Business Development Planning and Analysis Course

Business planning is necessary to keep company goals and objectives on track. Successful business planning requires much more than writing out set of ideas and aspiring to see them through. According to the Small Business Administration, business planning “guides you through various phases of your business.” Carefully analyzing the direction your company is headed and measuring its potential for achieving company goals is a major part of business planning and analysis.

This Business Development Planning and Analysis course is designed for business owners and entrepreneurs who are ready to create a business plan. All the essentials steps are covered, including drafting the original document, identifying the audience, gathering information, researching, describing product plans, and marketing, sales, and accounting terms.

COURSE CONTENT

Introduction

• Why do we need a business plan
• Plans to start a new project or venture
• Plans to encourage an investor or business partner
• Plans to obtain finance, government funding or grants and incentives
• Plans that help manage the business better
• Plans that measure actual performance compared to what was planned
• What do business plans look like
• How long is “long enough”

What Can Plans Accomplish?

• Highlight aspects of the business that need special consideration
• Identify core competencies and weaknesses
• Identify weaknesses and threats to the business
• Steer towards new opportunities
• Help to understand your competitors
• Assist with operational structure planning
• Assist with using financial resources more efficiently and ultimately more profitably
• Identify critical management capabilities
• Identify human resources availability, capacity and any gaps

Business Plan Components

• Commence with objectives, scope, statement of the problem or remit
• Executive Summary
• Report Body
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Supporting papers
• What order is best for the above

Business Plan Contents

• Does it focus properly on the recipient
• What is the style, experience, purpose and expectation
• What is the report’s objective – is it clear
• What are the readers’ expected knowledge, intentions, seniority
• What is the report meant to achieve
• Are there any sensitivities
• What is expected of you as the reader

Analysing The External Environment of the Firm

• Does the Business Plan cover this in detail
• What are external issues
• Economic
• Financial
• Institutional
• Regulatory
• Reputational
• Competition
• Barriers to entry
• Existing players
• New entrants
• What is the USP
• On-demand or Committed
• Raising Debt
• Raising Equity
• Equipment Funding – various possibilities
• Infrastructure funding
• Property funding
• Project finance
• Trade finance
• Syndications

Financial Analysis of The Plan and Its Creator

• Funding requirements
• Financial Projections – at least three years and subjected to a full conventional analysis
• Full set of previous accounts and balance sheets
• How recent are the figures
• Management or audited
• What are the assumptions made
• Is there a margin of safety
• Do the figures make sense, appear realistic and seem convincing
• Cash flow projections
• Leverage and gearing
• Any mezzanine element
• How much and for how long
• Debt or equity or a hybrid
• How much “skin in the game” has the client invested
• The macro-environment
• Existing capital structure
• Proposed “new” capital structure
• Rights of various parties
• Inter-creditor and where applicable tripartite agreements

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

The training methodology combines lectures, discussions, group exercises and illustrations. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of the topics. The emphasis is on the practical application of the topics and as a result participant will go back to the workplace with both the ability and the confidence to apply the techniques learned to their duties.