Page 62 - Business Plans that Work A Guide for Small Business

Getting Started • 53

Table of Contents

Continuing the theme of making the document easy to read, a detailed
table of contents is critical. Many investors, for example, prefer to spot
read business plans versus reading them from front to back. Help such
readers easily find the information they want. The table of contents
should include major sections, subsections, exhibits, and appendices. The
table provides the reader a roadmap to your plan. Note that the table
of contents is customized to the specific business so that it doesn’t per-
fectly correlate to the business plan outline presented earlier (see Fig. 3.2).
Nonetheless, a look at the Lazybones plan shows that it includes most
of the elements highlighted in the business outline and that the order of
information is basically the same as well.
The first three sections directly relate to the due diligence prescribed
in the Timmons Model. The Market Analysis and Competition sections
translate your opportunity analysis described in Chapter 1. The Company
description section is the unique way in which you will mine that oppor-
tunity. The Team section is often later in the plan to provide an exclama-
tion point. Up until that point, you have identified the opportunity, your
company’s solution, and how you will execute the plan. The Team section
illustrates that you have the horsepower to succeed.