Business Name
What is the name of your business?

Description of Business
What will your business do

Form of Business Ownership
What form of business ownership (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation) will your business take? Why did you choose this form?

Ideal Customer
Briefly describe your ideal customer. What are they like in terms of age, income level, and so on?

Our Advantages
Why will customers choose to buy from your business, instead of your competition?

Ethical Issues
All businesses have to deal with ethical issues. One way to address these issues is to create a code of ethics. List three core (unchanging) principles that your business will follow.

Social Responsibility
A business shows social responsibility by respecting all of its stakeholders. What steps will you take to create a socially responsible business?

Global Issues
Do you think that you’ll sell your product in another country? If so, what countries would you choose, and why? What challenges will you face?

Hint:    To help you consider issues of global business, refer to Chapter 5. Consider how you will expand internationally (i.e. independent agent, licensing, etc.). Do you expect global competition for your product? What advantages will foreign competitors have?

PART 2(a): THE BUSINESS OF MANAGING

Mission Statement
Provide a brief mission statement for your business

Hint:    Refer to the discussion of mission statements in Chapter 6. Be sure to include the name of your business, how you will stand out from your competition, and why a customer will buy from you.

Business Goals
Consider the goals for your business. What are three of your business goals for the first year? What are two intermediate to long-term goals?

SWOT Analysis
Perform a basic SWOT analysis for your business, listing its main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

    Strengths             
    Weaknesses               
    Opportunities          
    Threats              

Management
Who will manage the business?

Organization Chart
Show how the “team” fits together by creating a simple organizational chart for your business. Make sure that you organizational chart indicates who will work for each manager as well as each person’s job title.