Business planning
You may like to check other topics, for example, Running your business and Finance and cash. Click Smart Skills above to view other topics pages.
You may also like to contact the Business Hotline on 1300 363 711 (interstate/overseas callers telephone +61 7 3001 6359) and ask about the free Getting ready for business CD or Essentials for business success CD. Alternatively, contact your local regional centre for more information.
How to draw up a business
plan
This subject shows you how to draw up a business plan by identifying the
audience for your plan and then meeting their needs. The subject uses the
Business Process Planning model of business planning. Timing: 5 to 10 minutes.
Planning is vital
This subject shows you the importance of planning your business. Timing:
5 to 10 minutes.
Overview of Business Process Planning
Business Process Planning is a method of business planning that you can
use from start-up through to international expansion. This subject is
an overview of that process. Timing: 5 to 10 minutes.
Market research
This subject shows how to gather information about the market place so
that you can make business decisions. It shows you how to research your
market place and how to profile your competitors and customers. Timing:
5 to 10 minutes.
Competitive Advantage and Unique Selling Proposition
This subject focuses on a critical component of your business: your competitive
advantage. It should help you identify why your customers will buy from
you rather than from your competitors. Timing: 10 to 15 minutes.
Critical Success Factors
Critical Success Factors are the must haves that enable you to achieve
your Competitive Advantage. They're factors so critical to the success
of your business that, if you don't have them, you won't achieve your
Competitive Advantage. There are three types of must haves: resources,
process and systems, products and services and they're what this subject
covers. Timing: 5 to 10 minutes.
Risk assessment
There's always an element of risk when you introduce a product or service
to a market place. One of the methods you can use to assess these risks
is Ansoff's Risk Assessment Matrix. Timing: 5 to 10 minutes.
Key activities
Key Activities are the vital activities you need to pursue to maintain
your competitive advantage and ensure the market place does business
with you. This subject should help you identify yours. Timing: 5 to 10
minutes.
Developing an action plan
This subject should help you formulate an action plan for your business
in the most achievable way. Timing: 5 to 10 minutes.
Break Even Point and Minimum Sales Requirement
This subject introduces and explains Break Even Point and Minimum Sales
Requirement and shows you how to calculate your own. They're possibly
the most important business numbers you need. Timing: 5 to 10 minutes.
How to write a business plan
What is a business plan and how can it help my business? This fact sheet answers these questions and shows you how to develop a business plan.
Market
research
The better you understand your market place - your customers and competitors - the better positioned you are to attract sales. Explained here are the benefits of market research, how to undertake market research and how to assess the information you've gathered.
Conduct
a SWOT analysis
Your business has Strengths and Weaknesses. Your market place presents Opportunities and Threats. A SWOT analysis helps you to understand these concepts and use them to best business advantage.
Developing
your Competitive Advantage and Unique Selling Proposition
What do you have that your competitors don't? Your Competitive Advantage. How do you sell your Competitive Advantage to potential customers? With your Unique Selling Proposition.
Break
Even Point
Do you know the sales volume you need to reach so your business breaks
even? This fact sheet explains the importance of the Break Even Point
to financial management and how it is calculated.
Business
values
Business values are at the core of every business. Here are three steps to help you develop and implement business values that can represent the standards of quality, service, leadership and behaviour of your business.
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