Business Chapter 5

business plan

a document that identifies the goals of your proposed business and explains how it will achieve them. Before you actually start up your business, you must also get financing.

An industry is

a group of companies that compete with one another to sell similar products. There are two broad types of industries, or sectors:

he goods-producing sector includes

all businesses that produce tangible goods.

The service-producing sector includes

all businesses that provide services but don't make tangible goods.

a small business is

independently owned and operated, exerts little influence in its industry, and (with minimal exceptions) has fewer than five hundred employees.

There are three characteristics of entrepreneurial activity:

1. Innovating. An entrepreneur offers a new product, applies a new technique or technology, opens a new market, or develops a new form of organization for the purpose of producing or enhancing a product. 2. Running a business. Entrepreneurship means setting up a business to make a profit from an innovative product or process. 3. Risk taking. Risk means that an outcome is unknown. Entrepreneurs, therefore, are always working under a certain degree of uncertainty, and they can't know the outcomes of many of the decisions that they have to make.

You can become a small business owner in one of three ways, each of which has advantages and disadvantages:

1. Starting from scratch. This is the most common—and riskiest—option. Advantage: You start with a clean slate and build the business the way you want. Disadvantage: It's up to you to develop your customer base and build your reputation. 2. Buying an existing business. This option is not as risky as starting a business from scratch, but it has some drawbacks. Advantages: You'll already have a proven product, current customers, active suppliers, a known location, and trained employees. Disadvantages: It's hard to determine how much to pay for a business; perhaps the current owners have disappointed customers; maybe the location isn't as good as it used to be. 3. Buying a franchise. Under a franchise setup, a franchiser (the company that sells the franchise) grants the franchisee (the buyer) the right to use a brand name and to sell its goods or services. Advantages: You've bought a prepackaged, ready-to-go business that's proven successful elsewhere; you also get ongoing support from the franchiser. Disadvantages: The cost can be high; you have to play by the franchiser's rules; and franchisers don't always keep their promises.

Before starting a business, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions:

1. What, exactly, is my business idea? Is it feasible? 2. What type of business is right for me? What industry do I want to get into? 3. Do I want to run a business that's similar to many existing businesses, or do I want to innovate? 4. Do I want to start a new business, take over an existing one, or buy a franchise? 5. Do I want to start the business by myself, or do I want company? 6. What form of business organization do I want?

Businesses fail for any number of reasons, but many experts agree that the vast majority of failures result from some combination of the following problems:

Bad business idea. Like any idea, a business idea can be flawed, either in the conception or in the execution. Cash problems. Too many new businesses are underfunded. Managerial inexperience or incompetence. Many new business owners have no experience in running a business, and many have limited management skills. Lack of customer focus. Some owners fail to make the most of a small business's advantage in providing special attention to customers. Inability to handle growth. When a company grows, some owners fail to delegate work or to build an organizational structure that can handle increases in volume.

According to the SBA, a government agency that provides assistance to small businesses, there are five advantages to starting a business—"for the right person":

Be your own boss. Accommodate a desired lifestyle. Achieve financial independence. Enjoy creative freedom. Use your skills and knowledge.

A business plan

tells the story of your business concept, provides an overview of the industry in which you will operate, describes the goods or services you will provide, identifies your customers and proposed marketing activities, explains the qualifications of your management team, and states your projected income and borrowing needs.

A business plan generally includes the following sections:

1. Executive summary. One- to three-page overview. 2. Description of proposed business. Brief description of the company that answers such questions as what your proposed company will do, what goods or services it will provide, and who its main customers will be. 3. Industry analysis. Short introduction to the industry in which you propose to operate. 4. Mission statement and core values. 5. Declaration of your mission statement, which are fundamental beliefs about what's important and what is (and isn't) appropriate in conducting company activities. 5. Management plan. Information about management team qualifications and responsibilities, and designation of your proposed legal form of organization. 6. Goods, services, and the production process. Description of the goods and services that you'll provide in the marketplace; explanation of how you plan to obtain or make your products or of the process by which you'll deliver your services. 7. Marketing. Description of your plans in four marketing-related areas: target market, pricing, distribution, and promotion. 8. Global issues. Description of your involvement, if any, in international markets. 9. Financial plan. Report on the cash you'll need for start-up and initial operations, proposed funding sources, and means of repaying your debt. 10. Appendices. Supplemental information that may be of interest to the reader.

There are also a number of potential disadvantages to consider in deciding whether to start a small business

1. Financial risk. The financial resources needed to start and grow a business can be extensive, and if things don't go well, you may face substantial financial loss. In addition, you'll have no guaranteed income. 2. Stress. You'll have a bewildering array of things to worry about—competition, employees, bills, equipment breakdowns, customer problems. 3. Time commitment. Running a business is extremely time-consuming. In fact, you'll probably have less free time than you'd have working for someone else. 4. Undesirable duties. You'll be responsible for either doing or overseeing just about everything that needs to be done, and you'll probably have to perform some unpleasant tasks, like firing people.

There are several advantages that, generally speaking, come with success in business ownership:

1. Independence. As a business owner, you're your own boss. 2. Lifestyle. Because you're in charge, you decide when and where you want to work. 3. Financial rewards. In spite of high financial risk, running your own business gives you a chance to make more money than if you were employed by someone else. 4. Learning opportunities. As a business owner, you'll be involved in all aspects of your business. 5. Creative freedom and personal satisfaction. As a business owner, you'll be able to work in a field that you really enjoy, and you'll gain personal satisfaction from watching your business succeed.

To determine whether you're one of the "right people" to exploit the advantages of starting your own business, the SBA suggests that you assess your strengths and weaknesses by asking yourself the following questions:

Am I a self-starter? How well do I get along with different personalities? How good am I at making decisions? Do I have the physical and emotional stamina? How well do I plan and organize? Is my drive strong enough? How will my business affect my family?

The nearly twenty-seven million small businesses in the United States generate about 50 percent of our GDP. They also contribute to growth and vitality in several important areas of economic and socioeconomic development. In particular, small businesses do the following:

Create jobs Spark innovation Provide opportunities for women and minorities to achieve financial success and independence

Business owners face numerous challenges, and the ability to meet them is a major factor in success (or failure). As a business owner, you should do the following:

Know your business. Successful businesspeople are knowledgeable about the industry in which they operate, and they know who their competitors are. Know the basics of business management. To manage a business, you need to understand the functional areas of business—accounting, finance, management, marketing, and production. Have the proper attitude. You should believe in what you're doing and make a strong personal commitment to it. Get adequate funding. Plan for the long term and work with lenders and investors to ensure that you'll have sufficient funds to get open, stay open during the start-up phase, and, ultimately, expand. Manage your money effectively. You need to pay attention to cash flow—money coming in and money going out—and you need to know how to gather the financial information that you require to run your business. Manage your time efficiently. You must develop time-management skills and learn how to delegate responsibility. Know how to manage people. You need to develop a positive working relationship with your employees, train them properly, and motivate them to provide quality goods or services. Satisfy your customers. Commit yourself to satisfying—or even exceeding—customer needs. Know how to compete. Find your niche in the marketplace, keep an eye on your competitors, and be prepared to react to changes in your business environment.

The SBDC (Small Business Development Centers)

matches businesspeople needing advice with teams of retired executives who work as volunteers through the SCORE program.

entrepreneur

someone who identifies a business opportunity and assumes the risk of creating and running a business to take advantage of it.

In your business plan

you make strategic decisions in the areas of management, operations, marketing, accounting, and finance. Developing your business plan forces you to analyze your business concept and the industry in which you'll be operating. Its most common use is persuading investors and lenders to provide financing.