Project
Split students into small groups to discuss and write a business plan for a new business
idea
Discuss and decide on a project as a team you would like to carry out,
some examples to be used could be:
Community Enterprise

Organising an event to raise money for charity, e.g. a raffle, a fete

Making a saleable product to raise money for a local charity, e.g.
cards, calendars

Projects involving improvements to local facilities, e.g. planting in a
local park
Business Enterprise

A business simulation exercise, e.g. design and market a prototype
product

A ‘design and make project’, e.g. biscuit design challenge

Organising an event to make a profit, e.g. a fete, disco, car
washing

Providing a service to make a profit, e.g. tuck shop

Making a saleable product to make a profit, e.g. Christmas cards
Environmental Enterprise

An improvement scheme, e.g. planting a garden

A green project, e.g. a litter scheme environmental task and write
out a business plan for your new venture.
STUDENTS TO:
Write a business plan and
present your findings to
the rest of the group
BUSINESS PLAN
DETAILS
So, what’s your business idea?
What resources, expertise and equipment will you need to get it started?
What’s the name of your business?
The location of my business will be:
Advantages of this location are:
Other must-haves will be (eg customer parking)
PLANNING and COSTS
What do you want to get out of owning your own business? It’s important to set yourself shortand long-term goals, like whether you want to become a market leader or make a certain
amount of money, right from the start. Outline your goals in the spaces below.
My business goals are:
Financial
Business
Think about your product or service and how you can make it stand out from the competition.
The Unique Selling Proposition of my product/service is:
Pricing
It’ll pay (in more ways than one) to get your prices right. They’ll need to do more than just
cover your costs if your business is going to grow – they need to make you a profit. Keep an
eye on what your competitors are charging and what your customers are willing to pay so you
don’t undersell your product or service. Answer the questions below:
Renenue (expected amount per year)
A
£
Cost of Sales (per year)
B
£
Gross profit (a)-(b)
C
£
Expenses/Overhead costs estimate
for the whole first year of trading
D
£
Net Profit =(a)-(b+d)
£
Check whether the Net Profit looks realistic. If it doesn’t, take another look at your pricing or,
if you need to, review the costs involved in running your business.
KNOWING YOUR MARKET
1.
The number of customers available to my business is approximately:
2.
My market is currently in decline/undergoing growth (delete the one
that doesn’t apply). What are the reasons for this? Have there been
any legislation changes? Are you aware of anything that might impact
on it in the future?
THE TEAM
1.
Total number of workforce
2.
Outline strengths and weaknesses of the team/business
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
CUSTOMERS and PROMOTION
It’s important to have a clear picture of who your ideal customers are – what
are they like and what are they buying? You should remember that your
customers are price-sensitive, too. They’ll want a competitive price that’s fair
for what they’re buying. Your answers below will help you to target your
product/service at your customers better.
My typical customer profile
Age
Sex
Income bracket
How would my typical customers tend to buy products and services?
Customers will use my product/service for:
Buying my product/service will be a one-off purchase/repeat purchase:
The after-sales service they expect from me is:
They would choose my product/service over my competitors because:
Type of
advertising
How do I
measure
success
Method used
by competitors
Budget
Method 1
YES/NO
£
YES/NO
£
Total Budget
£
Method 2