This "How to Prepare a Business Plan" website includes the following which are teasers only to persuade you to purchase the downloads; however these teasers may prove helpful.
HOW TO PREPARE A BUSINESS PLAN $12.50
You will learn:
what information must be included in the business plan to satisfy the requirements of lenders and investors;
how your information should be presented;
how to prepare an executive summary;
how and where to gather industry information;
how the business plan should be constructed and written;
who should write the business plan, and why;
who should review the plan, and why.
HOW TO PREPARE A BUSINESS PLAN
It is important to tailor every business plan to the particular circumstances of your company. A lot will depend on how familiar the intended reader already is with respect to your company and, if the purpose of the business plan is for raising funds, how much money is being asked for and for what purpose. It will not always be necessary to include each of the sections suggested below; some sections can be combined. Alternatively, in some cases additional sections may be needed.
You as a principal of the company are understandably enthusiastic about the product or service or project that is the focal point of the business plan. It is important to remember, however, that a prospective investor/lender reading your plan will approach it from a much more skeptical point of view. It is your job to enlighten the investor/lender – demonstrate the importance of what you are offering, the reasons the public will want to purchase your product or service, the market need you will be filling, the profitability of the project, and the reasons why this person should give you their money. And you must do so in a realistic and rational manner, with sufficient research and information to justify your assumptions.
However, because management is enthusiastic about the project and determined to see it work, the management team should be responsible for writing the business plan, to ensure that their sense of direction and vision for the future comes across. If your company’s principals have little or no experience in preparing a business plan, seek advice and input from your accountants, legal advisors and business consultants. They can help you construct a cohesive, thorough, well-researched and effective plan, while retaining the "company style".
CONSTRUCTION & APPEARANCE
Length
The first issue to consider is the length of the business plan. There is no specific formula to determine the length of a business plan – it depends on the stage of the company’s development and the purpose for which the plan is being prepared. It should be kept as short as possible, while still presenting all of the information that investors and lenders are looking for to assist them in their decision-making.
The individual sections of the plan should be concise and to the point. Supporting documentation – financial statements, market research studies, articles in support, etc. – should be attached as appendices, to be reviewed at the reader’s leisure.
Information Gathering
Below you will find an overview of the sections generally included in a business plan, and the information required. The company management should hold a number of planning sessions to accomplish the following:
(i) decide what the section headings will be;
(ii) decide who will coordinate and write the plan;
(iii) determine which information is readily available and which will have to be obtained from other sources (legal counsel, accountants, etc.);
(iv) decide who will be responsible for gathering this additional information;
(v) gather and organize the information as it becomes available;
(vi) brainstorm for ideas;
(vii) write a first draft;
(viii) challenge the assumptions from various perspectives;
(ix) revise and rewrite the plan until it is satisfactory.
HOW TO PREPARE A MARKETING PLAN $7.50
Topics include:
determining your target market
estimating your market share
a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)
determining your competitive edge and realizing its marketing potential
evaluating the competition and how your business stacks up against your main competitors
setting pricing strategies.
HOW TO PREPARE A MARKETING PLAN
How well you market your business will be a key factor in how successful your business becomes. That is why it is vitally important to develop a solid, workable marketing plan. You can develop a marketing plan for your business by answering the following questions. (Potential franchise owners will have to use the marketing strategy the franchisor has developed.) Your marketing plan should be included in your business plan and contain answers to the questions outlined below.
Who are your customers? Define your target market(s).
Are your markets growing? steady? declining?
Is your market share growing? steady? declining?
If your business is a franchise, how is your market segmented?
Are your markets large enough to expand?
How will you attract, hold, increase your market share? If a franchise, will the franchisor provide assistance in this area? Based on the franchisor’s strategy, how will you promote your sales?
What pricing strategy have you devised?
Marketing Plan Outline
There are a variety of styles and formats used for marketing plans. The following section headings will help you organize your plan, however, the content of the plan is much more important than rigid adherence to a specific format.
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary highlights the main goals and recommendations of the marketing plan. It should also briefly address budget requirements and how success will be measured.
BUSINESS PLAN $25.00
Key points of the business plan include:
The plan can be used by either a start-up or an existing production company.
The plan is intended to raise funds through private investment.
The template includes a financial plan section setting out how the money will be raised, how the funds will be used, and a series of assumptions on which the revenue model is based.
The plan contains a summary of how revenues are disbursed and a determination of ROI (return on investment), and potential income projections.
Also included is a confidentiality agreement to be signed by each person who reads the plan in order to protect your proprietary information, such as financial data.
The information contained in this business plan is confidential and proprietary to [NAME OF COMPANY] (the "Company") and is intended only for the persons to whom it is transmitted by the Company or its representatives. Any reproduction of this document, in whole or in part, or the divulgence of any of its contents without the prior written consent of the Company, is prohibited.
This is a business plan. It does not imply and shall not be construed as an offering of securities. Prospective investors are not to construe the contents of this document as investment, legal or tax advice from either the Company or the preparers of this document. Any prospective investor should consult with professional investment advisors and gain professional legal and tax advice.
Each potential investor specifically understands and agrees that any estimates, projections, revenue models, forecasts or assumptions are by definition uncertain and thus possibly unreliable. Any party considering a transaction with the Company agrees to look solely to its own due diligence.
Business Plan Copy No. _______
Confidentiality Agreement
The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided by [NAME OF COMPANY] in this business plan is confidential. Therefore, the undersigned reader agrees not to disclose any of such information without the express written permission of [NAME OF COMPANY].
It is hereby acknowledged by the undersigned that the information to be furnished in this business plan is in all respects confidential in nature (other than such information which is already in the public domain through other means) and that any disclosure or use of same by the undersigned may cause serious harm or damage to [NAME OF COMPANY].
Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to [NAME OF COMPANY].
Signature
Print Name
Date
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Confidentiality Agreement i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 I. THE COMPANY 2
1.1 History & Background 2
1.2 Management and Organization 2
II. THE FILM PROJECT 3
2.1 Synopsis of Script 3
2.2 Writers 3
2.3 Production Crew 3
III. THE INDUSTRY 4
3.1 Production 4
3.2 Theatrical Distribution 4
3.3 Foreign Exhibition 5
3.4 Independent Films 5
IV. THE MARKET 6
V. DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY 7
VI. INVESTMENTOPPORTUNITY 9
VII. FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS 10
7.1 Financing Plan 10
7.2 Return on Investment 10
7.3 Assumptions 11
7.4 Potential Income Projections 13
[NAME OF COMPANY]
BUSINESS PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
(NOTE: The Executive Summary is the section of the business plan in which you give an overview of the business, its present status and future direction, and highlight the key points and the purpose of your business plan. This section should be written after the rest of the business plan, and should not exceed 3 pages in length - that’s why it’s called a "summary".)
Company Background
[NAME OF COMPANY] (the "Company") is an independent film production company which is in the process of being formed/created as a [describe, e.g. "a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State/Province of ___________"], for the purpose of producing a [feature length] motion picture with the working title "____________" (the "Project").
The Company [is/will be] managed by a team of _____________ individuals with a total of _______ years experience in the field of film production, a chief financial officer with _____ years of accounting and administrative experience, and _________ [list].
The Industry
North American box office figures topped $___ billion in ______ [year]. Analysts project a $____ billion worldwide box office in ______. Independent films brought in $_________ of the total year’s box office gross worldwide.
