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The purpose of this business plan is to raise $100,000 for the development
of a cheese shop while showcasing the expected financials and operations
over the next three years. Cheese Shop, Inc. (³the Company´) is a New
York based corporation that will provide sales of varied cheese and cheese
based gift baskets to customers in its targeted market. The Company was
founded by John Doe.ÊÊ

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The primary revenue stream for the business will come from the ongoing
sale of cheeses to the general public through the Company¶s retail store.
The Company will carry a diverse line of cheese imported from overseas
and acquired from distributors within the United States. The business will
also offer sale and delivery of cheese based gift baskets, which will be
extremely popular during holidays such as Valentine¶s Day, Mother¶s Day,
Thanksgiving, and the yearend holiday season. These gift baskets will also
be popular as corporate gifts. The third section of the business plan will
further describe the services offered by the Cheese Shop.ÊÊ

c    

Mr. Doe is seeking to raise $100,000 from as a bank loan. The interest rate
and loan agreement are to be further discussed during negotiation. This
business plan assumes that the business will receive a 10 year loan with a
9% fixed interest rate. Ê

c    

The Cheese Shop¶s mission is to provide customers with an expansive line

of cheeses and cheesed based gift baskets to the general public.ÊÊ

c    

The Company was founded by John Doe. Mr. Doe has more than 10 years
of experience in the retail management industry. Through his expertise, he
will be able to bring the operations of the business to profitability within its
first year of operations.ÊÊ

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The Founder expects that the business will aggressively expand during the
first three years of operation. Mr. Doe intends to implement marketing
campaigns that will effectively target individuals and businesses (that have
cheese gift basket needs) within the target market. Ê


       

 c! "    

Cheese Shop, Inc. The Company is registered as a corporation in the State

of New York.ÊÊ

 !# 

-t this time, the Cheese Shop requires $100,000 of debt funds. Below is a
breakdown of how these funds will be used:ÊÊ
 Ê

 $
# 

Mr. Doe is not seeking an investment from a third party at this time.ÊÊ

   # 

John Doe owns 100% of the Cheese Shop, Inc.ÊÊ

 %  

If the business is very successful, Mr. Doe may seek to sell the business to
a third party for a significant earnings multiple. Most likely, the Company
will hire a qualified business broker to sell the business on behalf of the
Cheese Shop. Based on historical numbers, the business could fetch a
sales premium of up to 4 times earnings.ÊÊ


 

Below is a description of the products offered by the Cheese Shop, Inc.ÊÊ

 c!  & ÊÊ

-s stated in the executive summary, the Company¶s primary revenue

streams will come from the sale of cheese and related items (cheese trays,
knives, dried meats) via the business¶s retail location. Mr. Doe is currently
sourcing a number of vendors (both domestically and internationally) that
will provide the business with its inventories. On a regular basis, the
Cheese Shop will host an open wine and cheese tasting event, which will
not only increase sales, but will concurrently strengthen customer loyalty.
For these events, the Company may partner with area wine stores so that
both businesses can benefit from these events. Ê

 ' &( )ÊÊ

The Company intends to have extensive cheese gift basket inventories for
people that want to send gifts to loved ones, friends, and clients. The
Company will maintain an extensive inventory of pre-developed cheese gift
baskets that have been developed by Mr. Doe. Please note that the fifth
section of the business plan will focus on how the Company intends to
market its products to customers within the target market.ÊÊ


    )*  

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This section of the analysis will detail the economic climate, the cheese
retailing industry, the customer profile, and the competition that the
business will face as it progresses through its business operations.
Currently, the economic market condition in the United States is in
recession. This slowdown in the economy has also greatly impacted real
estate sales, which has halted to historical lows. Many economists expect
that this recession will continue until mid-2010, at which point the economy
will begin a prolonged recovery period. Ê

 $*  
In the Untied States, the retail sale of cheese is a $40 billion dollar per year
business. These revenues are generated among 10,000 businesses that
sell cheese on a retail. The industry employs 47,000 people and provides
payrolls of $2.6 billion dollars. One of the most common trends in the
industry is for retailers to establish online platforms from which they can
distribute their inventories on a nationwide basis. Mr. Doe intends to
develop this website once retail operations have commenced. This is a
mature industry, and the expected future growth rate is expected to equal
that of the general economy.ÊÊ

  & 

The Cheese Shop¶s average client will be a middle to upper middle class
man or woman living in the Company¶s target market. Common traits
among clients will include: ‡ -nnual household income exceeding $50,000 ‡
Lives or works no more than 15 miles from the Company¶s retail location. ‡
Will spend $25 to $100 on visit to the Cheese Shop. -mong businesses,
these customers will spend $500 to $2,500 per year on cheese based gift
baskets for clients.ÊÊ

   
*  

This is one of the sections of the business plan that you must write
completely on your own. The key to writing a strong competitive analysis is
that you do your research on the local competition. Find out who your
competitors are by searching online directories and searching in your local
Yellow Pages. If there are a number of competitors in the same industry
(meaning that it is not feasible to describe each one) then showcase the
number of businesses that compete with you, and why your business will
provide customers with service/products that are of better quality or less
expensive than your competition. Ê


 %
 )  

Cheese Shop, Inc. intends to maintain an extensive marketing campaign

that will ensure maximum visibility for the business in its targeted market.
Below is an overview of the marketing strategies and objectives of the
Company.ÊÊ

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 ‡ Implement a local marketing campaign that will use local advertising

methods such as flyer distribution and advertisements in local
publications during holiday seasons.ÊÊ
 ‡ Establish relationships with event planners and corporate gift
specialists that will generate ongoing referral revenues for the
business.ÊÊ
 ÊÊ

%  )   

Mr. Doe intends on using a number of marketing strategies to ensure

maximum visibility for the Cheese Shop. Foremost, he intends to source a
highly visible retail location from which the Company will conduct business.
This location will feature highly visible signage that will inform the public of
the Company¶s cheese and related product offerings and its grand opening.
The business will also maintain a sizeable amount of print/media
advertisement in local newspapers, journals, and flyers that are distributed
throughout the community. Cheese Shop, Inc. will also develop ongoing
relationships with event planners and corporate gift companies that will
outsource their gift basket needs to the Company. These relationships will
be an invaluable source of referrals for the business. Finally, the Cheese
Shop will develop its own online website that will showcase the business,
its hours of operation, contact information, and location information. E-
commerce functionality may added to this website so that people from all
over the country can order cheese based gift baskets for local and long
distance delivery. Ê
%   

In this section, describe the pricing of your services and products. You
should provide as much information as possible about your pricing as
possible in this section. However, if you have hundreds of items, condense
your product list categorically. This section of the business plan should not
span more than 1 page.ÊÊ