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1. Vision, Mission

Realistically assess what you expect to achieve with the business in the next three years. Define your business goals; include timings and responsibilities where appropriate. Outline the strategy needed to achieve these goals.

2. History

Outline the key events in your businesses history that explain the current trading and financial position. Note and explain any changes in senior personnel, major client changes, abnormal events or contingent liabilities. Define your business culture if appropriate.

3. Market Opportunity

Assess and quantify the market for the company's products/services; identify your main competitors and their strengths and weaknesses.

4. Business Development Strategy

Outline your current and future market positioning indicating what current and future resources will be required to achieve your goals.

5. The Services

List and define the services to be offered and how best to provide the resources necessary to deliver them, particularly staffing and IT aspects.

6. Marketing Plan

Outline the new business and marketing plan. Explain how the product/service will be marketed, who will be responsible for the plan and what targets have been set. The plan must relate to the market analysis set out in History and Market Opportunity above.

7. Management

For the senior management team and key staff note their experience, remuneration packages, incentives and the organisational structure. Indicate if there are key vacancies and what recruitment strategy is being adopted to fill the posts. Outline retention, development and training plans.

8. Financial Plan

Forecast sales and gross profit/income by client for the remainder of the current year and the same forecast for the following year (compare to prior periods, where relevant.)

Project overheads for the remainder of this financial year and forecast overheads for the subsequent year (compared to prior periods), bearing in mind the development plans set out in Business Development Strategy and The Services above.

Forecast monthly cash flows, based on the above, for the remainder of this year, and quarterly for the following year. Explain any capital expenditure requirements.

Create summary profit & loss forecasts for the following three years.

Create forecast balance sheets for all periods using the above forecasts. (This also provides a useful check on the reasonableness of the cash flow assumptions).

Project returns on capital invested/shareholders funds (where appropriate).

The following should be included:

Appendices

A. Historical audited accounts (previous three years).

B. Organisation Chart: as now and as projected, if significantly different.

C. CVs of key managers.

D. Brochure

NOTES:

Where this document is purely for internal use, sections 2 & 7 can be minimised and appendices A, C & D omitted.

Any new products/services to be offered need to be explained in sections 4 & 5, and related back to the Business Development Strategy.

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