“Thank you, I purchased the business template today, and I found it quite easy to follow as well. It was a document they (the Department) requested from the meeting. I have a rough plan, but your template made it look professional”
D. Kemball Victoria
Business Plans are integral to your business for a range of reasons, whether you are working from home or you are running an education and care service. Business plans assist with a whole range of aspects of your business from finances to marketing and everything in between.
Some examples on how your business plan can be used, reviewed or developed include:
- Starting out
- Applying for approvals or licensing
- Purchasing or altering your business status
- If you have experienced a decline in clients or finding clients difficult to attract
- Not attracting the right workers, staff or assistants or experiencing a ‘turn-over’
- Policies not being implemented (are they meeting your business’s needs?)
Business planning gives you direction and assists you to avoid any potential unforeseen issues. Business planning will:
- Make you more aware of your costs, and therefore charges, and inform your operational budget
- Identify your strengths and what sets you apart from your competitors, therefore informing your marketing and promotional material
- Identify your weaknesses, allowing you to be prepared for risks or develop a professional development for yourself (what don’t you know?)
- Identify your threats, what are your competitors offering? Who is your client demographic; education? employment? etc. knowing this will assist in your marketing, fee setting, policy development etc.
- Identify your opportunities, where does knowing this information place you in your market? Can you charge more than your competitors? Can you cater for a specialist group of children or clients (pre-school, additional needs, infants, school age etc.)?
This business planning guide will set you on the right path for establishing, reviewing and growing your business.