You have been diligently applying for different jobs and conducting interviews. You finally land an offer and start working for the prestigious company. You have been tasked with writing a business plan for a division of the firm. The proposal is due in two weeks and you are struggling with how to start.
You have been given an opportunity to shine. The company has confidence in your ability to write a winning business plan and they have faith in your organizational skills. Additionally, you have been given the authority to make critical decisions and the responsibility of managing a team of employees.
You start by rereading the brief and the instructions for the business plan. The former guides you in making significant decisions and clarifying your vision, the latter helps you develop the appropriate organizational structures and procedures for your team. You are confident that with a little bit of planning and organization, you will have a polished business plan in record time.
The Research Phase
You begin your research by rereading previous business plans published by the firm. You look for patterns in the documents and try to determine what made them successful (or not). You also need to establish what are the key requirements and constraints of the business.
You analyze the risks associated with the business and brainstorm ways to mitigate these risks. You will need to research legal issues, competition, and financial analysis. All these aspects are crucial to the success of the business proposal and you want to do your job well. So you spend hours poring over books and articles, analyzing financial statements, and gathering data.
The Writing Phase
As you are sure that you can meet the requirements of the business plan assignment, you start brainstorming ideas for the plan. You organize your ideas in a sequential order and begin planning the writing process.
You write a compelling introduction that hooks the reader and sets the stage for the plan. The introduction should include both the organization’s mission and the problem it solves. You need to include a literature review, both of which are essential in the proposal.
You develop a thesis that succinctly and accurately states the main idea of the plan. You want to ensure that your thesis strongly supports your argument throughout the plan. You test the strength of your thesis by asking questions and presenting various arguments to prove or disprove it. You want to make sure that you have a solid basis for your argument before you begin writing the plan. You check your argument several times throughout the plan to ensure that it continues to hold up.
You use structuring tools to create structures that clearly define the various aspects of your plan. While it is tempting to write in a way that flows and is engaging, you should not do so at the expense of cluttering your plan with useless words and phrases. This will only lead to confusion as you edit and re-write the plan. You want to make sure that each element of your plan is presented in an ordered manner and has sufficient detail so that everyone who reads it can understand what you are trying to convey. You want to write a business plan that is easily readable and highly effective. With these tips, you will be able to create a winning business plan in no time and impress your employer with your diligence.