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Information Workshop One Page® Business Plan

The Executive SuiteWarren J. Rutherford

Theexecutivesuite.com 2

Agenda

Group Exercise

What is a business plan?

Why are they so difficult to write?

Why every business must have a plan to be successful.

What is a One Page Business Plan™?

Why a One Page Business Plan works!

Vision Statement

Discussion


What is a business plan?

Written document that describes –Who you are, What you do,When you do it, Where you are going, Why you do it,How you are going to get there, and What resources you need to get there.


Why are they so difficult to write?

I wrote one then put it on the shelf!

Our plan is out of date – its useless!

Its too long – no one will read it!

My business is too small.

Plans are for getting financing.

Plans have to be 150 pages long.

It’s in my head.

I’ll pay a consultant to write one!


Why every business must have a plan to be successful.

To be able to implement a vision, you have to be able to describe it.

To have your team be fully committed, they have to understand why it is important.

To reach your goals, they must be specific, accountable and in writing.

To build a business, everyone must know what action is expected from them.

You need to get from Point A to Point B.


Why is a Business Plan Used?

1978 NYU Stern School of Business Study (5,000 companies)

95% correlation between balance sheet and business value

Balance Sheet

Intangible

95%


Why is a Business Plan Used?

2005 NYU Stern School of Business Study

28% correlation between balance sheet and business value

Intangibles – the 72%

Intellectual Property

Strategy

Brand

Systems

Processes

Access to Capital

Off balance sheet items

Customer reputation

Executive Team

Balance Sheet

Intangible

72%72%

28%


What is a One Page Business Plan?

The One Page Business Plan is an innovative approach to business planning that captures the essence of any business on a single page using key words and shorts phrases.


There are five building blocks to a One Page Business Plan• Vision Statement• Mission Statement • Objectives• Strategies• Plans

These five elements work together to create a complete blueprint for how to build a business.


Business Plan terms can be very confusing.

The standard elements of a business plan are translated into five simple, universal questions.

Vision: What are you building?

Mission: Why does this business exist?

Objectives: What results will you measure?

Strategy: How will you build this company?

Plans: What is the work to be done?


Why a One Page Business Plan Works!

It’s intuitive: No complicated language or terminology.

Strategic, tactical and results oriented…all on One Page.

Minimizes loss of resources…people know the plan.

Communication is simplified…standard format & language.

Clarifies expectations…people know what is expected from them.

Facilitates cross-functional understanding & collaboration.

Naturally fosters high-performance culture.


Fill in the blanks Vision StatementWhat are we building?


Vision Statement: Definition

Everybody is building something!

CEO’s are building companies!

VP’s are building strategic business units!

Managers are building projects, programs & depts.!

Well written Vision Statements should be able to graphically describe what is being built…in three sentences or less.


Vision Statements for the Company: What are we building?

What will this business look like in 1, 3, 5 yrs?

What type of company is this?

What markets does it serve?

What is the geographic scope?

Who are our target customers?

What are the key products and services?

What sales goal are we striving for?


Fill in the blanks Vision StatementWithin the next __ years grow (company name)

into a $__million (local, regional, Nat'l, int’l ) (type of company)

providing (description of products/services) to (describe your customer)

“We have learned that fill in the blank statements help managers and executives to quickly create their first draft…then it is much easier for them to edit the statement into their own words.”


Vision Statements for Depts.

While company Vision Statements have been common for many years, we believe it is equally important for each division, department, team, project, and program to have their own Vision Statement which links to the corporate vision.


Key Questions: Dept./Functional Vision Statements

What will this organization, department or support function look like in 1, 3, 5 years?

What are the capabilities and/or capacity required to support the corporate vision?

Where will this organization be located and how many people will be required?

Who does this department serve?

Management style? Environment?


Vision Statement – Company Sample

Within the next 3 years build Colorado Garden Window Company into a $40 million home products company specializing in manufacturing and distributing custom and replacement garden windows and skylights for the upscale home and baby-boomer markets.

“This Vision Statement was created using the fill- in-the-blanks template and then edited. Its brief, but very clear.”


Sample Vision Statement for a Sales Department

Within the next 3 years build a national external sales force focused on large national accounts with a total of 100 sales reps in 20 major markets supported by a highly effective telemarketing function w/ approx. 30 people selling packaged products & limited consulting services and providing lead generation to national account reps.


For Further Information -Warren J. RutherfordThe Executive Suite129 Airport RoadHyannis, MA 02601508-778-7700wjr@theexecutivesuite.comwww.theexecutivesuite.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.theexecutivesuite.com/

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