WHEN YOU ARE READY ...

You can use the on-line Build-A-Business-Plan tool to create your business plan. It will be stored and saved, so you can return as often as you like. You can complete as much as needed. In the end you will be able to print out the results. It will be close to being presentable. You can always drop the final results into a word processing program to put it in final form.

PLANNING MORE VALUABLE TO YOU

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 your particular circumstances.

PREPARATION

Before you begin, review the section titled Refining the Plan, found at the end. It suggests emphasizing certain areas depending upon your type of business (manufacturing, retail, service, etc.). It also has tips for fine-tuning your plan to make an effective presentation to investors or bankers. If this is why you are creating your plan, pay particular attention to your writing style. You will be judged by the quality and appearance of your work as well as by your ideas.

QUALITY MATTERS

It typically takes several weeks to complete a good plan. Most of that time is spent in research and re-thinking your ideas and Our belief in Agriculture is propelled and sustained by the philosophy that, physically, man's primary and central need before clothing and shelter is food. We are therefore committed to a lasting vision of the best private enterprise farms obtainable in Nigeria and West Africa. Our business relationships will assuredly be in the long term, sustained by a value far beyond other form of sentiment. We are sufficiently humble to recognize the shortcoming of our environment, but are nevertheless challenged by the reality of globalization to benchmark only against the best international standards. We are therefore committed to surpassing all expectations in these areas of our core competencies.assumptions. But then, that is the value of the process. So make time to do the job properly. Those who do never regret the effort. And finally, be sure to keep detailed notes on your sources of information and on the assumptions underlying your financial data.