englishpod_0186dg

Elementary ‐The Office ‐ Business Plan (C0186)
A: I’ve had it! I’m done working for a company that is
taking me nowhere!
B: So what are you gonna do? Just quit?
A: That’s exactly what I am going to do! I’ve decided to
create my own company! I’m going to write up a business
plan, get some investors and start working for myself!
B: Have you ever written up a business plan before?
A: Well, it can’t be that hard! I mean, all you have to do is
explain your business, how you are going to do things and
that’s it, right?
B: You couldn’t be more wrong! A well written business
plan will include an executive summary which highlights
the idea of the business in two pages or less. Then you
need to describe your company with information such as
what type of legal structure it has, history, etc.
A: Well that seems easy enough.
B: Wait, there’s more! Then you need to introduce and
describe your goods or services. What they are and how
they are different from competitors’? Then comes the hard
part, a market analysis. You need to investigate and
analyze hundreds of variables! You need to take into
consideration socioeconomic factors from GDP per capita
to how many children on average the population has! All
this information is useful so that you can move on to your
strategy and implementation stage, where you will
describe in detail how you will actually execute your idea.
A: Geez. Is that all?
B: Almost, the most important piece of information for
your investors will be the financial analysis. Here you will
calculate and estimate sales, cash flow and profits. After
all, people will want to know when they will begin to see a
return on their investment!
A: Umm. I think I’ll just stick to my old job and save
myself all the hassle of trying to start up a business!