The Business Plan
Whether writing a business plan to secure capital, as mandated by most funding sources, or to lessen the risks of business ownership, the planning process you undertake to do so enables you to evaluate the many aspects and potential hurdles of your businesses.
In the online Business Plan course, you will discover the basics of the entrepreneurial planning process culminating in the development of an early-stage business plan. By preparing your business concept, building your plan, and evaluating your business for feasibility, you gain knowledge critical for business start-up and development. A practical, hands-on approach encourages you to immerse yourself in the vision, research, and planning aspects of your new venture.
Course Outline
Unit 1
Refine your idea and begin your plan.
· Prepare your concept statement-What, Who, Why, When, and How.
· Identify product/service features and benefits.
· Identify limitation, liabilities, and regulations.
· Write your Business Description and evaluate it against a Business Description checklist.
Unit 2
Prepare the Marketing Plan
· Conduct an industry and competitive analysis.
· Perform a market analysis and identify target markets and a market penetration strategy.
· Identify your pricing strategy.
· Write your Marketing Plan and evaluate it against a Marketing Plan checklist.
Unit 3
Prepare the Management and Financial Plans
· Identify key people and positions, and develop an organization chart.
· Determine funding needs and sources.
· Create sales and expense estimates.
· Write your Management and Financial Plans and evaluate them against checklists.
Unit 4 Complete the Business Plan and Assess Business Feasibility
· Polish the plan and add final elements-Cover Page, Executive Summary, Table of Contents.
· Evaluate business plan against checklist and identify items in need of additional research.
· Assess business against feasibility checklist.
• Identify next steps.
Course Dates: July 1-26, 2013
$195