Examples of
Business Plans -- So Many To Choose From
We all start out looking for examples of business
plans. We just want to see what they look like. I did too.
In fact, when I started writing business plans over 20 years ago, I went to
a three day seminar just to find out what a business plan looks like.
I discovered that business plans were massive tomes in
tiny print with page after page after page of numbers. (No, there
weren't even any charts.)
You are very fortunate. Today's examples of
business plans look very different than those from 20-25 years ago. A
business plan has morphed into a vibrant, snazzy document that reflects your
business and your personality.
When we designed the 7-Step Business Plan series, we
knew we had to include examples of business plans so that you too would get
your first glimpse. So we did.
Every single 7-Step Business Plan set includes
examples of business plans.
For example, all of these include links to over 40
examples of
business plans:
Yoga Studio
This works brilliantly with all forms of martial arts too.
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Web Design
There is a huge demand for talented web designers.
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Technology
Go capture the brave new world of technology with this business plan.
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Temporary
Staffing Agency
In down times, companies rent employees rather than hire them.
This is a strong business right now.
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Travel Agency
The whole travel industry has gone online, and become much better for
it.
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Wedding
Planner
The emphasis may be on "thrifty", but love and marriage are always in
style.
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Professional Speaker
Use the skills you already possess to tackle the speaking circuit.
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Wine Bar
Good wine. Good conversation. A wonderful business.
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Sports Bar
There are a lot of variations on a them in sports bars.
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Photographer
Knowing "business" is every bit as important as knowing photography. |
Infopreneur
This is the exploding arena for work at home moms, dads and everyone
else too. |
Kids Gym
Children's talents shine in this growing industry. |
... and lots more!
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Check the links at the top
of the nav bar for more options. |
Sometimes even 40 free business plan
samples weren't enough, so we included literally
HUNDREDS.
Each of the following business plans comes with a separate ebook listing
over 400 links to free business plans:
Magazine Publishing
Most magazines start online, then grow. So can yours.
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Aviation Business
Whether you company repairs, flies or builds, this industry continues
to grow.
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eBay
The granddaddy of sales sites. This provides nice incomes for
lots of people. |
Construction
Not all construction has stopped, nor will it. Check out examples of
business plans to get yours right. |
Franchising
Millions of success stories come from franchising. Pick your
company carefully and you will be well on your way. |
Casino
Whether it is a stand alone, or combined with a hotel or resort, this
is a very profitable business. |
Once you've examples of business plans,
what do you do with them?
Do you pick one and use it verbatim? Not a chance.
Examples of business plans that other
people have written
represent a vanilla style of writing and presentation for some non-existent
business. Truthfully, most of them are pretty lousy.
But yours is not a "non-existent business".
Your business is very real, even if it doesn't have a home yet. Your
business has a personality, a direction, a sense of style that sample
business plans just don't have.
Let's look at a "for instance".
Here's a typical paragraph from a free
business plan:
The book store will feature mystery
writers from all eras. This store is based on a successful store in
the Mendocino area, and will be located in downtown Greenville.
Now this paragraph has good intentions.
For instance,
- It tells why the store is unique.
- It tells where it will be located, and
the population it will serve.
- It builds on the success of another
business.
These are all important things to include
in a business plan. But you can do it a whole lot better. Lets
take just one of those sentences and show how you can write it. Let's
take "This store is based on a successful store in the Mendocino area..." Here is what your page may look
like:
Multiple
Streams of Income in a Mysterious Surrounding
On a trip to Mendocino in Northern
California two years ago we stumbled upon a tiny bookstore in the
back of an alley. Venturing inside, we discovered shelf after
shelf of amazing mystery books. There were even some first
edition Edgar Allen Poes!
We knew immediately that this is
the model we wanted for our business.
But we knew too that we would need
to update and expand the idea to make it viable. We began our
planning right then. We have designed a bookstore that:
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Focuses on mystery books of all
eras.
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Incorporates collectible books,
but does not rely on them.
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Incorporates mystery games, such
as the new "Mystery Monopoly".
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Serves teas and coffees and light
munchies, all with a mysterious theme, such as "Sherlock's Soda".
Then we did one thing more that is
immensely important: We took the business online.
It is the online store that makes
it possible for our business to reach around the world. We
started it about a year ago, and already have enjoyed tremendous
success with it. For instance,
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Our income from the online store
is now over $3,000 a month (with very limited overhead).
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Our product mix is telling us
what sells, and what doesn't.
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Our ezine keeps us in touch with
potential buyers on a weekly basis.
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We have sold books to people in
over 30 countries throughout the world, with that number growing.
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Will this approach get you funding if the
projections aren't right? NEVER!
But will it give confidence to your lender?
Absolutely.
This kind of approach for a bookstore
demonstrates that you are a creative person with strong business skills.
You took an existing business model and made it better. Cool.
SO WHY EVEN BOTHER WITH EXAMPLES OF
BUSINESS PLANS?
It would be easier if we just left out the
examples of business plans. They take a long time to track down and
categorize. There are actually two reasons we include them: the
troops would rebel, and they really do serve a useful purpose.
Everyone asks for examples of business
plans, even us.
And that brings me to the "useful" part.
Reading through a few business plans to get an idea of what they cover, how
they are organized, etc., is very useful. As you read through your
examples of business plans, there are some things you should be looking for,
such as:
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Formatting that looks clean and
sharp.
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Color schemes that "work".
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Strong descriptions of business.
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Marketing plans that are persuasive.
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Biographical summaries that describe
a successful person.
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Types of funding that have worked,
especially those non-obvious ones.
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Mention of sources for demographics
or marketing stats.
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Specific language or phrases that
sound snappy.
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Cover art that is interesting.
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Projections that make sense.
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Clues to the basis of projections.
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How to handle the catastrophe
contingency, an increasingly important issue.
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How much money to set aside for a
rainy day.
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How others found ways of saving
money and locating bargains.
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How to use charts and graphs and
maps to present your demographics.
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What they do to entice the reader to
read more.
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What do they do if the industry is
in a slump.
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What makes you like one business
plan, and not like another.
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There is a lot more that you can discover in
examples of business plans. Whatever your special circumstances are, keep an
eye out for how other people handled the issue. You will be amazed at
how often you can devise a better solution for yourself.
Back to top of Examples of
Business Plans
C.J. Ralph,
