An investor, banker or lender will demand a plan before they make any financial commitment. Besides being a prerequisite to getting finance for your business, a plan also is a blueprint for efficient management of your new business.
It can be argued that in a fast-changing market, a business plan may quickly become obsolete. However, the insight gained from the planning process can prove to be an invaluable experience and come in handy to deal with the various challenges your business throws up from time to time.
A Plan Creates Tactics and Objectives
A plan describes the long term vision of your venture and the objectives you aim to achieve during a given time frame. It will also detail the tactics and strategies deployed to reach those objectives. A well structured plan will provide the basis for operational budgets, business procedures and management controls.
It must be remembered that no two plans are exactly the same, ever. Every plan is tailored to meet the specific needs of a business situation and the industry it operates in. For instance, a business plan for a coffee shop will be vastly different from one for an internet café. An internet café business document will have more technical details about the equipment and the type of hardware and software used whereas a coffee shop plan will focus more of the operational part.
While there is a lot of emphasis on the presentation, the substance of a business plan is most crucial. The tactics and operational strategies discussed in the plan should be practical and justify how they will help in achieving the end objective. There are various reasons for creating a business proposal. For large organizations, it is an ongoing process to steer the business in the right direction and plan for the crucial cash flow during various stages of growth and development.
Why the Process of Creating a Plan is More important than the Plan Itself
For large companies, business planning is needed to launch a new product. In such cases, the focus of the plan will largely be on investment appraisal. It is commonly believed that business documents are used for setting up a new business and for raising funds from investors. However, those are not the only reasons why companies and entrepreneurs develop a plan. In most cases, more than the value of a plan, the process of creating one is rather critical.
Plans are useless but planning is indispensable – the famous words of former U. S. General and President, Dwight Eisenhower aptly capture the reason why business planning is extremely critical for the success of any business venture. Whether it’s a business plan for a coffee shop or for a technologically driven engineering firm, the planning process helps entrepreneurs and others involved with the business understand how the business will evolve and adapt in the changing markets.
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