It should be noted that there is no special software required to use these templates. All business plans come in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel format. Each business plan features:

• Excecutive Summary
• Company and Financing Summary
• Products and Services Overview
• Strategic Analysis with current research!
• Marketing Plan
• Personnel Plan
• 3 Year Advanced Financial Plan
• Expanded Financial Plan with Monthly Financials
• Loan Amortization and ROI Tools
• FREE PowerPoint Presentation for Banks, Investors, or Grant Companies!

1.0 Executive Summary

The purpose of this business plan is to raise $50,000 for the development of a general business consulting firm while showcasing the expected financials and operations over the next three years. The Consulting Firm, Inc. (“the Company”) is a New York based corporation that will provide business and general consulting to small and medium sized businesses in its targeted market. The Company was founded in 2009 by John Doe.

1.1 Products and Services

The Company will specialize in providing multifaceted advice related to the operation of small and medium sized businesses operational and financial activities. At the onset of operations, Mr. Doe intends to hire four consultants of varying educational and experience backgrounds so that the Consulting Firm can market its services to a broad spectrum of clients within the target market. The business will generate revenues from per hour fees and as well as per project fees rendered to clients. The third section of the business plan will further describe the services offered by the Consulting Firm.

1.2 The Financing

Mr. Doe is seeking to raise $50,000 from as a bank loan. The interest rate and loan agreement are to be further discussed during negotiation. This business plan assumes that the business will receive a 10 year loan with a 9% fixed interest rate.

1.3 Mission Statement

The Consulting Firm’s mission is to become the recognized leader in its targeted market for small and medium sized business consulting services.

1.4 Mangement Team

The Company was founded by John Doe. Mr. Doe has more than 10 years of experience in the consulting industry. Through his expertise, he will be able to bring the operations of the business to profitability within its first year of operations.

1.5 Sales Forecasts

Mr. Doe expects a strong rate of growth at the start of operations. Below are the expected financials over the next three years.

1.6 Expansion Plan

The Founder expects that the business will aggressively expand during the first three years of operation. Mr. Doe intends to implement marketing campaigns that will effectively target small and medium sized businesses within the target market.

2.0 Company and Financing Summary

2.1 Registered Name and Corporate Structure

The Consulting Firm, Inc. The Company is registered as a corporation in the State of New York.

2.2 Required Funds

At this time, the Consulting Firm requires $50,000 of debt funds. Below is a breakdown of how these funds will be used:

2.3 Investor Equity

Mr. Doe is not seeking an investment from a third party at this time.

2.4 Management Equity

John Doe owns 100% of the Consulting Firm, Inc.

2.5 Exit Strategy

If the business is very successful, Mr. Doe may seek to sell the business to a third party for a significant earnings multiple. Most likely, the Company will hire a qualified business broker to sell the business on behalf of the Consulting Firm. Based on historical numbers, the business could fetch a sales premium of up to 4 times earnings.

3.0 Products and Services

Below is a description of the consulting services offered by the Consulting Firm.

3.1 Per Hour Consulting Services

The primary source of income for the business will come from per hour consulting services rendered to small and medium sized businesses that have a specific issue that needs to be addressed. For instance, if a small business is developing a new product, the Company, through its consultants, will be able to assist the business with determining pricing, marketing, and the economic viability of the new venture. The business will charge a per hour rate of $150 to $300 depending on the complexity of the business or financial consulting rendered to the client.

3.2 Special Project Management and Consulting Services

In addition to per hour consulting, the business will also generate secondary streams of revenue by undertaking special projects such as business efficiency, business valuation, and economic viability analyses that are performed on site. The Consulting Firm, at the onset of operations, will hire two specialized consultants that can provide these services onsite to clients. These services differ from the per hour consulting services in that these projects will typically be larger in scope, and as such, the client will want a fixed price project based pricing for these services.

4.0 Strategic and Market Analysis

4.1 Economic Outlook

This section of the analysis will detail the economic climate, the consulting industry, the customer profile, and the competition that the business will face as it progresses through its business operations. Currently, the economic market condition in the United States is in recession. This slowdown in the economy has also greatly impacted real estate sales, which has halted to historical lows. Many economists expect that this recession will continue until mid-2009, at which point the economy will begin a prolonged recovery period. However, Consulting Firms tend to do well in any economic climate as during times of deleterious economic conditions business owners and business managers will require specialized advice on how to keep their organizations profitable.

4.2 Industry Analysis

The consulting industry is a highly fragmented group of individual practitioners, small firms, and large auditing institutions. There are over 621,000 consulting in the United States. The industry generates over $38 billion dollars a year, and employs over 390,000 Americans. The demand for consulting services is expected to increase as companies seek to outsource non-core functions advisory and project analysis to private firms. Additionally, as the economy continues to have specialized labor needs, the Company can continually hire new employees with specialty expertise that will provide clients with informative research regarding their specific business issue. As stated earlier, the Company intends to provide a multitude of business development and related consulting services, which will allow business to balance its economic risk by operating among many industries.

4.3 Customer Profile

By acting in a multifaceted business capacity, the Company will be able to instruct and guide small businesses and corporate clients based on their specific research, project, or development needs.

4.4 Competitive Analysis

This is one of the sections of the business plan that you must write completely on your own. The key to writing a strong competitive analysis is that you do your research on the local competition. Find out who your competitors are by searching online directories and searching in your local Yellow Pages. If there are a number of competitors in the same industry (meaning that it is not feasible to describe each one) then showcase the number of businesses that compete with you, and why your business will provide customers with service/products that are of better quality or less expensive than your competition.

5.0 Marketing Plan

The Consulting Firm intends to maintain an extensive marketing campaign that will ensure maximum visibility for the business in its targeted market. Below is an overview of the marketing strategies and objectives of the Consulting Firm.

5.1 Marketing Objectives

• • Develop an online presence by developing a website and placing the Company’s name and contact information with online directories.

• • Establish relationships with other business consultants within the targeted market.

• • Implement a local campaign with the Company’s targeted market via the use of local newspaper advertisements, and word of mouth.

5.2 Marketing Strategies

Mr. Doe intends on using a number of marketing strategies that will allow the Consulting Firm to easily target small and medium sized businesses within the market. These strategies include traditional print advertisements and ads placed on search engines on the Internet. Below is a description of how the business intends to market its services to the general public. The Consulting Firm will also use an internet based strategy. This is very important as many people seeking specialized consulting services now the Internet to conduct their preliminary searches. Mr. Doe will register the Consulting Firm with online portals so that potential customers can easily reach the business. The Company will also develop its own online website which will showcase the firm’s consultants, their educational/experience backgrounds, the Company’s preliminary fee structure, and the Consulting Firm’s ability to render services. The Company will maintain a sizable amount of print and traditional advertising methods among business journals within local markets to promote the business consulting services that the Company is selling.

5.3 Pricing

In this section, describe the pricing of your services and products. You should provide as much information as possible about your pricing as possible in this section. However, if you have hundreds of items, condense your product list categorically. This section of the business plan should not span more than 1 page.

6.0 Organizational Plan and Personnel Summary

6.1 Corporate Organization

6.2 Organizational Budget

In this section of the business plan, you should write a two to four paragraph biography about your work experience, your education, and your skill set. For each owner or key employee, you should provide a brief biography in this section.

7.0 Financial Plan

7.1 Underlying Assumptions

• • The Consulting Firm will have an annual revenue growth rate of 16% per year.

• • The Owner will acquire $50,000 of debt funds to develop the business.

• • The loan will have a 10 year term with a 9% interest rate.

7.2 Sensitivity Analysis

In the event of an economic downturn, the business may have a decline in its revenues. However, specialized consulting services are typically in demand despite difficult economic climates as small and medium sized businesses seek advice in order to keep their companies profitable and cash flow positive. Additionally, the very high margin revenues generated from per hour consulting fees and special project fees will ensure that the business can continually satisfy its debt obligations despite declines in top line income.

7.3 Source of Funds

7.4 General Assumptions

7.5 Profit and Loss Statements 

7.6 Cash Flow Analysis

7.7 Balance Sheet

7.8 General Assumptions

7.9 Business Ratios

Expanded Profit and Loss Statements

Expanded Cash Flow Analysis