As the old Chinese General Sun Tzu once said, that a strategy without any tactic tied to it would be the slowest route to a good victory. But tactics without any strategy would be the noise before the defeat. There are some business owners who compare business strategies to that of a strategy for war. To always be prepared for anything, and to always know what your competitors do and think. Basically be prepared for anything and everything that may come your way. For business owners to know and to be two or three steps ahead of their competitors, is also a good strategy. As they say, doing business is like going to war. You do not know the outcome, but if your strategy is good, there is a higher chance of being successful. This is especially true when you have your own business plan well thought out and well written. If you think that a business plan is not a good idea for your business or to own one is not a good enough plan, you may want to think twice before saying or convincing yourself with that idea. For more information, check out 100+ business plan examples.
What is a business plan? A business plan is a road map, a series of guidelines for companies or business men and women written down to plan, to view and to see where they may be heading. May it be in the right direction that would give them success, or the wrong direction which would lead them to failures and a lot of harmful risks. Business plans are like the lesson plans for teachers except these are for companies. These business plans help out with putting up the bigger picture and seeing as to where their ideas may take them. Basically, rather than having to go blind and wing it, which leads to a lot of risks, writing out a business plan would not only help them see, know and understand the possibilities, it would also help them lessen the risks. There are a lot of ways a business plan can go, it can take a month or two months even more just to write out a strategy on how to do business without risking anything as you go.
These are the five types of business plans. Each business plan has its own purpose and information that is suited for the company or the person starting up a business and what each can do for them.
This kind of business plan differs from other business plans as this gives a full view or a very specific view of the goals of the business or the company. In addition to that, every strategy that would give out a positive outcome with lesser risks. However, this kind of plan would need a lot of time and effort given as this is based more on strategy. The better strategy in all aspects of the business, the better chance of achieving the goals set.
For this kind of business plan, the key points are who and what. This means who will buy what the company or your business would be selling, and what kind of product are you planning on selling. This type of business plan revolves around the aspect of making profit in a way that gives a 100% possibility of earning more in a short period of time. This kind of business plan of course would need more than just luck and strategy, it would also need to know and understand what products or services can be offered from your company or business and to sell it out to other companies, or to sell it out there.
An operations business plan is a kind of plan which outlines the responsibilities of the employees or the people involved in the business or the company. This kind of business plan serves more as to what the responsibilities of each person is, how it’s being done and by carrying through with all the deadlines and the activities that were stated should be done before the end of the quarter or the year. This is more like the heart of the business plan compared to the other types of business plans
For the growth business plan this kind of business plan mainly focuses on the growth that you are expecting and the actual growth of your company or business. This kind of plan simply gives out the right details and information that is necessary for growth and for any potential business investors to take part by investing in your business or company.
This type of business plan aims more into how to reach your goals in your business or company. Start-up business plans are mostly used by aspiring business owners, or those who are simply starting up and are not as confident or sure with how their business may go through. However, it does not mean that this kind of business plan is not worth trying out. Think of this kind as a stepping stone for you.
Since we are already familiar with what a business plan is, and the purpose of it. We are now moving on to learning how to write your own. We have also discussed the six types of business plans, but how you plan to write yours will be based on your own knowledge and your own strategies as well. These tips are merely a road map or an outline on how it should look when you’re done. Ready? Let’s get started.
The first thing that should be placed when making your own business plan is your vision and mission statement. What do you envision your business to be doing? What do you wish to accomplish when doing your business or when running your own company? In addition to that, do not forget your mission statement. Your mission statement should state the whole purpose and focus of your business or the company you are hoping to build.
Next step for your business plan is to write what your business or company is about. Why do you need to do this? The purpose of writing a short business definition is to let your clients know all about what you are selling or what products you are going to be selling. That is not all, you must also provide the name of your company or business, the address or the location and the contact information. When you have completed this, you are ready for the next step.
What is a business plan without goals and a couple of objectives? A business plan without goals or an objective is not an effective business plan at all. It must at least have some goals and the objectives that you want to achieve and fulfill. Business goals and their objectives help out by motivating you to reach them. It also motivates your employees to work harder to attain them. In addition to that, it also gives you the opportunity to do your best, find ways and overcome any obstacle in the way.
This is also something to think about when you write out your business plan. Do not forget to talk or to write about what you are planning on selling. What are your merchandise and how effective are these that you’re selling to the public. In addition to that, the utilities. You must at least be sure enough to know if it works perfectly, you have to find a manufacturer who is able to make more of your merchandise to sell it out to potential customers. Plan it all.
The last tip I am going to leave you with is Planning of Sales. Plan out how you are going to convince potential customers to buy your merchandise. How are you going to tell them that your product is better than those your competitors are also sharing? This is where strategy comes to play. Be careful how you play with your words when you plan to convince customers. Explain your product, be specific, answer their questions and lastly, plan all these to make a successful business plan.
A business plan is a road map, a guideline for both aspiring business owners or those who have already been in the field with experiences under their belt. A business plan helps business owners and companies to help them see the bigger picture of attaining their goals.
The five types of a business plan is the Strategic Business Plan which focuses more on the strategy on how you plan to go with your business. The second one is Feasibility Business Plan. This business plan’s main purpose is to answer main key points, like who and what. This means that what are you planning on doing and who are you aiming that plan towards to? The third business plan is the Operations Business Plan. From the term itself, it’s focus is on the responsibilities of the employees and their jobs. The fourth type of business plan is Growth Business Plan. This kind of business plan focuses mainly on the growth you are expecting to gain and the growth you are actually gaining for your business. Lastly, the fifth business plan is Start-Up Business Plan. This is the type of business plan that aspiring business owners use in a way that it only focuses on how to start a business and how to succeed in it without much of the risks that go with it.
The risk of having to not use any business plan holds a higher problem than those who do. The reason for this is, a business plan helps you by giving you a view of what you want to do with your business. There are steps that should be taken to ensure that what you are doing is safe and legal. Business plans are your road maps to the business world. They help you see the bigger picture as well as to see any potential risks that may be present and how to handle them.
This is the end of the article. This is the end of the discussion about business plans. We have discussed the purpose, the definition and the tips to making an effective business plan. It is without a doubt that no matter how much work you have done with your business plan, there would still be some risks present, however, the risks would not be a lot. Even if these risks may not be as heavy as it usually is without a business plan, it is always good to know that your business plan, your road map for success can be helpful in every way possible. Good Luck with writing your very own business plan. Check out the tips written above for some guide.