What is a Business Plan? – Business Plans 101

The following points cover a few Business Plan basic points:

Definition:  A Business Plan usually represents an outline of a new or existing business.  It may contain a blueprint for the whole business or just a part of it. 

Presentation:  It is usually presented in a Word or PDF document containing text, graphs and tables.

Length:  The Business Plan length usually ranges between 25-30 pages excluding appendix.  There is no minimum or maximum length for a Business Plan, however, presenters may consider their audience expectations when reviewing this aspect of the business plan.

Where to Start:  A good starting point may be to briefly outline all key issues pertinent to a business plan in one sheet of paper.  Thereafter, the development of the plan can be prioritized and organized.  For more information, visit http://www.voksebiz.com/business-plans-blog/2011/9/20/how-to-start-your-business-plan.html

Format:  The format of a business plan in terms of presentation can vary according to the purpose and resources available.  For example, a fashion designer may want a business plan that reflects its creativity.  Therefore more or less graphs and design elements will be added to the business plan.  In general, a well put together Word document should be sufficient.  A few aspects regarding the format follow:

• Cover – The cover of a business plan may include the business name, type of document (business plan), name of responsible party, contact information, and date.  A punch line can also be included (for example,   the vision statement).  In terms of formatting, at a basic level, the cover may include a graph or picture and a few elements of design such as a colored background. 
• Font – The text font may be size 11pt and types may vary according to preferences and purpose.  Classic font types for business plans include Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman and Book Antigua. The font for titles maybe size 16pt in bold. 
• Organization – The content is usually structure in a few major sections (for example, business overview, marketing, operations, financials, etc.) which are divided in sub-sections according to the business particularities.   For more information regarding structure, see http://www.voksebiz.com/business-plans/.
• Printing and binding – In general, business plans are printed in color and professionally bound.  Extra touches for a business plan include printing in a higher quality paper and biding at a specialize document store. 

For a sample business plan, please visit http://vokse.squarespace.com/solutions/.