Chapter 3
Feasibility Analysis?
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What Is Feasibility Analysis?
• Feasibility analysis is the process of
determining whether a business idea is viable.
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Benefits of Feasibility Analysis?
A feasibility analysis helps you …………
•To assess the merit of your business idea,
•Determine whether there is a market for your idea,
•Whether the idea is financially viable,
•and ultimately, whether or not it is worth investing
your time and money into the venture,
•Overall demand for new products, services, or
ideas
• Characteristics of likely customers (such as
demographics and buying behavior)
• Characteristics of likely competitors
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When To Conduct a Feasibility Analysis
 Timing of Feasibility Analysis
 The proper time to conduct a feasibility analysis is early in
thinking through the prospects for a new business.
 The thought is to screen ideas before a lot of resources are
spent on them
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Conti….
It is estimated that only one in fifty business ideas are
actually commercially viable. Therefore a business
feasibility study is an effective way to safeguard
against wastage of further investment
The research and information uncovered in the
feasibility study will support the business planning
stage and reduce the research time. Hence the cost of
the business plan will also be reduced
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Components of a Feasibility Analysis
Product/Service Feasibility
Industry/Target Market
Feasibility
Organizational Feasibility
Financial Feasibility
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Feasibility Analysis
Role of feasibility analysis in developing business ideas.
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Outline for a Comprehensive Feasibility Analysis
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Product/Service Feasibility Analysis
Components of product/service
feasibility analysis
Product/Service
Desirability
Product/Service
Demand
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1.1- Product/Service Desirability
First, ask the following questions to determine the basic
appeal of the product or service.
• Does it make sense? Is it something consumers will get excited
about?
• Does it take advantage of an environmental trend, solve a
problem, or take advantage of a gap in the marketplace?
• Is this a good time to introduce the product or service to the
market?
• Are there any fatal flaws in the product or service’s basic design
or concept?
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Second, Develop/Administer a Concept Test
 A concept statement should be developed.
 A concept statement is a one page description of a business,
that is distributed to people who are asked to provide
feedback on the potential of the business idea.
 The feedback will hopefully provide the entrepreneur


A sense of the viability or the product or service idea.
Suggestions for how the idea can be strengthened or “twisted” before
proceeding further.
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Conti…..
New Venture
Fitness Drink’s
Concept Statement
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1.2- Product/Service Demand
 Product/Service Demand
 Through primary and secondary research
 Step 1: Administer a Buying Intentions Survey, focus group
etc
 Step 2: Conduct library, Internet research, used local data
etc
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Gumshoe Research
Explanation
• A gumshoe is a detective or an investigator that
scrounges around for information or clues
wherever they can be found.
• Be a gumshoe. Ask people what they think about
your product or service idea. If your idea is to sell
educational toys, spend a week volunteering at a
day care center and watch how children interact
with toys.
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2.0 Industry/Target Market Feasibility
Analysis
Purpose
Industry/Target Market
Feasibility Analysis
• Is an assessment of the overall
appeal of the industry and the
target market for the proposed
business.
• An industry is a group of firms
producing a similar product or
service.
• A firm’s target market is the
limited portion of the industry it
plans to go after.
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Industry/Target Market Feasibility Analysis
Components of industry/target market
feasibility analysis
Industry Attractiveness
Target Market
Attractiveness
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2.1. Assessing Industry Attractiveness
porter five forces model
2.2. Target Market Attractiveness
 Target Market Attractiveness
 The challenge in identifying an attractive target market is to
find a market that’s large enough for the proposed business
but is yet small enough to avoid attracting larger
competitors.
 Assessing the attractiveness of a target market is tougher
than an entire industry.
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3.0. Organizational Feasibility Analysis
Purpose
Organizational Feasibility
Analysis
• Is conducted to determine
whether a proposed business has
sufficient management expertise,
organizational competence, and
resources to successfully launch
a business.
• Focuses on non-financial resources.
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Organizational Feasibility Analysis
Components of organizational
feasibility analysis
Management Prowess
Resource Sufficiency
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3.1. Management Prowess
 Management Prowess
 A firm should candidly evaluate the prowess, or ability, of
its management team to satisfy itself that management has
the requisite passion and expertise to launch the venture.
 Two of the most important factors in this area are:


The passion that the solo entrepreneur or the founding team has for
the business idea.
The extent to which sole entrepreneur or the founding team
understands the markets in which the firm will participate.
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3.2. Resource Sufficiency
 Resource Sufficiency
 An assessment of whether an entrepreneur has sufficient non
financial resources to launch the proposed business.
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Resource Sufficiency
Examples of nonfinancial resources that may be critical
to the successful launch of a new business
• Availability of
factory/ lab space for business.
• Local and state government support of the business.
• Quality of the labor pool available.
• Closeness to key suppliers and customers.
• Willingness of high quality employees to join the firm.
•Proximity to similar firms for the purpose of sharing knowledge.
• Possibility of obtaining intellectual property protection in key areas.
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4.0. Financial Feasibility Analysis
Purpose
Financial Feasibility
Analysis
• Is the final component of a
comprehensive feasibility analysis.
• A preliminary financial assessment
is sufficient.
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Financial Feasibility Analysis
Components of financial
feasibility analysis
Total Start-Up Cash
Needed
Financial Performance of
Similar Businesses
Overall Financial
Attractiveness of the
Proposed Venture
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4.1. Total Start-Up Cash Needed
 Total Start-Up Cash Needed
 The first issues refers to the the total cash needed to prepare
the business to make its first sale.
 An actual budget should be prepared that lists all the
anticipated capital purchases and operating expenses needed
to generate the first $1 in revenues.
 The point of this exercise is to determine if the proposed
venture is realistic given the total start-up cash needed.
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4.2. Financial Performance of Similar Businesses
 Financial Performance of Similar Businesses
 Estimate the proposed start-up’s financial performance by
comparing it to similar, already established businesses.
 There are several ways to doing this, all of which involve a
little ethical detective work.


First, there are many reports available, some for free and some that
require a fee, offering detailed industry trend analysis and reports on
thousands of individual firms.
Second, simple observational research may be needed. For example,
the owners of New Venture Fitness Drinks could estimate their sales
by tracking the number of people who patronize similar restaurants
and estimating the average amount each customer spends.
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4.3. Overall Financial Attractiveness of the
Proposed Venture
 Overall Financial Attractiveness of the Proposed
Investment
 A number of other financial factors are associated with
promising business startups.
 In the feasibility analysis stage, the extent to which a
business opportunity is positive relative to each factor is
based on an estimate rather than actual performance.
 The table on the next slide lists the factors that pertain to the
overall attractiveness of the financial feasibility of the
business idea.
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Overall Financial Attractiveness of the
Proposed Venture
Financial Factors Associated With Promising Business
Opportunities
• Steady and rapid growth in sales during the first 5 to 7 years in a clearly
defined market niche.
• High percentage of recurring revenue—meaning that once a firm wins a
client, the client will provide recurring sources of revenue.
• Ability to forecast income and expenses with a reasonable degree of
certainty.
• Internally generated funds to finance and sustain growth.
• Availability of an exit opportunity for investors to convert equity to cash.
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Types of businesses
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 Sole Proprietorship
 The vast majority of small businesses start out as sole
proprietorships. These firms are owned by one person,
usually the individual who has day-to-day responsibility for
running the business. Sole proprietorships own all the
assets of the business and the profits generated by it. They
also assume complete responsibility for any of its liabilities
or debts. In the eyes of the law and the public, you are one
in the same with the business.
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Advantages of a Sole Proprietorship
1. Easiest and least expensive form of ownership to organize.
2. Sole proprietors are in complete control, and within the
parameters of the law, may make decisions as they see fit.
3. Profits from the business flow-through directly to the
owner’s personal tax return.
4. The business is easy to dissolve, if desired.
Disadvantages of a Sole Proprietorship
1. Unlimited liability. Owners who organize their business as a
sole proprietorship are personally responsible for the
obligations of the business, including actions of any
employee representing the business.
2. Limited life. In most cases, if a business owner dies, the
business dies as well.
3. It may be difficult for an individual to raise capital. It's
common for funding to be in the form of personal savings or
personal loans
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Partnership
A Partnership consists of two or more
individuals in business together.
Partnerships may be as small as mom and
pop type operations, or as large as some of
the big legal or accounting firms that may
have dozens of partners
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Advantages
1. Synergy. There is clear potential for the enhancement of value
resulting from two or more individuals combining strengths.
2. Partnerships are relatively easy to form, however, considerable
thought should be put into developing a partnership agreement at
the point of formation.
3. Partnerships may be subject to fewer regulations than
corporations.
4. There is stronger potential of access to greater amounts of capital.
5. No corporate income taxes.
Disadvantages
1. Unlimited liability. General partners are individually responsible
for the obligations of the business, creating personal risk.
2. Limited life. A partnership may end upon the withdrawal or death
of a partner.
3. There is a real possibility of disputes or conflicts between partners
which could lead to dissolving the partnership. This scenario
enforces the need of a partnership agreement.
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Corporation
Corporations are probably the dominant form of
business organization in the United States. Although
fewer in number, corporations account for the lion's
share of aggregate business receipts in the U.S.
economy. A corporation is a legal entity doing
business, and is distinct from the individuals within
the entity. Public corporations are owned by
shareholders who elect a board of directors to oversee
primary responsibilities.
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Advantages
Unlimited commercial life. The corporation is an entity
of its own and does not dissolve when ownership
changes.
Greater flexibility in raising capital through the sale of
stock.
Ease of transferring ownership by selling stock.
Limited liability. This limited liability is probably the
biggest advantage to organizing as a corporation.
Individual owners in corporations have limits on their
personal liability. Even if a corporation is sued for
billions of dollars, individual shareholder's liability is
generally limited to the value of their own stock in the
corporation..
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Disadvantages
1. Regulatory restrictions. Corporations are typically more closely
monitored by governmental agencies, including federal, state,
and local. Complying with regulations can be costly.
2. Higher organizational and operational costs. Corporations have
to file articles of incorporation with the appropriate state
authorities. These legal and clerical expenses, along with other
recurring operational expenses, can contribute to budgetary
challenges.
3. Double taxation. The possibility of double taxation arises when
companies declare and pay taxes on the net income of the
corporation, which they pay through their corporate income tax
returns. If the corporation also pays out dividends to individual
shareholders, those shareholders must declare that dividend
income as personal income and pay taxes at the individual
income tax rates. Thus, the possibility of double taxation.
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