Business Plan Checklist

I thought it would be useful to have a Business Plan Checklist as business people always want a business plan.  It demonstrates to others that you’ve carefully thought through all the options and possibilities and completely understand exactly what needs to be done. It also is a useful ‘yardstick’ that you can refer to as you’re on your business journey. Others like some entrepreneurs think that business plans are outdated. Sometimes they are a necessary evil when asking for funding from venture capitalists and business angels. You’ll find that the Business Plan Checklist below is a comprehensive list from which you can decide what to include or exclude.

Section 1 – Executive Summary

• The purpose of the document and its intended audience
• Summary of current headline figures:
  • sales
  • profit
  • staff
• Ownership of the business
• Timescale of plan
• Products and Services and their unique selling points (USPs)
• State any funding requirements and source of those funds

Section 2 – Company Information

• When did the business started?
• Key milestones in the company’s history
• Vision
• Mission
• Objectives
• Ownership of the business

Section 3 – Products and Services

• Description of each product or service:
  • Unique selling points
  • How does it compare to the competition?
  • Timescale and cost estimates before ready to go to market

Section 4 – Markets, customers and competitors

• Describe the target markets in detail:
  • Current and future trends
  • Growth
  • Numbers
  • Show market demographics
• Your Business Customers:
  • How many?
  • Names
• Competitive Analysis

Section 5 – Marketing and Selling

• The make up of the sales team
• Pricing policy
• Promotional activities
• Distribution channels
• For each product/service, describe how it is:
  • positioned
  • priced
  • placed
  • promoted
  • sold
• Sales forecast
• State how are customers cared for
• How are new prospect opportunities generated?

Section 6 – People and Organization

• Organization chart
• Key management team
  • role
  • name
  • experience
  • education
  • qualifications
• Recruitment requirements to meet business plan aim
• Training and development plan

Section 7 – Operations

• List targets and milestones
• List key change projects
• Any scaling and output limitations?
• Location and Facilities

Section 8 – Financial Forecasts

• Key Ratios
• Forecasted profit and loss statement
• Forecasted balance sheet
• Forecasted cashflow statement

Section 9 – Appendices

• List of patents and trademarks
• Detailed bios on the management team
• Audited accounts
• Market research evidence