Business Solutions

In our drive to accomplish great things, we must act to reach for our dreams, and not only plan, but also believe in what we are doing.

Okay, so after you’ve completed the creation of the Table of Contents, what else is to finishing the lean business plan? The answer is there is not much left, unless you don’t want to include some material and information to support your plan in the Appendices, then your lean planning is complete for now.

In reviewing the major sections of your lean business plan, they each should only contain summarized results and focal points for your business. The inclusion of every piece of information and data you’ve obtained and gathered in the main components and sections of your business plan, results in too much information and overloads the reader (never let information overload happen), which in turn makes it quite difficult to establish if reading the entire plan is worth the energy of effort.

As an alternative, you should include any detailed research, sources, and other associated or linked information about your business and your lean business plan in the appendix.  In addition, consider inclusion of the following information in the addendum or appendix of your lean business plan:

Management resumes are important to convey the experience and capabilities of the management team to execute the plan.

Pictures of products, locations, etc. help paint the complete picture of plan assets and value.

Copies of purchase orders are evidence of validity and value of the business model, and should always be included.

Floor plans are like images worth a thousand words towards the picture of the lean plan.

Marketing materials are an important component of your marketing strategies.

Details of the manufacturing process and machinery should emphasize efficiencies and direct effect on the bottom line profitability.

Market research surveys and results should include summary highlights and important focal points only.

Any other supporting documents you thinks’ important to tell the complete story or narrative of the business.

Just don’t overdo it by including way too much detail, which means exercise extreme caution not to include every last piece of material and information you have in the appendix component. “Significant support” is the key phrase to remember and apply for additional clarification for your lean business plan.

So, now take a step back because although you think otherwise, the work isn’t over yet.   Remember, this is a dynamic process of lean planning, and you’ll want to spend the next phases of your business plan development on the cycle of review, fine-tuning and testing. Have     your business minded friends, advisors and management team read through it and point out areas of potential improvement. This dynamic evolutionary planning process repeats itself on a regular basis as you continue to strive for maximizing efficiencies of every facet of operations, resulting in greater success and profitability.

Over the next few months, your lean planning will take you through many iterations of the plan and business. This is perfectly normal. Your goal is to be certain that you are presenting the exact plan that you and your team will execute when you are funded and beyond. Of course, the business will continue to evolve and change, and you want to put the most accurate representation of the actual business in the hands of not only those that invest, but your management team as well.

We understand completely the critical importance of a lean business plan and its direct effect on your desire and aspiration to achieve a lifelong dream. Let’s face it, being your own boss can be extremely rewarding. Follow this information and it will be extremely helpful as you proceed with your lean business planning.

To the maximization of your lean business success!