($4,575) ($20,150) ($21,425)
EBITDA ($800) ($800) ($2,300) ($5,688) ($4,575) ($20,150) ($21,425) ($19,200) ($14,363)
($11,025) ($11,188) ($7,850)
Taxes Incurred $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Net Profit ($800) ($800) ($2,300) ($5,688) ($4,575) ($20,150) ($22,248) ($20,014) ($15,166)
($11,819) ($11,971) ($8,624)
Net Profit/Sales 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% -25.56% -18.67% -41.12% -41.59% -34.51% -17.90%
-12.92% -12.18% -8.21%
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Cash Received
Cash Sales $0 $0 $0 $16,688 $18,375 $36,750 $40,125 $43,500 $63,563 $68,625 $73,688
$78,750
Cash from Receivables $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,967 $5,863 $9,392 $12,850 $13,975 $18,067 $22,088
$23,775
Subtotal Cash from Operations $0 $0 $0 $16,688 $21,342 $42,613 $49,517 $56,350 $77,538
$86,692 $95,775 $102,525
Subtotal Cash Received $0 $0 $100,000 $16,688 $21,342 $42,613 $149,517 $56,350 $77,538
$86,692 $95,775 $102,525
Expenditures Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9
Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Cash Spending $0 $0 $0 $7,000 $7,000 $27,000 $30,500 $30,500 $34,000 $34,000 $37,500
$37,500
Bill Payments $27 $800 $850 $2,921 $20,975 $22,744 $42,253 $45,324 $48,127 $66,030
$69,432 $72,835
Subtotal Spent on Operations $27 $800 $850 $9,921 $27,975 $49,744 $72,753 $75,824 $82,127
$100,030 $106,932 $110,335
Dividends $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Cash Spent $27 $800 $850 $9,921 $27,975 $49,744 $73,943 $77,014 $83,317 $101,220
$108,122 $111,525
Net Cash Flow ($27) ($800) $99,150 $6,766 ($6,634) ($7,132) $75,573 ($20,664) ($5,779)
($14,528) ($12,347) ($9,000)
Cash Balance $33,473 $32,673 $131,823 $138,590 $131,956 $124,824 $200,398 $179,734
$173,954 $159,426 $147,079 $138,080
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
63
Month 11 Month 12
Current Assets
Cash $33,500 $33,473 $32,673 $131,823 $138,590 $131,956 $124,824 $200,398 $179,734
$173,954 $159,426 $147,079 $138,080
Total Current Assets $33,500 $33,473 $32,673 $131,823 $144,152 $140,677 $139,933 $219,489
$200,475 $201,908 $192,189 $182,317 $175,792
Long-term Assets
Long-term Assets $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Accumulated Depreciation $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total Assets $33,500 $33,473 $32,673 $131,823 $144,152 $140,677 $139,933 $219,489
$200,475 $201,908 $192,189 $182,317 $175,792
Liabilities and Capital Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8
Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Current Liabilities
Accounts Payable $0 $773 $773 $2,223 $20,240 $21,339 $40,745 $43,740 $45,930 $63,719
$67,008 $70,297 $73,586
Current Borrowing $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Current Liabilities $0 $773 $773 $2,223 $20,240 $21,339 $40,745 $43,740 $45,930
$63,719 $67,008 $70,297 $73,586
Total Liabilities $0 $773 $773 $2,223 $20,240 $21,339 $40,745 $142,550 $143,550 $160,149
$162,248 $164,347 $166,446
Paid-in Capital $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000
$150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000
Total Capital $33,500 $32,700 $31,900 $129,600 $123,913 $119,338 $99,188 $76,939 $56,926
$41,760 $29,941 $17,970 $9,346
Total Liabilities and Capital $33,500 $33,473 $32,673 $131,823 $144,152 $140,677 $139,933
$219,489 $200,475 $201,908 $192,189 $182,317 $175,792
Net Worth $33,500 $32,700 $31,900 $129,600 $123,913 $119,338 $99,188 $76,939 $56,926
$41,760 $29,941 $17,970 $9,346
Industry Analysis
Module 1 – A little bite about what an agent does in starting a business up overseas.
As such an exporter selling the stapler can look for an overseas agent experienced in staplers or in office
supplies. Likewise, an exporter selling the twist drills can approach an agent experienced in twist drills or in
cutting tools. In practice, the overseas agents in some countries may handle more than one product line. In some
cases, under an agency agreement, the exporter may train the agent if the latter is inexperienced in the product.
The experienced of an agent is measured by its expertise, and not necessarily by the age of the company.
For example, a five-year-old company being managed by a person with 20 years’ experience may have more
leverage than a seven-year-old company.
The agent should be familiar with local cultures and business practices. It takes time to acquire an in-depth
understanding of foreign cultures and business practices in a market. The agent’s special connection may be
necessary for certain products and services. In some countries, personal ties to persons in public office are
necessary in order to successfully conduct the business.
The agent’s interest in the product and the agent’s commitment of time and resources to the product are
important. The products suitability and competitiveness influence the agent’s interest. New product inventions:
and designs and products that give higher profit margin attractions more interest from agents. In many
countries, a smaller company often devotes more time and attention to the product. Generally, the more
products an agent’s represents, the less is the commitment of time and resources to each product.
I found in my research I know it talk about women in Business but you guys can get a lot out of this information
too.
Quantum Leaps releases The Roadmap to 2020 -- Fueling the Growth of Women's Enterprise
Development
Baltimore, MD, June 23 – The Roadmap to 2020, an unprecedented collaboration of the nation’s major
women's business organizations and entrepreneurial thought leaders, was released today, launching a
comprehensive action plan to achieve exponential revenue growth and job creation among women’s businesses
over the next decade.
“Roadmap 2020” recommends nothing less than a paradigm shift in women’s business development – from
early entrepreneurial education to policy support to capital availability – designed to enable the creation of at
least 6 million new jobs over the next ten years.
Quantum Leaps, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the National
Association of Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO) jointly released Roadmap 2020 at WBENC’s 11th
Annual Women in Business National Conference and Business Fair before some 2,500 corporations and women
business owners in attendance. It was presented on behalf of the 10 women’s business organizations and 20
companies that were supporters and collaborators in the creation of Roadmap 2020.
“Roadmap 2020 not only tells us how to create more jobs – but also how to improve the quality of those
jobs, with higher salaries and better benefits, in growing, innovative companies,” said Virginia Littlejohn, CEO
and co-founder of Quantum Leaps, the nonprofit that mobilized Roadmap 2020 participants. By galvanizing the
leadership of the women’s business community, Roadmap 2020 will drive change on the national and grassroots
level, and dramatically sharpen the nation’s competitiveness.
“The Roadmap to 2020 is leading a transformation and connecting women in business around the world,"
said Marilyn Johnson, vice president of Market Development for IBM. “IBM is proud to be the lead corporate
sponsor of such a high-impact global initiative.”
For organizations of all sizes, public and private, that need to reduce IT security and compliance risk while
decreasing IT administrative burden and reducing total cost of ownership (TCO), Cisco provides best-of-breed
security in a systems approach. Unlike many security vendors who pursue a best-of-breed strategy, Cisco offers
the benefits of both a best-of-breed approach, combined with a systems approach. Cisco offers one of the
broadest and deepest product and services portfolios among its competitors, with channel partners who are
empowered to design and implement solutions customized to customers’ unique requirements. Our strength is
evidenced by our history of security innovations since 1995; our security market leadership position in
firewalling, virtual private networking, intrusion prevention, and email security; numerous product awards; and
organizations across the globe who are using Cisco Self-Defending Networks to address their most challenging
business security concerns, from prevention of data loss, to defense against malware, to compliance with
regulatory requirements. A number of competitors want to serve the security market, but their offerings often
fall short of the comprehensive solutions required by today’s demanding customers and offered by Cisco.
Degree of rivalry
Cisco Systems routes packets and routs competitors with equal efficiency. Dominating the market for
Internet protocol-based networking equipment, the company provides routers and switches used to direct data,
voice, and video traffic. Other products include remote access servers, IP telephony equipment, optical
networking components, Internet conferencing systems, set-top boxes, and network service and security
systems. It sells its products primarily to large enterprises and telecommunications service providers, but it also
markets products designed for small businesses and consumers through its Consumer Business Group. Cisco
gets about half of its sales in North America.
Competitors in different Countries and how many business they have in each.
Canada (41)
Argentina (5)
Australia (15)
Austria (4)
Belgium (4)
Bermuda (1)
Brazil (9)
Belgium (1)
China (1)
Denmark (1)
Finland (1)
France (2)
Germany (1)
More Locations
India (1)
Ireland (1)
Israel (3)
Italy (3)
Japan (1)
Singapore (3)
Spain (1)
Sweden (1)
Taiwan (1)
Cisco Company
Company Description
San Jose, CA
95134
Fax: 408-526-4100
Toll Free: 800-553-6387
Rankings
#58 in FORTUNE 500
S&P 500
This is a little bite about a company name BT that is a supplier for Cisco Company and they have their
own name as BT in Ireland. I just learned about it Saturday.
Phone: 408-526-4000
Toll Free: 800-553-6387
Fax: 408-526-4100
http://www.cisco.com
Top Competitors
Alcatel-Lucent
Hewlett-Packard
Juniper Networks
All Competitors
Alcatel-Lucent
ARRIS
Aruba Networks
Avaya
Belden
Belkin
Brocade Communications
CA Technologies
Ciena
Citrix Systems
Dell
D-Link
ECI Telecom
Enterasys
Ericsson
Extreme Networks
F5 Networks
Force10
Fortinet
Fujitsu
Harris Corp.
Hewlett-Packard
Huawei Technologies
IBM
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
71
Juniper Networks
LogMeIn
Meru Networks
Microsoft
Motorola
MRV Communications
NEC
NETGEAR
Nortel Networks
Novell
Pace
Polycom
Riverbed Technology
Sycamore Networks
Symantec
Technicolor
Tellabs
UTStarcom
ZTE
Cisco Systems routes packets and routs competitors with equal efficiency. Dominating the market for
Internet protocol-based networking equipment, the company provides routers and switches used to direct data,
voice, and video traffic. Other products include remote access servers, IP telephony equipment, optical
networking components, Internet conferencing systems, set-top boxes, and network service and security
systems. It sells its products primarily to large enterprises and telecommunications service providers, but it also
markets products designed for small businesses and consumers through its Consumer Business Group. Cisco
gets about half of its sales in North America.
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
72
Cisco has used acquisitions more than 120 since 1993 to broaden its product lines and secure engineering
talent in the highly competitive networking sector. Though Cisco remains committed to investments that insure
the dominance of its core lines (switches and routers still account for about half of sales), many of the
company's recent acquisitions have moved it into new markets.
With the global recession apparently on the wane, Cisco signaled it is back in the M&A game in a big way
with its 2010 purchase of TANDBERG, a Norwegian competitor in the videoconferencing market. The $3.4
billion cash deal supplements Cisco's high-end Tele Presence systems with TANDBERG's lower-end line,
which ranges from PC-based conferencing capabilities to more sophisticated gear, less expensive than Cisco's
offerings. Upon completion of the transaction, Cisco formed a Tele Presence Technology Group, which is
headed by SVP Fredrik Halvorsen, previously TANDBERG's CEO.
On a smaller scale, but potentially significant, Cisco bought Core Optics, a German-American developer of
integrated circuits and optical network transponders capable of delivering high-speed data transmission rates.
The company paid about $99 million in cash and incentives to the shareholders of privately held Core Optics.
With global IP traffic projected to grow 40% per year due to high demand for cloud computing services, mobile
data services, and video streaming, Cisco could find plenty of applications for the Core Optics technology. The
deal also boosted Cisco's presence in Europe.
In 2009 Cisco acquired Starent Networks for about $2.9 billion in cash. Starent specialized in systems and
software for wireless networks, helping satisfy global demand for more mobile access to the Internet. The
company became Cisco's Mobile Internet Technology Group, led by Starent CEO Ashraf Dahod, and part of
Cisco's Service Provider Business. Looking to build its consumer-oriented business, the company also bought
camcorder maker Pure Digital Technologies in 2009.
Of course with market breadth comes an abundance of competitors, and Cisco faces fellow giants and swift
upstarts across all of its market segments. It shares the Ethernet switch market with companies ranging from the
pioneering 3Com to relative newcomer Extreme Networks; Juniper Networks made aggressive moves to wrestle
market share in the core router market; and telecommunications leader Alcatel-Lucent is a formidable opponent
in a number of markets, including IP telephony, where Cisco also competes with Avaya.
Cisco unveiled a new line of hardware called the Unified Computing System in 2009. Designed to
simplify the computing and networking resources in data centers, the product line -- which includes blade
servers places Cisco in direct competition with traditional partners, such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM.
Cisco Systems was founded by Stanford University husband-and-wife team Leonard Bosack and Sandra
Lerner and three colleagues in 1984. Bosack developed technology to link his computer lab's network with his
wife's network in the graduate business school. Anticipating a market for networking devices, Bosack and
Lerner mortgaged their house, bought a used mainframe, put it in their garage, and got friends and relatives to
work for deferred pay. They sold their first network router in 1986. Originally targeting universities, the
aerospace industry, and the government, the company in 1988 expanded its marketing to include large
corporations. Short of cash, Cisco turned to venture capitalist Donald Valentine of Sequoia Capital, who bought
a controlling stake and became chairman. He hired John Morgridge of laptop maker GRiD Systems as president
and CEO.
Cisco, whose products had a proven track record, had a head start as the market for network routers opened
up in the late 1980s. Sales leapt from $1.5 million in 1987 to $28 million in 1989.
The company went public in 1990. That year Morgridge fired Lerner, with whom he had clashed, and
Bosack quit. The couple sold their stock for about $200 million, giving most to favorite causes, including
animal charities and a Harvard professor looking for extraterrestrials.
With competition increasing, Cisco began expanding through acquisitions. Purchases included networking
company Crescendo Communications (1993) and Ethernet switch maker Kalpana (1994). Cisco also surpassed
the $1 billion revenue mark in 1994. In 1995 EVP John Chambers succeeded Morgridge as president and CEO;
Morgridge became chairman (and Valentine vice chairman).
Cisco entered the service provider market in 1996, when it introduced a line of customer premises
equipment (CPE) products. The following year the company broke into the FORTUNE 500.
Cisco acquired several niche players in 1998, such as Precept Software (video transmission software) and
American Internet Corporation (software for set-top boxes and cable modems). That year Cisco's market
capitalization passed the $100 billion milestone, a landmark accomplishment for a company its age. In 1999
Cisco launched a new business line aimed at bringing high-speed Internet access to the consumer market. In its
largest acquisition to date, Cisco bought Cerent (fiber-optic network equipment) for $7 billion.
The company continued its acquisitive ways in 2000, snatching up more than 20 companies, including
wireless network equipment maker Aironet. With a market capitalization exceeding $500 billion, Cisco also
enjoyed a turn as the world's most valuable company that year.
Entering yet another market, Cisco acquired storage networking switch maker Andiamo Systems in 2002
(the deal closed in 2004). Key acquisitions over the next few years included home networking specialist Linksys
(2003), conferencing systems provider Latitude Communications (2004), and router developer Procket
Networks (2004). The acquisition of Procket Networks bolstered Cisco's internal router development. In 2004
the company introduced the CRS-1, a new router designed to compete with high-end offerings from challengers
such as Juniper Networks. Featuring an overhauled version of Cisco's Internetwork Operating System (IOS), the
CRS-1 resulted from four years of development and an investment of $500 million. Cisco purchased wireless
networking vendor Airespace in 2005. The acquisition provided Cisco with wireless LAN equipment for the
enterprise and government sectors.
The company's acquisition of cable set-top box leader Scientific-Atlanta for approximately $6.9 billion also
counted among its most ambitious moves. That deal, which closed in 2006, was the second largest purchase in
its history. (Cisco: paid $7 billion for optical networking equipment maker Cerent in 1999.) Cisco had long been
an advocate of the convergence of technology behind data, voice, and television networks, and the acquisition
of Scientific-Atlanta made it one of the leading providers of the set-top boxes that cable service providers use to
deliver advanced features such as movies-on-demand. The company's acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta put it in a
head-to-head battle with Motorola in the set-top box market.
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
74
Cisco spent more than $1 billion over three years to expand its operations in India, and in 2007 it unveiled a
$16 billion expansion plan for China, including investments in manufacturing, education programs, and venture
capital. Among its most significant purchases, the company acquired WebEx Communications, a leading
provider of Internet conferencing systems, for approximately $3.2 billion in 2007. Other acquisitions for 2007
included conferencing systems provider WebEx Communications ($3.2 billion), and network security specialist
Iron Port Systems ($830 million).
Cisco purchased Pure Networks, a developer of management software for home networks, in 2008. It also
acquired e-mail and calendar software maker Post Path. I have Pure Network on my computer and do
networking with it. Although, now I have a password on my network it and changed it often.
BT Ireland provides a wide range of communications networking and other IT services. The company
provides telephone and Internet services to consumers and it helps businesses and public sector agencies
implement and manage their data, voice, and wireless communications networks. Other specialties include
managed services related to call centers, network security, and network hosting. It has partnerships with such
technology product makers as Avaya and Cisco. Clients have included food and dairy products maker Glanbia,
as well as Bank of Scotland (Ireland) and Allied Irish Banks. BT Ireland, which operates from offices in Cork,
Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford, is a subsidiary of BT Group.
A Cisco Company is in Ireland Dublin, and there is one more company in Ireland selling Cisco Products.
But what I plan on bring in new connection in the Transportation Field to made it better overseas. Prosumers:
which is work from house basic business? Cell phones with new coming of technology we our coming up with
in our business Named Pie in the Sky is what I am going to called my new business and talk about some
network ideas new one coming up. I will be talking about my Blackberry 9650 Bold and HTC EVO cells
phones I have I just purchase and what they can all do. For one they work as a router in the network field. You
just had to subscribe to the data plan and extra price for hot spots.
“There are several factors a company evaluates when determining competitive advantage for a new product
or an existing product that is being taken globally. These factors include:
Strategic – First mover advantage, cross subsidization between countries, transfer price
Title
Managing Director, Northern Ireland
CEO
Head, PR
Competition in this BT company in Ireland.
Demand is driven largely by the construction needs of companies and governments and the desire of
industrial customers to improve the efficiency of operations. Profitability depends on the ability to accurately
predict costs for a project. Small firms, which can effectively compete with larger ones by having expertise in a
particular field, are often hired as consultants on larger projects if they have special expertise. Large firms are
advantaged in designing and managing large projects.
Principal Competitors
This is how I would like my company to be in Ireland and do some of this and be family owns business.
Enterprise portal technology is all about aggregating existing applications and web-enabling businesses, and Pie
in the Sky helps companies do just that. Pie in the Sky provides industry-leading organizations around the world
with complete enterprise portal solutions through the Pie in the Sky iPortal suite, a comprehensive family of
products; our unbiased support for diverse Internet and non-Internet technologies; and our standards-based
portal assembly, configuration, and management tools
New Zealand is coming up with new ideas for technologies I show them later.
Power of suppliers: and what they can do with a new company after it is started:
· Expected yield on investment (both long-term rental yield and speculative capital gains).
· Federal and State government fiscal al positions and capacity to raise debt.
· Trends in the public/private sector mix in the provision of health and educational services.
Office construction is principally determined by: growth in the service sector workforce; growth in
foreign investment inflow; and developer speculative activity. The average age of commercial office stock is an
important determinant of demand for the addition of new stock or the upgrade of existing stock. The impact of
new technologies in the areas of IT and communications has the impact of more rapidly aging building stock
and thereby increasing demand for premium stock.
Retail building construction (e.g., retail stores, shopping malls, gas stations, etc.) is principally determined
by: shopping preferences/patterns (i.e., choice between boutiques and complexes); population growth rates and
catchment areas; and patterns in c consumptions expenditure.
Hotel construction is determined by: growth in international and domestic tourism; major cultural, sporting
entertainment, business events; growth in casino licenses; and existing supply of accommodation.
Power of Customers:
ABM
Apple
Brocade
Cisco
FHLBank
San
Francisco
Sarah Lyu Consulting, Inc. promotes these benefits through custom services including:
Hess
Program Assessment and Policy Development
Corporation
Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain Management
Itron, Inc.
Robert Half
International
Union Bank
Make Me a Match!
™
Intelligent business
matchmaking
Corporate Services
Custom solutions to
grow your supplier
diversity program
Diverse Business
Services
Get certified as a
woman or minority-
owned business
Diverse Suppliers
In today's competitive marketplace, access to new business partners is critical. Delivering outstanding goods
and services means little if you are unable to connect with companies that need what you provide. Getting
certified as a diverse business can provide you with new access to potential clients, and SLC can guide you
through various certification processes, including:
SBA certification
Diverse business status can be a significant competitive advantage because many public and private sector
corporations actively seek diverse business partners. The trend, however, is to rely upon third-party agencies to
validate vendors' diverse status claims. By minimizing the time and energy required to complete certification,
SLC will allow you to focus your valuable time on generating new business leads.
Threat of substitute:
Workers are reaching unprecedented levels of productivity because they are more connected to each other
and the information they need than ever before. In the past, individuals were first exposed to “cutting-edge”
technology in the workplace, and it took years for business-world innovations such as computers and copiers to
become fixtures in the home environment. But the consumerization: of IT where new technology is adopted by
consumers even before it is introduced into the enterprise has changed the direction of technological innovation.
In fact, many individuals today have more computing power in their homes than in the workplace.
While having a more efficient workforce is obviously a positive for businesses, the proliferation of not only
mobile, wireless devices but also connected devices in the enterprise creates security challenges for IT
departments. Unsupported laptops and smartphones (such as RIM BlackBerry devices, Google Android phones
and the Palm Pre), consumer devices (such as Apple iPods and iPads), and IP-addressable devices (ranging
from digital cameras to digital printers) are being pushed aggressively into the workplace by employees at all
levels, from recent college graduates to C-level executives. Users embrace new technology in their personal
lives and resist the idea that they can’t use the same devices and applications at work even if their company’s
security policy and the IT department enforcing these rules forbid it.
However, the trend toward consumerization of IT is not just about workers demanding that they be allowed
to use trendy new devices for business instead of bland, corporate-issued mobile phones or laptops. This is
about employees bringing a range of devices into the enterprise that they believe they must have access to for
optimal productivity. Consider what the average young adult (a member of the future workforce) will “need” to
take to college this fall: a laptop or netbook, a smartphone, an MP3 player, gaming console, digital video
recorder, video camera, and digital camera. And all these devices can connect to the Internet and more often
now to each other, as well.
It was only a few years ago that the typical consumer or office worker had only one connected device and,
in most cases, it was a Microsoft Windows PC. But dramatic advancement in both communications technology
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
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and consumer electronics means that we are living and working in an infinitely more complex environment
surrounded by a diverse range of devices that can easily connect to the Internet, to each other, and, quite
possibly, to your company’s network.
IT groups struggle with mobile device management because there are so many devices in a variety of form
factors in employees’ hands and with them comes an endless array of software platforms, mobile applications,
and service providers.
Users also constantly switch devices to take advantage of the latest technology development. And
inevitably, they lose devices or allow them to be compromised or stolen. It would be ideal, of course, if IT could
manage all mobile devices in use in the enterprise through their entire life cycle, but due to the consumerization
of IT, they don’t have that control. Nor does IT have the resources to even attempt to micromanage each
individual device that is not issued or supported by the enterprise.
There is no questioning IT’s challenge: The number of mobile and wireless-enabled devices in use
worldwide is growing exponentially as are the number of remote and mobile workers. In the United States
alone, more than 257 million data-capable devices were in circulation at the end of 2009, compared with 228
million at the end of 2008, according to CTIA, a nonprofit wireless industry organization.1 Research firm IDC
predicts that by 2013, the number of mobile devices smartphones and wireless devices accessing the Internet
will surpass 1 billion.
Enterprises can expect smartphones to be a primary focus for attackers because of their popularity and the
fact that they are becoming the productivity and communications device of choice for many workers. Infonetics
Research anticipates that smartphones will be the only mobile phone segment to post double-digit annual
revenue growth over the next five years. And according to Gartner, “Most users in 2010 will use a PC as their
primary Web access device and their phone as a secondary access device. However, as take-up of smartphones
spreads globally, there will come a point in 2015 when the mobile phone will overtake the PC as the most
common primary device for Web access worldwide.”
To be sure, serious threats such as worms and malicious code are in the future for mobile devices. The first
iPhone worm, “Ikee,” appeared late last year, written by an unemployed programmer as a prank. It was a small-
scale incident: The worm targeted only Australian users with “jail broken” smartphones (phones modified to run
unauthorized software), replacing the device’s wallpaper with an image of 1980s pop star, Rick Astley.4 But
more sinister actions are likely not far behind: Researchers at Rutgers University recently warned of rootkits
that can undermine a smartphone’s operating system and allow criminals to eavesdrop Devices and applications
that are first adopted by users outside the work environment have made great inroads within businesses—but
not without raising tough questions about their impact on enterprise security. Use of technology that is not
supported by the enterprise may violate corporate security policies and may pose a risk to the organization’s
compliance with regulations related to data security.
Many criminals will likely spend little time on individual users, though, and instead focus on using their
mobile devices as a way to gain access to corporate networks, compromise hosts, and harvest sensitive business
data. Cybercriminals are more focused today on overcoming network security than simply defeating a device
the goal is to get into the network and stay there for as long as necessary or possible.
Mobile devices represent just one potential inroad into the network for that intent on doing harm. There are
more worries for businesses than smartphones: Every connection point is vulnerable from rogue hotspots to
insecure service providers, including webmail, application, portal, and cloud service providers. Complicating
matters is that many devices are now capable of sharing data with each other wirelessly, and with little effort on
the part of users to make a connection.
Wi-Fi Direct technology, for example, built into many consumer devices now entering the market, allows
consumer devices to establish connectivity through Wi-Fi, other devices (including peripheral devices, like
printers), or another network without any setup or even to create a Wi-Fi “hotspot.” Essentially, every supported
device becomes a mini access point that can connect with other Wi-Fi-enabled devices within a 300-foot range.
These ad hoc connections are convenient for end users, but they create obvious soft spots for data security
and underscore its challenge in maintaining adequate visibility into and control of the highly populated and
active endpoint landscape in the enterprise. It should be noted that the Wi-Fi Direct specification contains
security features to prevent peer-to-peer devices from compromising corporate networks. Still, the onus is on
enterprises to make sure that WPA2, an encryption technology that protects data flowing between Wi-Fi radios
and access points, is enabled on the network.
The concept of a “networked refrigerator” that’s connected to the Internet may seem like a running joke
among watchers of the Internet’s infiltration onto a host of devices, but at a time when cars with Internet-
enabled dashboard screens are being introduced, the idea of more and more business devices that can
communicate on a network doesn’t seem so far-fetched. And as wireless devices beyond the usual desktop and
laptop computers start connecting to corporate networks, the threat window only grows: Criminals need to find
only a single unguarded “in” to begin snooping into a network.
It is not difficult to find the open doors. Wireless printers, for example, which are now commonplace in the
enterprise, can retain digital images a potential boon for data thieves. What about the digital camera that can
seek a connection, to a laptop that happens to be connected to a corporate network? The camera and the laptop
establish a wireless connection, making it possible for the user of the digital camera to “leapfrog” directly into
the corporate network. The data being passed between wireless devices is also vulnerable, and could easily be
hijacked and used inappropriately.
The variety of endpoints that are capable of being connected, or are already connected, is astonishing.
This interconnectedness will escalate, as will the effects it will have on our networks. In just a few years,
every door lock, card reader, video camera, vehicle, power meter, and light switch will have an IP address at
least in the business world. Therefore, from a security standpoint, it will become increasingly important within
the enterprise and within our homes (since many of us are now mobile or remote workers, too) to segment and
firewall different classes of devices in a network.
Enterprises also should keep in mind that their “smart” office devices can be sources for data loss in other
ways no wireless connectivity required. For instance, data thieves may only need to make a small investment in
a few used digital copiers to reap a big return in their hunt for sensitive data: An investigative report by CBS
News showed how easy it is to retrieve tens of thousands of documents from digital copiers that have not had
their hard drives sanitized prior to resale. Among the information found: Design plans for a building near
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“Ground Zero,” the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Manhattan, and 95 pages of pay stubs with names,
addresses, and Social Security numbers for employees of a New York construction firm.
FarmVille 68
Mafia Wars 52
Café World 36
Treasure Isle 19
Zoo World 18
Country Life 11
Restaurant City 11
Fish Ville 10
Pet Ville 10
As organizations adapt their security strategies to meet new and emerging technologic, economic, and
demographic challenges, they also must acknowledge another powerful force: globalization. This, too, is having
a significant impact on how and where business is done, and its influencing security practice
Multinational organizations, or those looking to do business on the global stage, must navigate the
complexities and balance the demands of differing standards and attitudes toward security issues such as data
loss protection and privacy in the various countries where they conduct or want to conduct business. If an
enterprise adheres to certain standards in its primary markets of operation, will it be willing to make the effort to
tighten the rules if it moves into a market where standards are more stringent or conversely, loosen them, and
perhaps put security and privacy at risk, in a market where standards are more lax?
Take, for example, the acts against major businesses, including Google, that are alleged to have occurred
mid-to-late last year. These actions, dubbed “Operation Aurora,” involved a botnet that compromised computers
in an effort to steal corporate information and break into email accounts. Google reported theft of its intellectual
property and also said that Gmail accounts of prominent human rights activists had been attacked.
Google executives, also unhappy about China’s ongoing censorship of search engine results, announced in
March that they would begin redirecting Google users in China to uncensored search results using servers based
in Hong Kong. As of mid-March, business repercussions of this decision were becoming evident: According to
The New York Times, China Mobile, the company’s biggest cellular company, would cancel a promotional deal
placing a link to Google on its mobile Internet homepage. But the story has no clear ending as this report went
to press; Google said it was responding to threats from the Chinese government to revoke its operating license
by changing (yet again) its approach to dealing with Chinese users.
It’s not only the U.S. government that is prioritizing cyber security. Governments, aware of the national
security implications of critical infrastructure assets owned and operated by the private sector, are beginning to
encourage more private-public sector security cooperation.
Private entity assistance is particularly valuable for organizations that are working to establish standards
across borders. For instance, global nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN),
which assigns the Internet’s domain names and IP addresses, has a Government Advisory Committee consisting
of local government representatives, as well as task forces comprised of relevant businesses, such as networking
companies and equipment vendors.
The U.S. federal government is reaching out to the private sector to develop standards as well. In March,
U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra emphasized the need for collaboration between the government
and private sector in a blog post on the Office of Science and Technology website. He wrote, “It is more
important than ever that federal agencies work effectively with the private sector to ensure that meaningful
standards can be in place to meet urgent national needs.” He added, “The right starting point is to ensure that
federal agencies work closely and effectively together to define their standard’s needs, define their approach to
working with industry and standards organizations, and support their meaningful adoption by markets.”
One issue to consider when implementing these partnerships: If an enterprise partners with one
government, it may lose out on business from another country because they may believe the business would
relay sensitive information between countries. In addition, a business’s own customers may suspect that the
enterprise is getting too close for comfort with government officials, and may be sharing private customer data.
These perceptions need to be managed directly and proactively if businesses intend to proceed with certain
types of government partnerships.
There’s another twist to the security partnership angle: the idea of enterprises creating information sharing
committees (ISACs) to share more information about the threats they encounter. This is not a new concept, but
it’s one that should take on more urgency as threats increase. After all, the miscreant community is
collaborating. According to the Dark Reading security news web portal, the Bay Area CSO Council, whose
members comprise chief information and security officers from leading San Francisco and Silicon Valley area
businesses (including Cisco), is already stepping up this information sharing.
“When an advanced persistent threat (APT) attack occurs, many members are on the phone with one another
three times a week rather than for just their regular monthly teleconferences,” reports Dark Reading. The
council is also creating an online portal where members can record data about attacks and threats, hopefully
correlating information and sharing advice on defensive tactics.
Over the past year and a half, businesses of all types have been monitoring the Obama administration’s
progress on strengthening U.S. national cyber security, wondering how they might benefit or perhaps be
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affected adversely by new rules and expectations set by the government. They also wonder what they may be
asked to change or provide to help the president meet his ambitious goals.
There has been concrete progress on several fronts since President Barack Obama unveiled his cyber
security plan shortly after taking office in 2008. The administration remains focused on cyber security issues,
and it can be said that cyber defense in the U.S. government, and in the country at large, is improving. There is
increasing transparency, for example, with more reporting of threats, intrusions, and hacking incidents related to
unclassified systems. Just as in the private sector, however, the threat of cyber-attack remains a significant issue
for government.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, who stepped down from his post in mid-May, highlighted the
issue for the U.S. Congress earlier this year, indicating that the nation’s computer networks remain vulnerable to
intrusion or disruption, and that criminals are stealing information from the government and private sector every
day. He told lawmakers, “Malicious
Insight from the Security Researchers: Hackers Are Choosing Their Own Adventure
If you want to understand how today’s hackers operate, think of a book that allows the reader to select
different storyline options to pursue at the end of each chapter. According to Cisco threat research manager,
Scott Olechowski: “They have a specific target in mind when they break through the firewall. But once they are
inside, they think, now, where else can I go from here?
Why do hackers succeed? They’re lucky, they’re patient, and they’re brilliant. They’re also better funded
than you.” Today’s hackers are usually doing a job for someone else and their contact, in turn, may be working
for someone else, and so on. (This chain can lead to other companies or even governments, not just an
individual or criminal organization.) Good information always has street value, and an impressive amount of
money is likely to change hands between those who steal data and those who want it from thousands to
millions, depending on what the information is, how much there is, and who is funding the operation. This is
why the theft of intellectual property is now garnering more attention than ever from industry: It has become a
real threat to businesses’ continued ability to compete and conduct commerce.
Scan Safe has been tracking malware encounters in highly sensitive industries for two years, and its
research has revealed perhaps, not surprisingly that companies in the energy and oil, pharmaceutical and
chemical, government, and banking and finance sectors are being targeted by hackers and other cybercriminals
seeking intellectual and corporate assets and government intelligence. Targets for attack include executives and
other key employees who have direct access to this type of information.
Like the so-called “sleeper cells” that plague those who fight terrorism, persistent threats present a danger to
enterprises that have not implemented ways to identify and stop these security challenges. Instead of constant,
“noisy” attempts, persistent threats favor a “low-and-slow” approach. This type of exploit may center on
malware that, once lodged in the network, communicates only infrequently with its command-and-control
networks to evade detection, or uses social networks and other hard-to-filter means to communicate
inconspicuously.
“Advanced persistent threats” or APTs are launched by skilled attackers whose goal is to cause severe
economic disruption to the business and to gather intelligence in a targeted manner. For instance, they may seek
anything from competitive bids to natural resource contracts to engineering documents.
Because these threats are designed to remain under the security-detection radar, the intruders intend to
return repeatedly to a specific target, stealing more information. These attacks are also adaptive, meaning they
will change tactics based on your defenses. This is not a “smash-and-grab” crime it is a well-planned, long-term
scheme to separate a business from its money or intellectual property, or to gain competitive advantage.
The perpetrators of an APT launch their intrusion with the goal of stealing information perhaps intending
to sell it to a competitor. And when they want to gather more data, they don’t need to breach network defenses
again, since they’re already inside the network and presumably undetected. “Advanced persistent threats
reinforce the idea that the current cybercrime landscape is driven by business-minded, well-organized crime
syndicates,” warns Henry Stern, senior security researcher at Cisco.
How can enterprises combat such sophisticated and potentially devastating threats? Not surprisingly,
detection of APTs is difficult once they have established a presence in your network. “When a hacker is inside
the network, it really becomes a game of hide-and-seek,” notes Kurt Grutzmacher of the Cisco Advanced
Services Security Posture Assessment team. Most corporate security systems are concentrated on inbound
traffic only, which means that if an APT manages to work its way past the perimeter defenses, it may not be
detected again.
The best defense against APTs is to prevent infection to begin with, relying on user education and
network- and host-based defenses. However, enterprises must acknowledge the risk of APTs, and have the
ability to detect them if an infection occurs. Enterprises often have the tools necessary to detect APTs and stop
data exfiltration, but they lack awareness of this threat’s existence, and therefore do not focus attention on them.
Enterprises’ tools to detect APT infections on corporate networks include network monitoring, egress
filtering, and data loss systems in conjunction with base lining “normal” network usage, outbound traffic log
analysis, and data on the command-and-control nodes used as upload points for data theft. These tools, used in
combination, are keys to detection of the APT threat.
Market Analysis
Module 2 –
Our goals are predicated on achieving a high conversion rate of our sales leads. We see the first time, entry level
buyer as our prime customer prospect so we will need to generate lots of leads. If we can surpass our goals in
sales leads we can, theoretically, convert a lower percentage into customers as still meet our revenue goals.
Eliciting testimonials and encouraging word-of-mouth referrals will be important in generating new leads.
Avg. Transactions/Customer 1 1 1
PR Mentions 6 0 0
Testimonials 21 25 25
Other 0 0 0
Mailing Lists
Direct Mailings
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
Appendix
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Sales eCommerce Solution 0% $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $55,000 $65,000 $70,000 $75,000
Other 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total Sales $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $100,000 $120,000 $130,000 $140,000 $155,000
$165,000 $175,000 $185,000 $200,000
Direct Cost of Sales Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8
Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
eCommerce Solution $3,000 $4,000 $5,000 $5,500 $6,500 $7,000 $7,500 $8,000 $8,500 $9,000
$9,500 $10,000
Platinum eCommerce Solution $3,000 $3,500 $4,000 $4,500 $5,500 $6,000 $6,500 $7,500
$8,000 $8,500 $9,000 $10,000
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales $6,000 $7,500 $9,000 $10,000 $12,000 $13,000 $14,000 $15,500
$16,500 $17,500 $18,500 $20,000
Marketing Expense Budget Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7
Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Mailing Lists $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000
$1,000
Direct Mailings $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
$3,000 $3,000
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total Sales and Marketing Expenses $19,000 $6,000 $4,000 $6,000 $19,000 $6,000 $19,000
$6,000 $4,000 $6,000 $19,000 $6,000
Percent of Sales 31.67% 8.00% 4.44% 6.00% 15.83% 4.62% 13.57% 3.87% 2.42% 3.43%
10.27% 3.00%
Appendix
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
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Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Revenue $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $100,000 $120,000 $130,000 $140,000 $155,000 $165,000
$175,000 $185,000 $200,000
Leads 100 200 400 800 1,600 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000
Leads Converted 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00%
40.00% 40.00% 40.00%
Avg. Transactions/Customer 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Avg. $/Customer $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500
$1,500 $1,500
Referrals 0 0 1 2 4 8 16 16 16 16 24 24
PR Mentions 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
Testimonials 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 6
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Appendix
Gap Dashboard
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month
10 Month 11 Month 12
Personal
Add Health Insurace to benefit package 0 0 0 0 yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
Personal 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Business
Sales Revenue Meets Plan $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $100,000 $120,000 $130,000 $140,000
Business 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tactical
Monthly Emailings 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Strategic
Six tradeshows/conferences 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
Become a MS certified provider 0 0 0 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Strategic 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
We will offer bright, motivated college students who are passionate about business and investing a forum to
gain real business experience by empowering them to analyze trends, themes, and companies and write about
them outside of the classroom. The original thoughts and ideas of these business-minded Pies in the Sky will be
available on the Internet at our website: www.thePie in the Sky.com and in a hard copy newsletter printed
quarterly and mailed to subscribers. We are an informational publishing company which provides analysis
citing key trends in various industries to our subscribers. The Pie in the Sky's focus allows students to discuss
business matters most relevant to them and their Wall Street analyst counterparts’ current market and product
trends, social issues, and general stock market dynamics and decipher how these phenomena translate into
current investment opportunities. Our analysts are independent from the biases created due to the investment
banking relationships between traditional Wall Street firms and their clients. Interested readers from across
America will be able to access the collaborative findings of The Pie in the Sky by subscribing via the website
for a monthly fee of $12.95 or $129.95 per year. This flat fee includes unlimited access to our online database,
including email interaction with our analysts, as well as our quarterly newsletter, which provides the top articles
and analyses in a printed form.
The founding partners will rely upon their own investment wisdom and perspicacity as well as that of their
network of peers from other schools from across the country to create the initial knowledge base. This
foundational base will be used as a marketing tool to encourage motivated students from any university to
submit their own original investment ideas to be considered for publication on the website and newsletter of The
Pie in the Sky. We believe that motivated students will flock to this opportunity to gain exposure and honor
through publication on the website as well as in the quality periodical without the need for other monetary
compensation. Judging from the quality of investment analyses submitted we would look to recruit additional
full-time writers and compensate them accordingly. As our subscriber base continues to grow, so will the
number and quality of articles submitted by students.
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
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The Pie in the Sky has a range of possible recruitment and implementation methods including the Internet;
promotion via official college and university newsletters and magazines; with business and entrepreneurial
departments at other schools; and lastly, through friend and family networking and support.
Target Market:
Subscribers of The Pie in the Sky will be motivated to gain exposure to the pulse of collegiate America. The
Pie in the Sky's target market consists of:
Competitive Advantage:
1. There is currently no other investment publication that taps into the collective collegiate intellect.
2. We will appeal to motivated college students who are frustrated with the lack of response and
organization of internship programs at large corporations.
Our internship would be offered during the school year as well as during the summer.
Because our internship would be performed electronically, students will not need to relocate nor arrange
for lodging.
The Pie in the Sky's uniqueness stems from its planned creation of an elite team of college students who
embody America's most technologically savvy and dynamic generation of youth. College students of today
command more respect from business professionals and society at large than ever before. With the incredible
success stories of college entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Sean Fanning, everyone seems to
have an interest in the pulse of the collegiate America.
Economic Potential:
Our five year projected models indicate over one million dollars in annual revenue. Additional value-added
services and cross marketing initiatives could become accretive to our bottom line beginning two years out.
Management:
Both founding partners, Julian Combs and Dr. Miro Smriga have unique resumes and background
experiences. They each bring to the table distinct personal qualities that will complement one another as they
manage and grow their business.
Dr. Miro Smriga is majoring in finance and is ranked in the top 5% of his class. His past experience includes
being mentored under the guidance of two hedge fund managers in Japan. Dr. Miro currently serves as the Co-
fund Manager of the Investment Club at school responsible for approximately $400,000 in assets. Dr. Miro has
been managing his own personal funds in the equity markets since the age of 14. His future plans after
graduation entail working in the Investment Banking industry for a short duration and then attending graduate
school.
Julian Combs is on track to receive a dual degree in finance and government. Julian, enrolled in the Honors
Program, scored a 1500 on the SAT exam and is currently ranked in the top 10% of his class. While at school,
Julian has been extremely active in the business arena and has directed business-consulting presentations to
the Credit Suisse First Boston investment banking firm as well as BT Company and Iona Company in Ireland
consulting firm already. Julian has received over 30 prestigious awards in academics and athletics over the past
few years. Julian currently serves as the Co-fund Manager of the Investment Club responsible for approximately
$400,000 in assets.
The Offering:
We propose to offer a large minority stake in The Pie in the Sky in exchange for our desired financing to
cover start-up costs associated with promotion of our services, and business infrastructure. We are open for
negotiations.
Risks:
While any start-up company investment necessitates a high degree of risk, we are committed to using any
funds received conservatively and wisely. However, The Pie in the Sky is an Internet company. We are an
informational publishing company which provides services citing key trends in various industries to our
customers. We have decided to utilize the Internet for distribution purposes because it is the most cost efficient
method.
The Pie in the Sky is an informational publishing company whose focus allows exceptionally bright students
with business/investing interests to discuss business matters most relevant to them and their Wall Street analyst
counterparts’ current market and product trends, social issues, and general stock market dynamics and decipher
how these phenomena translate into current investment opportunities. Our analysts are independent from the
biases created due to the investment banking relationships between traditional Wall Street firms and their
clients.
1.2 Objectives:
We will offer bright, motivated students who are passionate about the stock market a forum to gain real
business experience by allowing them to analyze companies and write about them outside of the classroom.
Year: 1 2 3 4 5
1.3 Mission:
Our mission is to tap into the brightest young minds of today and tomorrow by empowering them to research
the trends, themes, and technological advances that are prevalent among college students and decipher how
these phenomena translate into the investing dynamics of the stock market.
1. Recruit qualified college students from around the country and properly integrate their research into our
services plus college student already in Anyplace in Ireland.
2. Ensure that the content we publish is truly original and unique in all aspects.
3. Convince investors and interested readers of the quality and differentiated content of our service.
4. Market our concept to institutional interests at the collegiate level and in business to ensure that more
than just individual subscribers endorse it.
Also a business must consider these things below in order to have success business.
“Getting the product in front of the customer once you get the product into the right country is another piece of
the puzzle to be solved. Following is a list of considerations the business must consider when working on
getting its products in front of potential customers: As Paul Rux has stated in his book and college work the
below items are example for you to get a business going.
Distributor Does the business hire an independent distributor? If you do hire an independent distributor,
you must ensure that you get a reliable distributor that will do exactly what you wish to have done
regarding getting your product in front of the customer.
Sales Representative Does the business hire a sales representative in the country where it plans to
conduct business? If your answer is “yes,” be sure to find a reliable sales representative who doesn’t
have a conflict of interest between your product and another product he represents. Very few sales
representatives represent only one product.
Exclusive Agency Does the business hire an exclusive agency to move only its product excluding any of
the current or potential competition? You really need to be a large company or have a huge market for
your products in order to handle the expense of an exclusive agency. Very few companies use exclusive
agencies.
Non-Exclusive Agency Does the business hire an agency that specializes in a specific industry? This
type of agency will distribute many products to the same or different locations. Again, you need to be
certain the agency doesn’t have a conflict of interest between your products and another company’s
products.
“The business must consider in its business plan which of these distribution channels is the most appropriate for
distributing its products. Each must be carefully considered in order for the business to choose the most cost-
effective distribution channel.”(Paul Rux, 2010).
“Choosing the most effective method to trend is no easy task. There are many reporting agencies producing
trends in almost every industry known in business. There are trending agencies advertising in magazines, others
who publish articles that “sell” their methods, and experts who almost always for “a small fee” are willing to
share their insight in this complicated business. A business plays a guessing game when choosing the best way
to monitor trends.” (Paul Rux, 2010).
Sales Forecast
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
August 8, 2010 Cisco Company
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$80,000
$90,000
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
References:
Vantage Point (August 11, 2010); Vantage Point Intermarket Analysis Software
https://tradertech.webex.com/mw0306lb/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=tradertech&service=1&main_url=
%2Fmc0805lb%2Fmeetingcenter%2Fdefault.do%3Fsiteurl%3Dtradertech%26main_url%3D%252Fmc0805lb
%252Fmeetingcenter%252Fmeetingend%252Flandingpage.do%253Fsiteurl%253Dtradertech%2526ishost
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Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 1: Alignment of Cultures and Value Systems with Planning
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Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 2: Universal Values--a Basis for Business Cooperation
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Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 3: Techniques for Using Culture as a Basis for Planning and
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Product Description
Module 3 –
For this section of your global business plan, you will focus on the product itself. What is the product you are
going to be producing, how you will name it and all of the technological impacts for creating and selling the
product? You are to add about four pages on the following:
Product name
Product description – Includes detailed technical explanation of how the product or process works.
Module 4 -
Now we will address the following dimensions of manufacturing and supply chains. The manufacturing section
discusses sourcing the supply chain by answering questions such as:
Module 5 -
We are going to explore the financial impacts for the product you are producing in the location you are
proposing to expand into. The following questions should be answered by your study and be included in an
additional four pages:
Module 6 -
We are going to explore the political impacts for the expansion of your business. The following questions
should be answered by your study and included in an additional four pages:
What are the additional legal and government requirements regarding licenses, insurance, etc.?
How do the regulations in this country affect the production, distribution, and sales of the product?
Personnel Plan
Module 7 –
We are going to create a personnel plan for the expansion of your business. The following questions should be
answered by your plan and included in an additional four pages. Be sure to include an organizational chart in
your document.
Module 8 –
We are going to finish your global business plan. In order to finish the document, you need to include the
following information in your business plan:
Works Cited or Bibliography – This is the next page behind this section
Title Page – This is already included in the template, but be sure it is filled out.
Executive Summary – This is a summary of the entire document and is inserted before the Module 1 addition to
this document. The summary should read in an enticing way so the reader will want to know more about where
you are going with this expansion.
References:
http://premium.hoovers.com/subscribe/tools/downloads/list.xhtml?ID=ffffrycscrhyxfchkf
http://www.answers.com/topic/iona-technologies-plc-adr
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Paul Rux, (2004) Theme 2: Theme 2: The Impact of Protectionism on Planning and Managing
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Paul Rux, (2004) Theme 3: Factors for Beating Competition in Foreign Market, Retrieved on
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Paul Rux, (2004) Theme 4 Countries Considered as Key Drivers for Global Strategy in the
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Porter Michael, (2010): Porter’s Five Forces a Module Industry Analysis, August 7, 2010
The Roadmap to 2020, June 23, 2010 -- Fueling the Growth of Women's Enterprise Development