BUSINESS PLANS
Conventional Business Plans & their Economic-Geographic
Components
(http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/207/busplan.html)
Supporting Pages:
Internet Sites:
-
Small Business Administration: Business Plans
- Business
Plans [Business Recource Center]
[http://www.morebusiness.com/templates_worksheets/bplans/]
- Business Plans
[http://www.bplans.com/]
- Virtual Business Plan
[http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.htm]
Welcome to BizPlanIt.Com Virtual Business Plan. This unique
and free on-line
resource mirrors the major sections of a business plan - enabling you
to point and click your way to the information you
need to write and improve
your business plan.
-
Business Plan Competition, UW Program for Entrepreneurship &
Innovation
The business plan competition is designed to promote
student idea and venture creation by providing a forum for
students to present new business concepts to a panel of local
business professionals. Additionally, the
business plan competition will act as a lever to facilitate
cross-disciplinary communication on university
campuses. The competition will expose students to the important
exercise of both writing a business plan and
presenting the plan to a panel of potential investors. Through
their interaction with the panel of judges, the
students will gain invaluable professional feedback on their
plan as well as the possible contacts and funding
needed to implement the plan.
The University of Washington’s Business Plan Competition is limited to
teams that include students enrolled
either full-time or part-time in degree programs at one of these
participating universities: University of
Washington, Seattle Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran
University, and Seattle University.
Each member of the team must have a stakeholder position in the
business described in the business plan and
must sign a statement declaring that he or she has made a
significant contribution to the development of the
plan.
- Submit your business plan to the
Alliance of Angels [or at least simulate such a submission process!]
The Alliance of Angels accepts business plans for review based upon
the following criteria:
- The company must be headquartered in Washington state.
- The company must be in the "start-up"or "early stage"
phase of growth.
- The company must have an Alliance of Angels sponsor.
- The company must be defined as a technology company. *
[*The Alliance of Angels' definition of a technology
company is one that
dedicates at least 10% or more of its resources to
research and development.]
Business (Executive) Summary
- Principal products or services
- Geographic advantages of business
(cost, sales territory, geog advantages resulting from patents,
licenses)
Strategic Business Objectives
- General geographic constraints on location and spatial
expansion of service territory etc.
- Social (responsibility) objectives as they relate to particular
communities
Markets and Competition
- Location of major competitors
- Competitive advantages & disadvantages
Marketing and Sales
- Geographic extent of the market (service area)?
local -- regional -- national -- overseas
- Principal customers: location?
- Importance of traffic and access
- Pricing practices: f.o.b.; c.i.f ?
- Will prices vary depending on location of customers or clients?
- Special relationships with customers based on location? (e.g.
price differentiation/ service)
- Will direct marketing methods be used? Telemaketing?
- Which trade shows will be used for marketing purposes?
- Which other advertizing media will be used for which market areas?
Research & Development
- Geographic sources of know-how needed
- Local quality of education/ advanced college degrees
- Relations to local research universities
Management
- Attractive location for managers & families?
Activity Plan and Schedule
- Activity location, site characteristics, incl. floor space, acres,
ownership
- Environmental or other regulatory restrictions?
- Land use restrictions? Available parking?
- Available space for expansion?
- Expected timing of expansion of facilities, market area and activity
spaces
Personnel Plan
- Unionization in state, strike history
- Local labor market & competition for labor
- Quality of education and training
Inputs: Products and Services/ Inventory
- Location of principal suppliers
- Volume of supplies available at different sources
- Transportation, transport costs
- Material handling facilities, storage
- Timing of deliveries
Outputs: Products and Services/ Inventory
- Final product inventory: warehouses? where?
Risks and Potential Problems
- Locational risks: Will the overall and specific advantages
of the selected location actually materialize?
- Market-related risks: What happens if the market projections and the
assessment of the competitive situation turn out to be incorrect?
- Political and regulatory risks
Financial and Reporting Systems Capitalization
- Regulatory restrictions?
- Local availability of (venture) capital?
History of the Company
- Date & place (state) of incorporation
- Geographic origins, birth place and intermittent locations (education)
of founder
Literature:
Abrams, Rhonda,
The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies. 1993.
Covello, J.A. & B.J.Hazelgren, The Complete Book of Business Plans: Simple
Steps toward writing a Powerful
Business Plan. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks 1994.
Gumpert, David E.,
How to Really Create a Successful Business Plan : Featuring the
Business Plans of Pizza Hut, Software Publishing
Corp., Celestial Seasonings, Ben & je, 1996.
Kishel,G.F. and P.G.Kishel How to Start, Run, and Stay in Business. New
York: Wiley 1981. (more recent
editions) Ch.2: "Determining the Best Location" Ch.11: "Developing your
Promotional Strategy" (Many similar
books are available in bookstores and libraries)
Larson, Paul;
Karl
Vesper and Maury Forman. The Washington Entrepreneur's
Guide: How to Start and Manage a Business in Washington. 2nd edition.
Missoula, Mt: Universdity Press, 1997.
[pp.213ff. "The Business Plan"] ["One copy ordered 10-30-98 for Foster
Business Library General Stacks and not yet received." (Jan 1999)]
1993-Edition:
Foster Business Library Media
HD2346.U52 W386 1993 diskette CHECK THE SHELVES
5 1/4 in. disk
Foster Business Library Reference
HD2346.U52 W386 1993 text MISSING LIBRARY USE ONLY
Undergraduate Career Materials
HD2346.U52 W386 1993 text DUE 12-28-98
Undergraduate General Stacks
HD2346.U52 W386 1993 diskette CHECK THE SHELVES
3 1/2 in. disk Kept at the Circulation Desk
J.K.Lasser Institute. How to Run a Small Business. 7th Ed., N.Y.: McGraw
1994.[Ch.4: Deciding on the Location
of Your Business] [HD62.7 H68]
Meurisse, Michael. "What is required from Competitor Analysis today? -
and what part can online research play?" in: Online 92; 16th
International Online Information Meeting. London, Dec. 1992.
[Z699.A1.I686.1992/Suz]
Pinson, Linda and Jerry Jinnett (Contributor)
Anatomy of a Business Plan : A Step-By-Step Guide to Starting Smart,
Building the Business and Securing Your Company's Future
(3rd Edition), Pb. 1996.
Purdy, Warren G., The Service Business Planning Guide: The complete
handbook for creating a winning business plan for any service company.
INC.Business Resource, Boston, Mass., 1996. [HD30.28 P87 1996/ BA Library]
Siegel, Eric S., Brian R. Ford, Jay M. Bornstein, G.
Young Ernst,
The Ernst & Young Business Plan Guide
1993.
Return to: Geography 207
|| Econ & Bus Geography
2000 [econgeog@u.washington.edu]