Business Plans Handbook, Volume 1: A Compilation of Actual Business Plans Developed by Small Businesses Throughout North America (Business Plans Handbook)

1994·10.97 MB·English

by  Kristin Kahrs

Business
Plans
Handbook
Highlights
Business Plans Handbook (BPH) is a collection of actual business plans compiled by entrepreneurs seeking funding for small
businesses throughout North America. For those looking for real examples of how to approach, structure, and compose their
own business plans, BPH presents 33 sample plans, including those for the following businesses:
Bed and Breakfast Magazine Publisher
Car Wash Online Consultant
Restaurant Florist
Equipment Rental Toy Company
Aerospace Supplier Virtual Reality Game Company
Import Boutique Software Developer
Inn/Resort Business Consultant
OTHER FEATURES
BPH also provides additional resources for the small business owner preparing to research and compose their business plan,
including:
•An Instructional Foreword providing advice on structuring your business,
researching your plan, and other tips.
•A Small Business Development Center (SBDCs) Directory listing all 750 of
these contact points for advice in the United States. These valuable resources can
provide you with informative materials, offer business counseling and support,
and provide you a place to begin networking with other business owners and
contacts.
•A Glossary of Small Business Terms providing insight into the often confus-
ing lingo of entrepreneurship.
•A Bibliography of materials for further study offering additional sources for
research and advice.
Gale Research Inc.
Business
Plans A COMPILATION
OF ACTUAL
BUSINESS PLANS
DEVELOPED BY
SMALL BUSINESSES
THROUGHOUT
NORTH
Handbook
AMERICA
Ist Edition
Kristin Kahrs,
Editor
Karin E. Koek,
Contributing Editor
Editor Kristin Kahrs
Contributing Editor: Karin E. Koek
Contributors: Gary A. Braun, Amy Lynn Emrich, Elaine Jirkans,
Jeffrey Lehman, Susan B. Martin, Bradley J. Morgan,
Holly M. Selden, AnnaMarie L. Sheldon
Production Director : Mary Beth Trimper
Assistant Production Manager : Evi Seoud
Production Associate: Mary Kelley
Art Director: Cynthia Baldwin
Page Design: Mark Howell
Data Entry Manager: Benita L Spight
Data Entry Supervisor: Gwendolyn Tucker
Data Entry Associates: Merrie Ann Carpenter, Frances Monroe, Nancy Sheridan
While every effort has been made to ensure the reliability of the information presented in this
publication, Gale Research Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy of the data contained herein.
Gale accepts no payment for listing; and inclusion in the publication of any organization,
agency, database product, publication, or individual does not imply endorsement by the
editor or publisher.
Errors brought to the attention of the publisher and verified to the satisfaction of the publisher
will be corrected in future editions.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for information Sciences—Permanence
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as
by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws. The authors
and editors of this work have added value to the underlying factual material herein through
one or more of the following: unique and original selection, coordination, expression,
arrangement, and classification of the information.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
Copyright © 1995
Gale Research Inc.
835 Penobscot Bldg.
Detroit, Ml 48226-4094
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ISBN 0-8103-9222-4
CIP 94-36046
Printed in the United States of America
Published simultaneously in the United Kingdom
by Gale Research International Limited
(An affiliated company of Gale Research Inc.)
Gale Research, Inc.,
an International Thomson Publishing Company.
10 9 8 7 6 5
Contents
Highlights ii
Introduction vii
Foreword xi
Accounting Sytems Consulting
Accounting Management Systems 3
Aerospace Supplier
Flatland Manufacturing, Inc. ................................................................................. 21
Bed and Breakfast
Red Barron Bed and Breakfast 31
Biscotti Bakery
The Italian Eatery 63
Business Consulting
Blake & Associates 71
Koshu 85
Car Wash
The Dirt Buster 97
Crane Service
Chesterfield Crane Service 119
Diaper Delivery
Diapers 'N More 129
Editorial Services & Consulting
Hilton & Associates 137
Elder Care
Summer Gardens Residential Care Facility for the Ambulatory Elderly 167
Equipmental Rental
Rich Rentals 175
Framing/Antiques Store
Flora's Frames and Antiques 189
Import Boutique
Bellisimo Imports, Inc. ................................................................................... 203
Inn/Resort
The Lighthouse Inn 209
Gale Research Inc. v
Ladder Company
Jack's Ladder Inc. .........................................................................................217
Magazine Publisher
GRAPEVINE 229
Online Consulting
Borderline Transmissions, Inc. ......................................................................245
Printing Company
Master Printer and Partners Printing 259
Printer Perfect 277
Publisher
Infoguide Inc. ................................................................................................287
Restaurant
American Diner 315
Peach Blossom Diner 325
(Nonprofit): McMurphy's Grill 339
Retail Clothing
Clothes as Art Inc. .......................................................................................369
Retail Florist
Designs by Linda, Inc. ...............................................................................379
Retail Tobacco/Magazines
Standard Tobacco & News 393
Salad Packaging
Lyons & Coyne, Inc. .....................................................................................443
Software Developer
Data Technologies Corporation 461
Toiletry Company
Verde 479
Toy Company
Toys for a New Generation Inc. ................................................................485
Virtual Reality
Building Aids Inc. ...................................................................................507
CineMedia Studios, Inc. ..........................................................................517
Glossary of Small Business Terms 555
Small Business Development Center Directory 577
Bibliography 641
vi Gale Research Inc.
Introduction
When Gale Research asked small business owners and business librarians what business resources they would like, the
clear message was that current business planning aids were not quite what they were after. What they really wanted,
they said, was examples of real business plans, not just mock-ups or artificial, untested samples. Librarians wanted
to be able to point to "live" business plans that someone had actually used, to give their patrons a clear picture of what
the finished product should look like. Entrepreneurs said that they wanted an idea of how to put together all the
research, re-formulating, analysis, and revision. More importantly, they wanted a successful plan that would get them
some money; and an example of a real plan that had been successfully used by a live business owner to get a loan was
what they had in mind.
This clear vision of what people in the small business community were looking for led to the compilation Business
Plans Handbook (BPH). It is designed to be used by those looking for direction...an example of where they should end
up when the grueling business planning process is finally completed. After all, if you don't know where you're going,
how can you get there?
COMPILATION AND ORGANIZATION
BPH provides a variety of plans presented on alphabetical order by their subject (Aerospace, Biscotti Bakery, Car
Wash). Some are examples of home businesses, like consulting; others will help people flesh-out that dream of owning
a bed and breakfast (p. 31) or restaurant (p. 315 and 325). Also included are plans in areas that entrepreneurs are just
beginning to explore, such as virtual reality applications (p. 507 and 527). Others seem a product of people's everyday
experiences, such as the toy company whose business plan arose out of two parents' desire to provide educational
entertainment their children (p. 485) or the elder care facility that hopes to provide a comfortable and dignified
alternative to sometimes inhospitable traditional nursing home care (p. 167). One of the most notable plans is for a
restaurant that doubles as a training ground for mentally ill homeless people in the hope that new job skills will help
get them off the street (p. 339).
The plans contained in BPH also reflect the differences in approach to planning with their varying levels of
development, detail, and length; treatment of financial data; approach to competition and marketing; and evicence of
research and rigorous examination that the planning process requires. As these plans show, there is no one way to write
a business plan, it is an evolutionary process that takes time and patience.
While the plans contained in BPH are real plans, the majority have been fictionalized to protect confidentiality.
Personal and company names, addresses, and sometimes product names were changed to protect the contributors.
Additonally, in many cases financial data or charts were removed to protect the owners' privacy. The words "available
upon request" usually appear in these cases to indicate that the charts would normally appear in the plan.
Gale Research Inc. vii
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
BPH offers many features not provided by other business planning references including:
An instructional Foreword, written by an expert in business planning, offering advice on the most effective way to
approach your business plan, providing sources that business owners need to consult in order to be well-informed,
and explaining the process in easy-to-understand steps.
Thirty-three real business plans, providing examples of what entrepreneurs in your situation have done. Each
represents an owner's successful attempt at clarifying (for themselves and others) the reasons that the business
should exist or expand and convincing a lender to fund the enterprise.
A directory of all 750 Small Business Development Centers in the United States with full contact information,
including phone and fax. It is strongly recommended that you contact these invaluable centers for support and advice
for your plan and your business.
A Glossary of Small Business Terms to help you decipher the sometimes confusing terminology used by lenders and
others in the financial and small business communities.
A Bibliography, citing sources mentioned in the Foreword for easy follow-up and further reading.
SOFTWARE ISSUES
While there are many software packages available to assist you with compiling your business plan, none provides a
single example of a real, successful business plan in the same way Business Plans Handbook does. Furthermore,
lenders may find that using business planning software circumvents any valuable lessons that may be learned by
researching and preparing the document relying solely on your own resourcefulness. Consequently, banks and other
lenders may refuse loans to those who take this apparent short cut.
However, if you are looking for a template with which to structure your research and coordinate the approach you will
take with your own plan, BPH provides 33. Each plan can be viewed as a working outline that helps to identify the
crucial elements needed for a successful business plan with examples of the level of detail your competitors have used.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The BPH staff would like to express our grateful appreciation to the entrepreneurs who allowed us to use their business
plans. We would like to additionally extend our sincere thanks to the Business Plans Handbook Advisory Board, which
is composed of Patricia A. Peacock, Director, Regional Small Business Development Center; Dr. Raymond M. Genick,
Assistant Dean, Professional Development of the School of Business Administration at Wayne State University;
viii Gale Research Inc.
Frances V. LeDuke, Director of the Office of Regulatory Reform, Department of Regulatory Agencies of the State of
Colorado; and Tim Dixon, Small Business Development Center, The University of Georgia; and the many people that
offered their encouragement and suggestions to the project.
The editor would also like to sincerely thank Karin Koek, whose help was available whenever it was needed, and
without whose contributions this project would not have been possible.
COMMENTS WELCOME
Your comments on BPH are welcome. Please direct all correspondence, suggestions for future volumes of BPH, and
other recommendations to the following:
Business Plans Handbook
Gale Research Inc.
835 Penobscot Bldg.
Detroit MI 48226-4094
Phone:[phone]
Fax: [phone]
Toil-Free: 800-347-GALE
Telex: 810 221 7087
Email: [email protected] (Internet)
Kristin Kahrs
Gale Research Inc. ix