Business Planning and Business Plans

A service for businesses in Northamptonshire,
South Midlands, East Midlands and Milton Keynes area

Getting the most out of your business planning

The process . the techniques . the package .
the presentation of business plans

The Problem:  Most businesses do not have ongoing strategies structured into business plans.

Result:  Activities are poorly monitored and controlled.
 
Solution:  This service offers consultation and advice on the development of business plans
and assistance in formalizing and presenting them. The objectives are to meet either ongoing 
management requirements or specific needs such as attracting new funds, business transfer,
new equity partners or directional change.


Why do business planning?

Business planning may be needed in order to attract new funds but communication to outside
parties is just one of the purposes of business plans. Business plans are a basic requirement
of a well run business and business planning is key to building or re-building profit.


What we do

Our business planning service offers consultation and advice on the development of business
plans for companies in Northamptonshire and South Midlands and East Midlands and
assistance in formalizing them.


What are the benefits of business planning?

 

The benefits of business planning are many and really fundamental. If you know where
you are trying to get to and how best to get there, then you have some chance of succeeding.
Business planning is largely about how best to get there, but should also challenge the whole
strategy of where you are going and why.

 

Business plans enable alternative scenarios and courses of action to be evaluated and
compared - the chance to spot potential failure at the drawing board stage. So the business
planning process is essential to efficient progress.

 

A business plan provides the basis for monitoring progress and is a means of communicating
with colleagues and prospective funders. Like the rest of us they buy into the future more
than into the past. 

So with business planning, the understanding of objectives, courses of action, progress,
general organization and co-ordination are improved. Business planning is fundamental to
efficient business direction and control and therefore a pre-requisite of efficient progress.


Special Needs

The following are special cases for business plans:

- Sale of business
- Company valuation
- Exit strategies
- Applications for business finance
- Introducing new equity partner or partners
- Business development
- Business performance and value improvement

The specific purpose of the business plan can affect the way it is drawn up and presented
and this can be a crucial factor in its success.


Why use a specialist for your business planning?

Nothing crystallizes thoughts like putting them on paper, and business plans are part
of this essential sharpening of ideas; but good business planning requires know-how, so
experience in this field can be invaluable.

 

There are traps for the inexperienced and the experienced so specialist advice and
assistance are needed.

In addition to experience, the specialist should bring expertise and an independent
clarity to the business planning process.

 

 

What should business plans consist of?

 

The exact content and relative importance of the individual parts of the business plan
depend to some extent on the particular business, and the specific purposes of the
plan but the business plan's parts do not vary in principle very much. Business
planning is a skill that travels well from one business to another.  

Typically, the business plan contains a summary, a description of the business and
a statement of the business purpose, its long term objectives and its market place,
competition and target customers, its marketing strategy and plan, its sales targets
and objectives, its operational needs. It will identify the management and staffing levels
and structure in place.The required management and staffing levels and structure must
also be identified. Financial projections and analysis are also needed.

 

What are the essentials of good business planning?

 

Good business planning requires that business risks and special strengths, opportunities
and potential weaknesses should be highlighted, and as far as possible quantified in
monetary terms, identifying ranges of cost, profit, loss and cash flow as outcomes.

Business planning involves detailed financial statements. These should be presented in a
meaningful and highly informative way. This means that financial projections and financial
plans need to be in very clear, analytical formats that spell out the issues to financial
specialists and non-financial parties alike, clearly identifying existing and future needs
and their causes. 

Business planning should be comprehensive. If it is carried out as part of the development
and running of the business, the more often it is carried out the more valid the business
plans should become.

 

The most tangible outcome of business planning is a total business plan package which
should be structured, well tabulated, easy to use, capable of quick update and ready for
any presentation. It should embody and express the strategies of the business and explain
clearly how they are to be acheived.

The specific purposes of the business plan must be kept in mind during its construction.


How you will benefit

By using MSA Businesss Planning your business will benefit from the independent viewpoint
and expertise of an experienced business consultant and planner for whatever specific
purpose the business planning is being undertaken.

 

If you feel that we may be of assistance in your business planning needs please 
contact us via our contact form or telephone us on 01604.845476.
 
An initial meeting is free and without obligation.

 

We specialise in working for businesses in Northamptonshire, South Midlands, East Midlands
and Milton Keynes area.

We understand business and we know the business planning processes, techniques and
presentation of business plans. We know the traps that businesses fall into when carrying
out business planning and in preparing business plans.

We will be happy to meet with you without obligation. You can contact us here.


Our offer

We will be happy to give a free consultation, without obligation, on any aspect of
business planning needs within your business.


To find out more about our business planning services and how they can be of help with other
services we provide read also Finance and Attracting New Funds; Financial Management;
Business Performance & Value Improvement; and Sale of Business and Business Valuation Services.