small chops business plan pdf

A Simple Guide to Starting a Small Chops Business in Nigeria

Should I tell you the secrets behind small chops business in Nigeria?

Small chops has become the most-sought after snack in almost every event. You can hardly find an event in Nigeria where small chops are not added to the budget. The event can be a small one or a large one where small chops will be served as an appetizer.

Another secret is that you are good to go as long as you can get the general public to know about your business. A business is not without its ups and downs. The small chops business is not a business you would want to venture into without knowing about it.

Don’t worry! This article will definitely give you everything you need to know to have a good start and a success story at the end of the day. Stay tuned!

Table of Contents

What is Small Chops?

Small chops is a combination of snacks served in events in Nigeria. Finger food, as it is sometimes called, is normally served at events as an appetizer to keep guests busy and avoid boredom. In some events, small chops are served instead of normal food as it is less expensive. It has become a notable delicacy as it is an appetizer that never goes wrong.

You can hardly find an event where the guests are not served small chops. The more the content of the small chops, the more palatable it is. Although this will depend on the customer’s budget, small chops can include; grilled chicken, snail, plantain, puff puff and samosa.

List of some common small chops items in Nigeria include;

• Spring rolls
• Dodo gizzard (Gizdodo)
• Smoked goat meat (asun)
• Sausage rolls
• Peppered snails
• Grilled chicken
• Yam balls and so on.

Events where small chops are served include;

• Conferences
• House warming
• Burials, to mention a few.

Is Small Chops Business in Nigeria Lucrative?

You shouldn’t dive into small chops business without having an answer to this question. Yes, it is lucrative.

I have seen people become successful through this business. It will remain profitable as long as events still take place in Nigeria. The higher the number of people served, the higher the profits gained.

Although, it is not immediately after you hit the market that you start making a lot of profit. It requires some time of commitment before you start making your profits. You will need to offer discounts and provide good customer service to keep your customers coming back to you.

How to Kick-Start Small Chops Business in Nigeria

Small chops business is a business you can operate right from the comfort of your home – your kitchen or anywhere in your house as long as it is neat. It is not a business that requires looking for a location. All you need is awareness for your business, both offline and online. This is a business that anyone, whether male or female, can run.

After learning what small chops business is, you need to follow the basic steps to start your own business;

Learn how to make small chops

This is the next step after knowing the profitability of small chops business . Small chops can be learned online via YouTube, online baking classes or offline by learning from someone already in the business.

This is considered the most effective way to learn because the taste of the food cannot be gotten online and shouldn’t be gotten wrong. 

Read Also: Top 10 Healthy Nigerian Snacks

Buy the equipment needed

While starting this business, some equipment is necessary, while some can be rented when you get money to buy yours. You can’t always depend on renting because it reduces your profit over time. The equipment used in making small chops is mainly kitchen appliances in bigger sizes to make production easier and faster.

So, if you already have this equipment in your kitchen, you might want to consider getting bigger sizes for bulk production. 

Some of these equipment are;

• Frying pans (different sizes)
• Rolling board
• Measuring cups (different sizes)
• Sieve, among others.

You should also customize fliers and business cards as they are important equipment in advertising your small chops business.

You can sponsor your business on Insight.ng to have a wider reach of your target audience

Package your small chops

This is part of the merit of learning from someone in the small chops business.   You will learn how to package your small chops into different sizes and varieties of food. You will also get to know the right quantity of ingredients to use for a certain number of people and how to calculate the costs and expenses. 

Packaging small chops

The package of the small chops will depend on your client’s budget. This will allow you to know the size to pack and the price to give.

Before deciding on the price of small chops to give your clients, you should consider the following;

• The cost of preparation
• The varieties of the small chops
• The size of the small chops (mini/mid/maxi packs)
• The delivery fee

Part of packaging is knowing how well to serve your customers. This should be part of the services you offer in your business to allow you to interact with potential clients who might be willing to do business with you.

Advertise your small chops business

Getting people to know what you do is very important. Advertise your business both online and offline.

• Online advertisement

Social media is a platform where everyone can know what you do and connect with you. All you need to do is to post gorgeous pictures of your small chops on social media pages that aid marketing, like Instagram and Facebook and encourage your customers to leave reviews and feedback. You can also connect with food bloggers online to help advertise your small chops business.

Read Also: An Insightful Guide on How to Advertise a Product (Digital and Physical)

• Offline advertisement

As for offline advertisement, let your customer service be at its peak. This will make customers always return to you or refer others to you during any event. Do well to always attach your sticker on the small chops pack and drop your business cards in offices, schools, restaurants, etc.

One effective way to market your business offline is by connecting with event planners to contact you whenever they plan events. Also, inform your friends and family members of this small chops business of yours so that they can patronize you.

Read Also: 9 Top Small Business Mistakes You Need to Avoid or Fix NOW

Even though this small chops business seems competitive, you can always pave the way for yourself by offering the best customer service, giving the guests a palatable taste to remember and giving a discount to first-timers.

When you take note of all these points, you will always find your customers coming back for more.

Do you know how powerful whatsapp can be in growing your business? Join our whatsapp community to learn how.

About Author

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Barakat is a professional content writer with competence in academic writing, ebooks, and blog posts. To help you convey your ideas to your audience, she provides articles written in the most appropriate style and tone.

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Business Ideas

How to start small chops business in nigeria.

About a few months ago my friend was getting married and we needed to make plans – budget on how much to be spent on his wedding right from the traditional to the white wedding , venue, food for the guest. This was a cumbersome task ahead of us that demanded every little time we had after work together but I was willing and devoted to this because it was a joyful thing.

plus the fact that it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Also, I knew he was also going to support me when it is my turn. Yes, I would not hide that. So we started the budget but first of all, we made a list of everything we can think of as regards having a wedding in Nigeria, and with the support of his fiancé then now wife we were able to come up with something good.

Chinedu told me his budget for the whole wedding was about N1.5M so after thinking and writing down everything that will be needed for the wedding, we started to exclude items we felt we could either replace or do without, that was how we got to – food. And he told me specifically that he would want small chops for his wedding reception because 1. It saves cost and 2.

It will go around for his entire guest at the reception. I asked him why he was not interested in the local Nigerian foods at all. And he told me that based on his budget going for Nigerian food might not be able to go around for all the guests and he does not want complaints besides he wants something different, unique from what you see at the typical Nigerian wedding.

To cut the long story short, we contacted a caterer a small chops specialist for the price of 500 plates because the total number of guests for the reception was 500 that was when I was wowed. The caterer told us that she was going to charge us N500 per plate but she was going to give us the best service.

We tried convincing her to give us a discount but all to no avail. She said usually she charges  N550 – N600  per plate but because this was the first time we are doing business with her she was going to give us for the price of N500 – just for us to try her out.

Still amazed after Chinedu dropped the call, I flipped out my phone and went straight to my calculator app to do the maths of what I just heard and my calculator summed everything we had discussed to N250,000 . “So there’s money in this business”, I said to myself.

Although there were other benefits she mentioned like delivery at our doorstep (bringing the small chops to our venue), bringing her servers, and so on, I could not get my mind off the total money she was to be paid in return, this was how my finding started about small chops business in Nigeria because I wanted to know more.

For those of us that have been attending parties in Nigeria right from the time we were born, we all know small chops never existed at first in our parties. All we had then during our birthday parties, weddings, and burial ceremonies food. Common foods like jollof rice and native foods like amala, pounded yam, and the likes and drinks and the usual cake but along the way, small chops came and changed the way we did parties and the way we treat our guests.

In my further findings, I was trying to know how small chops came into Nigeria but No one has been able to give me a precise story as this came to be. Everyone, I asked all seem to direct their answer to the ideas being an overseas idea – something copied from abroad. I do not know how true this is but share your own idea in the comments.

 Is Small Chops Business Profitable?

Seriously, this is always the question on every Nigerian’s mind when it comes to starting businesses in Nigeria . And this is a good question because we all know the major reason for starting a business is to make profits. Massive profits! If a business is not making money no matter the energy put into it, it is regarded as a total waste of time.

So the question of whether small chops is business in Nigeria is lucrative or not is obvious from the early explanations I have given so far. Yes, small chops business is a lucrative business because you are supplying to groups of people at once (weddings, birthdays, concerts, and so on).

The higher the number of guests required for you to prepare for the higher the profits you make. Let us say you have a contract to make small chops for 1000 guests and you charge a max of N1500 per plate you will be making N1,500,000. This might not necessarily be a huge profit because you have not deducted your expenses but still, it is a big profit.

Also, the demand for small chops for 1000 guests will help you buy your ingredients at wholesale and when you buy in wholesale you make more profit because the ingredients are cheaper, unlike buying from the usual retailers.

So you see here the more guests you have to make for the more profits for you in every way and more gain for the buyer because you can be able to give discounts (as much as you feel you need to). Also, you can still make good money from small chops business. Even if you are making for 20 people or less as you are just starting out.

All you have to do is still buy your ingredients in bulk, make your small chops very delicious, and give good prices to your customers that they will always have to come back.

Equipment Needed for Small Chop Business

There are many of basic equipments you need. You can get all these in your small chops business plan but if you cannot afford that you can just keep reading. I listed them below. You will need basic cooking tools used for cooking in large quantities. Basically, almost all the kitchen utensils in your kitchen you use for cooking but in bigger sizes.

1. Big frying pans

4. Egg mixer

5. Steel dish

7. Turning stick

10. Flat wooden spatula

11. Measuring cups

12. Strainer

The list all depends on you. You can remove it to reduce the cost spent on capital and you can add to it just do what is comfortable for you. As for my opinion on getting a shop, I do not think you need that on starting out the business. From what I have seen from the people already in the business operating your catering business from home right from your kitchen or compound (if it is neat) is always the best.

Location is not the most important thing. It is how well you can deliver and how fast. Instead of looking for funds to get a shop rather create social media campaigns to advertise and make beautiful complimentary cards for the small chops business, you can give to customers especially people who do not know what you do.

This advice is in my small chops business plan but I will talk about this later here in the article.

List of Nigerian Favorite Small Chops

Here’s the list of the favorite small chops Nigerians eat.

2. Spring rolls

3. Mini puff puff

4. Mini sausage rolls

5. Asun (smokes peppered spicy goat meat)

6. Nigerian mini doughnuts

7. Gizdodo/Dodo gizzards (plantain and gizzards)

8. Meat-stuffed yam/potato balls

9. Banana puff puff

10. Nigerian battered plantain

How to Start Small Shops Business in Nigeria

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to start a small chops business in Nigeria.

1. Learn How to Make Small Chops

Small chops business in Nigeria is one of the businesses you can not start without prior expertise according to what I’ve heard from those already in the business. Every boss in the business today started as an apprentice. Asides from the fact that you can learn how to make some of the snacks by watching videos on YouTube, you still need to learn how to make the difficult ones like spring rolls and gizdodo from someone who makes them well (a professional).

Taste is another factor and it’s one of the things you can never learn through YouTube because it is a marketing secret. So you need to learn how to make the snacks from professionals, how to package them and serve them. All these play a vital role in the success of the business.

2. Buying the Cooking Equipment

After learning how to make snacks for the small chops business, the next stage is to buy your cooking equipment to start. It’s not necessary for you to buy the expensive ones now. You can buy the cheap equipment first then as time goes by you can buy the expensive ones. I would have asked you to rent the equipment if you know you cannot afford new equipment.

But this will slow your business in the sense that the equipment might not be available for rent anytime you need it. Besides renting is more expensive in the long run so the best thing here is to buy your own.

3. Advertise the Small Chops Business

I talked a bit about advertisements in the introduction but I feel I still need to give you more ideas on how to go about it. There are two major forms of advertisements. We have; online advertisement and offline advertisement and both are important as regards this business.

For the online, you will need to create a page for your small chops business on Instagram. Adverts for food and clothing tend to turn followers into customers on Instagram faster than Facebook and Twitter combined. You can start small by just posting pictures of your freshly made snacks.

After doing this, as time goes by you can do paid adverts to increase your followership, reach, and brand influence . Also, reach out to food bloggers and try to form a bond (good relationship) with them. You never know as time goes by they may send customers to you.

For the offline adverts, you need to make attractive complimentary cards you can give to people and customers. You can start with just making 1000 copies then as time goes by, if there’s the need to make more you can.

4. Get the First Customers

In starting any business in Nigeria getting your first customer is always the most difficult task but there is a way you can do this with ease and this is by making samples of your small chops and supplying them to those you know are likely to patronize you.

Give these samples of small chops to influential people in different fields so these people will influence their subordinates to patronize you. Also, make sure the sample is the best in terms of taste and looks (looking tantalizing). And after getting your first customer you might need to consider giving huge discounts to make it easy for them to patronize you easily.

Remember the woman customer I talked about in the early of this article? She gave discounts to us because it was our first time doing business with us.

5. Supplying your First Order

When you finally win and get your first order do not take it for granted even if the guests you are making for are small it is still a big deal because if done well those small guests can refer you to big guests. Make sure you put in every detail when you’re supplying this order and make sure everything is perfect.

Deliver on time and also be ready to part with your complimentary cards at the venue (as many as possible). The technique I have seen used times without number by many small chop companies is gluing their complimentary cards to each plate of small chops delivered.

So that all guests can get their cards in case they liked what they ate and want delivery in the future. You can apply this too to reach more customers.

Small chops business in Nigeria is a business that needs patience and time. If you are really passionate about it go into it and you will see with time you will thank God you did. It is not a business only for women and men to do it. In fact, I know men who are in the business.

That is all in this article. What other point did I miss? Please let me know in the comments. I will reply to you ASAP – as soon as possible. Thank you! That is all in this article. As usual, let me know if I missed any part of this article.

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Butcher Shop Business Plan Sample

Published Mar.19, 2019

Updated Apr.22, 2024

By: Brandi Marcene

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Table of Content

Do you want to start butchery business plan?

Do you want to start a butcher shop? Opening a butcher shop is not only an easy business venture but also very profitable. To make the most out of your startup and make it a success, you need to develop a business plan first.

Below we have provided an in-depth professional business plan of a butchery business startup, named ‘Meat & Meat,’ to help you make one for your business.

Executive Summary

Before you think about how to open a butcher shop , you will have to develop a comprehensive butcher shop business plan   which will serve as a guide for you throughout your business journey.

2.1 The Business

Meat & Meat will be a licensed and ensured butchery shop located in the center of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Meat & Meat will be a one-stop shop to fulfill all the meat-related needs of the customer.

2.2 Management

The business will be solely owned and operated by Mike Kin been working in the meat industry for the last 15 years and is known for his exceptional management skills. Mike will hire a small team comprising of butchers, drivers, and assistants for operating and managing the shop.

2.3 Customers

Our customers will be the residential community living near our shop as well as different businesses like hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores. We will provide fresh and highest quality meat including beef, chicken, mutton, pork, and fish, all of which will meet the quality standards set by federal and state food authorities.

2.4 Target of the Company

Our target is to become the most trustworthy meat supplier of the city within six months of our launch and open five more shops by the end of the third year in different cities, as indicated in our butcher shop business plan .

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

Mike Kin doesn’t have a college degree but when it comes to business, he knows it all. Mike has been working in the meat industry ever since he graduated from high school. He had the opportunity to work in several national and international food processing brands.

Known for his business acumen and incredible management skills, Mike enjoys extensive contacts in the meat and food processing industry.

3.2 Why the Business is being started

Mike is starting a butcher shop business to enter the gigantic food processing industry. This startup will serve as the first step for him and would eventually pave the way for bigger initiatives.

Mike will be launching his first meat shop in Harrisburg and plans to open his outlets in five more cities within the next three years.

3.3 How the Business will be started

Meat & Meat will be launched in a 300 square foot shop located in the center of the city. The shop was previously in use as a grocery store, so it would be easily converted into a butcher shop business. The b usiness plan for butcher shop   developed by Mike dictates all the things which will be needed for the startup. They include a meat storage facility, meat packaging facility, meat transportation vehicles, woodwork for display, and furniture for Mike’s office and guests’ waiting room.

Mike made a contract with a slaughterhouse located in a suburban part of the city to provide an unending supply of meat. Negotiation with a slaughterhouse is important and must be done before starting a butcher shop business plan so that other things can be planned accordingly. The company’s financial experts have forecasted following costs for the start-up:

The detailed start-up information is as follows:

Meat & Meat will be a one-stop shop for the customers to fulfill all their meat-related needs. The shop will provide fresh and highest quality meat, which meets all quality standards set by federal and state food authorities. According to Mike’s butchery business plan , his shop will provide the following products to its customers:

• Poultry : Chicken Kiev, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Cutlet, Kebab
• Lamb : Chop, Flank, Leg
• Pork : Boiling Bacon, Chop, Rasher, Sausage
• Beef : Filet Porterhouse Steak, Rib-Eye Steak, Roast Beef, T-Bone Steak, Mignon, Kebab, London Broil
• Fish : Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp

Marketing Analysis of Butchery Business

The most important component of an effective business plan for a butcher shop  is its accurate marketing analysis. Considering the importance of this phase, Mike acquired the services of marketing experts to help him. They helped him prepare a meat market business plan and also guide him how to start a butcher shop.

5.1 Market Trends

As for a general trend, the market demand for butcher businesses is on the rise, mainly because of the rapidly growing fast food industry. According to recent statistics, there are more than 6,000 federally registered meat slaughtering and processing facilities in the United States. From restaurants to grocery stores, hotels to households, meat is an important food material for US citizens.

According to recent statistics, the US meant consumption was around 55% for red meat, 36.8% for poultry and 8.2% fish. These stats will be thoroughly considered while designing the market strategy of our meat retailing business .

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

Before starting a butcher shop business , it is extremely important for you to identify your target audience so that you can find ways to attract them towards you and convert them into your customers. Our marketing experts have identified the following type of target audience for our business for butcher shop.

The detailed marketing segmentation comprising of our target audience is as follows:

5.2.1 Local Community: The first category of our customers includes the community residing near our shop. The community includes both single and married persons and we have the right products for everyone. From red meat to chicken and fish, we will provide high-quality and fresh meat for all the non-veg members of the local community. We will also provide meat in ready-to-cook packaging.

5.2.2 Hotels & Restaurants: The second group of our target customers will be the hotels and restaurants located in the vicinity of our shop. Meat products are an essential offering of all hotels and restaurants so we can get a lot of business from this customer group.

5.2.3 Grocery Stores: The third category includes the grocery and convenience stores located near us. Many people prefer to shop everything from grocery stores and they usually don’t visit meat shops for the purpose. We will supply the chief portion of our ready-to-cook meat to this consumer group.

The detailed market analysis of our potential customers is given in the following table:

Business plan for investors

5.3 business target.

Our business targets are as follows:

• To become the most trustworthy meat supplier of the city within six months of our launch
• To recover the initial investment group for your business within one year of launch by increasing sales
• To open five more shops by the end of the third year in different cities, which will be decided later

5.4 Product Pricing

After considering the market demands, we have priced all our products in similar ranges as of our competitors. Though our prices will be the same, we will offer better quality meat to our customers that will meet all the standards of food authorities.

Sales strategy is one of the most important components of a butcher shop business plan   and hence it must be developed with great care. Sales strategy must be planned before you think about other details of how to start a butcher shop business because it will decide the success of your business.

6.1 Competitive Analysis

We will be facing a really tough competition because there are numerous butcher shops and meat providing facilities in our vicinity. However, we can out-perform our competitors by providing exceptional quality products. In addition to that, our excellent customer service would also help us retain our customers. Our location is the perfect location to start a butcher shop since it is almost in the center of the city.

6.2 Sales Strategy

We will deploy both new and tested sales strategies to target our customers. Some of the innovative strategies that we will use to attract, convert and retain our customers are as follows:

• Conducting health-related seminars, webinars, workshops, and conferences in different institutions to advance the importance of healthy meat. By these sessions, we will also advertise ourselves as the one-point stop to get all healthy meat.
• Advertising our meat shop in food magazines, TV stations, newspapers, and social media.
• Offering a 20% discount on all our products for the first three months of our launch.

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 sales yearly, 6.5 sales forecast.

Our forecasted sales pattern, in accordance with our b usiness plan for butchery , is given in the following column chart:

The detailed sales forecast is given in the following table:

Personnel plan

It is highly advisable to prepare a personnel plan before you think about how to set up a butchery business since it is one of the biggest contributing factors of the success of any business. Preparing it well ahead allows you to make better choices in other aspects.

The personnel plan for Meat & Meat is as follows:

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7.1 Company Staff

Mike will act as the CEO of the company and will initially hire following people on renewable contracts of one year:

• 1 Manager to manage the overall operations
• 2 Cashiers to receive cash from the people
• 2 Accountants to maintain financial records
• 4 Sales Executives responsible for marketing and advertising the butcher shop
• 10 Butchers for meat processing
• 6 Packaging Assistants for meat packaging
• 5 Drivers for transportation purposes
• 8 Cleaners for cleaning purposes

7.2 Average Salary of Employees

The average salary of employees is as follows:

Financial Plan

The final thing to do before you think about how to start a meat market  is to develop a comprehensive financial plan which will cover the detailed costs of your startup. It should include all the costs starting from the rent of the shop to the costs incurred on the procurement of inventory. Before starting his butchery business , Mike acquired the services of financial experts to develop a b usiness plan for butcher shop . The financial plan developed with their help is as follows:

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 brake-even analysis,  8.3 projected profit and loss, 8.3.1 profit monthly, 8.3.2 profit yearly, 8.3.3 gross margin monthly, 8.3.4 gross margin yearly, 8.4 projected cash flow, 8.5 projected balance sheet, 8.6 business ratios.

Download Butcher Shop Business Plan Sample in pdf

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Butcher Shop Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Butcher Shop Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their butcher shops. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a butcher shop business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Butcher Shop Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your butcher shop as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Butcher Shop

If you’re looking to start a butcher shop, or grow your existing butcher business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your butcher shop in order to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Butcher shops

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a butcher shop are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, you will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for social media marketing businesses.

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How to write a business plan for a butcher shop.

Below we detail what should be included with each section of your business plan for a butcher shop.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of meat shop you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a butcher shop that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of independent butcher shops?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the meat industry. Discuss the type of butcher shop you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target market. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of butcher shop you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of butcher businesses:

• Deli Butcher Shop : this type of meat shop specializes in cutting deli meats in small quantities for single or family size servings.
• Specialty Butcher Shop: this type of meat shop focuses on cutting specific meats such as wild game animals; their clients are usually hunters or fishermen.
• Abattoir Butcher: this type of meat shop specializes in cutting meats in wholesale sizes at abattoir/slaughterhouse.

In addition to explaining the type of butcher business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, number of positive reviews, total weight of fresh meat cuts, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the meat industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the meat industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your meat shop business plan:

• How big is the meat and poultry industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your butcher shop? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, families, deli shops, grocery stores, restaurants and fast food suppliers.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of business you operate. Clearly, a family would respond to different marketing promotions than fast food supplier, for example.

Try to break out your target market in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most butcher shops primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other butcher shops.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes delis, supermarkets and grocery stores.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other butcher shops with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be house flippers located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What types of meats do they specialize in?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide a wider variety of meat options?
• Will you provide special discounts or perks for new or returning customers?
• Will you provide the highest quality meat?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of meat shop that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific meat products you will be offering. For example, will other food options such as side dishes?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your business. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your business located in a busy retail district, or a highly trafficked area? Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions: The final part of your marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local websites
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your meat shop business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your butcher shop, including cutting meats, tracking inventory, and completing orders and sales for customers.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to have X number of customers, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your business to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your butcher shop’s ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in food service management. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in overseeing supermarkets or grocery stores or successfully running their own business.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you only cut meats in small portions or in large quantities for other businesses such as a supermarket? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your meat shop, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a meat shop:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or blueprints for your shop.  

Putting together your own business plan for your butcher shop is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will have an expert business plan (download it to PDF to show banks and investors). You will really understand the meat and poultry industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful butcher shop.  

Butcher Shop Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my butcher shop business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Butcher Shop Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of butcher shop you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a butcher shop that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of butcher shops?

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Starting Small Chops Business In Nigeria

If you’ve ever thought about starting small chops business in Nigeria , you already know that small chops are the most popular party food in the country. Find out what you need to start a small chops business and make it succeed!

Use the Jiji app to launch or promote your business online

1. What are small chops?

Small chops is a collective name for finger foods you can find at any wedding, birthday party, corporate event, or other important ceremony. The most popular varieties of small chops include puff-puff, spring rolls, samosas, beef kebab, chicken and fish in butter, meatballs, and yam balls.

Small chops can be served individually, but the most common way to serve small chops at a party is to place them in a tray for every guest to fill their own plates. Even though there is a number of successful small chops businesses in Nigeria right now, it remains the most popular idea for a business with low capital and high profit .

2. Small chops training

You don’t need to be a professional chef to know how to make small chops , but if you want to make a living out of it, training is absolutely necessary. Find the best small chops training offers on Jiji and you’ll learn not only how to make small chops and cocktail , but also how to launch your business and make it grow.

3. Small chops recipe

If you don’t have the time for developing new recipes for small chops, you can always use the cooking instructions you can find online. However, if you want your small chops stand out thanks to their distinctive taste, you can experiment with seasoning, fillings, shapes, and other ways to make your small chops unique.

Read also:  small chops and cocktail training

4. Small chops equipment

Small chops business is one of the few enterprises that you can start from your own kitchen. Until you expand your business, you can easily do the preparations at home. Of course, to make things more efficient, you’ll need some modern equipment.

One of the most essential pieces of equipment is a cooker with a stove – it needs to be able to prepare several small chops dishes at once. A blender or a food processor will also make the cooking faster and easier. Finally, good pots and pans, as well as sharp knives, are also very important.

5. Small chops packaging

A key ingredient for the success of a new small chops business is the packaging you choose for your product. You can sell small chops as a street vendor in simple paper bags, but serving small chops at parties requires metal or foil containers that retain heat and allow the small chops to stay fresh for the duration of the event.

6. Small chops prices

Prices are crucial for a newly launched business. You don’t want to set a price that is too low, since it can scare the customers away, but prices that are higher than the average on the market are also not a great choice. Check the current small chops price list on Jiji to make the right decision!

7. Small chops marketing

Without marketing efforts any business is destined to fail, but with the right strategy there will be no shortage of customers for your small chops enterprise! The most effective strategy is, of course, word-of-mouth marketing – the more people love your small chops, the more new customers they will bring.

Another powerful marketing channel is social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram – people won’t be able to resist the beautiful photos of your food. You can also sell small chops through party and wedding planners, who have direct access to interested customers.

Make your small business grow with the Jiji app

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My name is Inna. I am a content writer with an English and literature background. As a mother of a 4-year old son, I love learning about children’s health and development, as well as finding new interesting toys and activities for my little one. I am also in love with all things tech and always keep my finger on the pulse of new smartphone and gadget releases. Another big passion of mine is beauty and makeup – every day I read about new trends in skin care and makeup and always look forward to trying them. Plus, I love pop culture, travelling, crafts, and anything that can make our daily life more thrilling!

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Key Sections Included in our Example Business Plans:

Executive Summary : A quick overview of your plan and entices investors to read more of your plan.

Company : Describes the ownership and history of your business.

Products and Services : Reviews what you sell and what you’re offering your customers.

Market Analysis : Describes your customers and the size of your target market.

Strategy and Implementation : Provides the details of how you plan on building the business.

Management Team : An overview of the people behind the business and why they’re the right team to make the business a success.

Financial Plan : A complete set of forecasts including a Profit and Loss Statement, Cash Flow Statement, and Balance Sheet.

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• Accounting and Bookkeeping Sample Business Plan PDF
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• Cleaning Service Sample Business Plan PDF

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Simple Business Plan Templates

By Joe Weller | April 2, 2020

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In this article, we’ve compiled a variety of simple business plan templates, all of which are free to download in PDF, Word, and Excel formats.

On this page, you’ll find a one-page business plan template , a simple business plan for startups , a small-business plan template , a business plan outline , and more. We also include a business plan sample and the main components of a business plan to help get you started.

Simple Business Plan Template

Download Simple Business Plan Template

This simple business plan template lays out each element of a traditional business plan to assist you as you build your own, and it provides space to add financing information for startups seeking funding. You can use and customize this simple business plan template to fit the needs for organizations of any size.

One-Page Business Plan Template

Download One-Page Business Plan Template

Excel | Word | PDF  | Smartsheet

Use this one-page business plan to document your key ideas in an organized manner. The template can help you create a high-level view of your business plan, and it provides easy scannability for stakeholders. You can use this one-page plan as a reference to build a more detailed blueprint for your business. 

For additional single page plans, take a look at " One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide ."

Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Download Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Use this fill-in-the-blank business plan template to guide you as you build your business plan. Each section comes pre-filled with sample content, with space to add customized verbiage relevant to your product or service.

For additional free, downloadable resources, visit " Free Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Templates ."

Simple Business Plan for Startup

‌ Download Startup Business Plan Template — Word

This business plan template is designed with a startup business in mind and contains the essential elements needed to convey key product or service details to investors and stakeholders. Keep all your information organized with this template, which provides space to include an executive summary, a company overview, competitive analysis, a marketing strategy, financial data, and more. For additional resources, visit " Free Startup Business Plan Templates and Examples ."

Simple Small-Business Plan Template

Download Simple Small-Business Plan Template

This template walks you through each component of a small-business plan, including the company background, the introduction of the management team, market analysis, product or service offerings, a financial plan, and more. This template also comes with a built-in table of contents to keep your plan in order, and it can be customized to fit your requirements.

Lean Business Plan Template

Download Lean Business Plan Template

This lean business plan template is a stripped-down version of a traditional business plan that provides only the most essential aspects. Briefly outline your company and industry overview, along with the problem you are solving, as well as your unique value proposition, target market, and key performance metrics. There is also room to list out a timeline of key activities.

Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Download Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Word  | PDF

Use this simple business plan outline as a basis to create your own business plan. This template contains 11 sections, including a title page and a table of contents, which details what each section should cover in a traditional business plan. Simplify or expand this outline to create the foundation for a business plan that fits your business needs.

Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Download Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Excel | Smartsheet

This template doubles as a project plan and timeline to track progress as you develop your business plan. This business planning template enables you to break down your work into phases and provides room to add key tasks and dates for each activity. Easily fill in the cells according to the start and end dates to create a visual timeline, as well as to ensure your plan stays on track.

Simple Business Plan Rubric Template

Download Simple Business Plan Rubric

Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet

Once you complete your business plan, use this business plan rubric template to assess and score each component of your plan. This rubric helps you identify elements of your plan that meet or exceed requirements and pinpoint areas where you need to improve or further elaborate. This template is an invaluable tool to ensure your business plan clearly defines your goals, objectives, and plan of action in order to gain buy-in from potential investors, stakeholders, and partners.

Basic Business Plan Sample

Download Basic Business Plan Sample

This business plan sample serves as an example of a basic business plan that contains all the traditional components. The sample provides a model of what a business plan might look like for a fictional food truck business. Reference this sample as you develop your own business plan.

For additional resources to help support your business planning efforts, check out “ Free Strategic Planning Templates .”

Main Components of a Business Plan

The elements you include in your business plan will depend on your product or service offerings, as well as the size and needs of your business. 

Below are the components of a standard business plan and details you should include in each section:

• Company name and contact information
• Website address
• The name of the company or individual viewing the presentation
• Table of Contents
• Company background and purpose
• Mission and vision statement
• Management team introduction
• Core product and service offerings
• Target customers and segments
• Marketing plan
• Competitive analysis
• Unique value proposition
• Financial plan (and requirements, if applicable)
• Business and industry overview
• Historical timeline of your business
• Offerings and the problem they solve
• Current alternatives
• Competitive advantage
• Market size
• Target market segment(s)
• Projected volume and value of sales compared to competitors
• Differentiation from competitors
• Pricing strategy
• Marketing channels
• Promotional plan
• Distribution methods
• Legal structure of your business
• Names of founders, owners, advisors, etc.
• Management team’s roles, relevant experience, and compensation plan
• Staffing requirements and training plans
• Physical location(s) of your business
• Additional physical requirements (e.g., warehouse, specialized equipment, facilities, etc.)
• Production workflow
• Raw materials and sourcing methods
• Projected income statement
• Projected cash flow statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Break-even analysis
• Charts and graphs
• Market research and competitive analysis
• Information about your industry
• Information about your offerings
• Samples of marketing materials
• Other supporting materials

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the thought of putting together a business plan. Below, you’ll find top tips to help simplify the process as you develop your own plan. 

• Use a business plan template (you can choose from the variety above), or refer to the previous section to create a standard outline for your plan.
• Modify your outline to reflect the requirements of your specific business. If you use a standard business plan outline, remove sections that aren’t relevant to you or aren’t necessary to run your business.
• Gather all the information you currently have about your business first, and then use that information to fill out each section in your plan outline.
• Use your resources and conduct additional research to fill in the remaining gaps. (Note: It isn’t necessary to fill out your plan in order, but the executive summary needs to be completed last, as it summarizes the key points in your plan.)
• Ensure your plan clearly communicates the relationship between your marketing, sales, and financial objectives.
• Provide details in your plan that illustrate your strategic plan of action, looking forward three to five years.
• Revisit your plan regularly as strategies and objectives evolve.
• What product or service are we offering?
• Who is the product or service for?
• What problem does our product or service offering solve?
• How will we get the product or service to our target customers?
• Why is our product or service better than the alternatives?
• How can we outperform our competitors?
• What is our unique value proposition?
• When will things get done, and who is responsible for doing them?
• If you need to obtain funding, how will you use the funding?
• When are payments due, and when do payments come in?
• What is the ultimate purpose of your business?
• When do you expect to be profitable?

To identify which type of business plan you should write, and for more helpful tips, take a look at our guide to writing a simple business plan .

Benefits of Using a Business Plan Template

Creating a business plan can be very time-consuming, especially if you aren’t sure where to begin. Finding the right template for your business needs can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. 

Using a business plan template — instead of creating your plan from scratch — can benefit you in the following ways:

• Enables you to immediately write down your thoughts and ideas in an organized manner
• Provides structure to help outline your plan
• Saves time and valuable resources
• Helps ensure you don’t miss essential details

Limitations of a Business Plan Template

A business plan template can be convenient, but it has its drawbacks — especially if you use a template that doesn’t fit the specific needs of your business.

Below are some limitations of using a business plan template:

• Each business is unique and needs a business plan that reflects that. A template may not fit your needs.
• A template may restrict collaboration with other team members on different aspects of the plan’s development (sales, marketing, and accounting teams).
• Multiple files containing different versions of the plan may be stored in more than one place.
• You still have to manually create charts and graphs to add to the plan to support your strategy.
• Updates to the plan, spreadsheets, and supporting documents have to be made in multiple places (all documents may not update in real time as changes are made).

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When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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