1. Marketing Plan
    1. Economics
      1. What is the total size of your market?
      2. What percent share of the market will you have?
      3. Current demand in target market
      4. Trends in target market
        1. Growth trends
        2. trends in consumer preferences
        3. trends in product development
      5. Growth potential and opportunity for a business of your size
      6. What barriers to entry do you face in entering this market with your new company?
        1. High capital cost: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier?
        2. High production costs: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier?
        3. High marketing costs: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier?
        4. Consumer acceptance: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier?
        5. Brand recognition: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are the current brands?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier?
        6. Training and skills: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier barrier?
        7. Unique technology and patents: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are strategies to overcome this barrier?
        8. Unions: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are the strategies to overcome this barrier?
        9. Shipping costs: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are the strategies to overcome this barrier?
        10. Tariff barriers and quotas: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, then what are they?
          2. What are the strategies to overcome this barrier?
      7. How could the following affect your company?
        1. Change in technology
          1. Positive
          2. Negative
          3. What are strategies to overcome the potentail negative affects?
        2. Change in government regulations
          1. Positive
          2. Negative
          3. What are strategies to overcome the potentail negative affects?
        3. Change in the economy
          1. Positive
          2. Negative
          3. What are strategies to overcome the potentail negative affects?
        4. Change in your industry
          1. Positive
          2. Negative
          3. What are strategies to overcome the potentail negative affects?
    2. Products and Services
      1. Specifications
      2. What factors will give you competitive edge?
        1. Quality?
        2. Unique?
        3. Proprietary features?
      3. What are the ___?
        1. Costs
        2. Prices
        3. Fee
        4. Leasing structures
      4. Customer Perspective
        1. Features
          1. What is special about it?
          2. Advantages?
          3. Disadvantages?
        2. Benefits
          1. What will the product do for the customer?
          2. Advantages?
          3. Disadvantages?
      5. What after-sale services will you give?
    3. Target Customers
      1. If retail...(be specific to your industry)
        1. Age
        2. Gender
        3. Location
        4. Income Level
        5. Social class
        6. Occupation
        7. Education
      2. If business...(be specific to your industry)
        1. Industry (or portion of an industry)
        2. Location
        3. Size of firm
        4. Quality
        5. Technology
        6. Price preferences
    4. Competition
      1. What products and companies will compete with you?
      2. List your major competitors
        1. Names
        2. Addresses
      3. Will they compete with you...?
        1. Across the board: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, what are their advantages?
          2. What strategies can you deploy to gain the advantage?
        2. Just for certain products: (Yes/No)
          1. If yes, what products?
          2. What strategies are there to differentiate you?
        3. Just for certain customers: (Yes/ No)
          1. If yes, what customers?
          2. What strategies are there to give you the advantage?
        4. Just for certain locations: (Yes/ No)
          1. If yes, what locations?
          2. What strategies are there to give you the advantage?
      4. How will you products or services compare with the competition?
        1. Competitive Analysis table
          1. Factor
          2. Me
          3. Strength
          4. Weaknesses
          5. Competitor A
          6. Competitor B
          7. Importance to Customer
          8. Products
          9. Price
          10. Quality
          11. Selection
          12. Service
          13. Reliability
          14. Stability
          15. Expertise
          16. Company Reputation
          17. Location
          18. Appearance
          19. Sales Method
          20. Credit Policies
          21. Advertising
          22. Image
    5. Niche
      1. What is it?
      2. Where is it in the market?
    6. Strategy
      1. Promotion
        1. How will you get the word out to customers?
        2. Advertising
          1. What media?
          2. Why?
          3. How often?
          4. Why this mix?
        3. Identify low-cost methods to get the most out of your promotional budget?
        4. What methods will you use other than paid advertising?
          1. trade shows
          2. If yes, which ones?
          3. Where are they?
          4. What is the cost?
          5. Catalogs
          6. If yes, which ones?
          7. Where are they circulated?
          8. What is the cost?
          9. dealer incentives
          10. If yes, which ones?
          11. Where are they?
          12. What is the cost?
          13. word of mouth
          14. If yes, how?
          15. Network of friends / professionals
          16. If yes, who?
        5. What image do you want to project?
        6. How do you want customers to see you?
        7. What plans do you have for graphic image support?
          1. Logo design
          2. Cards
          3. Letterhead
          4. Brochures
          5. Signage
          6. Interior design
        8. Should you have a system to identify repeat customers and then systematically contact them?
      2. Promotional Budget
        1. How much will you spend on the items listed above?
        2. Before startup?
        3. Ongoing?
      3. Pricing
        1. Does your pricing strategy fit with what was revealed in your competitive analysis?
        2. Compare your prices with those of the competition.
          1. Are they higher,lower, or the same?
          2. Why?
        3. How important is price as a competitive factor?
          1. Do your intended customers really make their purchase decisions mostly on price?
        4. What will be your customer service and credit policies?
      4. Proposed Location
        1. Is your location important to your customers?
          1. If yes, how?
        2. If customers come to your place of business:
          1. Is it convenient?
          2. Parking?
          3. Interior spaces?
          4. Not out of the way?
          5. is it consistent with your image?
          6. Is it what customers want and expect?
        3. Where is the competition located?
          1. Is it better for you to be near them or distant?
      5. Distribution Channels
        1. How do you sell your products or services?
          1. Retail
          2. Direct
          3. Your own sales force
          4. Agents
          5. Independent representatives
          6. Bid on contracts
    7. Sales Forecast
  2. Operational Plan
    1. Production
      1. How are your products or services produced?
        1. Production techniques and costs
        2. Quality control
        3. Customer service
        4. Inventory control
        5. Product development
      2. Where are your products or services produced?
        1. Product development
        2. Inventory control
        3. Customer service
        4. Quality control
        5. Production techniques and costs
    2. Location
      1. What qualities do you need in a location?
      2. Physical requirements
        1. Amount of space?
        2. Type of building?
        3. Zoning?
        4. Power and other utilities
      3. Access
        1. Is it important that your location be convenient to transportation or to suppliers?
        2. Do you need easy walk in access?
        3. What are your requirements for parking and proximity to freeway, airports, railroads, and shipping centers?
        4. Construction?
      4. Cost
        1. Occupation expenses
        2. rent
        3. maintenance
        4. utilities
        5. insurance
        6. initial remodeling costs
      5. What will be your business hours?
    3. Legal Environment
      1. Licensing and bonding requirements
      2. permits
      3. health, workplace, or environmental regulations
      4. Special regulations covering your industry or profession
      5. Zoning or building code requirements
      6. Insurance coverage
      7. Trademarks, copyrights, or patents
    4. Personnnel
      1. Number of employees
      2. Type of labor
      3. Where and how will you find the right employees?
      4. Quality of existing staff
      5. Pay structure
      6. Training methods and requirements
      7. Who does which tasks?
      8. Do you have schedules and written procedures prepared?
      9. Have you drafted job descriptions for employees?
      10. For certain functions, will you use contract workers in addition to employees?
    5. Inventory
      1. What kind of inventory will you keep?
        1. Raw materials?
        2. Supplies?
        3. Finished goods?
      2. Average value in stock?
      3. Rate of turnover and how this compares to the industry averages?
      4. Seasonal buildups?
      5. Lead-time for ordering?
    6. Suppliers
      1. Names and addresses
      2. Type and amount of inventory furnished
      3. Credit and delivery policies
      4. History and reliability
      5. Should you have more than one supplier for critical items?
      6. Do you expect shortages or short-term delivery problems?
      7. Are supply costs steady or fluctuating?
        1. If fluctuating, how would you deal with changing costs?
    7. Credit Policies
      1. Do you plan to sell on credit?
      2. Do you really need to sell on credit?
        1. Is it customary in your industry and expected by your clientele?
      3. If yes, what policies will you have about who gets credit and how much?
      4. How will you check the creditworthiness of new applicants?
      5. What terms will you offer your customers; that is, how much credit and when is payment due?
      6. Will you offer prompt payment discounts?
      7. Do you know what it will cost you to extend credit?
      8. Have you built the costs into your prices?
    8. Managing Your Accounts Receivables
      1. Subtopic 1
        1. Accounts Receivable Aging
          1. Subtopic 1
          2. Subtopic 2
          3. Subtopic 3
          4. Subtopic 4
          5. Subtopic 5
          6. Subtopic 6
      2. Policies to deal with slow-paying customers
        1. When do you make a phone call?
        2. When do you send a letter?
        3. When do you get your attorney to threaten?
    9. Managing Your Accounts Payable
      1. Do your proposed vendors offer prompt payment discounts?
      2. Subtopic 2
        1. Accounts Payable Aging
          1. Subtopic 1
          2. Subtopic 2
          3. Subtopic 3
          4. Subtopic 4
          5. Subtopic 5
          6. Subtopic 6
  3. Management and Organization
    1. Who will manage the business on a day to day basis?
    2. What experience does that person bring to the business?
    3. What special or distinctive competencies?
    4. Is there a plan for continuation of the business if this person is lost or incapacitated?
    5. Professional and Advisory Support
      1. Board of directors
      2. Management advisory board
      3. Attorney
      4. Accountant
      5. Insurance agent
      6. Banker
      7. Consultant or consultants
      8. Mentors and key advisors
  4. Financial Plan
    1. Personal Financial Statement
    2. Startup Expenses and Capitalization
    3. 12-Month Profit and Loss Projection
    4. Four-Year Project Projection
    5. Projected Cash Flow
    6. Opening Day Balance Sheet
    7. Break-Even Analysis