Fish and Chip Shop Business Plan

Creating a Fish and Chip Shop Business Plan is a healthy first step toward your business goals. Whether you are preparing your business plan for perusal by venture capitalists, or simply trying to get your ideas on paper for your own purposes, creating a business plan is a great way to define your business and its goals. In many ways a business plan is like a resume for your business, and so just as job seekers first considered their qualifications and decided which jobs to apply for, so you will be considering your businesses assets and liabilities objectively, and then writing your business plan to display your business in the best light. 

Below is an outline for a business plan. You will need to adjust some parts to suit your specific needs and tastes and present your business in the best light possible. Be sure that your final business plan is engaging and interesting, and that it contains the most impressive facts, that you have the other facts written down somewhere before you start your business. In general with any business there is a whole filing cabinet full of notebooks debating your business plan, and considering all the angles. That is your private business plan, and you should refer to it and add to it often. You must however type up a written business plan which is more concise and to the point. It will still be a very long document, just neater and easier for strangers to understand.

Cover Letter – A short letter to potential investors, prospective lenders and other parties.

Executive Summary – Two pages of highlights from the rest of your fish and chips shop business plan. It’s usually best to write this last, after you have completed the rest of your business plan. 

Executive Summary – State a few main goals for the objective. Mission statements should explain in a sentence or two the reason why you are in business, and what your business has to offer. Keys to success should feature a list of unique methods to obtain your objectives, and achieve your mission. This summary is the heart and soul of your business plain. It explains your main purpose and how you plan to fulfill it.
• Objectives
• Mission
• Keys to Success

Company Description – Define the company, state the ownership in percents as well as any incorporation or other business structure. List your owners and their previous experience, academic accomplishments and skills. List start up costs along side current assets, to show whether you need more investment capital. Then describe your assets and facilities, and discuss future plans. 
• Introductory language to define the company
• Company Ownership and Business Structure
• Start Up Plan
• Company Locations, Facilities and Equipment
• Development and Status
• Future Plans

Products and Related Services – This portion discusses your products and services and what sets them apart from the competition. This is the place where you can tout your skills and product advantages. Use sales and marketing language. 
• Description of Products
• Description of Services
• Comparison to Competition
• Sales Brochures
• Technology 
• Future Products and Services 

Market Analysis – This section discusses the competition, and the target market. Consider how other businesses like yours are fairing in the current market, and how your business can set itself apart.
• Market Share and Market Stratification
• The Target Market Strategy
• Trends
• Needs 
• Market Growth
• Fish and Chips Industry Analysis
• The Fish and Chips Industry Today
• Future Trends and Strategic Opportunities
• The Competition

Marketing Plan and Sales Strategy – This is the part of the plan where you consider your actual sales strategy, based on your marketing research results. Consider various forms of advertising, and remember to use the web. This may require extensive thought, some brain storming and a lot of scratch paper. 
• Competitive Edge 
• Marketing Strategy
• Positioning within the Market
• Pricing Strategy
• Distribution Strategy
• Promotional Strategy
• Marketing Program
• Sales Strategy
• Forecasts 
• Strategic Alliances
• Website Marketing Strategy
• Web Development Requirements

Operations, Management and Organization – Even though you plan has already discussed the ownership, there is still room to determine who is in charge of what, and who is the boss of each team. The personnel plan will define job titles that have not been filled yet, and consider hiring more employees in the future. 
• Organizational Structure
• The Management Team
• Personnel Plan

Financial Plan – This part of a business plan often needs to be bigger than what actually ends up in the nice leather folio. It takes a lot of scratch paper and separate lists to figure out the finances for a business of this nature. A hundred pages of various messy lists and figures is not unusual. Once you know how to actually make it work, type the essential parts neatly into your business plan. There are numerous other categories, and ideas for organizing this section. Figure out the realities of your plan on scratch paper and then write down what sounds best for the official business plan.
• Breakdown of Static Monthly Expenses (Utilities, Rents and Insurance Premiums)
• Breakdown of Variable Expenses (Repairs and Emergencies)
• Breakdown of Product Related Costs (Materials)
• Breakdown of Payroll and Benefits
• Establish the value of your business, and assets
• List fish and chip shop insurance, and show that it equals the value of assets.
• Break Even Analysis
• Projected Profit and Loss
• Projected Cash Flow
• Projected Balance Sheet
• Business Ratios
• Long Term Financial Plans

Long-Term Development and Exit Plan – Long term plans are generally expected with a business plan. A five or even ten year plan should be submitted, but the plan will likely be altered over time, as you learn more about the future of your business. 

One of the easiest financial assets to obtain is a good fish and chip shop insurance policy. You can find policies that cover employee liability, customer liability and public liability. This protects you from liability in lawsuits. You can also get insurance to reduce your risks of inventory loss due to spoilage and closure of your shop due to an incident involving a claim as well as covering your risks of fire, flood, storm damage, water damage, broken equipment and any other form of loss covered under your policy. Good insurance is a failsafe that will provide protection for your business. Be sure that your fish and chip shop business plan includes a great fish and chip shop insurance policy.

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