Creating Your Business Plan

What this video covers

Jesus Padilla of the Florida SBDC at FIU walks through how to write a concise, practical business plan tailored either to internal operations or outside lenders and investors. The presentation recommends keeping the core document between five and seven pages, focusing on clear answers to four foundational questions, conservative financial projections, and targeted customer segmentation. Guidance applies directly to startup founders and small business owners seeking SBA loans or outside capital.

Best for: Entrepreneurs writing their first business plan; Existing business owners seeking commercial or SBA loan funding; Companies preparing to seek equity investors or partners; Businesses pivoting into government contracting requiring capability statements; Not applicable to established enterprises looking for complex enterprise resource planning

Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction and SBDC Overview
2. 05:26 Session Objectives and Getting Started
3. 08:26 Business Plan as a Blueprint
4. 09:01 Core Components and Audience Analysis
5. 11:09 Internal vs. External Stakeholders
6. 14:41 Plan Scope and Core Questions
7. 17:54 Company Description, Mission, and Vision
8. 20:37 Business Goals and Accomplishments
9. 21:56 Products, Services, and Pricing Structure
10. 22:49 Industry Analysis and Competitive Landscape
11. 26:52 Target Market and Customer Segmentation
12. 38:04 Marketing and Sales Strategy
13. 41:50 Funding Requests and Uses of Funds
14. 42:44 Financial Projections and Key Statements
15. 48:03 Break-Even Analysis
16. 48:39 Optional Appendices and Supporting Evidence
17. 50:16 Drafting the Executive Summary
18. 52:53 Q&A and SBDC Consulting Services

Key points

• 17:05 A standard, effective business plan body should be no more than 5 to 7 pages long to maintain reader engagement, excluding appendices.
• 14:41 Business plans generally need to project operations and financial milestones 3 to 5 years into the future.
• 48:08 Lenders require a break-even threshold analysis to verify the exact revenue volume needed to cover fixed and variable costs.

Turn it into a project: Write a Compact 5- to 7-Page Business Plan

Develop a concise, bank-ready business plan that serves as an operating roadmap and provides all required disclosures and projections for lenders and investors.

Phase 1: Foundation & Company Overview

1. 16:28 Answer the four foundational operational and customer questions
2. 18:28 Write an action-oriented mission statement
3. 19:50 Write a 3- to 5-year vision statement
4. 20:42 Establish measurable business goals and list past milestones

Phase 2: Market, Industry, and Competitive Analysis

1. 22:55 Examine industry growth trends, barriers to entry, and competitors
2. 26:52 Divide customers into distinct primary and secondary market segments
3. 28:50 Gather demographic and labor data from Census Bureau and Department of Labor databases
4. 36:25 Define product features, pricing structure, and unique value proposition

Phase 3: Marketing and Sales Planning

1. 38:04 Define promotion, distribution, and customer communication channels (4 Ps)
2. 40:32 Draft month-by-month sales volume forecasts reflecting seasonal dips and peaks

Phase 4: Financial Modeling & Funding Requests

1. 41:50 Define the specific funding ask, itemize fund deployment, and detail the repayment plan
2. 43:46 Complete projected balance sheet, cash flow projection, and profit & loss forecast
3. 48:08 Calculate the break-even sales volume

Phase 5: Finalization and Packaging

1. 48:39 Assemble leases, licenses, capability statements, and press clips into the appendix
2. 50:16 Draft the 1-page executive summary highlighting key metrics and evidence of success

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