How to Write a Business Plan

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166 | HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN


Antoinette’s Dress Shop:
Table of Contents for Appendix


  1. Annual Survey of Business Conditions,
    New City Chamber of Commerce,
    January 19, 20xx

  2. Bank of New City Economic Forecast
    for 20xx

  3. Article from September 27, 20xx issue
    of Woman’s Monthly concerning the
    need for specialized clothes for the
    working woman

  4. Newspaper articles and picture of
    Antoinette when she put on a large and
    successful fashion show for working
    women at the Rack-a-Frax Department
    Store

  5. Copy of proposed store lease (critical
    pages only, others available on request)

  6. Planned fi xture layout for Antoinette’s
    Dress Shop

  7. Antoinette’s Dress Shop sign drawing
    and bid, Smith Sign Co.

  8. Leasehold improvements bid for shop,
    Jones Construction Co.

  9. Quote from Meyer Supply on dress
    racks and cash register.


Create Title Page and Table of Contents

Every business plan should have these two
pages:


•    Title  page. This is a separate page with
the title of your business plan, the
date, and your name and address.
• Table of Contents. This appears after
the Plan Summary and before the
body of the plan. List the headings
for the major sections of your plan as
well as important subsections. After
you assemble your plan and number
the pages, come back and put the
appropriate page number next to each
heading.

Complete Your Final Edit

By now, your material should be assembled
and ready for a fi nal edit. It’s wise to make
a working copy of the entire plan that
incorporates all the changes you’ve made
so far, either from a computer printout or
by photocopying your earlier work. Read
through everything you’ve written to spot
any inconsistencies or obvious goofs. Make
any necessary corrections.

CAUTiON
First impressions count. You won’t
have time to show your potential backers a
rough draft, followed by a fi nal edit and more
revisions. Somebody said that you only get one
chance to make a fi rst impression; make your
fi rst impression your best.
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