| Based on several requests and questions on how to write a business plan and the benefits of doing it, I have decided to write this article that is more of a Template.Benefits of a Business Plan
If you are starting a new business, your business plan will help you get your idea off the ground. It will give you an opportunity to consider what goals are realistic and achievable and help you indentify what you can do within your budget. Your plan will be a guide to making your idea a reality. If you own an existing business, having a business plan that is regularly reviewed and updated will help you take control of the direction your business is heading. Your business plan will allow you to make the most of new opportunities and identify potential risks and act before problems occur. What is a Business Plan? A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals. Business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, taxpayer, or larger community. When the existing business is to assume a major change or when planning a new venture, a 3 to 5 year business plan is required, since investors will look for their annual return in that timeframe. Below are some of the components of a business plan. Executive Summary While the business plan’s executive summary is the first thing the readers of your business plan will see, it should be the last part of the business plan you write. You need to have “the feel” for the overall content of the plan before you can begin to summarize it. The purpose of the summary is to provide your readers with an overview of the business plan. Think of it as an introduction to your business. Business Description The business description usually begins with a short description of the industry. When describing the industry, discuss the present outlook as well as future possibilities. You should also provide information on all the various markets within the industry, including new products or developments that will benefit or adversely affect your business. Market Strategies Market strategies are the result of a meticulous market analysis. A market analysis forces the entrepreneur to become familiar with all aspects of the market so that the target market can be defined and the company can be positioned in order to garner its share of sales. Competitive Analysis The purpose of the competitive analysis is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors within your market, strategies that will provide you with a distinct advantage, the barriers that can be developed in order to prevent competition from entering your market, and any weaknesses that can be exploited within the product development cycle. Design & Development Plan The purpose of the design and development plan section is to provide investors with a description of the product’s design, chart its development within the context of production, marketing and the company itself, and create a development budget that will enable the company to reach its goals. Operations & Management Plan The operations and management plan is designed to describe just how the business functions on a continuing basis. The operations plan will highlight the logistics of the organization such as the various responsibilities of the management team, the tasks assigned to each division within the company, and capital and expense requirements related to the operations of the business. Financial Factors Financial data is always at the back of the business plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important than up-front material such as the business concept and the management team. Work with this guide and you will be able to create a business plan for your existing or new business. You Will Succeed! – Chinedum Azuh is the CEO of Learning Lab Nigeria and an Online Consultant with U.S.A. Learning Annex. MOBILE : +2348032069925 |
| Apostle Paul once said “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us” (2 Cor. 10:13 NLT). Think about his statement. Why should he make “staying within God’s plan” his goal? It appears to me that there are a whole lot of goodies attached to staying in God’s plan. It is as though if this aspect of his life is taken care of, every other thing will fall into place.
Why didn’t he say “my goal is to carve out the best plan for myself”? It is obvious that Paul knew something about “staying in God’s plan” which we should also know about. Today, believers are wishing to see good fruits in their lives, but their roots are not attached to God’s plan. And just like an average plant, the fruits are mainly dependent on the soil and nutrients the roots are constantly interacting with.
Some of the things believers are chasing around (miracles, marriage, prosperity, health, progress, etc) are things that should radiate effortlessly from our lives through the unfolding of God’s plan. If only we learn to stay in God’s plan, we would realize that many of our so called successes are already outdated or will soon get outdated. While we want to start celebrating today’s breakthrough, another mega one shows up and makes the former one insignificant. We will just find ourselves in an unending victory parade.
Many of us know this and that is why we pray “Lord, let your will and purpose come to pass in my life”. But it goes beyond mouthing some prayers. You have to ensure you live by some key “staying principles” as far as God’s plan is concerned.
Join us as we discuss this life updating topic at the World Outreach Convention 2009 (WoC ’09) slated for Abuja, Nigeria.
When: Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 by 11am Where: Unity Hall, Reiz Continental Hotel, Plot 779, Cadastral Zone AO, Central Business Area, Abuja. Enquiries: +234-8726126, +234-8082462670, info@christlifeline.org
Come and update your life! Remember to invite others.
– tope aladenusi |
Almost everywhere you go today, the world is saying one thing – “global economic crisis”. This used to sound like a mere joke, but as the effect began to poke people’s eyes, the popularity of the so-called crisis increased frenziedly.
“So-called crisis?” you may ask. Yes! The current economic downturn is only a manifestation of the real crisis facing the world. I John 5:19 (GW) says “…the whole world is under the control of the evil one”. Life without Christ is naturally characterized by crisis. Some times this crisis manifests in form of economic downturn, other times it shows up as wars, genocides, terrorism, sexual immorality etc.
We see the effects of this real crisis every day, but do not really pay attention to them because they have not been branded as “global”. What about hatred among brothers? What about the poor and impecunious people around the world? What about day to day corruption, stealing and cheating? What about the sexual impurity that is fast becoming the norm? What about the greed that has crept into the church? We could go on and on.
Nations are trying to pluck the fruit off the tree of the world crisis, but as long as the root of this tree is still rooted in the ground, it’s only a matter of time before they show up again. Governments may draw up bailout plans to address the fruit of this crisis, but only believers have what it takes to tackle the root of this problem by rolling out God’s bailout plan explicitly stated in I John 3:8 (KJV) – “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”.
Wouldn’t you rather focus your energies on God’s bailout plan? Start from where you are and with what you have.
tope aladenusiP
Bible Reading: Acts 8
Do you know that sometimes we get so sluggish as Christians? For instance …
Instead of unleashing the seed of CEO within or fertilizing our entrepreneur guts, we get trapped licking the boots of our boss because we have been able to put food on our table and vehicle on the road.
When we should be habitual God-pleasers in our ministries, we are getting comfortable becoming men-pleasers because of their accolades and affluence.
God has placed a plan in our hearts that has a global impact, but we want to habituate to the local setting forever.
Don’t you think that at such times you really need someone / something to push you from these sluggish zones? These kinds of push are most times considered unpalatable, but they end up taking us to the place where purpose is fulfilled.
I remember the story of the early disciples. Jesus Christ gave them the mandate to “go and teach all nation” Matt. 28:19. He also affirmed to them that “ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. Acts 1:8
Although the disciples were expected to commence teaching all nations in Jerusalem, they were to keep the goal in mind (to teach all nations) and consciously move towards the goal everyday. But what did they do? For a long time they were preaching the gospel only in Jerusalem; perhaps they still thought the gospel was a “Jerusalem thing”. But God had to rescue them. How was this achieved?
“… there arose a great persecution against the assembly which was in Jerusalem, andall were scattered into the countries of Judea and Samaria except the apostles”. Those then that had been scattered went through the countries announcing the glad tidings of the word. And Philip, going down to a city of Samaria, preached the Christ to them; Acts 8:1,4-5
My God! Why did they have to be battered with maltreatment before they scattered the gospel abroad in line with divine plan? Do we not sometimes get sluggish as Christians till we get such unpalatable push? Whenever we want to remain in our sluggish lanes, may Godpermit persecution and challenges to come our way that will make us fulfill his plan for our lives. Did you say AMEN?
Whether you said amen or not, such challenges sometimes show up in our lives even though we are living rightly as Christians. They strip us of our local champion medal and dress us with that of a global champion; they push us from the sluggish lane to the destiny lane. They come in form of people and events. They are things that work together for the good of those that love God.
tope aladenusi