BUSINESS PLAN GUIDELINES FOR SUPER PIES’ PROPOSED CROSS-BORDER

INVESTMENT

CONTENTS
The business plan should summarise the proposed activity and the prospects for success
for the venture, paying particular attention to factors that are critical to success or failure.
The contents can be in the following general categories:
1. Executive Summary
2. Current position
3. Objectives
4. Product/Service and Operations
5. Marketing and Sales Plan
6. Competition
7. Management and Staff
8. Financial plan
9. Information and control
10. Risk factors and mitigation

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is the section that sells the investment at a snap shot and should include the following:
 Description of Super Pies’ products and services, in a clear and concise manner

 Super Pies’ market ;

 The unique aspects of Super Pies’ products;

 Why customers will buy from Super Pies rather than from competitors;

 Management experience and funding input;

 The financial highlights, both achievements to date (if appropriate) and

expectations of growth;

 The capital that will be injected into the business and the proposed sources;

 The potential returns for the investor and benefits the investment will bring to
Zimbabwe.

2. CURRENT POSITION
This section should be a brief resume of the stage the business has reached and how the
company has developed in the last few years, with reference to factual information.

The following questions should be addressed:

 What is the corporate structure?

 Who owns the company and shareholdings?

 Who are the senior managers?

 What is the management structure?

  How many employees are there?

 What is the location?

 What is the trading history?

 What are the key financial ratios?

 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the business? (SWOT analysis)

3. OBJECTIVES
The business plan should include a clear and concise statement of the current objectives.

The following should be included:

 Any turnover targets by product, if relevant;

 Any profit or cost reduction target;

 Any market share target;

 Any non-financial objectives such as improving your:

- customer service;

- industry reputation;

- product quality;

 Any other relevant business objectives.

4. PRODUCT/SERVICE AND OPERATIONS

The plan should show how all aspects of operational plan will 'come together' to achieve
success and should describe the following:
 Products or Services;
 Unique qualities and any intellectual property rights;

 Regulatory issues (if appropriate);

 For a new product, the path to launch;

 Any plans for diversification;

 Facilities;

 Production processes;

 Plant and machinery used in processing;

 Organisational structure and identify key positions, roles and responsibilities.

5. MARKETING AND SALES PLAN
This is the section where the location and size of Super Pies’ market will need to be
defined, together with your share of the total. Where relevant, it may be necessary to
support these projections with trends in the market.

In summary, include the following:

 Absolute size of your domestic market;

 Absolute size of your export market ;

 Trends and developments expected in the market in the future;

 The target market and share;

 The factors influencing the market;

 The risks associated with new markets;

 Results of market research;

 Routes to market;

 Sales pipeline.

6. COMPETITION
The following on competitors must be described:

 Who they are;

 What their strengths and weaknesses are;

 What the response of the competition will be;

 How Super Pies’ product is superior;

 The relative importance of each competitor.

7. MANAGEMENT AND STAFF

The plan should include:

 Evidence of the track record of key individuals;

 Their experience in the industry;

 Future executive requirements;

 Brief profiles of senior managers

 Identification of the key function areas e.g. production, marketing, finance etc.
and that each of these is covered by management with appropriate experience.
8. FINANCIAL PLAN
Care must be taken to ensure that the financial plan reflects the objectives set out in the
other constituent parts of the business plan.

Include the following:

 The funding requirement;

 A summary of the projections;

 A summary of key financial statistics;

 The detailed assumptions behind the forecasts;

 A summary of the sensitivity of the forecasts to the key assumptions.

The following should be appended:

 The detailed projections for up to 5 years including profit and loss accounts, cash
flow statements, and balance sheets;

 The last 5 years financial statements and the most recent management accounts;
and details of any sensitivity analysis.

9. INFORMATION AND CONTROL

The business plan should contain a brief on the following:

 An outline of the transaction recording systems;

 Details of the regular management reports;

 A demonstration that the business has staff with adequate financial skills;

 Details of how the business will be managed on a day to day basis

10. RISK FACTORS AND MITIGATION

This section should articulate what the business risks are and what mitigates management
will apply.

One quick method to consider risk factors is through a sensitivity analysis of the forecasts.