Business Planning

Our Business Planning White papers.

The following are typical of the publications currently available from our library.

Business start-up organiser
Compile a personalised list of starting-up tasks and access resources to help you complete each one

Market research and market reports
How to use market research to gain knowledge about your marketplace and your customers

Use your business plan to get funding
How to present your business plan to the right people in order to secure funding

Financial and management accounts: the basics
How to file financial accounts, understand types of management accounting and use analytical accounting tools

Create your marketing strategy
Decide how to market your product or service to potential customers

Budgeting and business planning
Why business planning and budgeting are important and how to include them in the daily running of your business

The importance of ongoing business planning
The importance of maintaining a business plan after start up

Planning for business success
The benefits of an annual business plan, including better financial performance, focus and clarity

Prepare a business plan
The essential role that creating and using a business plan plays in starting a successful new business

The audience for your business plan
Who will want to see your business plan and in what circumstances.

Your business, its products and services
Outlining what your company does, what you can offer, the market needs you address and why your idea is viable

Prepare a business plan for growth
Planning after start-up - monitoring progress, reviewing plans, setting targets and allocating resources

When and how to review your business plan
Business-planning cycles - when you need to update your business plan and set new objectives

Presenting your business plan
Tips for presentation - such as appendices, proofreading and updates plus sources of further advice and support

Drawing up a more sophisticated business plan
Draw up a business plan that incorporates objectives for individual departments

Use targets to implement your business plan
The importance of targets and other performance criteria in meeting a business' aims and objectives

Your operations
Information to include about your premises, location, production facilities, management information systems and IT

Plan and allocate resources effectively
Using your business plan to allocate resources to areas of your business to meet overall objectives

Budgets and business planning
Definition of a budget and the advantages of using one, including clear allocation of resources

What your business plan should include
Your business plan should outline what your business has achieved already and how you will attain future objectives.

How do I survive until my business is off the ground?
How to keep yourself afloat during the early months of your new business

What the plan should include
Understand what you should include in your business plan

The executive summary
The initial and potentially most important part of your plan, outlining the highlights of your business idea

What to include in your annual plan
Setting up a regular planning cycle for your business and the key stages to consider throughout the year

Here's how having an up-to-date business plan helped my business
Adam Long wrote a business plan when he launched his care business - our case study explains how it helped

Your team's skills
An analysis of your workforce - the structure, key skills of your team, training and recruitment plans

Your markets and competitors
Define your market, identify your target customers and main competitors and look to the future to anticipate change

Financial forecasts
Putting your business into numbers with sales, cashflow and profit and loss forecasts

Marketing and sales
Sectors covering price, customers, your sales channels, distribution methods, promotional strategy and sales plan.