What goes into a business plan?
What does it take to start a business?
What kind of business would you want to start?
 We will talk about what goes into a business plan and
talk about each part of it in depth.
 We will look at real life companies and different
aspects of their business.
 You will get the chance to work alone or in a group to
develop a business plan for a company you will create!
 What will your company
do?
 Sell a product?
 Tom’s Shoes
 Home Depot
 Target
 Wal-Mart
 Apple
 Offer a service?
 Google
 Massage therapists
 Web Design
 You must decide what it
is that your business is
actually going to sell. It
could be one product. It
could be multiple. It
could be several services,
or it could be a blend of
products and services.
 The Best Industries for Starting a Business Right Now
 There are some interesting companies out there…
 eNthem of San Francisco
 I Do Now I Don't
 Lucky Break Wishbone
 Prairie Tumbleweed Farm
 Sarah's Smash Shack
 Sniff Dogs
 A company obviously must have a name…
 Some cool company names I’ve come across:
 StumbleUpon
 Pinterest
 Google
 Hulu
 Sew Sew Lovely
 Yoforia
 Any cool names you’ve heard of?
 Business Name Examples
 Tips on Creating a Name
 This company actually comes up with business names for
people
 Most companies have a motto or
 5 tips for writing an effective
 “Think Different”
 Apple
 “Have It Your Way”
 Burger King
 “Zoom Zoom”
 Mazda
 “Eat Fresh”
 Subway
 “Live in Your World, Play in
 10 Best Slogans according to
catch phrase
Ours”
 Sony Playstation
 “I’m Lovin’ It”
 McDonald’s
 “You Can Do It. We Can Help.”
 Home Depot
slogan
INC.com
 Every company has both!
 Your mission is what you do best every day,
and your vision is what the founder ultimately
envisions the business to be.
 Mission-daily focused. What’s your
purpose?
 Vision-future focused. How high do we
want to reach?
 Video: what's the difference?
 Mission Statement How To: 5 slides from
Inc.com
 MissionStatements.com-examples of
mission statements from real companies.
 Other examples:
 Mastercard
 PepsiCo
 A vision statement for a new or small firm spells out
goals at a high level and should coincide with the
founder’s goals for the business. Simply put, the vision
should state what the creator(you) ultimately
envisions the business to be, in terms of growth,
values, employees, and contributions to society.
 Then, develop strategies for moving your business
toward that vision.
 Video: Vision Statement How To
 Examples:
 Coca Cola
 Step #1 Write a list of facts about your business. List your goals,
strengths, benefits and so on.
 Step #2 Now write a statement about what you want your
business to become in the future. What does it look like? Is it
global? What are you doing for your customers?
 Step #3 Combine your statement and the items in your list that
stand out, create your vision statement. Remember, this is only
an exercise, you may write and rewrite your vision statement ten
times before you hit on one that resonates with you.
Remember, your vision statement is an essential part
of your business plan. Imagine creating a business
without it. Many do and they’re short lived. Imagine
trying to make a decision about hiring, about your
business model, about marketing without knowing
what it is exactly that you want your business to be
and where you want it to go... You can’t.
 A business strategy encompasses many things. We will
consider questions like:
 Is your company local or global?
 Small or big? Small staff, big staff?
 Who is your target market?
 How will your business meet customer needs and
expectations?
 What is your competitive advantage?
Intro
Strategy!