A useful business plan format – does it exist?

Hi Aunty,

I’m struggling with something I thought you’d have an answer for.

We’ve had a change of strategy and I’m wanting to put together a neat, preferably one-page business plan that can keep us focussed and on track for the next 12 months.

Most business plan formats seem to be mainly full of explanation and justification as to why you would choose a particular strategy/set of tactics and/or present the business to external parties.

However, in our case, all of that background work is done elsewhere and we have no need to impress anyone. We just need a document that pulls together our plan so that we can keep it our main focus and see how we track against it. Have you got any ideas on a good format for this?

Am I asking too much of a document or am I missing something?

Confused!

Dear Confused,

Forget business plans. I have had the same trouble with those. I think a business plan is sometimes used to describe an operations plan which can often result in the entrepreneur writing down what has previously happened – not where you are going. What you need is what I call a “strategy plan”. And by that I don’t mean writing down what you would like to happen.

The strategic plan states your strategic focus for the next year. It covers your current position, the goals you want to achieve and how you are going to do that.

On the second page is your roadmap. The roadmap sets out the journey: putting targets against the goals plotted out against specific dates.

Then behind that sits the operational plan to get you there.

Tom McKaskill in his excellent book Winning Ventures warns that new business areas – and a change of strategy – often consume current resources and impact existing business units. The growth strategy needs to contain both the old parts and the new parts of the business in the operations plan.

For example:

A detailed marketing plan:

• Size, growth, customer profile, competition
• Promotion, PR, advertising
• Proof of effectiveness

A detailed sales plan:

• Closure rates, remuneration plan
• Recurring business revenue targeted prospects
• Sales targets, recruitment, training plan

I assume you already have the operational plans done so you need to focus on the first two pages. Make up your own headings and be creative! You want this document to be read by everyone – and often.

Good luck!
Your Aunty B

To read more Aunty B advice, click here.

Email your questions, problems and issues to auntyb@smartcompany.com.au right now!