Sample Business Plan Outline Author's Note: Although there are numerous ways to assemble a quality business plan, this particular outline can be easily adapted for a real estate investing business and is thus an excellent recommended choice for you to consider. The Executive Summary The first page of your business plan should be a persuasive summary that will entice a reader to take the plan seriously and read on. The Executive Summary should follow the cover page, and not exceed two pages in length. The summary should include:

• A brief description of the company's history
• The company's objectives
• A brief description of the company's products or services
• The market the business will compete in
• A persuasive statement as to why and how the business will succeed, discussing the business's competitive advantage
• Projected growth for the company and the market
• A brief description of the key management team (if any)
• A description of funding requirements, including a time-line and how the funds will be used

The Product or Service It is important for the reader to thoroughly understand your product or the services you currently provide or plan on providing. However, it is important to explain this section in layman's terms to avoid confusion. Do not overwhelm the reader with technical explanations or industry jargon that he or she will not be familiar with. It is important to discuss the competitive advantage your product or service has over the competition. Discuss any barriers that you face in bringing the product to market, such as government regulations, or the effects by any competitors. Areas that should be covered in this section include:

• Is your product or service already on the market or is it still in the development stage?
• If you are still in the development stage, what is the roll out strategy or timeline to bring the product to market?
• What makes your product or service unique? What competitive advantage does the product or service have over its competition?

The Market Investors look for companies with a thorough knowledge of their target market. If you are launching a new product, include your marketing research data. If you have existing customers, provide an analysis of who your customers are, their purchasing habits, their buying cycle. This section of the plan is extremely important, because if there is no need or desire for your product or service there won't be any customers. If a business has no customers, there is no business. This section of the plan should include:

• A general description of your market
• The niche you plan on capitalizing on and why
• The size of the niche market, including supporting documentation
• A statement and supporting documentation as to why you believe there is a need for your product or offering by this market
• What percentage of the market do you project you can capture?
• What is the growth potential of the market? Include supporting documentation.
• Will your share of the market increase or decrease as the market grows?
• How will you satisfy the growth of the market?

The Marketing Strategy Once you have identified who your market is, you'll need to explain your strategy for reaching the market and distributing your product or service. Potential investors will look at this section carefully to make sure there is a viable method to reach the target market identified at a price point that makes sense. Analyze your competitors' marketing strategies to learn how they reach the market. If their strategy is working, consider adopting a similar plan. If there is room for improvement (and there usually is), work on creating an innovative plan that will position your product or service in the minds of your potential customers. The most effective marketing strategies typically integrate multiple mediums or promotional strategies to reach the market. Such as TV, radio, print, web, direct mail, trade shows, telephone, public relations and promotional materials. Next week I'll continue the business plan outline starting with knowing your competition.