Where are you?

Decision made - congratulations! You believe in your concept. Now? What to do next?

This is where it’s vital to have a grip on time and money. Starting right is half the battle won.

You’ll probably already have an idea of who your customers are; what you’ll be making and selling; how you’ll advertise the business; where you will be trading from and what your costs will be.

The right kind of plan brings all elements together to ensure they work together, and none get left out.

One part of the plan will be the financials, whether you need finance from a bank or are using your own funds. It’s really important to have a handle on this from day one. Making money is a given, but your cash-flow is crucial. Understanding cash-flow ‘up front’ is equally - if not more - vital to your business’s success at the start.

Your plan will be your own guide as to how you are doing. To be of most value it will include:

• monthly or weekly sales forecast, based on your expected customers

• Start up costs

• Ongoing operational costs and food margin

• Advertising and marketing plans

• Some ‘what if’s’ in case things don’t quite go to plan (vital right now!)

• Operational plans, how you will source ingredients and manage suppliers

How we can help

From the start of my own business, I understood the value and importance of having a ‘proper’ plan. Giving you the tools to put your plan together and the practical and ‘real world’ elements into it gives me great pleasure.

Most importantly, we know what does, and does not, work in our sector. Your business success hangs on knowing what the financial implications are of getting the food margin right, and the crucial real costs of labour.

An active ‘living’ plan empowers you to see at a glance where you are and what actions need taking.

Our experience brings today’s real time hospitality industry ‘facts of life’ to the table. Most accountants, I.T. experts, marketing consultants and advisers and banks aren’t in the hospitality business! But expertise in these areas is valuable.

I’m pleased to have had a background encompassing accountancy, legal and I.T./communications and marketing.

Saving time, hassle and money is vital at the start-up stage . Our only aim is to help you on this specific part of the journey so you’re fully equipped to move forward.

What you’ll get

Our initial meeting ‘walks you through’ a tried and tested model business plan. It both helps to focus on the important aspects but also ensures you’re not ‘reinventing the wheel’.

When a bank, investor, supplier, professional association or key potential member of staff asks ‘what’s your plan?’ or simply ‘how do you know you’re going to succeed’ you’ll know instantly, with a plan to back it up.

You’ll make this plan entirely your own - in draft form - over the course of a day. A ready to use, understandable and dynamic plan to inform all your important actions and decisions.

A key part of the plan is your financials. We have a tried and tested financial model into which your own projections of revenues and cost can be worked through and quantified.

At the end of the process, the outline business plan to take you forward will include:

• A clear definition of your business and its aims

• An outline marketing plan for your business

• An operational plan

• A SWOT analysis

• Your sales forecast, from your own research

• Profit and Loss Projections for 3-5 years

• Monthly cash flow projection for the first 12-18 months