Marketing And Small Business Development: Self-Heating Lunch Box

1) Cover Page / Table of Contents

2) Executive Summary (200)

l   Overall summary of the main points

3) Idea and Company Description (300)

l   An introduction to your planned product or service

l   Excitement and potential of the business idea

l   (should include:

What benefits will your product or service bring? What problem does it solve?

Why would somebody buy / use it? What value does it add to the customer?

What would it compete with?)

l   No detailed company history but a brief explanation of how your firm has come together

(4) Industry and Market analysis (800)

l   The industry your business will enter, including its size and projections for growth

l   Highlight key environmental and business trends within the industry, including the significance of economic, social, technological and political/regulatory factors

l   Explain why it is a good time to consider entering this industry

(5) Marketing plan (500)

l   You need to describe how your business will market and sell its product

l   Make clear how your firm will position itself in the market

l   How it will differentiate itself from competitors

l   Explain your product adequately in other sections of your plan, concentrate on your firms approach to price, promotion and distribution

(6) Company structure / management team (200)

l   Provide a concise explanation of the skills of the various team members

l   How they will divide up the various tasks within the business

(7) Product / Service Development and Operations Plan (700)

l   What your product or service is and what is different / innovative about it

l   Identify competitor or substitute products or services

l   Outline the advantages that your product has over these competitors

l   What is involved in making / providing your product or service

l   Will your team do it yourself, will you need help, what skills, knowledge, materials, equipment etc will you need

l   Describe what you will need in terms of accommodation and technology

l   Outline whether you already have access to these or you will need to acquire them

l   Will you need to invest money up front to enable you to produce you product / service and, if so, how much?

(8) Financial projections (300)

l   Projections about the financial development of your firm

l   Outline any assumptions that you have made in putting together these projections

l   How many products / services do you expect to sell? (Try to predict sales over a 3 year period and explain the evidence you are using to support your predictions). Explain how much do you expect to be able to charge for your product or service and how this compares with competitors and substitutes. Explain whether you intend to apply any discounts?

l   Outline what costs will you incur, including fixed and direct costs

l   Profit and Loss Statement

l   Cash Flow Statement