Services // Business Planning

A Business Plan is necessary for three primary reasons:

1. It gives business owners a current assessment of the business as well as a roadmap for the future.

2. It gives direction to business growth, both organically, and through acquisition supported by outside funding.

3. It is essential to have an up to date business plan in order to:

» reflect the needs of a constantly changing business environment

» provide management with an ongoing and clear direction within which to manage the business

» secure financing for growth, ranging from an overdraft facility or bank loan to venture capital funding.

A business plan is a tool for decision making by management  - remember this and remember who it is written for - then develop it to suit your current, and future potential, management  team.

The business plan is a living document that should be continuously reviewed in light of the business environment and actual performance. This enables the directors and managers to oversee and manage actual business performance.

When to use ADECS
For a business plan to be effective those who will have to implement it should own it. So, it cannot just be delegated to a consultant. But an experienced business facilitator can add value to the process, whilst ensuring that ownership remains in-house.

Business Objectives
The objectives of the business plan are first to develop and communicate a plan of action that will achieve the company's strategic business objectives. Then to provide a means of monitoring progress towards those objectives and of stimulating alternative actions if the objectives are unlikely to be met by the original plan. These cannot be achieved unless the plan defines the strategic objectives and includes benchmarks or performance measures at key stages during the year.

The Planning Process
The planning process is a valuable and exciting exercise that can be a major contributor to team building and a means of developing ownership/commitment to the plan. Involve people, it should end up as "our plan" not "their plan imposed on us".

Find out more
We don't know whether you have a business plan, when you will start your business planning process, or whether you would just like to learn more about how we can help you start the process. You could contact us now. Or, of course, you could do nothing. The choice is yours.