How to Write a Business Plan for a Marketing Business

A well-prepared business plan is essential when starting a marketing business and seeking financial help. The business plan will determine whether or not investors, venture capitalists and banks will have confidence in you and the marketing business to offer their financial backing.

Things You'll Need

• Business plan software

Instructions

1. Explain the purpose of the business. Be brief and to the point. Explain what goods and services the business will offer, the loan amount you are requesting and your personal financial investment.

2. Prepare an Executive Summary. Include a detailed description of the primary activities of the marketing business, a competitive analysis of the marketing industry, and your credentials and experience and those of your management team.

3. Tell the investors how the marketing business will succeed. Outline the steps you plan to take to market the marketing business. Let investors know how you are going reach consumers and generate revenue. Include this in your Executive Summary.

4. Create short-term pro forma financial statements. Include relevant hypothetical financial information such as balance sheets, break-even analysis and profit-and-loss statements. Prepare these statements monthly for the first year, quarterly for the second year and annually for years three through five.

5. Gather supporting evidence. Investors will want to know where you found the information regarding your competitors and how you arrived at the numbers reported on the financial statements.

Tips & Warnings

• Hire a Certified Public Accountant to help you with the pro forma financial statements.

• Buy business plan software to help guide you through the process of writing a business plan for your marketing company.

• Know when you are in over your head. If you a poor writer, bad with numbers or don't understand how to put everything together so that the information is clear and concise, consider outsourcing; hire a freelance writer specializing in business plans.

Resources

• Find additional information about business plans at Inc.
• Get advice about writing business plans at the SBA website.