How to Write the Perfect Business Plan

"A franchise is more likely to succeed with a projected plan for all eventualities: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail..."

The old adage "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" is especially important for first time franchisees. Those who understand the benefits of business planning are more likely to be successful and pro-active to management decisions, than are those who react to day-to-day operational issues. Franchisees who fail to plan strategically end up confronting problems head on and may be unable to manage the business effectively on a daily basis.

This type of business management can have a negative impact on the franchise, staff and other individuals involved in the operation. It can also leave very little time for any other business management concerns. Therefore it is necessary for franchisees to construct an effective business plan for their franchise system.

Your business plan will be the "sales document" for you and your business and its preparation should project the image of what you want for your business. The following is a useful guideline on how best to approach drawing up a business plan and the key terms it should contain.

1. Introduction

Purpose of the business and business concept;




Overall business objectives;




Legal status of the business stated; benefits and shortcomings of this business system.

2. The Product and Service

Product or service your business will offer; include relevant history of the franchise product or service;





List the Unique Selling Point (USP) of your business product or service; the key feature that makes your product stand out from the rest in the market place;




How the product or service can be developed with the help of the franchisor.







3. The Personnel

Include details of anyone who will be involved in making your business a success. These people are very important to your business success. Include in this section:

Brief summary of each person's skills and knowledge of the particular sector, including their personal assessment of attributes, strengths, weaknesses as well as your own assessment of each person;




Relevant experience, commitment and reasons for involvement;

Don't forget to include yourself in this assessment of key personnel- you are the driving force behind the business operation.





Include a detailed CV for each person in the "Appendix" at the end of your plan.

4. The Market

This is probably the most important section of the business plan. Without a clearly defined market, your business will not succeed. If you can show that you have "done your homework", you will gain credibility for the whole business plan. Your franchisor will also have research in this area you can avail of.

Describe the current conditions in the market place for your product or service;

Detail any relevant facts and figures relating to the market sector(s) that you will be targeting, and the type(s) of potential customers for your product or service.

Details of competitors should be included with reasons why potential customers will choose your product/service over your competitors.

5. The Marketing Plan

Include your marketing objectives; i.e. number of sales.

Where your product or service will be positioned within the market place in terms of image, price and quality. You can avail of franchisor assistance in determining the marketing strategy.

Planned marketing, PR campaigns and advertising;

Customer service policy is planned and how it will work.

6. The Operation

Include sources of supply, labor and materials;

Detail resources required to operate your business; what you already have and what you will need to acquire;

Identify any crucial procedures or sensitive issues and outline possible solutions;

State where you intend to operate from- your current premises and future requirements;

Outline your projected Health and Safety policies.

7. The Premises

· Location;

· Future business growth;

· Running costs and Uniform Business Rates, rent, etc.

· Insurance

· Planning Consent, planning issues.

8. Financial Information

(a) Introduction: Start with the key facts; the forecast profit (or loss) for the year;

Whether additional financing will be required and what for;

Break even sales for the business should be calculated and shown as a % of your anticipated sales;

Details of the money you need to take out of the business to live on - required income.

(b) Profit and Loss Forecast

Your forecast profit (or loss) should be based on your anticipated sales, minus your direct costs and overheads. The assumptions made should include:

Justify anticipated sales as best you can;

Any direct costs (materials, etc) should be detailed;

Don't' forget overheads;

(c) Cash Flow Forecast

To anticipate how much cash your business will require, you should convert your profit and loss forecast. List the following assumptions:

When will you get the money from sales;

When you will have to pay suppliers;

The timing of specific overheads;

How much capital equipment that you require for the business. Differentiate between existing equipment and expenditure still to be made- how much and when.

9. The Appendix

This is the final section of the BP. It should include the detailed information mentioned earlier and the following:

Details of premises;

Insurance Details;

Product brochure, photographs, letterhead.

Anything else that you believe will enhance the credibility of you or enhance the credibility of your business.

Secret to Making the Perfect Pie Crust

There are really two secrets to the perfect pie crust. The first is quality ingredients. The second and most important secret is the temperature of the butter and the water. Butter and water must be very, very cold when making a crust to ensure a flaky, delicious crust.

The recipe below is wonderful for use with pumpkin, coconut, or pecan filling. As a doubled recipe, it works well for a cherry or apple pie. For a 9" X 13" pot pie dish, the recipe can be multiplied by 4 to have enough dough for a top and bottom crust. There will even be a little left over to make decorations for the top.

Perfect Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter, chilled and chopped into small pieces

3 to 4 tbsp. cold water

Grease 9" pie plate. Sift flour and salt into a mixer bowl. Add butter. Using mixer, mix at slow speed until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Into one cup water, add two to four ice cubes. Water must be very cold.

Add enough cold water (no more than 4 tbsp.) one spoonful at a time to make a firm dough. Using hands, scrape all dough from bowl and knead into a ball. On lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Fold dough in half, then into quarters for easy transfer to the pie plate. Unfold dough onto the pie plate, pressing dough into bottom of pan. Trim excess dough around pie plate edges, leaving enough to cover edge of pan. Using thumb and fingers, pinch edges into an attractive pattern. Refridgerate for 30 minutes before filling. Makes 1 9" pie crust.

Double for a double crust or lattice crust recipe. For custard and cream cheese type pies, prick bottom of pie crust in an overall pattern to keep crust from bubbling or shrinking. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.

The perfect pie crust is the mark of an excellent cook, and for many cooks is a matter of pride. If you follow the directions precisely, this recipe will give you the perfect crust every time.

Why Jello Recipes Make the Perfect Ending to Dinner

Not everyone has appetizers before dinner and not everyone has dessert either, but sometimes it can be nice to make appetizers or dessert, or even both, because it makes dinner extra special.

Appetizers and desserts can be as filling and substantial or as small as you want. Think about dessert recipes, for example. If you are hungry you might want a big slab of chocolate cake with whipped cream or a generous slice of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. If you prefer something lighter, that is where jello recipes really hold their own.

Jello Dessert Ideas

There are jello recipes for every occasion and if you just fancy something sweet after dinner, you might like to make a plain jello dessert, a layered jello dessert or even jello with chunks of fruit in it. Jello is suitable for kids and adults alike and you can even get sugar free varieties of jello which are perfect if you want to enjoy dessert without consuming lots of calories or fat.

Jello can be used to make cookies, cakes or pies. Jello instant pudding is great when you want a dessert in a hurry and this delicious dessert comes in many flavors. You can also use jello pudding to make mousse recipes or pies.

Pairing Jello with Fruit

Another good idea for dessert is to make a jello-filled fruit. You can remove the flesh from an orange, grapefruit or melon and pour jello inside. Leave it to set and you have a special and unique dessert.

Desserts like this are so simple to make and you can even make them in bulk if you are catering for a buffet or party. Choose sugar free jello and you will be able to make a healthy dessert which tastes amazing.

After dinner it is nice to indulge your sweet tooth, even if you just have a small dessert. Desserts are a good way to end dinner. Sometimes you can have something indulgent and other times perhaps you just fancy a jello recipe or something light.

Recipe for a Jello-Filled Cantaloupe

This is a fun recipe and if you want to use sugar free jello to make a healthy jello dessert for the family, this recipe is ideal. You can use any fruit you want in this jello-filled cantaloupe recipe. Canned pineapple and mandarin segments would be a good alternative to strawberry and banana, if you fancy a tropical flavor. This recipe serves four people.

What you will need:

1 cantaloupe melon
1 cup boiling water
1 package sugar free lime jello
1 sliced banana
1 cup sliced strawberries

How to make it:

Dissolve the lime jello in the boiling water and let the mixture cool. Stir in the fruit. Cut a slice out of one end of the cantaloupe melon. Take out the seeds. Pour the lime jello into the middle. Wrap the melon in plastic wrap and chill it overnight in the refrigerator.

To serve, cut the jello filled melon in slices and garnish each serving with some whipped cream, cottage cheese or cream cheese.

Coffee and Ice Cream - The Perfect Mix For Profits

Coffee shop owners are always looking for a new product to add to their product offerings in order to increase traffic and profits. If you are looking for the perfect mix with your coffee shop, consider a frozen confection - ice cream or gelato.

There are several reasons I would recommend this over other products.

Less waste - frozen confections tend to produce much less product waste than other types of food goods. If kept properly, it does not spoil. Often there is (initially, at least) much waste with deli items or baked goods.

Quick preparation - as quick as grabbing a dish, the scoop and ringing it up.

High profits - cost of goods is usually very low for ice cream, either soft serve or hand dipped.

Business over slow day parts - ice cream can sell very well during traditionally slow day parts, just after lunch, early and late evening.

Less staff training - this product generally requires less staff training and supervision.

Widely popular in many forms - serving ice cream gives you the opportunity to introduce new consumers to your shop who may not enjoy the finer points of your specialty coffee operation.

Inexpensive equipment - the equipment is generally readily available, and can be very inexpensive when purchased used.

Frozen desserts draw people together in much the same way coffee does. It is a social, enjoyable treat that brings together friends and encourages group outings - a popular treat after softball games, soccer matches, and other team events.

If you choose to serve ice cream or gelato, consider the flavors that might go best in your locale and how you might market it.