The programme will look the various elements included in business plans.  It will also explain how funders evaluate business plans as well as looking at tips and common mistakes that we often see in business plans.

• Importance of planning in your business, when to plan and how to use the plan to drive the business forward
• Types of business plans and the elements that are included in every business plan
• Objectives: what do you need? What will you do? What is the expected outcome?  Setting SMART goals
• SWOT analysis: Identifying gaps in skills and action plans to address; using PESTLE to analyse external factors; cheat sheet with questions to ask to start this analysis
• Marketing – The marketing plan (4Ps and 3Ms); what problems are you solving? How do you solve their problems? How are you better/worse than competition? How will you secure enough customers?
• Financial Projections: Profit v Cash; Profit & Loss account & Cash Flow projections; how many years – 1,2,5 years?
• Developing the business owner: Skills of a “good” entrepreneur; Assessing participants’ suitability to self-employment; gaps in the organisation structure (internal/external resources) and how to bridge them
• The Central Credit Register - the importance of Credit Reports - accessing and managing your credit score
• Other information that may be requested by funders and how they evaluate these documents and the business plan.
• Common mistakes in business plans and tips to improve the quality and completeness of the business plan