But it's more than that
All businesses require business planning. Many businesses only think about a business plan when pushed to do so – when they are seeking investment, looking for a bank loan or to obtain a Visa for the owners. However, a plan is much more than that. A plan can act as a way to guide the business, to track whether cashflow might be difficult in the future, to benchmark performance of certain parts or services within the business or simply to anticipate resource requirements.
It is therefore key to have a plan which is written for your business, in a way that is useful, measurable and adaptable as your business changes and grows.
Whatever stage your business is at, we have years of experience in business planning for those seeking:
- External Investment, such as through crowd funding or private equity.
- Bank funding
- Grants
- A Visa (Entrepreneur Visa)
Andrew Millet and his team have been responsible for the business planning of over 500 companies from a huge array of sectors and business sizes. From a start-up Ivorian chicken farm, to an international airline! Whilst our experience and knowledge is wide ranging, the firm has particular expertise in the following sectors: Financial services, Telecoms, Bio-Tech, Digital Media & Software, Retail and leisure.
We do not use templates and we do not use business planning software to create our business plans. Instead, we spend time with you to understand your business and what key variables exist that drive revenue and profit. The plan is then written specifically for you.
Our business planning consists of two parts. The financial plan is nearly always required, whilst the written plan will depend on the exact purpose of the plan. These involve:
- Financial plan – producing a forecasted profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow. This is usually over a 3 or 5 year period.
- Written plan – producing a document that describes what the business has achieved so far and what it is looking to do in the future. This takes in issues such as the available market, competition and details of the businesses key team members and their experience.
For more information on our business planning service, please contact us.