How to use Templates for a Catering Company Business Plan

Now you are ready to take your catering business to a new level by hiring employees, expanding your service and maybe even advertising. Your business plan helps you articulate where your business is and where you want it to go. If you have never written a business plan, relax--many kind souls and even the federal government want to help.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Read general guides to get a basic idea of what a business plan includes. The Small Business Administration and SCORE (see Additional Resources) provide many online resources. Other business plan templates are just for catering. For example, Fab Job has a page that can help you develop your business plan by giving types of catering, menu options and more. Virtual Restaurant has free articles to help steer you clear of trouble.

2. Write down everything you already know about your catering business such as the name, location, size, number of employees and services you will offer. Research your competition to understand your niche: differences in menu, pricing, hours, number of people you can cater.

3. Calculate carefully your unit cost for each item on your menu, including combinations. The cost of these tells you what you need to charge to make a profit. Learn now if you can physically make enough per day to turn a profit monthly. Also, decide if larger output means you need new suppliers.

4. Use forms to show your financial plan, including the money you need to start, where it will come from, how much you will need to make each month to show a profit and what investment you plan to make in the business. Remember that your product and raw materials are perishable and you may need to calculate for waste

5. Think through your day-to-day operations. Figure out how many orders you and your staff can fill in a day, how large the area in which you will operate must be, what days of the week you will work, how you will handle absences, train new people, bring in new customers. Write these all down in the operating plan.

6. Write the executive summary last, a miniature version of your whole plan. Make it a one-page summary of your whole plan, balancing strengths and weaknesses. Show your passion and your investors will see you and your catering business as a good investment.

Tips & Warnings

• Templates ask for cost of employees, raw materials, rent, electricity and marketing. Make sure these numbers are accurate.

• Make sure to have the proper permits before you sell food to the public.

Resources

• Small Business Administration sample business plan
• Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE)
• BPlans organizes templates by business type.
• Fab Job catering page
• Virtual Restaurant