How to Write a Business Plan for a Teen Program

Writing a business plan for a teen program takes time and research

The success of your future business will depend, to a substantial degree, on the quality of the business plan you present to potential lenders and affiliates. If you want to start a program for teens, it is important to have a formal business plan written that you can use to organize your thoughts, outline your program goals and prepare for possible scenarios and costs.

Things You'll Need

• Computer

Instructions

1. Write the executive summary for your business plan. There are four important points to make in this initial step. First, explain the sort of teen program you envision. Second, explain the service your program will provide to teens, parents and/or educators, and point out what will make it stand out from other teen programs. Third, introduce the proposed managers of your program. Fourth, state how much money you will require to start the program, and how you will be using that money to benefit teens.

2. Write a detailed description of your proposed teen program, adding many more specifics to the information you provided in the executive summary. Points to consider are whether or not your program will be non-profit, if there will be a specific age cut-off for teens who wish to participate, and what teens must do to qualify for your program. Also state your plans for the program's future. Be sure to devote at least one paragraph to explaining exactly how your program will benefit teens, whether it's providing them with materials or involving them in activities.

3. Write a market analysis that includes statistics on the projected growth of your teen program, comparing it to other, similar, programs and explaining how your program will provide a service to teens that others are not currently providing. The intent of this section of your business plan is to show that you've thoroughly researched the facts on programs for teenagers.

4. Write a marketing plan based on the analysis in Step 3, explaining your strategy for making your teen program succeed in this particular market. Provide a step-by-step description of exactly how you will achieve the goals you stated in Step 2.

5. Complete a financial projection of the expenses and income you anticipate for your teen program, including spreadsheets, income statements and cash-flow projections. While you need to state the facts, be sure you also explain how each deduction or cost will be used for the benefit of the teenagers in your program.

6. Come up with an exit strategy outlining what you will do if your program fails or does not meet its goals. Investors and lenders must understand that you are aware of the fact that not all organizations and programs for teens succeed, and that you know how to handle such a development without going bankrupt.

7. Create a table of contents based on the sections in steps one through six, including the page number on which each new section starts.

References

• Microsoft: How to Write a Business Plan

Resources

• Small Business Administration