“CITI SALUTES - REALIZING YOUR DREAM BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION” LABORATORY
January 5 – February 18, 2015
Instructor: Mirza Tihic
Director of Program Support Services,
Institute for Veterans and Military Families,
Syracuse University,
Whitman School of Management
V-WISE Graduates Email: vwisebiz@syr.edu
B2B Graduates Email: b2bbiz@syr.edu
Website: http://vets.syr.edu/education/realizing-your-dream-business-competition/
I. INTRODUCTION
The development of a great business plan for starting a new business or non-profit organization is the focus of
this lab. The Business Plan Lab is a special service course intended for those entering the “Citi Salutes
Realizing Your Dream Business Competition.”
The Business Plan Lab concentrates on the mechanics of constructing a creative, realistic and effective business
plan. Thus, it is intended as a “hands-on” experience that explores process that a person must go through to put
together a proper business plan for a start-up venture.
II. HOW THE COURSE WILL BE CONDUCTED
The Business Plan Lab is designed as a discussion-oriented tutorial on the key components of a business plan.
Thus, each module focuses on a particular section of the plan, explores the key questions that should be addressed
in that section, presents approaches to conducting the relevant analysis so that students can answer those
questions, and discusses how to present the analysis and conclusions in the plan. This Lab is intended as a “selfhelp” opportunity for participants.
As you work through the sections of your business plan we encourage you to utilize your local business network
for additional guidance. Your local SBDC and WBC offices in particular can offer mentorship and additional
coursework as applicable. We’ve included PDFs on the Business Competition Website,
http://vets.syr.edu/education/realizing-your-dream-business-competition/ with contact information for business
resources throughout the nation. You may also find it helpful to visit http://www.sba.gov/local-assistance for local
resource information and more specifically http://www.sba.gov/about-offices-content/1/2895/resources/13729
to find your local women’s business center and http://asbdc-us.org/ to find your local SBDC, VBOC, or SCORE
office.
III. READINGS AND RESOURCES
All resources indicated below are available via http://vets.syr.edu/education/realizing-your-dream-businesscompetition/.
a) “The Nuts and Bolts of Business Plans”, prepared by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging
Enterprises, Syracuse University
b) Introduction to Business Ownership for Veterans and Military Families
c) Sample Business Plans
d) Intent to Compete Form – we prefer you submit this as soon as possible – prior to submission of
business plan, executive summary and Entrant Certification Form
IV. HOW TO ACCESS THE COURSE:
The laboratory will be administered via online pre- recorded presentations and office hours will be administered
via Google +. Online recorded presentations can be found here. In order to participate in the office hours portion of
the lab you will need a Google+ account (instructions for account setup are listed below) and to sign up weekly via
email to b2bbiz@syr.edu or vwisebiz@syr.edu .Please reference the complete schedule of presentation topics and
dates below. Please follow the instructions listed below for establishing a Google+ profile account (download PDF
here):
Tech Requirements:
1. Webcam
2. Headphones with microphone (preferred)
3. Internet connection (wired connection preferred)
Google+ Account Setup:
1. Please ensure that you have a web cam. This can either be hooked up to your monitor or is built into your
laptop
2. Open a web browser and navigate to http://plus.google.com. **WHEN USING THE GOOGLE+ PLATFORM
PLEASE UTILIZE THE GOOGLE CHROME WEB BROWSER**
3. If you already have a Gmail account, please log into your account and skip the next step
4. If you do not have an existing account, please click the "Create an Account" red button in the top right of the
screen and compete the required steps for creating and activating an account
V. EXPECTATIONS OF THE STUDENT
Each participant is expected to be totally immersed in theirbusiness plan. It is highly recommended to come to the
laboratory thoroughly prepared, with a set of issues in mind in terms of which questions need to be addressed,
what analyses need to be conducted, how to conduct these analyses, and how to draw conclusions from these
analyses for each major section of the business plan. Participants are encouraged to prepare the section of their
business plan on the topic specified for a given week. If participants have questions about other sections of the
plan (i.e. other than the section being focused upon in a given week), please contact the instructor.
VI. LIVING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE
The development process for the business plan is an invaluable experience, especially since it is relatively “riskfree” and under supervision as part of this lab. At the same time, the exercise closely mimics the “real” experience
a potential entrepreneur has to live through.
The study of entrepreneurship requires an interactive environment and the business plan project is a simulated
entrepreneurial experience. Communication and persuasion are critical to any entrepreneurial endeavor and the
business plan project helps to develop essential analytical, written and oral skills. In the final analysis, we can
promise you that the business plan document will be one of the most impressive documents in your professional
portfolio. As planning is relevant for every business, your business plan is guaranteed to be a valuable topic for
discussion when interviewing with prospective employers.
VII. BUSINESS PLAN LAB SCHEDULE
Below is a schedule of topics for the ten meetings of the laboratory. The sessions correspond to sections of the
business plan as outlined in the “Nuts and Bolts” document. Content for the length of the laboratory will be
available via Blackboard on Monday, January 5, 2015. Be prepared during weekly office hours with questions
about each particular section and to discuss your own venture. We will set the pace according to the needs of the
group.
SESSION 1: Monday, January 5
Introduction to the Lab; The What and Why of a Business Plan; Understanding the Logic of the Plan;
Understanding Your Audience; Organizing Your Team and Your Time; Overcoming Flaws in Plans;
Ideation and Concept Generation; Business Concept Selection and Team formation; Writing Up the
Business Concept and the Value-Creating Components
Office Hours: Wednesday, January 7 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 2: Friday, January 9 (Sections I and II of Plan)
Assessing the Industry in Which You Will Operate: Definition, Size, Structure, Trends and More; The
Company, Products and Services to be Sold; Differentiation; Creating Barriers
Office Hours: Monday, January 12 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 3: Wednesday, January 14 (Section III of Plan)
Your Market: Market Definition, and Putting Numbers on Market Size & Potential; How Your Buyers
Buy and How to Segment Them and Prioritize Target Audiences; How to Analyze Competitors and
Establish Competitive Positioning
Office Hours: Friday, January 16(12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 4: Monday, January 19 (Section IV of Plan)
The Economics of the Business: Determining the Cost Structure, Estimating Breakeven and Evaluating
Operating Leverage
Office Hours: Wednesday, January 21 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 5: Friday, January 23 (Section V of Plan)
The Creative (and Guerrilla) Marketing Plan; Promotional Mixes, Pricing and Distribution
Office Hours: Monday, January 26 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 6: Wednesday, January 28 (Sections VI, VII, IX and X of Plan)
How to Write Up Design & Development; Operations, Production and Service Delivery, and Logistics;
What to Cover on Technology and Information Systems. What is in an overall schedule (master timetable),
schedule formats, sequencing and concurrent events. What’s important about critical risks, problems, and
assumption?
Office Hours: Friday, January 30 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 7: Monday, February 2 (Section XI of Plan)
Setting Up Pro Forma Financial Statements: Cash Flow, Income Statement, Balance Sheet
Office Hours: Wednesday, February 4 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 8: Friday, February 6 (Sections VIII and XII of Plan)
The Management Team, Boards and Advisors; Human Resource Management Needs; Structuring the
Offering or Proposed Deal.
Office Hours: Monday, February 9 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 9: Wednesday, February 11 (Executive Summary, Section XIII)
What is an Executive Summary? How important is it to your plan? What types of documents/materials
should be in your appendices. Tying up the loose ends and putting it all together.
Office Hours: Friday, February 13 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
SESSION 10: Monday, February 16 (Tips for Presenting a Business Plan to Investors and Judges)
Office Hours: Wednesday, February 18 (12 – 1 p.m. EST)
VIII. DATES TO REMEMBER
 Deadline for submission: March 6, 2015, 11:59PM EST
 Semi-finalists announced: April 3, 2015
 Semi-finals: May TBA, 2015 – Washington, D.C.
o Please note that transportation, lodging and food costs for all semi-finalists will be covered
 Finals: TBA May TBA, 2015 – Washington, D.C.
o Successful high profile venture capitalists and entrepreneurs will judge the semi-finals and finals
o The finals presentation will be followed by the Citi Salutes Awards Ceremony held after the
competition.
IX. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
Only one submission of a business venture is permitted. Every competitor must submit a two page executive
summary and 23 page business plan NLT March 6, 2015 11:59 PM EST. Only one submission of a business venture
is permitted. The executive summary and business plan combined must not exceed 25 pages in length based on a
document that is double spaced, 12 point font with one inch margin (including cover and text); the appendices may
not exceed 10 pages in length (appendices are an additional 10 pages to the 25 pages of the business plan which
makes is a total of 35 pages). Submit as follows in pdf format at following website,
http://vets.syr.edu/education/realizing-your-dream-business-competition/:
File name for the business plan: last name, first initial_businessplan
File name for the executive summary: last name, first initial_executivesummary
If you have any questions about the Business Plan Competition please contact IVMF at:
B2B Graduates – b2bbiz@syr.edu
V-WISE Graduates – vwisebiz@syr.edu