the

business plan
A GUIDE TO WRITING YOUR NEXT SUCCESS STORY
busi.ness plan
noun
a document setting out a business's future objectives and
strategies for achieving them.

by
Mekeisha T. Naughton
 Mission Statement
This provides a clearly stated purpose of your business and the goals you have for
succeeding.

DESCRIBE YOUR VISION AND WRITE SOME GOALS 

PURPOSE

MY TO-DO LIST

WRITE YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

 The Business Name
What will you call your business? Try to be unique professional and marketable. It
should not be too complicated to spell either. You want your customers to easily find
your or remember all of your handles and websites. You also want it to be able to be
registered with the state.

POSSIBLE BUSINESS NAMES

Official Name

PRIMARY OPERATING LOCATION

 The Perfect Customer
Who do you  believe is the ideal customer? Describe the person that will benefit the
most from your business.

Who do you
D E Mwant
O G R A Pto buy?
HIC S Why do you want them to buy?

MY TO-DO LIST

This is called your This is called your

DEMOGRAPHICS PSYCHOGRAPHICS
and includes data like age, gender, and includes buyer habits,
income, marital status... the dry hobbies, spending habits and
facts. values.

Together they help you identify your Target Market/Audience. This

way, you narrow marketing down to those most likely to use your
product or service.
 The Product or Service
Who exactly will you be selling to your Perfect Customer? A product, service or both?
Will you have package/bundle deals? Will you charge a flat fee? Will you charge per
product or service?

Primary Products/Services
DEMOGRAPHICS All of Perfect Customers won't be
able to afford all your
products/services. Include some
cheaper options to encourage
MY TO-DO LIST
Impulse Buys

WRITE SOME NON-EXPENSIVE PURCHASE

OPTIONS

This list is non-exhaustive. You can add products and/or services as

your business grows. Always make high quality products your goal.
10 high quality products are more valuable that 50 low quality ones.
 The Product or Service
If you plan on providing a service or you have a business that has products that
complement each other (e.g. hair and hair care, holistic store, skin care, etc) it is a good
idea to have packages or bundle deals and charge one flat fee.

DEMOGRAPHICS
CREATE SOME PACKAGES TO START WITH

MY TO-DO LIST

There is no pressure to create a package immediately. You may come

back to this after setting your price point per product/service.
 The Competition
Your competition is any company or brand that is offering the same or similar products
and services as you to your target market. Remember, your goal is not to outdo them
but to learn from the blueprint they have provided.

DEMOGRAPHICS

WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR TOP WHAT DO YOU LIKE THAT

COMPETITORS? THEY'RE DOING?

What will make you different? How will you improve in the process? How will you
incoporate the positives from the comeptition? Describe your sauce.

Always measure your competition based on your target audience and

location. A company in Switzerland is not competition if you are
based in and targeting to Brooklyn, New York.
 The Business Operations
Business operations refer to activities that businesses engage in on a daily basis to
increase the value of the enterprise and earn a profit. Key operating activities for a
company include manufacturing, sales, advertising and marketing activities

DEMOGRAPHICS

WHAT HARDWARE DO YOU NEED WHAT SOFTWARE DO YOU

(THINGS YOU CAN TOUCH) NEED?

HERE'S SOME HELP WITH WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER BASED ON YOUR BUSINESS

Payment Systems (Cash, Paypal, Stripe, Square, etc) Accounting and Bookkeeping (Quickbooks, Microsoft
Excel, etc.)

eCommerce Website (Shopify, Wix, Big Cartel, etc) Payroll and HR Services

Customer Email Lists and Marketing Blasts Service Marketing and Advertising (cold calling, social media ads,
(Survey Monkey, Shopify, etc.) printed fliers, door-to-door sales, etc)

As your business grows, your operations will adjust and you will add
or remove from this list for optimal operations.
 The Social Media Presence
Social media is an excellent tool for engaging and interacting directly with your
customers. The more you communicate with the audience (i.e. the more you post) the
greater the chance of converting new customers. You cannot run a business without
social media.

Most PopularD ESocial

M O G R AMedia
P H I C S Sites You do not have to use all the
platforms. Look at your target
market and determine what
Instagram
platforms they use most.
MY TO-DO LIST

Facebook WHAT WILL BE YOUR TOP 3 PLATFORMS BASED

ON YOUR TARGET MARKET?

Twitter

Snapchat

Pinterest

TikTok

Whatsapp

Tumblr

WRITE A FEW DESIRED USERNAMES 

Make sure your username on all your sites are the same or very
similar. You want your customers to easily recognize your business,
no matter the platform.
 The Social Media Presence
What will you be posting? How often will you post? What will your content be? What will
your brand social media strategy be?

WHAT WILL BE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT? Do not get caught up with  vanity
TIPS, DIYS, BLOGS, PICTURES, VLOGS?
DEMOGRAPHICS metrics (likes, comments, shares).
Your goal is conversion. Your goal
is the get a sale so create content
with this in mind.
MY TO-DO LIST

WHEN WILL YOU POST? HOW OFTEN?

You may want to consider a Brand Ambassador or Brand Affiliate

Program. Who is influential in your target market? Reach out to them
after you come up with a mutually beneficial program. This is,
however, not always necessary.
 The Business Finances
How will you fund your business? Be as realistic as possible Your start-up costs should
not be too high.

Calculate your start up cost. Add what

you need to the list and the individual WHAT WILL BE YOUR MONTHLY
cost. REVENUE GOAL?
DEMOGRAPHICS

TYPICAL START UP COSTS

EIN (visit irs.gov) $ 0.00

State Filing Costs (varies by $_____
state)
Packaging $_____
Shipping Materials $_____
Vendors Shipping Fee $_____ WHERE WILL YOU GET YOUR FUNDING?
Marketing Materials $_____
$_____
$_____
$_____
$_____
$_____
$_____
$_____
$_____
WHAT EXPENSES SHOULD BE
$_____ PRIORITZED?
$_____

TOTAL START UP COST: $_____

Be mindful of starting your business with a large overhead cost. This

may be a big financial hole to dig yourself out of. 
 Research and Development
R&D (Research & Development) plays a very important role in the success of
a business. It includes research, planning, and implementing ideas for new and
improved products and services.

Business Development Personal Development

DEMOGRAPHICS

IN WHAT WAYS CAN YOU EXPAND YOUR WHAT DO YOU NEED TO WORK ON AS A
BUSINESS? WHAT CAN YOU EVENTUALLY BUSINESS OWNER?
ADD? WRITE IT DOWN AND RESEARCH IT.

Think of classes, courses, certifications and seminars you can

take.

Future Development

WHAT CAN YOU EVENTUALLY GET DO

THAT IS NOT NECESSARY NOW?

R&D never stops when you are a business owner. Things change quickly and
continuously. There is always a better software, better vendor/supplier,
new products, a better way to do things, etc. Stay on top of your game. 
You're Done!
Use the next few pages for notes and goal planning.
 Yearly Goals
Use this calendar to set a few goals for your business. They can be anything from opening a
business account, having 100 emails on your email list, making your 100th sale, getting a
business credit card, registering your business to getting 10 Brand Ambassadors or your first
1000 organic and engaged followers.

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

APRIL MAY JUNE

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

 Scribble Things To Come
Back To Here
Useful Things

To Complete Before Launch

Notes