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The One Day Business Plan posted by Peter J. Patsula

Creating a vision.

"The One Day Business Plan" has long been an ambition of mine. More than ten years ago, I created my first one day business plan. You can check it out at http://www.bforms.com/forms/form1.pdf. I would be the first to admit that this original version is somewhat lacking. But I've always appreciated one or two page summary guides ("cheat sheets" as we use to call them back in high school) -- anything that summarizes essential information and limits the time I spend sorting through new ideas. This is especially important in information-based societies where we are constantly being bombarded with too much information and not enough "meaning."

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Why Write a One Day Business Plan?
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A "One Day Business Plan" helps you summarize your business proposition in a short period of time. It provides an excellent first step to getting your thoughts organized in the right direction -- a suitable road map for a more comprehensive plan. You can also use a one day business plan to pitch your business idea to potential investors or partners, especially those who might flinch at the prospect of reading a hefty 30 page proposal.

Uncovering the pillars of your business is an exciting and fruitful process, enabling you to communicate to yourself and others exactly why your business will succeed. Preparing a concise plan also forces you to consider the most essential components of your idea. Very quickly, you gain a more realistic idea of your weaknesses and strengths.

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Five Steps in Five Hours or LESS
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To write a one day business plan, summarize your:

(1) business vision
(2) company goals
(3) marketing strategies
(4) financial objectives
(5) support plans

Each step outlined below provides brief questions along with some sample answers for a fictional startup web design consulting company called: "Usable Web Design Company" (UWDC). This plan is also available online at http://www.onedaybusinessplan.com. The second edition of "Successful Business Planning 30 Days" also provides helpful brainstorming sheets, examples, keywords, and fill-in-the-blanks sections.

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STEP 1
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BUSINESS VISION

1. What do you want your company to be?
2. Why is "now" the "right time" to start your company?

Vision: Within the next seven years, grow UWDC from a part-time hobby venture into a $1 million national consulting firm specializing in usable web design for content providers, educational institutions, and corporations.

Why Now: Over the next five years, Internet traffic is projected to double every six months (source: Dr. L. G. Roberts, Packetcom Inc., 2000), resulting in millions of new users and billions of new web pages. Usability middleman are needed to bridge the "gap" between "content" and "code" specialists to deliver high quality content to consumers in the quickest, easiest, and most need-sensitive manner possible.

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STEP 2
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COMPANY GOALS

1. How will you achieve your vision?
2. What is your central purpose or mission? (Write a mission statement)
3. What do you promise your customers? (Write a brand promise)

Mission: Help organizations and companies deliver content that is easy to access, navigate, and assimilate.

Goals:
· Develop a web content, usability, and readability checklist.
· Write a book: Usable Web Design - 101 Secrets and Strategies.
· Develop proprietary strategies to imprint "brand" using "design.

Brand Promise: Be recognized as a premier "web content" and "information architecture" specialist in Singapore and North America.

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STEP 3
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MARKETING STRATEGIES

1. How will you grow your business?
2. What works in the industry?
3. How will you reach customers? (Determine a marketing approach)
4. What opportunities exist? (Conduct a SWOT Analysis)

Marketing Strategies:

· Use company website as a virtual business card and portfolio.
· Develop a network of colleagues and industry professionals.
· Use first clients to define services and build reputation.
· Do low profit, high profile jobs to build momentum.
· Write a critically acclaimed book to establish expertise and credibility.
· Leverage "usable content design" expertise into "brand imprinting."
· Expand into the design of "usable e-commerce portals" once established.

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STEP 4
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FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES

1. What must you accomplish after one year of operation? (Sales revenue, Profitability)
2. How will you know goals are being met? (Key PI's, Benchmarks)
3. How will you measure your success?

Sample Financial Objectives:

· Get five client contracts to generate revenues of $30,000 for FY 2003.
· Establish a client base of at least 10 companies by 12/2004.
· Keep personal company overhead to 15% of revenues.
· Keep outsourcing costs to less than 35% of revenues.
· Sell at least 10,000 books by 12/2005 for revenues of $40,000.
· Attract at least three Fortune 1000 companies as clients by 12/2006.
· Earn a pretax profit of $500,000 for FY 2009.

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STEP 5
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SUPPORT ACTION PLANS

1. What specific actions are you taking to achieve your vision?
2. When will key projects be completed?
3. How much will each project cost?

Support Action Plans:

· Secure domain names for company name and book title by June/02.
· Create website "virtual business card" by 9/01/02.
· Develop business card and stationery by 10/01/02.
· Get first client by 10/28/02.
· Get first industry contact by 12/31/02.
· Develop a 101 point usability and readability checklist by Q1 2003.
· Write draft for book by Q2 2003. Self-publish end of Q4 2003.

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