A comprehensive business plan should have eight basic sections (or nine sections if you are preparing the plan to seek financing). Those sections are: Executive Summary; The Company; The Products or The Services; The Market; The Marketing Strategy; The Operating Plan; The Management Team; The Financial Request (optional); The Financial Projections.

Begin with a cover sheet, followed by a table of contents. Excluding the cover sheet, and table of contents, the maximum acceptable length of your plan for this competition is 20 body pages plus 10 appendix pages. Plans exceeding the page limits will be disqualified. Hence, the plan must be concisely written and be focused. Supporting details, tables, etc., should be placed in clearly marked appendices.

Plans should have a professional look, reasonable font sizes and margins, and be well-organized. Draft plans differ from final plans only in the level of detail and completeness. Judges are impressed by content and quality, not by razzle dazzle and needless repetition.

Your business plan must comprise all the areas noted below except for the optional Financial Request, in the order listed, with the same headings. (Exception: the Cover Sheet does have that heading.) You may add subheadings. All pages except the cover sheet must be numbered. Use i, ii, iii, etc. for Table of Contents page numbers. Use 1,2,3 etc. for body page numbers. Use A-1, A-2, A-3 ...B-1, B-2 etc. for Appendix page numbers.

Cover Sheet

You may design the Cover Sheet as you desire, but make sure all of the following items are included.

Business name and logo if any, team member names and affiliations, with the leader identified, date, the words "Traditional Enterprise" or "Social Enterprise" (whichever of the two applies), the words "Baruch College & Merrill Lynch Citywide Entrepreneurship Competition 2009-2010" and the wods "Draft Business Plan" or "Final Business Plan" (whichever of the two applies).

Table of Contents

List all headings and subheadings, along with their corresponding page numbers.

Executive Summary

• Begin the plan body with a summary designed to catch the attention of the reader. This should be a very brief description of the business, the products or services offered, and the investment opportunity or social benefit associated with the business.

• One or two concisely stated paragraphs will suffice - remember, this is a summary.

• While this section appears first, logically it is best to write it last.

The Company

• Describe the type of business proposed - manufacturing, retail, service, etc., and its organization, including information on management and ownership.

• Note the legal form of your business and whether it is for-profit or non-profit. Be specific about business structure: type of corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, and so on.

• Indicate the intended location of your business and its service area.

• Outline your short and long term business goals

The Products /  The Services (whichever applies)

• Clearly explain the products / services offered. Include photos and diagrams if relevant, but place in appendices unless directly described and referred to.

• Define the market position, role, or function of your products / services.

• Identify what differentiates your products / services. That is, why will they attract attention?

• If trademarks or patents are warranted, explain what steps are being taken to secure protection.

The Market

• Identify who will buy or contract for your products / services and why.

• Provide historical, current and projected marketing data for your products / services market niche and industry.

• Present information from independent sources to support your products' / services' profit potential or market acceptance, and present any specific market research you have conducted.

• Include an analysis of your competitors, identifying their major strengths and weaknesses. Show how your business will differ from theirs, hence compete.

The Marketing Strategy

• Explain how you intend to reach your target customer(s) or clients.

• Give a comprehensive description of your marketing mix: Product/Service Plan; Pricing Plan; Promotion Plan; Distribution Plan.

• How will you package and position your products / services in the marketplace?

• If Web based or Web dependent, how will you drive customers to your site?

The Operating Plan

• If a products business, how will you deliver your products within specific time frames to required destinations? Describe your production or acquisition process, potential volumes , sources of labor and materials if appropriate, and distribution chain.

• If a service business, how will you deliver your services within specific time frames to appropriate clientele? Describe who will provide your services, how and where.

• If Web based or Web dependent, who will develop and maintain the site and who will host the site?

• Operating hours and related information.

The Management Team

• Identify the roles of the management members of your team and how they fit your plan to launch the venture. Clearly outline their responsibilities and provide brief resumes or biographies for each one.

• Identify any positions that are not currently filled by your team members but that will be required for launch and operation, as well as how you intend to fill those positions 

• Identify your advisory team, if applicable.

The Financial Request (Optional for this competition --applies only when seeking financing)

• What you want, on what terms, profit potential of business if applicable, proposed potential of business, proposed return on investment.

• Indicate that you are seeking a loan and reasons why: capital investment, working capital etc. Spell out loan repayment plan, Include Sources and Uses of funds outline.

• Include one paragraph summary.

The Financial Projections

• For for-profit ventures, include at least three years' projections of Profit and Loss statements and Cash Flow statements. For non-profits, include at least three years' Cash Flow statements. The first year is usually projected over a twelve month period, while years two and three can be quarterly.

• Provide a projected Balance Sheet.

• Break even analysis also is helpful.

• Include a statement of assumptions regarding the financial projections, outlining how the figures were derived.

• Be realistic.

Appendices

(Resumes required. Include other items in the list as relevant and appropriate)

• Brief resumes of team members
• Details of material referred to in the body
• Newspaper, magazine, industry trade reports
• Product illustrations
• Leases and other key contracts
• Research done to support projections