SME Consulting

BUSINESS PLAN

www.smeconsulting.co.nz

“Question & Improve”

�

This business plan consists

of a narrative and several

financial worksheets. The

narrative template is the

body of the business plan.

It contains more than 150

questions divided into several

sections. This business plan

although completed for the

SME Consulting strategic

planning project, is also

an important resource for

operating a consultancy

such as SME. This therefore

is also a template on which

you may rely on, to define

your client’s business model,

or re-aligning their strategy

to reflect their customer’s

expectations.

To use this Business plan as a draft

for your future you should skip any

questions that do not apply to your

client’s type of business. When

you are finished writing your first

draft, you’ll have a collection of

small essays on the various topics

of the business plan. Then you’ll

want to edit them into a smooth-

flowing narrative using the template

provided on your “SME Consulting

brand resource DVD”.

The real value of creating a business

plan is not in having the finished

product in hand; rather, the value

lies in the process of researching

and thinking about your business

in a systematic way. The act of

planning helps you to think things

through thoroughly, study and

research if you are not sure of

the facts, and look at your ideas

critically. It takes time now, but

avoids costly, perhaps disastrous,

mistakes later.

This business plan is a generic

model suitable for all types of

businesses. However, you should

modify it to suit the particular

circumstances. Before you begin,

review the section titled Refining

the Plan, found at the end. It

suggests emphasizing certain

areas depending upon the type of

business (manufacturing, retail,

service, etc.). It also has tips for

fine-tuning the plan to make an

effective presentation to investors

or bankers. If this is why you’re

creating the plan, pay particular

attention to the writing style. It

will be judged by the quality and

appearance of the work as well as

by the ideas behind it.

THE BUSINESS PLAN

“The act of planning

helps you to think

things through

thoroughly”

BUSINESS PLAN

�

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4

GENERAL COMPANY DESCRIPTION 6

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 8

MARKETING PLAN 10

Economics 1�

Products and Services 14

Competition 14

Competitive Analysis 16

Niche 17

Strategy 18

Pricing �0

Distribution Channels �1

OPERATIONAL PLAN ��

Legal Environment ��

Personal ��

Suppliers ��

Credit Policies ��

Managing Your Accounts Recievable �4

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION �5

PERSONAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT �7

START-UP EXPENSES AND CAPITALIZATION �7

FINANCIAL PLAN �8

RESOURCES �0

REFINING THE PLAN �1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SME Consulting is a ready

to run branded complete

consultancy.

It was established to be a packaged

brand company, meaning that the

initial hard work of developing a

brand and completing the required

pre-entry market research has

already largely been completed.

Strategically generic in nature, SME

Consulting has been designed in a

way to enable it to be developed

to the next preferred level with

ease. All forms of media have been

carefully developed by professional

graphic designers to ensure a

professional and modern brand.

The resources included have

been developed by experienced

Investment Bankers and Sales/

Marketing Consultants, whilst

carefully packaged inline with

the brand by experienced Brand

Consultants.

The market is currently well

developed for consulting services

within metropolitan areas. This fact

leaves the more rural and suburban

market wide open to be targeted

with few suppliers to the market and

growing demand as urban property

prices force more and more small

to medium businesses to move

out to the more rural townships

and secondary cities. Research has

shown good interest in locations

within the Wairarapa, Kapiti Coast,

Palmerston & Horowenua regions.

It is therefore to be assumed that

this business model and brand could

easily be developed into a licensed

national company or as a locally run

consultancy anywhere in the more

suburban/rural parts of the country.

Generally, when developing a

market you find that you have to

re-educate your actual market

targets to your ideas and methods.

To do this in the geographical areas

defined by our research, face to

face cold calling is required to

achieve the essential networking

needed. As any experienced sales

rep will tell you, the first impression

is the last impression. Therefore

where most consultancies go wrong

are that they believe you have to

have a good client network before

good, brand awareness, and this

assumption is totally incorrect.

A complete modern and essentially

relative brand is the key to these

initial contacts. SME Consulting

therefore provides that professional

vision and focus to gain that crucial

first time impression. Although

the brand is free to be developed

in which ever way the operator

chooses, many key resources

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“Strategically generic

in nature, SME

Consulting has been

designed in a way

to enable it to be

developed to the

next preferred level

with ease”

4

have been provided and designed

to compliment the brand keeping

inline with the concept by utilising

the logo and colour schemes and

specially designed templates.

In brief, a well designed and ready

to run consultancy free to be

developed into which ever niche

market the operator chooses. Below

are some examples of market

niches that fit into the brand:

• Brand Development

• Process Improvement

• Coaching/Mentoring

• Financial Planning

• Strategic Marketing

• Business Finance Broking

• IT Consulting

• Web Development

• Accounting

Economically we are now entering

a cycle in which small business

finance and consulting will become

essential with the rising cost of

money, as interest rates are steadily

increasing on a global scale. Due

to this, now is the time to establish

a professionally trusted brand to

reap the rewards in the near future

as the market moves through this

phase of the macro-economic cycle.

BUSINESS PLAN

5


SME Consulting is a

suitable investment for

any of the following

experienced professionals

looking to start their own

business:

Sales & Marketing Executive

Accountant

Banker

Entrepreneur

Business Analysts

IT Professional

Six Sigma Qualified

Importers & Exporters

Web Developer

Human Resources Manager

Finance Broker

Commercial Lawyer

In a recent research on the

aspirations of today’s teenage

populace, the question was posed

of “what do you want to do for

work when you leave school?” in

results of over 70%, the test group

answered that they wished to own

their own small business and work

from home. The reality is that a

large portion may at some stage of

their lives actually attempt this, but

with odds of 1:9 of them actually

managing to survive the first year

of trading, very few will actually

succeed.

Many of those failed start-ups did

not portray the true essence of the

firm’s mission through a correct

branding strategy. Branding is a

crucial part of starting a company.

It’s what defines the character, the

nature of what you are trying to

achieve and how you are trying to

achieve it. Whether that is through

a conservative colour scheme and

discrete logo, for say a consultancy

or a stylish and modern one to

portray an upmarket hotel chain.

Therefore this research has now

proven the need for ready branded

company set-ups, for those types

of people looking to move on from

their 9-5 bank jobs in the city for

example. Having a ready packaged

brand from the outset not only

saves the entrepreneur time and

therefore money, but also by having

the brand professionally designed

and pre-packaged by several facets

of the business consultancy areas

this entrepreneur will be able to

leave a lasting impression of quality

professional service during the

initial client contact.

Mission Statement:

SME Consulting’s mission is to

provide a cost effective way to build

a brand whilst reducing the time

frame of setting up a business to

virtually zero.

Company Goals and Objectives:

SME Consulting’s goal is very simply

to be a ready branded package for a

budding entrepreneur, whose skills

lay outside of building a brand. This

gives the entrepreneur time to focus

on building his or her client network

from the outset with virtually no

distractions from building the

marketing side. SME being a

very generic brand was carefully

designed to be exactly that, generic.

Giving the operator freedom to add

their own fine touches or to perhaps

to even refine it in line with their

particular skill sets.

Business Philosophy: In business

trust from the outset is what

makes or breaks a consultancy. A

GENERAL COMPANY DESCRIPTION

6

professional brand gives that air of

quality service and professionalism

to build lasting relationships from

that crucial first contact.

The market research carried

out has shown that currently

non-metropolitan areas are

underserviced by business

consultants in nearly all facets.

With rising competition, and the

cost of borrowing, refining business

practices will be crucial to the future

of the small business market for the

foreseeable future. As prices rise

in the cities, more and more of the

operations will relocate to the more

suburban areas and rural centres.

Adding in the existing market

in these locations, makes it a

sufficient economy of scale for small

consultancies who manage to keep

their overheads low and therefore

their pricing inline with demand.

The strength of SME Consulting as

a brand is not only in the modern

aesthetics of the marketing material

(Website, Logo etc), but also in the

material provided. Although the

material is not the business itself,

that is the operators abilities in a

field of business. Therefore SME

Consulting is a fantastic opportunity

for an experienced business

professional looking to branch

out on their own who can provide

niche skills such as sales, process,

marketing, website development

and many more aspects of

managing a successful company.

Most small businesses cannot afford

to employ experienced staff in only

one role of their firm, commonly

referred to as multi tasking, most

employees are required to cover

several positions and responsibilities

within their day to day employment.

This creates a sense of “Jack of all

trades, but master of none” which

is not beneficial to the operation’s

long term growth prospects.

SME Consulting is therefore a

professional brand for someone

looking to exploit this skill shortage

as a form of outsourcing.

All Resources have been developed

by experienced professionals within

the following fields:

Finance, Banking, Service, Graphic

Design, Website Development

Legal form of ownership: Currently

a sole trader operation, this has

been the easiest form of operation,

although it is recommended that a

company formation be completed.

By leaving it as a sole trader

enables the brand to be sold with

no legal or financial obligations

pending.

BUSINESS PLAN

7

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

QUEENSTOWN-LAKES

The median age of people in the

Queenstown-Lakes District is 34.5,

compared with �4.8 for all of New

Zealand.

The most common language after

English in the Queenstown-Lakes

District is Japanese, spoken by

�.7% of people. For New Zealand

as a whole, the most common

language after English is Mäori

(4.5%).

�,688 households or 44.1% in the

Queenstown-Lakes District have

access to the Internet, compared

with �7.4% for all of New Zealand.

Queenstown is New Zealand’s

fastest growing city.

Abundance of SME’s, mainly based

in the tourism sector.

8

freelancers as they no longer have

to deal with the client relationship

portion of the project. So not only

can the freelancer design quicker,

but SME Consulting is able to feed

the pipeline more business as they

have more time to focus on sales

and service. This also has a major

impact on client satisfaction.

With all the benefits of the above,

it’s also important to understand

the possible issues that can arise

from such a structure and in the

event of them arising, be prepared

to deal with them effectively. The

major issue is with timing. This

means that with external parties

working on the same project timing

is of the essence. SME Consultants

need to be able to provide accurate

time frames by understanding the

exact productivity ratios for their

partners. This would enable all

parties to be able to accurately

keep the pipeline full but not over

full as that will lead to a damaged

brand image of SME Consulting

and not the freelancers as SME is

responsible for the contract, just

like a project management company

operates. Pricing for this is usually

a commission of between $1000

to 100% of the cost and should

be completed within 6 weeks (i.e

total cost to construct $1,500 =

SME Consulting has found to

date, that the geographical areas

targeted as test cases, were very

responsive to web development

and re-branding projects. Using

relationships with Graphic Designers

and a Website Developer, this

area is to be considered a highly

profitable and productive avenue

to be explored . The business

model used was that as a sales

and service outsourcing agent for

freelance designers. Therefore by

using several of these partners SME

Consulting is able to confidently

produce several websites at a

time due to the construction

being done externally whilst also

having more time to focus on the

‘Business to Client’ relationship

more effectively. If this as to be

completed internally rather than

through external third parties

the costs would rise dramatically

due to employing several high

income specialists. As Such, there

are no major overheads required

and in fact in a tax sense there

are even major financial benefits

in outsourcing the construction

of any website developments.

Another major benefit of this type

of structure is that it improves

not only the productivity of the

sales pipeline for SME Consulting,

but also the productivity for the

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

“...the brand itself

is generic enough

to be adapted to

any professional

expertise with

complete ease...”

BUSINESS PLAN

9

total price $�,000 and $1,500

profit that’s a margin of 100%!).

Therefore managing the sales

pipeline is the key to positive cash

flow from this enterprise

Another great new market is the Six

Sigma process improvement area.

Although normally a large corporate

management enhancement

methodology, it can very easily be

adapted to medium business and at

a very profitable rate. Most of these

types of medium businesses have

grown rapidly and to date are to

be considered successful start-up’s

and probably are trying to move

from the embryonic phase into a

more mature established service

provider. This is a very crucial stage

to the long term growth prospects

for these firms. Most are often

owned and operated on a day to

day basis by the founders who due

to the rapid growth have a need of

independent and subjective analysis

to be able to move the firm into

the next phase of growth. Usually

the founder is unprepared for the

success of the operation, and the

firm is starting to lose its drive

and direction. Six sigma methods

usually are able to point out through

process mapping and other tools,

the areas of process which need to

be addressed. A time consuming

exercise for the founders who

typically have no time to give to this

area which is also often confusing

for them. Pricing for this form of

project work can be charged at

$100 - $150 per hour carrying very

little overheads.

Although there are just two

profitable areas outlined above,

the brand itself is generic enough

to be adapted to any professional

expertise with complete ease and

with no need to alter the branding

in anyway.

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

MACKENZIE

The median age of people in

the Mackenzie District is 38.3,

compared with �4.8 for all of

New Zealand.

The most common language after

English in the Mackenzie District is

French, spoken by 1.6% of people.

For New Zealand as a whole, the

most common language after

English is Mäori (4.5%).

The most popular occupational

group in the Mackenzie District is

agriculture and fishery workers. The

most popular occupational group in

New Zealand as a whole is service

and sales.

Increase in property development

and net migration from Europe

leading to increasing property

values and therefore property

services.

Fast becoming the new place of

choice for people, looking to obtain

the typical kiwi lifestyle.

District Includes the Mt. Cook area.

10

MARKET RESEARCH - WHy?No matter how good your product

and your service, the venture

cannot succeed without effective

marketing. And this begins with

careful, systematic research. It is

very dangerous to assume that you

already know about your intended

market. you need to do market

research to make sure you’re on

track.

MARKET RESEARCH - HoW?Market research has been

performed more on identifying

the market target profile, than on

the market as whole due to the

fact of SME Consulting trying to

retain a generic nature for future

development. It’s therefore difficult

to define an exact market as

that would be dependent on the

operators, particular skill set.

In terms of the market in general,

the ideal market target has

proven to have the following

characteristics:

• Location is suburban to rural

• Staff of �-10

• Established operations, possibly

fallen behind competition

• Brand seen as stale

• Trades related business

• New management

• Need to diversify services

offered

• Location has an increasing

populace from outside the area

Due to the nature of the target

areas, it’s important to have an

ability to prospect for clients by

MARKETING PLAN

”...the venture

cannot succeed

without effective

marketing”

BUSINESS PLAN

11

cold calling. Before doing this, in

depth research should be performed

on the brand awareness of the

prospect and its services offered.

More often than not, the SME

Consultant finds themselves in a

position of educating the prospect

to the options available. Due to

nonexistent consulting services

offered to these areas within New

Zealand, the prospects usual answer

to a cold call is “I just don’t have

time to think about things like

that” which is exactly why SME

Consulting is needed. To make those

options available without placing the

customer under stress.

Below are some useful marketing

ideas for the eventual operator to

use, there are also resources on the

DVD supplied.

There are two kinds of market

research: primary and secondary.

Secondary research means

using published information

such as industry profiles, trade

journals, newspapers, magazines,

census data, and demographic

profiles. This type of information

is available in public libraries,

industry associations, chambers of

commerce, from vendors who sell to

your industry, and from government

agencies.

Start with your local library. Most

librarians are pleased to guide

you through their business data

collection. You will be amazed at

what is there. There are more online

sources than you could possibly

use. Your chamber of commerce

has good information on the local

area. Trade associations and trade

publications often have excellent

industry-specific data.

Primary research means gathering

your own data. For example, you

could do your own traffic count at

a proposed location, use the yellow

pages to identify competitors,

and do surveys or focus-group

interviews to learn about consumer

preferences. Professional market

research can be very costly, but

there are many books that show

small business owners how to do

effective research themselves.

In your marketing plan, be as

specific as possible; give statistics,

numbers, and sources. The

marketing plan will be the basis,

later on, of the all-important sales

projection.

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

CENTRAL OTAGO


Central Otago District is 4�.6,


New Zealand.

93.8% of the population in the

Central Otago District (1�,�4�)

speak only one language, compared

with 8�.1% for New Zealand as a

whole.

1,740 households or �0.8% in the

Central Otago District have access

to the Internet, compared with

�7.4% for all of New Zealand.

Fastest growing wine district in

New Zealand leading to rapid

increase in tourism based services.

Highest sunshine count in

New Zealand providing a unique

lifestyle “Creating industry cluster

groups with a view to developing

their specific capabilities, economic

contribution and export potential.”

Central Otago District’s Economic

Strategy opens many opportunities.

looking for a change in direction

or lifestyle, the opportunity to hit

the ground running. With having

a well developed and presented

brand already built and designed,

the operator has only to begin

prospecting within that area with no

delays due to brand creation.

Although it is also important to

consider that as of February �006

more than 75% of all businesses

within New Zealand were based in

the North Island, �5% of them in

Auckland alone.

• Business and Property Services

are the largest industries in

New Zealand, not Agriculture as

perceived. Construction is now

New Zealand’s second largest.

• In �006 77% of all companies

use broadband.

• Large untapped markets in

locations offering unique

lifestyles.

• Barriers to market entry for

both the operator of SME

Consulting and the competitors

are: Business specialisation,

general business acumen,

sales experience, knowledge

of internet development,

small business networks.

ECONOMICSFacts about the SME industry:

Fastest growing business districts

with the top 10 being as at the end

of financial year 2005:

1. Queenstown-Lakes 9.1%

2. Mackenzie 7.5%

�. Central Otago 6.8%

4. Selwyn 6.5%

5. Chatham Is. 5.8%

6. Waimakariri 5%

7. Tauranga 5%

8. Ruapehu 4.7%

9. Porirua 4.6%

10. Southland 4.5%

Now this may not really seem so

wonderful when looking at these

small percentages, but when

compared to the national average of

3.3% growth and Auckland at 2.7%,

Wellington �.7% and Christchurch

at 4.6% its then obvious which

locations in New Zealand are in

need of independent small to mid

sized business consultants.

Also due to their isolation, these

areas are in general harder

to attract top staff. Therefore

SME Consulting gives someone

1�

“SME Consulting

gives someone

looking for a

change in direction

or lifestyle, the

opportunity to hit

the ground running”

* (These barriers are actually a

benefittothebusinessmodel,

asitrestrictsmarketentryto

thosefewwiththetrueability

todeliver.)

Howcouldthefollowingaffect

thecompany?

• Change in technology: SME

Consulting was founded to

identify client prospects that are

behind in the latest methods

and systems, therefore change

is the lifeblood of the model.

• Change in government

regulations: At this stage

there are no plans for

the government to change

regulations on business

consulting. All the regulations

are the same for all. Regardless

of type (i.e. the privacy act.)

• Change in the economy:

Business consulting is one of

the few industries that benefits

from all economic cycles. Due

to the nature of the business,

a bad economy is sometimes

better than a good one.

• Change in your industry: The

consultancy will not only be up

to date on the latest methods,

but will actually invent and

create some of their own. A

consultancy teaches

improvement and creative

thinking, therefore they must

also follow their own teaching.

QUEENSToWN-LAKES 9.1%

MACKENZIE 7.5%

CENTRAL OTAGO 6.8%

SELWYN 6.5%

CHATHAM IS. 5.8%

WAIMAKARIRI 5%

TAURANGA 5%

RUAPEHU 4.7%

PORIRUA 4.6%

SOUTHLAND 4.5%

BUSINESS PLAN

1�

14

PRODUCTS & SERVICESBelow is a table of possible services

that fit into the brand. It’s important

that the eventual operator of SME

Consulting has a clear selection of

the following and the experience

and knowledge required to deliver

professionally on these services.

Website Development

Graphic Design

IT based sales

Financial Broking

Legal Consultancy

Process Improvement

Mentoring/Coaching

Sales Outsourcing

Human Resources

Marketing

Credit Control

Branding

Client Development

Accounting

Import & Export

Management Services

PleaseseetheresourceDVDfor

materialrelatingtosomeofthe

above.

COMPETITION

The Small Business Consulting

market is well developed within the

more metropolitan areas of New

Zealand. Although, as discussed

earlier in this piece, the small

business market maybe moving

away from these currently well

entrenched consultancies due to a

demographic shift for small business

in general as they seek to reduce

overheads and/or change of lifestyle

for the owners.

SME Consulting therefore is about

taking a professional brand actually

to the client, as outlined above

in the fastest growing business

districts. With well established

consultancies in the larger cities

like Wellington and Auckland for

example, it is currently very difficult

to set up a brand new operation

due to market oversaturation in

these places. So by following the

demographic shift as outlined

above, it is to be assumed therefore

that using the fastest growing

business districts as a geographical

market guideline would allow SME

Consulting to find untapped markets

for whichever niche skill set is

required.

The type and therefore amount of

competition the eventual operator

“...using the

fastest growing

business districts

as a geographical

market guideline

would allow SME

Consulting to find

untapped markets

for whichever niche

skill set is required”

BUSINESS PLAN

15

will have is dependent on several

variables such as the niche services

that the operator will decide to focus

on. our marketing research shows

us that currently there is large

demand for branding expertise and

web development within the target

locations as outlined in a previous

chapter. This is due to reluctance of

the larger firms who are currently

embedded within in the main

centres, to actually target the

smaller end section of the market.

This therefore leaves potential to

owner operators to exploit with

little to no competition in locations

outlined previously.

Indirect competition will also

remain in the form of lawyers

and accountants, although their

consulting skills are generally

focused on the broader horizon than

what is necessary for the day to

day running of a successful firm. In

the modern market, a full range of

professional services are paramount

and that has created a need to

have specialists in several niche

areas such as process improvement

and web development that the

enterprising business consultant

can target effectively with very

high rates of return but as always

dependent on the operators own

skill sets as to what area of service

that is.

How will your products or services

compare with the competition?

To understand the strengths

and weaknesses of a business,

it’s important to do a quick

SWoT (Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities, Threats) analysis

to have a general overview of

where your business or operation

needs to improve. This has been

completed as an example only and

this template can also be found on

the ‘Resources DVD’ as this is also

a very important part of assessing

your future client’s competitive

position if so required.

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

SELWYN


Selwyn District is �5.�, compared

with �4.8 for all of New Zealand.

95.2% of people (25,353) in the

Selwyn District said they belong

to the European ethnic group. For

all New Zealand 80.1% said they

belong to the European ethnic

group.

The median income of people in

the Selwyn District is $�1,000,

compared with $18,500 for all of

New Zealand.

1�.0% of people aged 15 years and

over in the Selwyn District have

an annual income of more than

$50,000, compared with 11.5% for

New Zealand as a whole.


group in the Selwyn District is

agriculture and fishery workers. The

most popular occupational group in

New Zealand as a whole is service

and sales.

Small business growth seen mainly

around the tourist trail near Arthurs

pass & the lakes.

This assessment was based on

the current positioning of SME

Consulting. The table shows us that

having a professionally presentable

brand when working within the

business services industry is an

essential ingredient when trying

to establish that crucial client

FACTOR ME COMPETITOR A COMPETITOR BIMPORTANCE

TO CUSTOMER

PRODUCTS � � � 4

PRICE 5 1 � 5

QUALITY � 4 5 5

SERVICE 5 � � 4

RELIABILITY 5 4 � �

STABILITY � 4 4 4

EXPERTISE 4 � � 5

COMPANY REPUTATION

1 � � �

LOCATION 5 1 � 4

APPEARANCE 5 � � 5

SALES METHOD � 4 � �

CREDIT POLICIES

� 4 4 1

ADVERTISING � � � �

IMAGE 5 4 4 5

TOTALS 50 41 40 5�

TABLE 1: CoMPETITIvE ANALySIS

network. The target being at all

times, the customers expectations.

This is a brief overview of a

business’s current brand positioning

as compared against internal

assumptions, competitors and the

most important being what the

customer expects in return for

16

5 = very strong

1 = weak

BUSINESS PLAN

17

their money. This table is a useful

quick insight into assessing the

clients (and SME Consultings) actual

current brand perception from

several different angles.

The SME Consulting brand therefore

gives that air of professional

experience needed to be successful

Some disadvantages do remain

however, as it is still apparent that

a lack of advertising does make

it hard to generate leads quickly.

Therefore the eventual operator

will need to define the best source

of marketing dependent on the

operators chosen location and field

of expertise.

NICHENow that we have systematically

analyzed the industry, the product,

customers, and the competition,

you should have a clearer picture of

where your future consultancy can

fit into the market.

The particular niche of the

consulting market is entirely

dependent on the operator’s skills,

experience and chosen lifestyle.

Example 1; if a business banking

representative who currently

is working in one of the large

institutional banks but wishes to

perhaps return to their place of birth

within New Zealand (i.e. Invercagill)

and start their own business, it’s

probably logical to expect that that

person has many skills learnt as

a Business Banking rep that could

easily be applied to their own clients

needs. This person therefore would

logically move into the business

finance consulting market.

Example 2; a Marketing executive

within a large corporate company

in Auckland, wishes to raise their

newborn child away from the cities

and closer to their own family

(i.e. Central Otago)whilst having a

more relaxed lifestyle at the same

time, would easily find that the

skills learnt in the corporate world

which the person has probably until

now taken for granted as standard

business practice, are in desperate

shortage in the locations outlined as

being New Zealand’s fastest growing

business districts. This person would

then logically look to move into the

branding and strategic marketing

nice of the industry.

These are just two examples of

how the often taken for granted or

overlooked skills of the operator can

be used to exploit the exact niche

within the market to become a very

successful consultant.

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

CHATHAM IS.


Chatham Islands District is ��.8,

compared with �4.8 for all of New

Zealand.

Very Sparse population

Fishing is the main industry

�6.7% of people aged 15 years

and over in the Chatham Islands

District said they have no formal

qualifications, compared with 27.6%

of people aged 15 years and over in

New Zealand.

51 households or ��.�% in the

Chatham Islands District have



Although there has been a slight

increase in tourism, there is still too

small a population (800 apx) for it

to be considered a viable option.

STRATEGYAs above, giving an exact detailed

marketing strategy is dependent on

knowing the right niche to target.

Although some marketing tips and

ideas are as follows:

Cold calling: Door to Door, calling

in on small businesses within the

area. Use of the resources on

the DvD is the key to this as a

professional presentation is required

from the offset. It’s Important to

keep the time short but effective

as the objective is to gain a first

name basis with the potential client

and arrange a more suitable time

to do a proper presentation as

to the services offered, how they

can benefit the client and more

importantly… why you.

Referrals: Establish a relationship

with an accountant, lawyer, graphic

designer, business broker etc within

your area and feed off their client

list. Leave brochures in their offices

or even in the office of a local hotel

that caters to businesspeople. Use

a client fidelity program to keep

your brand at the forefront, using

a dedicated mailing list and post

sale follow up... remember their

birthdays! Referrals are the life

blood of a consultant as they will

add in future goodwill.

Internet: Currently the strongest

and most effect form of internet

marketing is via Google Adwords.

Google Adsense enables the

advertiser to pay as much per

month as needed (min $50) and

have a link placed onto hundreds if

not thousands of different websites

which have something in common

with the advertisers particular

market segment and products/

services supplied.

Once the funds have been paid

via credit card, a simple link and/

or pictorial advertisement will be

placed on any websites that have

placed Google’s code enabling this

link to be shown. This also works

both ways, as by enabling the

Google Adsense product, the cost

of Google Adwords can be negated

via page impression & click through

advertisements placed on the SME

Consulting website.

Both Products only require a simple

registration at no cost and are

highly recommended as one of the

most cost effective way to advertise.

Development of the current

website should be done inline

with whichever niche the operator

targets. Resources for the clients

should become downloadable

from using a logon and password

system and then a download page

“Development

of the current

website should be

done inline with

whichever niche the

operator targets”

18

or local school with the correct

technology (projector etc). Use your

accountant, lawyer etc to obtain

potential mailing lists and names of

attendees as well as a local radio/

newspaper advertisement combined

with posters strategically placed

around areas that attract small

business owners like the post office

or local bank.

Small high street office: As the

geographical locations identified

are more or less all semi-rural or

rural districts (see fastest growing

business districts), it’s not out of

the question to eventually look at

opening up a highly visible high

street office. This will add overheads

to the operation but due to the

general nature of the commercial

lease expenses being lower than

the national average, it’s therefore

an important mid growth step to

consider. Remember, for every dollar

you put into the operation… how

many will you get back? This would

be ideal for when the business

moves past the embryonic stage

and has a need to distribute some of

the more mundane responsibilities

by delegating this to employees.

with .pdf links attached so that

the client can then obtain copies

of any material required whenever

they require it (possible passive

income opportunity i.e. charge per

download).

Seminars: Arrange a seminar

type presentation. The objective

for the seminar is to create public

awareness of the SME brand,

create the ‘need’ (realisation

that the client needs to use your

service) and generate leads by

arranging appointments during

the coffee break (also at the end,

but this strategy is more effective

during the seminar). Seminars

should cover the following: current

market situation on a global &

local scale, trend of that market,

SME Consulting mission statement,

services offered, how those

services can benefit the client,

facts & figures on the success

rate of your services, examples of

situations where a company should

bring in a consultant, disaster

examples of where they didn’t,

give names of existing or past

clients (with permission) and lastly

cost. Seminars of this type are

usually a �-� hour affair and light

refreshment should be provided.

It is important that the seminar

is held at a proper venue such

as a conference room of a hotel

Local Newspapers: These generally

are not suitable for B�B (business

to business) as these are targeting

the consumer market and therefore

are suitable for B�C (business to

consumer). Again this is heavily

dependent on the actual location to

be chosen by the eventual operator.

Local Radio: This is in general

a very effective way to create

awareness of the brand. Most

businesses in New Zealand have

the local radio station playing

somewhere on the premises.

Although some leads can be

generated by this form of media,

it is mainly about creating brand

awareness.

BUSINESS PLAN

19

�0

Sponsorships: Quite often people

think this means giving some money

to the local sports club to have

the logo included on team shirts.

But the most effective form for a

business such as SME Consulting

is to sponsor a business planning/

innovation competition such as the

“Cable Car Challenge” sponsored by

Rod Drury the founder of Xero Ltd.

Again, this is very effective brand

awareness creation.

This is all very dependent on the

location and niche to be targeted,

but the above can be used to define

the exact mix required.

Important questions to be asked

when defining that mix are as

follows:

• How will you get the word out to

customers?

• Advertising: What media, why,

and how often?

• Have you identified low-cost

methods to get the most out of

your promotional budget?

• Will you use methods other

than paid advertising, such as

trade shows, catalogues, dealer

incentives, word of mouth (how

will you stimulate it?), and

network of friends or

professionals?

• How do you want customers

to see you? Is that inline with

the brand?

• Should you have a system to

identify repeat customers and

then systematically contact

them?

• How much will you spend on the

items listed above?

PRICINGFor most small businesses, having

the lowest price is not a good policy.

It robs you of needed profit margin;

customers may not care as much

about price as you think; and large

competitors can under price you

anyway. Usually you will do better

to have average prices and compete

on quality and service. Therefore

the following questions must be

asked by the operator:

Does your pricing strategy fit

with what was revealed in your

competitive analysis?

Compare your prices with those of

the competition. Are they higher,

lower, the same? Why?

How important is price as a

competitive factor? Do your

intended customers really make

their purchase decisions mostly on

price?

What will be your customer service

and credit policies?

How important

is price as a

competitive factor?

Do your intended

customers really

make their purchase

decisions mostly

on price?

BUSINESS PLAN

�1

Proposed Location

Once the geographical location has

been selected, it’s important to

remember that metropolitan based

clients don’t care so much about

where you are based but more

about the quality of service and

reputation. If you have selected

one of the districts (or similar)

outlined in this plan then where

your operation is actually based

does become an important factor for

many prospective clients.

Generally this particular market

segment will trust locally run

businesses over the larger city

based ones due to accessibility

and convenience of the service

provider. Again this may also raise

the question of the actual premises

of the operation. It’s important

that if a client does come to you

for a meeting, that there is an

actual ‘place of business’ feel to the

premises whether that be a room

in your own home used as an office

or an actual leased office space. For

example, is there off street parking?

Are there any family pets? These

can all easily damage the image of

the operation.

Itcouldbeprudenttoask“is

itwhatyourcustomerswant

andexpect”?

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELSHow are you going to sell your

products or services?

• Retail

• Direct (mail order, Web,

catalogue)

• Wholesale

• Your own sales force

• Agents

• Independent representatives

• Bid on contracts

• Sales Forecast

Use the sales forecast database

(ResourcesDVD) to prepare a

month-by-month projection. The

forecast should be based on the

marketing strategies that have just

been described and industry data, if

available.

you may want to do two forecasts:

1) a “best guess”, which is what you

really expect, and �) a “worst case”

low estimate that you are confident

you can reach no matter what

happens.

Remember to keep notes on your

research and your assumptions as

you build this sales forecast and all

subsequent spreadsheets into the

plan. This is critical if you are going

to present it to funding sources.

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

CHATHAM IS.


Chatham Islands District is ��.8,


New Zealand.

Very Sparse population

Fishing is the main industry

�6.7% of people aged 15 years

and over in the Chatham Islands

District said they have no formal

qualifications, compared with 27.6%

of people aged 15 years and over in

New Zealand.

51 households or ��.�% in the

Chatham Islands District have



Although there has been a slight

increase in tourism, there is still too

small a population (800 apx) for it

to be considered a viable option.

��

PERSONNEL• Type of labor (skilled, unskilled,

and professional)

• Where and how will you find the

right employees?

• Quality of existing staff

• Pay structure

• Training methods and

requirements

• Who does which tasks?

• Do you have schedules and

written procedures prepared?

• Have you drafted job

descriptions for employees?

If not, take time to write

some. They really help internal

communications with

employees.

• For certain functions, will you

use contract workers in addition

to employees?

LEGAL ENVIRONMENT• Licensing of several software

packages is a must such as

MYOB or XERO (recommended)

• If you will be offering Financial

Planning services then you

should check to make sure you

have the relevant qualifications

• Health, workplace, or

environmental regulations are

adhered to

• Currently there is no compulsory

regulation to have any formal

qualification to be a business

consultant. (Does not apply to

all services i.e. law)

• Please speak to your local

business insurance

representative to understand

your requirements or we

recommend speaking to your

solicitor.

OPERATIONAL PLAN

“Do you know what

it will cost you to

extend credit? Have

you built the costs

into your prices?”

BUSINESS PLAN

��

SUPPLIERSIdentify key suppliers:

• Names and addresses

• Type and amount of inventory

furnished

• Credit and delivery policies

• History and reliability

Should you have more than one

supplier for critical items (as a

backup)?

Do you expect shortages or short-

term delivery problems?

Are supply costs steady or

fluctuating? If fluctuating, how

would you deal with changing costs?

CREDIT POLICIES• Do you plan to sell on credit?

• Do you really need to sell on

credit?

• How will you check the

creditworthiness of new

applicants? We recommend

www.creditconsultants.co.nz

• What terms will you offer your

customers; that is, how much

credit and when is payment

due?

• Will you offer prompt payment

discounts?

• Do you know what it will cost

you to extend credit? Have you

built the costs into your prices?

(Help with pricing is offered as

part of the sale agreement)

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

Waimakariri

The median age of people in

the Waimakariri District is 37.4,


New Zealand.

The population of the Waimakariri

District contains a smaller

proportion of Pacific peoples (0.5%)

and smaller proportion of Asian

people (0.8%) compared with the

whole of New Zealand (at 6.5% and

6.6% respectively).

9.2% of people aged 15 years and

over in the Waimakariri District have

an annual income of more than

$50,000, compared with 11.5% for

New Zealand as a whole.


group in the Waimakariri District is

service and sales workers. This is

also the most popular occupational

group in New Zealand as a whole.

4,60� households or �4.7% in the

Waimakariri District have access to

the Internet, compared with �7.4%

for all of New Zealand.

�4

MANAGING YOUR ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLEIf you do extend credit, you should

do an aging at least monthly to

track how much of your money is

tied up in credit given to customers

and to alert you to slow payment

problems.

Accounts Receivable Aging

You will need a policy for dealing

with slow-paying customers: (see

ResourcesDVD)

• When do you make a

phone call?

• When do you send a letter?

• When do you get your attorney

to take legal action?

We recommend a reputable credit

consulting agency be brought on

board such as Credit Consultants

Ltd. By doing this you will be able

to collect debts owing without

having to waste valuable time

and resources chasing them.

Credit Consultants have an array

of policies and products that can

benefit a small business selling

on credit. They also can help to

manage your accounts receivable

through outsourcing or factoring

them on. They also would make a

very useful partner for the operator

of SME Consulting for future clients

consulting packages.

Managing Your Accounts

Payable

You should also age your accounts

payable, what you owe to your

suppliers. This helps you plan whom

to pay and when. Paying too early

depletes your cash, but paying late

can cost you valuable discounts and

can damage your credit. (Hint: If

you know you will be late making

a payment, call the creditor before

the due date.)

Do your proposed vendors offer

prompt payment discounts?

“We recommend

a reputable credit

consulting agency

be brought on

board...”

BUSINESS PLAN

�5

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

In the tables above, list the support

people you wish to use.

The following are our recommended

suppliers for various services:

(TheVendorsareunderno

financialobligationtomakethese

recommendationsandaremade

solelyasameansofproviding

crediblecontactinformationfor

futureneeds)

www.creditconsultants.co.nz

Credit Consultants provides a wide

range of credit management and

related services throughout New

Zealand and Australia. Our clients

include private and public sectors

organisations, large corporate and

small/medium sized businesses.

www.net24.co.nz (Current

reselleragreementinplace)

Net�4 is one of New Zealand’s

leading web hosting and data

hosting providers. We have been

providing robust, secure and fast

New Zealand based web hosting

services to New Zealand businesses

since 1999. Learn about our data

centre and find out why thousands

of businesses trust Net�4.

www.1stdomains.co.nz

See Net �4.

www.webdeveloper.com

A web developer forum and

resources, database. Links web

developers from all over the world

to solve any coding issues. Also

provides useful, free educational

resources.

PROFESSIONAL AND ADVISORY SUPPORT

Support type: Name Name

Board of directors

Management advisory board

Attorney

Accountant

Support type: Name Name

Insurance agent

Banker

Consultant or consultants

Mentors and key advisors

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

Tauranga


group in Tauranga District was

Service and Sales Workers (16.8

percent). The most popular

occupational group for New Zealand

as a whole was Service and Sales

Workers (14.8 percent).

Thriving economy, driven by

commercial enterprise and tourism

combined with ten years of strong

property values.

Large population of 109,100 (2006),

Tauranga is growing by 5� people

a week and 88 new dwellings per

month creating demand for all retail

services

Papamoa is expected to become a

city itself within 15 years

� New Motorways are almost near

completion which is expected to

lower the drive time to Auckland

significantly and result in a much

higher influx of new residents.

�6

www.business.govt.nz

You’re at the New Zealand

government business site. The

information and tools here are

designed to help you start, manage

or grow your business and deal with

the day-to-day challenges along the

way.

www.leasetech.co.nz

You don’t have to be a big business

to enjoy the benefits of leasing

with Leasetech. Get the capital

equipment you need with one of our

business friendly leases and enjoy

smoother cash flow, tax effective

payments and flexible options.

Leasetech is ideal for any business,

small, medium or large and gives

you the choice of equipment

supplier.

www.buildwebsite4u.com

Web page templates are ready-

made Web pages created to use

as a basis for fast and high-quality

website development. All you need

is to add your text and pictures to

your Web design template - and

you’ll get a functional and individual

site ready for upload.

www.graphicsolutions.co.nz

Graphic Solutions is a graphic

design business based in Wellington

which provides highly innovative

branding and marketing solutions.

(TheSMEConsultingbrandwas

developedundertheirguidance)

www.francisconsulting.co.nz

Francis Consulting is a boutique

business advisory and chartered

accountancy firm in the heart of

Wellington’s CBD. We are committed

to providing business owners with

new ideas and quality advice

www.iponz.govt.nz

This New Zealand Government

website provides information on

patents, trade marks and designs.

Here you can search the registers,

pay renewal fees, file trade mark

applications, and find forms and

guides on intellectual property in

New Zealand

Graphic Solutions

is a graphic design

business based in

Wellington which

provides highly

innovative branding

and marketing

solutions.

BUSINESS PLAN

�7

You should also complete personal

financial statements (SeeResources

DVD) for each owner and major

stockholder, showing assets and

liabilities held outside the business

and personal net worth. Owners

will often have to draw on personal

assets to finance the business, and

these statements will show what

is available. Bankers and investors

usually want this information as

well.

It’s important to estimate expenses

accurately and then to plan where

you will get sufficient capital.

This is a research project, and

the more thorough your research

efforts, the less chance that you

will leave out important expenses

or underestimate them. (See

ResourcesDVD)

Even with the best of research,

however, opening a new business

has a way of costing more than

you anticipate. There are two ways

to make allowances for surprise

expenses. The first is to add a

little “padding” to each item in

the budget. The problem with

that approach, however, is that

PERSONAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT

START-UP EXPENSES AND CAPITALIZATION

it destroys the accuracy of your

carefully wrought plan. The second

approach is to add a separate

line item, called contingencies, to

account for the unforeseeable. This

is the approach we recommend.

Talk to others who have started

similar businesses to get a good

idea of how much to allow for

contingencies. If you cannot get

good information, we recommend

a rule of thumb that contingencies

should equal at least �0 percent

of the total of all other start-up

expenses.

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

Ruapehu


group in Ruapehu District was

Agriculture and Fishery Workers

(��.5 percent). The most popular

occupational group for New Zealand

as a whole was Service and Sales

Workers (14.8 percent).

Increasing amount of tourism

development due to the ski fields

Strong Hospitality industry with

festivals held at ohakune every

year for the start of the ski season.

This creates more demand for new

bars and cafes.

The tourist towns of Whakapapa,

National Park and ohakune are also

located here.

Population is decreasing due to

rising property values as more

city based investors are buying up

holiday homes around the main

tourist spots of ohakune and

Whakapapa.

�8

so that you can explain them later if

necessary, and also so that you can

go back to your sources when it’s

time to revise your plan.

FOUR-YEAR PROFIT PROjECTION (OPTIONAL)The 1�-month projection is the

heart of your financial plan. This

section is for those who want to

carry their forecasts beyond the first

year.

of course, keep notes of your key

assumptions, especially about

things that you expect will change

dramatically after the first year.

PROjECTED CASH FLOWIf the profit projection is the heart

of your business plan, cash flow is

the blood. Businesses fail because

they cannot pay their bills. Every

part of your business plan is

important, but none of it means a

thing if you run out of cash.

The point of this worksheet is to

plan how much you need before

start-up, for preliminary expenses,

operating expenses, and reserves.

you should keep updating it and

using it afterward. It will enable you

to foresee shortages in time to do

something about them—perhaps cut

expenses, or perhaps negotiate a

loan. But foremost, you shouldn’t be

taken by surprise.

The financial plan consists of a 12-

month profit and loss projection, a

four-year profit and loss projection

(optional), a cash-flow projection,

a projected balance sheet, and a

break-even calculation. Together

they constitute a reasonable

estimate of your company’s financial

future. More important, the process

of thinking through the financial

plan will improve your insight into

the inner financial workings of your

company.

1�-MONTH PROFIT AND LOSS PROjECTIONMany business owners think of the

12-month profit and loss projection

as the centerpiece of their plan. This

is where you put it all together in

numbers and get an idea of what

it will take to make a profit and be

successful.

Your sales projections will come

from a sales forecast in which you

forecast sales, cost of goods sold,

expenses, and profit month-by-

month for one year.

Profit projections should be

accompanied by a narrative

explaining the major assumptions

used to estimate company income

and expenses.

Research Notes: Keep careful notes

on your research and assumptions,

FINANCIAL PLAN (SEERESouRCESDVD)

“If the profit

projection is the

heart of your

business plan,

cash flow is

the blood...”

BUSINESS PLAN

29

And of course, depreciation does

not appear in the cash flow at all

because you never write a check

for it.

OPENING DAY BALANCE SHEETA balance sheet is one of the

fundamental financial reports that

any business needs for reporting

and financial management. A

balance sheet shows what items

of value are held by the company

(assets), and what its debts

are (liabilities). When liabilities

are subtracted from assets, the

remainder is owners’ equity.

Use the start-up expenses and

capitalization spreadsheet as a

guide to preparing a balance sheet

as of opening day. Then detail how

you calculated the account balances

on your opening day balance sheet.

optional: Some people want to add

a projected balance sheet showing

the estimated financial position of

the company at the end of the first

year. This is especially useful when

selling your proposal to investors.

There is no great trick to preparing

it: The cash-flow projection is just

a forward look at your checking

account.

For each item, determine when you

actually expect to receive cash (for

sales) or when you will actually

have to write a check (for expense

items).

you should track essential operating

data, which is not necessarily part

of cash flow but allows you to track

items that have a heavy impact

on cash flow, such as sales and

inventory purchases.

you should also track cash outlays

prior to opening in a pre-start-up

column. You should have already

researched those for your start-up

expenses plan.

your cash flow will show you

whether your working capital is

adequate. Clearly, if your projected

cash balance ever goes negative,

you will need more start-up capital.

This plan will also predict just

when and how much you will need

to borrow.

Loan payments, equipment

purchases, and owner’s draws

usually do not show on profit and

loss statements but definitely do

take cash out. Be sure to include

them.

FINANCIAL PLAN (SEERESouRCESDVD)

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

Porirua


group in Porirua City is clerks.

The population of Porirua City

contains a larger proportion of

Pacific peoples (26.7%) and

smaller proportion of Asian

people (4.0%) compared with

the whole of New Zealand (at

6.5% and 6.6% respectively).

The median age of people

in Porirua City is �0.8,

compared with �4.8 for all

of New Zealand.

�8.0% of people (1�,�87) in

Porirua City are aged under 15,

compared with ��.7% for all of

New Zealand.

Rapid expansion of SME’s

seeking to lower their costs by

moving away from Wellington.

Again property inflation can be

blamed.

High Internet usage and

excellent modern transport.

�0

BREAK-EVEN ANALYSISA break-even analysis predicts the

sales volume, at a given price,

required to recover total costs. In

other words, it’s the sales level

that is the dividing line between

operating at a loss and operating at

a profit.

Expressed as a formula, break-even

is:

Breakeven Sales =

Fixed Costs

ü Brochures and advertising

materials

ü Industry studies

ü Magazine or other articles

supporting findings

ü Copies of any contracts

ü Any other materials needed to

support the assumptions in this

plan

ü Market research studies

ü original files specific to SME

Consulting (logo etc)

ü Databases

ü Brand Manual

ü Stationary (invoices, letterhead

etc)

RESOURCES TO BE FOUND ON THE ‘RESOURCES DVD’

“A break-even

analysis predicts the

sales volume, at

a given price,

required to recover

total costs”

BUSINESS PLAN

�1

FOR INVESTORSInvestors have a different

perspective. They are looking for

dramatic growth, and they expect to

share in the rewards:

• Funds needed short-term

• Funds needed in two to

five years

• How the company will use

the funds, and what this will

accomplish for growth.

• Estimated return on investment

• Exit strategy for investors

(buyback, sale, or IPo)

• Percent of ownership that you

will give up to investors

• Milestones or conditions that

you will accept

• Financial reporting to be

provided

• Involvement of investors on the

board or in management

The generic business plan presented

here in should be modified to suit

your specific type of business

and the audience for which the

plan is written. Thiscanbedone

incollaborationwiththecurrent

operatorsofSMEconsultingatan

extracosttobenegotiatedaspart

ofthesaleagreement.

FOR RAISING CAPITALYou will need to supply the following

information in a professional format.

FOR BANKERSBankers want assurance of orderly

repayment. If you intend using this

plan to present to lenders, include:

• Amount of loan

• How the funds will be used

• What this will accomplish—

how will it make the business

stronger?

• Requested repayment terms

(number of years to repay).

You will probably not have

much negotiating room on

interest rate but may be able to

negotiate a longer repayment

term, which will help cash flow.

• Collateral offered, and a list

of all existing liens against

collateral

REFINING THE PLAN

FASTEST GROWING

BUSINESS DISTRICTS

Southland


Southland District is �6.8, compared

with �4.8 for all of New Zealand.

3,030 households or 29.7% in the

Southland District have access to

the Internet, compared with �7.4%

for all of New Zealand.

The Southern Institute of

Technology offers free education.

This brings net youth migration,

leading to an increased demand for

all services & hospitality.

Stewart Is. is becoming a major

tourist attraction.

Currently one of the fastest

growing property markets left in

New Zealand due to economic

expansion.

MANAGING THE BRAND“Don’t try to

reinvent the wheel,

keep ‘it’ clean and

consistent”

COLOURSThere are 3 main colour spaces, RGB, CMyK and PANToNE. you will find the

SME Consulting logo supplied in all of these formats on the Resources DVD.

Below are the explanations and SME brand colour information.

RGB (red, green, and blue) refers to a system for representing the colors

to be used on a computer display. Used in basically anything intended to be

viewed on screen(note Microsoft applications also use RGB).

R:159 G:39 B:41 R:181 G:176 B:173

CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) This most common colour space

used for professional level print. Also called full colour, and is used for any

printed work using photographs. (Digital Printing only uses CMyK)

C:25 M:96 Y:90 K:21 C:30 M:�6 Y:�8 K:0

PANTONE A set of standard colours for printing, each of which is specified

by a single number. Pantone Colours are also sometimes referred to as

corporate colours and are mostly used for printing of company stationery or

in one or two colour print runs.

PANTONE 704 PANTONE Cool Gray 6

FONTSLogo Font: Trade Gothic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz




General Use Font: Verdana

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNoPQRSTUvWXyZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNoPQRSTuVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz



��

OPENING DAY BALANCE SHEET

ASSETS

Current Assets

Cash in Bank $-

Inventory $-

Prepaid Expenses $-

Other $-

Total Current Assets $-

Fixed Assets

Machinery & Equipment $-

Furniture & Fixtures $-

Leasehold Improvements $-

Property / Buildings $-

Other $-

Total Fixed Assets $-

Other Assets

Specify $-

Specify $-

Total Other Assets $-

Total Assets $-

LIABILITIES & NET WORTH

Current Liabilities

Accounts Payable $-

Taxes Payable $-

Notes Payable (due within 1� months) $-

Current Portion Long-term Debt $-

Other current liabilities (specify) $-

Total Current Liabilities $-

Long-term Liabilities

Bank Loans Payable

(greater than 1� months) $-

Less: Short-term Portion $-

Notes Payable to Stockholders $-

Other long-term debt (specify) $-

Total Long-term Liabilities $-

Total Liabilities $-

Owners’ Equity (Net Worth) $-

Total Liabilities & Net Worth $-

BUSINESS PLAN

��

BUSINESS PLAN

�5

STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS ANALYSIS

My Company Competitor 1 Competitor � Competitor �

STRENGTHS

What are your business

advantages?

What are your core

competencies?

Where are you making

the most money?

What are you doing well?

WEAKNESSES

What areas are you avoiding?

Where do you lack resources?

What are you doing poorly?

Where are you losing money?

What needs improvement?

OPPORTUNITIES

Any beneficial trends?

Niches that competitors

are missing?

New technologies?

New needs of customers?

THREATS

obstacles to overcome?

Aggressive competitors?

Successful competitors?

Negative economic conditions?

Government regulation?

Changing business climate?

vulnerabilities?


“Question & Improve”

SME Consulting

Business

Transcript of SME Consulting