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Getting started: A guide to creating a manufacturing business plan

Every day people are trying and failing at entrepreneurism.

The journey is a difficult one, and the chances of success are slim. Those that succeed sometimes have a brilliant idea, while others have a wealth of resources. The one commonality among all successful entrepreneurs is that they had a manufacturing business plan.

You need to know where you are going, how you will get there, and what you will do when you arrive. This is especially important for those in the manufacturing industry because of the significant amount of forethought required.

Even if you are leveraging digital solutions to minimize the amount of time, money, and effort required to bring your product to market, you will still need a plan. This is not an area where you can wing it and hope for the best.

Below, we will examine the basics of a manufacturing business plan, what is necessary to include, how to create one for your own company, and some common mistakes that you should avoid.

Table of contents:

What is a manufacturing business plan, why does a manufacturing company need a business plan, what are the key components of a business plan, how to write a business plan for a manufacturing company, common mistakes to avoid.

A manufacturing business plan is a formal document that outlines the goals and objectives of your business. It includes detailed information about your: 

• Products or services 
• Target market 
• Marketing strategy
• Financial projections 
• Operational details  

The purpose of a business plan is to give you a roadmap to follow as you build and grow your business. It forces you to think through every aspect of your venture and identify potential problems or roadblocks before they happen. 

Manufacturing business plans can also be used to attract investors or secure funding from lenders. If you are looking for outside financing, your business plan needs to be even more detailed and include information on your management team, financial history, and expected growth. 

Ideally, you should update your business plan yearly to ensure that it remains relevant and accurate. As your business grows and changes, so too should your plan. 

No matter how simple or complex your ideas may be, you need a plan, or they will never become a reality. A business plan will clearly understand your costs, competition, and target market. It will also help you to set realistic goals and track your progress over time. 

Let’s look at a manufacturing strategy example. You have a great idea that you think will revolutionize the  automotive industry . Your new safety harness will be made from a lightweight, yet incredibly strong, material that cannot be cut or torn. You are confident that your product will be in high demand and generate a lot of revenue. 

But before you walk into Ford or Toyota to try and get a  purchase order , you need to have a plan. You must know: 

• How much will it cost to produce your product
• How many units do you need to sell to break even 
• Who is your target market is 
• What is your competition selling 
• How will you reach your target market 

You also need to clearly understand the regulatory landscape and what it takes to bring a new product to market. All of this information (and more) should be included in your business plan. 

This is not just a document that you create and forget about. It is a living, breathing tool that should be used to guide your actions as you build and grow your business. 

Every manufacturing business plan will be different, but almost always, they will include the same five components: 

Executive summary

Company description, products and services, market analysis.

• Financial plan 

Let’s take a closer look.

The executive summary is the first section of your business plan, but it is typically written last. This is because it should be a concise overview of everything that follows, and you can only do that once you have completed the rest of your plan. 

Include the following in your executive summary: 

• The problem that your product or service solves
• Your target market
• Your unique selling proposition (what makes you different from your competitors?)
• Your manufacturing business model (how will you make money?)
• Your sales and  marketing strategy
• A brief overview of your financial projections

Someone should be able to quickly scan through your executive summary and have a pretty good understanding of what your business is and how it plans to be successful. 

This is where you can get a bit more creative, explaining your company’s history, mission, and values. You will also include information on your team or management structure. 

It can be simple but should inspire faith in your ability to execute your business plan. 

You will need to provide a detailed description of your product or service, as well as any unique features or benefits that it offers. You should also include information on your  manufacturing process  and  quality control  procedures. 

If you have any patents or proprietary technology, they should be listed here as significant assets for your business. 

For example, let’s say you are planning on creating a brand-new line of disposable coffee cups. The dimensions, materials, and other specifications would be listed here, along with any unique benefits (such as being made from recycled materials). 

You might also include information on your manufacturing process, such as the fact that the cups will be produced in a certified clean room or that you will employ workers local to where the product is sold.

Chances are, you started down this path because you realized that there was a market opportunity for your product or service. In this section, you will need to provide detailed information on the opening, as well as the analysis that convinced you to pursue it. 

This should include: 

• Market size (current and projected)
• Key market segments
• Customer needs and wants
• Competitive landscape 

This is where you will need to do your homework, as you will be justifying your business decision to enter this particular market. The more data and analysis you can provide, the better. 

For our coffee cup example, the market analysis might include:

• Information on how many cups are used every day 
• Projected growth 
• Key segments (such as office workers or on-the-go consumers) 
• Customer needs (such as convenience or sustainability)  

It would also examine the competitive landscape, including both direct and indirect competitors.

Financial plan

You’re in this to make money, and so are your potential investors. In this section, you will need to provide detailed information on your manufacturing business model and how it will generate revenue. This should include: 

• Initial investment
• Sales forecast
• Carrying costs
• Pricing strategy
• Expense budget 

You will also need to provide information on your long-term financial goals, such as profitability or break-even point. Discuss production line details,  inventory management strategies , and other factors impacting your bottom line.

The process of creating a business plan for a manufacturing company is similar to any other type of business. However, there are some key considerations to keep in mind. 

First, you need to understand your industry and what it will take to be successful in it. This includes understanding the competitive landscape,  the costs of goods sold , and the margins you can expect to achieve. 

You also need to have a clear understanding of your target market and what needs or wants your product or service will address. This market analysis should include information on your target customer’s demographics, psychographics, and buying habits. 

While there will be many things specific to your company, here are five questions to answer for each of the sections listed above. 

Executive summary: 

• What is the problem that your company will solve? 
• How will your company solve that problem? 
• Who are your target customers? 
• What are your key competitive advantages? 
• What is your business model? 

Company description: 

• What is the legal structure of your company? 
• What are your company’s core values? 
• What is your company’s history? 
• Who are the key members of your management team? 
• Where is your manufacturing facility located? 

Products and services: 

• What product or service does your company offer? 
• How does your product or service solve the problem that your target market has? 
• What are the key features and benefits of your product or service? 
• How is your product or service unique from your competitors? 
• What is the production process for your product or service? 

Market analysis: 

• Who is your target market? 
• What needs or wants does your target market have that your product or service will address? 
• What is the size of your target market? 
• How do you expect the needs of your target market to change in the future? 
• Who are your key competitors, and how do they serve the needs of your target market? 

Financial plan:

• What are the start-up costs for your company? 
• How will you finance your start-up costs? 
• What are your monthly operating expenses? 
• What is your sales forecast for the first year, and how does that compare to your industry’s average sales growth rate? 
• What are your gross margin and profit targets?

Even if you do nothing but answer these questions, you’ll be well on your way to creating a thorough manufacturing business plan. 

How to stabilize your growth

However, new manufacturing entrepreneurs often fall into a handful of traps when creating their business plans.

• Not doing enough research  – You can’t know everything about your industry, but you should do your best to understand as much as you can before writing your business plan. This means talking to experts, reading trade publications, and studying the competition
• Not being realistic  – It’s important to be optimistic when starting a new business, but you also need to be realistic. This is especially true when it comes to financial projections. Don’t overestimate the amount of revenue you will generate or underestimate the costs of goods sold
• Not having a clear understanding of your target market  – You need to know who you are selling to and what needs or wants your product or service will address. This market analysis should include information on your target customer’s demographics, psychographics, and buying habits
• Failing to understand your competition  – You need to know who your competitors are, what they are offering, and how you can differentiate yourself. This information will be critical in developing your marketing strategy
• Not having a clear vision for the future  – Your manufacturing business plan should include a section on your long-term goals and objectives. What does your company hope to achieve in the next five years? Ten years? Twenty years? 

Creating a business plan for manufacturing can be simple. It can be quite simple if you break it down into smaller pieces.

Once you have it in place, staying on track can be quite a bit more difficult. By using  ERP software like Katana , you can track all of your key metrics in real time, avoid any potential issues, and make course corrections as needed. 

To start following your plan and creating a successful manufacturing company,  get a Katana demo  today.

• Manufacturing guide
• 1.1. Production vs manufacturing
• 1.2. Production scheduling software
• 1.3. Production tracking software
• 2.1. How to manufacture a product
• 2.2. Manufacturing best practices
• 2.3. A guide to creating a manufacturing business plan
• 2.4. Manufacturer e-commerce
• 2.5. Marketing for manufacturers
• 2.6. Manufacturing business processes
• 2.7. Food manufacturing
• 2.8. Small business manufacturing software
• 3.1. Job shop manufacturing
• 3.2. Production quality control checklist
• 4.1. Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing
• 4.2. Tips to reduce manufacturing waste
• 4.3. Manufacturing KPIs
• 5. Light manufacturing
• 6. Advanced manufacturing
• 7. IoT in manufacturing
• 8.1. Manufacturing execution system (MES)
• 9.1. Manufacturing overhead formula
• 9.2. Manufacturing inventory software
• 10. Good manufacturing practices (GMP)
• 11.1. MRP in supply chain management
• 11.2. Best MRP software
• 12.1. Best ERP software for manufacturing

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About the Founders

Marc Kramer

Serial Entrepreneur, Author, & Business Consultant

Marc Kramer is a serial entrepreneur, author, columnist, and podcast host. He has raised billions of dollars for a variety of ventures. He is president of Kramer Communications , which provides business, marketing, financial, and operational plan development and implementation for startups to Fortune 500 companies. Marc is president of Stress-Free Family Business , where he trains the next generation, develops process and plans to grow the family business.

He is also executive director of the Private Investors Forum , which runs the Angel Venture Fair , bringing together the largest gathering of Angel Investors and entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region. As Executive Director of the Private Investor’s Forum, Marc has worked with almost over 1000 companies from all over the world making introductions to Angel investors all over the US. Marc is also the founder of Consulting University USA , which teaches aspiring consultants how to start a practice and works with ongoing consultants to help them reach the next level.

Marc was on the cover of Profit magazine along being featured in Inc , Entrepreneur Magazine , and other publications for starting the country’s formally organized investor angel’s network, the Pennsylvania Private Group . The Wall Street Journal selected Marc to be one of their main speakers on early stage investing at their national conference in Atlanta in 1994.

He was project faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business , Global Consulting Practicum and Executive Education an adjunct professor at Drexel University , adjunct professor at Temple University , mentor faculty at the National University of Singapore , and a professional speaker and lectures on topics such as Internet marketing, marketing, sales networking, corporate entrepreneurship and turning around distressed companies.

Marc, who has been writing on angel investing and entrepreneurship for 30 years as a national columnist for the American City Business Journal chain and columnist for SmartCEO magazine, has written for Forbes.com and TheStreet.com , the world’s top online service for money managers, company leaders and individuals that manage their own money and was a columnist for Philadelphia’s third largest daily The Bulletin . Marc also provides a one-minute entrepreneurial commentary for KYW News in Philadelphia.

"Power Networking" , published by NTC Publishing in 1997, a division of McGraw Hill, was a Success magazine, NBIA Book Club , Human Resource Book Club , and Right Management (largest outplacement firm in the world) selection.

"Small Business Turnaround" , published by Adams Media in 1999, was named one of the 30 Best Business Books in 2000 by Executive Book Summaries .

"Financing & Building an E-Commerce Venture" , published by Prentice Hall in 2001, was an Ingram , NBAI Book Club , and California CEO magazine selection. Two leading regional business publications, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal and the Times Herald , have contracted Marc to write a monthly business column on Internet and small business.

"Web Sites Built to Last" , published by Adams Media, released 2002.

"Consulting" , published by Entrepreneur , released 2003.

Marc has received such awards as the Race for Peace in 2017, Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year , American Electronics Association Spirit of America Award and was three years in a row named one of the Top Five Business Leaders Under Age 40 in Philadelphia region by the Philadelphia Jaycees and won the Small Business Journalist of the Year by the Center City Proprietors Association of Philadelphia in 2006.

Marc is a former trustee of Cheyney University , the oldest African American University in the U.S. and was on the board of the Entrepreneurs Forum of Philadelphia and the Technology Resource Alliance . Marc has a Master’s in Management from Penn State University and a BS in journalism from West Virginia University .

Mai Quang Tuan

AI Engineer & Startup Founder

Tham (Sylvia) Nguyen

Software Engineer & Startup Founder

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Manufacturing Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Manufacturing Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Manufacturing business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Manufacturing companies.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Manufacturing business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Perfect Snacks, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a food manufacturing company that specializes in the production of snack foods and packaged goods. We manufacture an extensive line of snack products, including trail mix, gummies, and chocolate. Our company focuses on quality and only uses the best natural ingredients in our products. We will primarily sell our products to grocery stores and other establishments that sell snacks, but will also sell bulk orders to individual customers through our website.

Perfect Snacks was founded by Joe Boseley. Joe has been working on the manufacturing company concept over the past few years and began networking with grocery store clients and locating the land to build his manufacturing and distribution center. As a line manager that oversaw dozens of employees, Joe has the proper knowledge and experience to own, manage, and operate his own manufacturing company.

Product Offering

Perfect Snacks will manufacture an extensive list of sweet, salty, and healthy snacks. Some of our initial products will include:

We will primarily sell our products to grocery stores, recreation centers, and other businesses that sell snacks in bulk. Consumers can find our products in stores or buy them in bulk on our website.

Customer Focus

Perfect Snacks will primarily serve the residents of Lincoln, Nebraska. The community has a large population of families and children, who are the primary consumers of snack foods. Therefore, we will market our products to recreational centers, schools, grocery stores, and other establishments that sell snacks to children and their parents.

Management Team

Perfect Snacks is owned by Joe Boseley, a local entrepreneur who has worked in various warehouses and manufacturing companies in Lincoln, Nebraska. Working in the manufacturing industry and in warehouses, Joe is very familiar with the processing and distribution of packaged foods. As a line manager that oversaw dozens of employees, Joe has the proper knowledge and experience to own, manage, and operate his own manufacturing company.

Joe will utilize his past experience with developing staff roles and functions. He is also very familiar with the manufacturing equipment and plans to purchase the latest technology that is efficient and cost effective. His contacts have allowed him to gain concrete Letters of Intent from local supermarket chains to have his manufactured goods in their stores.

Success Factors

Perfect Snacks will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Taste: Perfect Snacks’ snack products will be made with the highest quality ingredients and offer quality over quantity.
• Price: Perfect Snacks is able to offer the highest quality snacks at a competitive price point.
• Community Relations: Perfect Snacks will be a pillar in the community and be heavily involved in family-related activities in the area. It will sponsor events, provide snacks for schools and daycares at a discounted price, and donate a portion of its proceeds to area family-related charities and organizations.
• Proprietary Technology: Perfect Snacks will invest heavily on the latest technology to manufacture the snack foods for distribution. It will ensure the food products are made safely and free from any harmful chemicals and ingredients.

Financial Highlights

Perfect Snacks is seeking a total funding of $1,200,000 of debt capital to open its manufacturing company. The capital will be used for funding capital expenditures, salaries, marketing expenses, and working capital. Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

• Manufacturing facility design/build-out: $400,000
• Equipment and supplies: $375,000
• Initial inventory: $100,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $250,000
• Marketing costs: $50,000
• Working capital: $25,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Perfect Snacks.

Company Overview

Who is perfect snacks, perfect snacks history.

After conducting a market analysis, Joe Boseley began surveying the local vacant warehouse space and decided on a parcel of land to construct the warehouse and distribution center. Joe incorporated Perfect Snacks as a Limited Liability Corporation on January 1st, 2023.

Once the land is acquired for the warehouse space, construction can begin to build-out the manufacturing facility.

Since incorporation, the Company has achieved the following milestones:

• Located a vacant lot that would be ideal for a manufacturing facility
• Developed the company’s name, logo, and website
• Hired a general contractor and architect for the build-out of the warehouse, small office, and distribution area
• Determined equipment and necessary supplies
• Determined beginning inventory
• Attained Letters of Intent from supermarket clients
• Began recruiting key employees

Perfect Snacks Services

Industry analysis.

The Manufacturing sector’s performance is largely attributable to the value of the US dollar, commodity prices, policy decisions and US manufacturing capacity. Food manufacturing has a history of success as it produces a basic human need. According to Grand View Research, the industry is currently valued at $121 billion and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% from now until 2030.

Commodity prices are currently stabilizing from coronavirus-induced volatility and renewed demand, both in the United States and global economies, which is anticipated to facilitate revenue expansion for manufacturers. Moreover, shifting technological change in the Manufacturing sector is anticipated to benefit large, developed economies, such as the United States. Therefore, now is a great time to start a new food manufacturing company in the U.S.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Perfect Snacks will serve the community residents of Lincoln, Nebraska and its surrounding areas. The community of Lincoln, Nebraska has thousands of households that have children. Statistics show that the main consumers of snack products are children of all ages. They are regularly placed in school lunchboxes, afterschool snacks and programs, and at weekend sporting events. Therefore, we will market to locations where snacks are bought by children or their parents, such as grocery stores, recreational centers, and schools.

The precise demographics Lincoln, Nebraska is as follows:

Customer Segmentation

Perfect Snacks will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Grocery stores and recreational centers

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Perfect Snacks will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Snacks N More

Snacks N More is another local manufacturing company that provides snack food to the immediate area. Established over thirty years ago, the company has the knowledge and expertise in food processing, commercialization, and packaging. They are known as a recognized ingredient supplier for the foodservice industry. Their portfolio of products include a variety of nuts, snacks, confections, and dry-blend ingredients. As a private label manufacturer, Snack’s More produces a full line of non-chocolate candy, nuts, and fruit-flavored snacks. The company is known for their fruit flavored snacks, dried raisins, nut mixes, and producing ingredients for local restaurants and establishments. Their line of nuts and dried fruits are often used for baking purposes.

Jaxon’s Candy

Jaxon’s Candy is a manufacturer of all things candy related. As a contract manufacturer, the company works with many companies to create their custom designed confections. Their large 50,000 square foot facility produces over 300,000 pounds of candy every month. All of the products are highly concentrated either in sugar or chocolate, or both. Jaxon’s Candy also designs and manufactures their own custom packaging. The candy produced is also kosher certified, gluten free, peanut free, and non-GMO.

Jaxon’s Candy currently manufactures candy for the following brands – Tommy Candy, Laffy Town, Chocowhoawhoa, Jellylicious, Healthee Candeee, and Sticky Teeth. Jaxon’s Candy can be found in grocery stores and convenient stores along the west coast of the United States.

Gimmy Candy

Gimmy Candy is located in the midwestern portion of the United States and boasts a facility of over 1 million square feet. Their fleet of transportation trucks distributes throughout the continental United States and is considered one of the largest candy manufacturers in the country. Their product portfolio includes assorted chocolates, gummy candy, hard candy, fruit candy, as well as gums and mints. Gimmy Candy was established in 1947 and has grown to be a model of manufacturing companies the industry uses as a model of sustainability and profitability. Their lineup of candy products can be found in every single grocery store and convenient store in the country. Gimmy Candy is considering expanding its distribution globally and start exporting its candy products to Asia, Canada, Europe, and South America. As one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, Gimmy Candy is also considered a top employer in the country and offers its employees a generous benefits package.

Competitive Advantage

Perfect Snacks will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Perfect Snacks will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Fresh and comforting taste
• Community family advocate
• Developed with proprietary technology
• Manufactured with fresh, quality ingredients
• Affordable price

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Perfect Snacks is as follows:

Social Media

Perfect Snacks will invest heavily in a social media advertising campaign. The brand manager will create the company’s social media accounts and invest in ads on all social media accounts. It will use targeted marketing to appeal to the target demographics.

Website/SEO

Perfect Snacks will invest heavily in developing a professional website that displays all of the features and benefits of the snack products. It will also invest heavily in SEO so that the brand’s website will appear at the top of search engine results.

Major Publications

We will also invest in advertising in selected larger publications until we have achieved significant brand awareness. Advertisements such as billboards and commercials will be shown during peak tv watching time and the billboards will be placed in highly trafficked areas.

Sponsorships

Perfect Snacks will also invest in sponsoring certain athletic and school events so that their banners and collateral material are displayed all over the event where numerous parents and children are at.

Perfect Snacks’s pricing will be moderate so consumers feel they receive great value when purchasing our snack products.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Perfect Snacks.

Operation Functions:

• Joe Boseley will be the CEO of Perfect Snacks. He will oversee the general operations and executive aspects of the business.
• Joe is joined by Candace Smith who will act as the warehouse manager. She will train and manage the staff as well as oversee general production of our products.
• Joe will hire an Administrative Assistant, Marketing Manager, and Accountant, to handle the administrative, marketing, and bookkeeping functions of the company.
• Joe will also hire several employees to manufacture our products and maintain the equipment and machinery.

Milestones:

Perfect Snacks will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

• 02/202X Finalize lease agreement
• 03/202X Design and build out Perfect Snacks
• 04/202X Hire and train initial staff
• 05/202X Kickoff of promotional campaign
• 06/202X Launch Perfect Snacks
• 07/202X Reach break-even

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

Perfect Snacks’s revenues will come primarily from its snack food sales. The company will sell the packaged snacks in local grocery stores, convenience stores, and other locations. As the company’s revenues increase, it will look to gain a wider distribution area.

The land purchase, equipment, supplies, opening inventory, and labor expenses will be the key cost drivers of Perfect Snacks. Other cost drivers include taxes, business insurance, and marketing expenditures.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and pay off the startup business loan.

• Average order value: $250

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, manufacturing business plan faqs, what is a manufacturing business plan.

A manufacturing business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your manufacturing business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your Manufacturing business plan using our Manufacturing Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Manufacturing Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of manufacturing businesses , some examples include: Garment manufacturing, Food product manufacturing, Diaper manufacturing, Tile manufacturing, and Toy manufacturing.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Manufacturing Business Plan?

Manufacturing businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Manufacturing Business?

Starting a manufacturing business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Manufacturing Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed manufacturing business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast. 

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your manufacturing business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your manufacturing business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Manufacturing Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your manufacturing business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your manufacturing business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Manufacturing Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your manufacturing business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your manufacturing business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Production Company Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Production Company Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their production companies.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating a production company business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a production company business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Business Plan?

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

Why You Need a Business Plan

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

Sources of Funding for Production Companies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a production company are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes 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, the loan officer will not only want to ensure 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 production companies.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a production company.

If you want to start a production company or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your production company business plan.

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 kind of production company you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a production company that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of production companies?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

• Give a brief overview of the production industry.
• Discuss the type of production company you are operating.
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of production company you are operating.

For example, your production company might specialize in one of the following types of production companies:

• Feature Film Production Company : this type of production company handles all of the necessities that go with producing a major film – hiring on-screen and off-screen talent, writers, musicians, location scouts, a team for pre-production, post-production, legal, etc.
• Commercial Production Company: this type of production company can produce stock footage, short corporate videos, training videos, and creative projects such as music videos and short films
• Post Production Company: this type of production company handles video editing, special effects, color correction, sound mixing, and editing to eventually produce the final video.
• Niche Production Company: this type of production company focuses on one specific niche that it has perfected. They often combine the best of animation, commercial, and post-production companies.

In addition to explaining the type of production company you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

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

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the production industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

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

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

The third reason 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 production company business plan:

• How big is the production 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 target market for your production company? 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 of your production company business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, companies, filmmakers, studios.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of production company you operate. Clearly, small businesses would respond to different marketing promotions than filmmakers, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize 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 production companies.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes social media platforms, web developers, apps and even college or university students. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business 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 clients do they serve?
• What type of production company are they?
• 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 concierge services or customized packages for your clients?
• Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• 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. For a production company business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type o f production company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide video editing, music editing, pre-production, or post-production services?

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

Place : Place refers to the site of your production company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your production company located in New York or Los Angeles, a business district, a standalone office, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your production company marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Be part of filmmaker associations and networks
• Reach out to websites
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your 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 production company , including client communication and interaction, planning and producing production services, billing clients, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to book your Xth client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your production company to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your production company’s potential 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 managing production companies. 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 as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a production company or successfully running a small filmmaking company.  

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 s heet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue 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 book 5 films or videos per day, and/or offer production packages ? 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 production company, 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 lender 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 ensure 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.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a production company:

• Cost of equipment and production studio supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

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 studio location lease or a list of production services you plan to offer.  

Writing a business plan for your production company is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the production industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful production company.  

Production Company Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my production company business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your production company business plan.

How Do You Start a Production Company Business?

Starting a production company business is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your Production Company Business
• Create Your Production Company Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Production Company Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Production Company Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Production Company Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Production Company Business
• Buy or Lease the Right Production Company Business Equipment
• Develop Your Production Company Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Production Company Business
• Open for Business

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Manufacturing Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

Manufacturing Business Plan Template

If you want to start a Manufacturing business or expand your current Manufacturing company, you need a business plan.

The following Manufacturing business plan template gives you the key elements to include in a winning Manufacturing business plan.

You can download our business plan template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

Below are links to each of the key sections of a sample manufacturing business plan. Once you create your plan, download it to PDF to show banks and investors.

I. Executive Summary II. Company Overview III. Industry Analysis IV. Customer Analysis V. Competitive Analysis VI. Marketing Plan VII. Operations Plan VIII. Management Team IX. Financial Plan

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Manufacturing Business Plan Home I. Executive Summary II. Company Overview III. Industry Analysis IV. Customer Analysis V. Competitive Analysis VI. Marketing Plan VII. Operations Plan VIII. Management Team IX. Financial Plan

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Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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15+ manufacturing business plan templates.

If you’re striking out on your own to start a business, whatever sort it might be, you will benefit from having a business plan template to work from. Such a tool will aid you in your crucial planning and takeoff stages. But there’s more to a business than getting started, and how you proceed from there will largely grow out of the conditions you’ve set for yourself in your business plan. This becomes especially important when you are getting into commodity production. Nowhere else is your command of production lines, personnel, and funding going to be so hard-pressed as in a simple manufacturing business.

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What Goes into a Manufacturing Business Plan?

• Executive summary . Here is where you condense your business’s intended purposes and goals. What is your mission-vision statement?
• Company description. Define the nature of your intended business, the commodities you are producing, where you will be located, etc.
• Market analysis . Where do you fit in the larger economy and what your relationship will be to existing businesses and competition? Define your target market and your role in fulfilling a real economic need.
• Strategy and implementation. Here you propose your methodology to achieve your goals.
• Management and organization. Assign your founding team and determine its structure and member responsibilities.
• Financial plan and projections. Estimate a budget and forecast your earnings.
• See also Manufacturing Business Marketing Plan to go from production to marketing.
• Also, see Manufacturing Business Continuity Plan above to establish a sustainable company.

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• Executive Summary
• Business Description
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4. who should your manufacturing business plan convince, 5 what are the different types of manufacturing businesses.

• Food, Beverage, and Tobacco
• Textiles, Leather, and Apparel
• Wood, Paper, and Printing
• Petroleum and Coal
• Chemicals, Plastics, and Rubber
• Metals and Machinery
• Computer and Electronics.

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How to write a business plan for a chocolate factory?

Writing a business plan for a chocolate factory can be an intimidating task, especially for those just starting.

This in-depth guide is designed to help entrepreneurs like you understand how to create a comprehensive business plan so that you can approach the exercise with method and confidence.

We'll cover: why writing a chocolate factory business plan is so important - both when starting up, and when running and growing the business - what information you need to include in your plan, how it should be structured, and what tools you can use to get the job done efficiently.

Let's get started!

In this guide:

Why write a business plan for a chocolate factory?

• What information is needed to create a business plan for a chocolate factory?
• What goes in the financial forecast for a chocolate factory?
• What goes in the written part of a chocolate factory business plan?
• What tool can I use to write my chocolate factory business plan?

Understanding the document's scope and goals will help you easily grasp its structure and content. Before diving into the specifics of the plan, let's take a moment to explore the key reasons why having a chocolate factory business plan is so crucial.

To have a clear roadmap to grow the business

It's rarely business as usual for small businesses. The economy follows cycles where years of growth are followed by recessions, and the business environment is always changing with new technologies, new regulations, new competitors, and new consumer behaviours appearing all the time...

In this context, running a business without a clear roadmap is like driving blindfolded: it's dangerous at best. That's why writing a business plan for a chocolate factory is essential to create successful and sustainable businesses.

To write an effective business plan, you will need to take stock of where you are (if you are already in business) and where you want the business to go in the next three to five years.

Once you know where you want your chocolate factory to be, you'll have to identify:

• what resources (human, equipment, and capital) are needed to get there,
• at what pace the business needs to progress to get there in time,
• and what risks you'll face along the way.

Going through this process regularly is beneficial, both for startups and existing companies, as it helps make informed decisions about how best to allocate resources to ensure the long-term success of the business.

To maintain visibility on future cash flows

Businesses can go for years without making a profit, but they go bust as soon as they run out of cash. That's why "cash is king", and maintaining visibility on your chocolate factory's future cash flows is critical.

How do I do that? That's simple: you need an up-to-date financial forecast.

The good news is that your chocolate factory business plan already contains a financial forecast (more on that later in this guide), so all you have to do is to keep it up-to-date.

To do this, you need to regularly compare the actual financial performance of your business to what was planned in your financial forecast, and adjust the forecast based on the current trajectory of your business.

Monitoring your chocolate factory's financial health will enable you to identify potential financial problems (such as an unexpected cash shortfall) early and to put in place corrective measures. It will also allow you to detect and capitalize on potential growth opportunities (higher demand from a given segment of customers for example).

To secure financing

A detailed business plan becomes a crucial tool when seeking financing from banks or investors for your chocolate factory.

Investing and lending to small businesses are very risky activities given how fragile they are. Therefore, financiers have to take extra precautions before putting their capital at risk.

At a minimum, financiers will want to ensure that you have a clear roadmap and a solid understanding of your future cash flows (like we just explained above). But they will also want to ensure that your business plan fits the risk/reward profile they seek.

This will off-course vary from bank to bank and investor to investor, but as a rule of thumb. Banks will want to see a conservative financial management style (low risk), and they will use the information in your business plan to assess your borrowing capacity — the level of debt they think your business can comfortably handle — and your ability to repay the loan. This evaluation will determine whether they'll provide credit to your chocolate factory and the terms of the agreement.

Whereas investors will carefully analyze your business plan to gauge the potential return on their investment. Their focus lies on evidence indicating your chocolate factory's potential for high growth, profitability, and consistent cash flow generation over time.

Now that you recognize the importance of creating a business plan for your chocolate factory, let's explore what information is required to create a compelling plan.

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Information needed to create a business plan for a chocolate factory

You need the right data in order to project sales, investments and costs accurately in the financial forecast of your chocolate factory business plan.

Below, we'll cover three key pieces of information you should gather before drafting your business plan.

Carrying out market research for a chocolate factory

Carrying out market research before writing a business plan for a chocolate factory is essential to ensure that the financial projections are accurate and realistic.

Market research helps you gain insight into your target customer base, competitors, pricing strategies and other key factors which can have an impact on the commercial success of your business.

In particular, it is useful in forecasting revenue as it provides valuable data regarding potential customers’ spending habits and preferences.

Your market research may reveal that consumers may be increasingly interested in vegan-friendly chocolate options. Additionally, it could reveal that customers might be looking for more unique flavors, such as a combination of chocolate and spices.

This information can then be used to create more accurate financial projections which will help investors make informed decisions about investing in your chocolate factory.

Developing the sales and marketing plan for a chocolate factory

Budgeting sales and marketing expenses is essential before creating a chocolate factory business plan.

A comprehensive sales and marketing plan should provide an accurate projection of what actions need to be implemented to acquire and retain customers, how many people are needed to carry out these initiatives, and how much needs to be spent on promotions, advertising, and other aspects.

This helps ensure that the right amount of resources is allocated to these activities in order to hit the sales and growth objectives forecasted in your business plan.

The staffing and equipment needs of a chocolate factory

Whether you are at the beginning stages of your chocolate factory or expanding its horizons, having a clear plan for recruitment and capital expenditures (investment in equipment and real estate) is vital to ensure your business's success.

To achieve this, both the recruitment and investment plans must align coherently with the projected timing and level of growth in your forecast. It is essential to secure appropriate funding for these plans.

A chocolate factory might incur staffing costs such as salaries for employees, as well as equipment costs such as machinery for production and transportation, storage, and packaging. They may also incur costs related to electricity, water, and other utilities needed for production.

To create a financial forecast that accurately represents your business's outlook, remember to factor in other day-to-day operating expenses.

Now that you have all the necessary information, it's time to dive in and start creating your business plan and developing the financial forecast for your chocolate factory.

What goes into your chocolate factory's financial forecast?

The objective of the financial forecast of your chocolate factory's business plan is to show the growth, profitability, funding requirements, and cash generation potential of your business over the next 3 to 5 years.

The four key outputs of a financial forecast for a chocolate factory are:

• The profit and loss (P&L) statement ,
• The projected balance sheet ,
• The cash flow forecast ,
• And the sources and uses table .

Let's look at each of these in a bit more detail.

The projected P&L statement

The projected P&L statement for a chocolate factory shows how much revenue and profit your business is expected to make in the future.

A healthy chocolate factory's P&L statement should show:

• Sales growing at (minimum) or above (better) inflation
• Stable (minimum) or expanding (better) profit margins
• A healthy level of net profitability

This will of course depend on the stage of your business: numbers for a startup will look different than for an established chocolate factory.

The projected balance sheet of your chocolate factory

Your chocolate factory's forecasted balance sheet enables the reader of your plan to assess your financial structure, working capital, and investment policy.

It is composed of three types of elements: assets, liabilities and equity:

• Assets: represent what the business owns and uses to produce cash flows. It includes resources such as cash, equipment, and accounts receivable (money owed by clients).
• Liabilities: represent funds advanced to the business by lenders and other creditors. It includes items such as accounts payable (money owed to suppliers), taxes due and loans.
• Equity: is the combination of what has been invested by the business owners and the cumulative profits and losses generated by the business to date (which are called retained earnings). Equity is a proxy for the value of the owner's stake in the business.

Your chocolate factory's balance sheet will usually be analyzed in conjunction with the other financial statements included in your forecast.

Two key points of focus will be:

• Your chocolate factory's liquidity: does your business have sufficient cash and short-term assets to pay what it owes over the next 12 months?
• And its solvency: does your business have the capacity to repay its debt over the medium-term?

The projected cash flow statement

A cash flow forecast for a chocolate factory shows how much cash the business is projected to generate or consume.

The cash flow statement is divided into 3 main areas:

• The operating cash flow shows how much cash is generated or consumed by the operations (running the business)
• The investing cash flow shows how much cash is being invested in capital expenditure (equipment, real estate, etc.)
• The financing cash flow shows how much cash is raised or distributed to investors and lenders

Looking at the cash flow forecast helps you to ensure that your business has enough cash to keep running, and can help you anticipate potential cash shortfalls.

It is also a best practice to include a monthly cash flow statement in the appendices of your chocolate factory business plan so that the readers can view the impact of seasonality on your business cash position and generation.

The initial financing plan

The initial financing plan - also called a sources and uses table - is an important tool when starting a chocolate factory.

It shows where the money needed to set up the business will come from (sources) and how it will be allocated (uses).

Having this table helps understand what costs are involved in setting up the chocolate factory, how the risks are distributed between the shareholders and the lenders, and what will be the starting cash position (which needs to be sufficient to sustain operations until the business breaks even).

Now that the financial forecast of a chocolate factory business plan is understood, let's focus on what goes into the written part of the plan.

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The written part of a chocolate factory business plan

The written part of the business plan is where you will explain what your business does and how it operates, what your target market is, whom you compete against, and what strategy you will put in place to seize the commercial opportunity you've identified.

Having this context is key for the reader to form a view on whether or not they believe that your plan is achievable and the numbers in your forecast realistic.

The written part of a chocolate factory business plan is composed of 7 main sections:

• The executive summary
• The presentation of the company
• The products and services
• The market analysis
• The strategy
• The operations
• The financial plan

Let's go through the content of each section in more detail!

1. The executive summary

The executive summary, the first section of your chocolate factory's business plan, serves as an inviting snapshot of your entire plan, leaving readers eager to know more about your business.

To compose an effective executive summary, start with a concise introduction of your business, covering its name, concept, location, history, and unique aspects. Share insights about the services or products you intend to offer and your target customer base.

Subsequently, provide an overview of your chocolate factory's addressable market, highlighting current trends and potential growth opportunities.

Then, present a summary of critical financial figures, such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

You should then include a summary of your key financial figures such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

Lastly, address any funding needs in the "ask" section of your executive summary.

2. The presentation of the company

In your chocolate factory business plan, the second section should focus on the structure and ownership, location, and management team of your company.

In the structure and ownership part, you'll provide an overview of the business's legal structure, details about the owners, and their respective investments and ownership shares. This clarity is crucial, especially if you're seeking financing, as it helps the reader understand which legal entity will receive the funds and who controls the business.

Moving on to the location part, you'll offer an overview of the company's premises and their surroundings. Explain why this particular location is of interest, highlighting factors like catchment area, accessibility, and nearby amenities.

When describing the location of your chocolate factory, you could focus on the potential for growth. The region may have access to a large talent pool, a welcoming business environment, and plenty of resources to support the chocolate factory. You might also emphasize the strategic position of the location, which could provide easy access to customers and suppliers. Additionally, you could highlight the potential for cost savings, such as lower taxes or utility costs, that the region offers. Finally, you could highlight the potential for increased productivity due to the region's infrastructure and ease of transportation.

Finally, you should introduce your management team. Describe each member's role, background, and experience.

Don't forget to emphasize any past successes achieved by the management team and how long they've been working together. Demonstrating their track record and teamwork will help potential lenders or investors gain confidence in their leadership and ability to execute the business plan.

3. The products and services section

The products and services section of your business plan should include a detailed description of what your company offers, who are the target customers, and what distribution channels are part of your go-to-market. 

For example, your chocolate factory could offer a wide variety of chocolate bars in a range of flavors, such as dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate, so customers can choose their favorite. It could also provide custom designed chocolates, such as shaped chocolates and chocolate boxes, for special occasions and holidays. Additionally, the factory could offer chocolate gifts, like gift baskets, to customers looking for the perfect present. These products and services would provide customers with a delicious chocolate experience while giving them the freedom to choose and customize their treats.

4. The market analysis

When outlining your market analysis in the chocolate factory business plan, it's essential to include comprehensive details about customers' demographics and segmentation, target market, competition, barriers to entry, and relevant regulations.

The primary aim of this section is to give the reader an understanding of the market size and appeal while demonstrating your expertise in the industry.

To begin, delve into the demographics and segmentation subsection, providing an overview of the addressable market for your chocolate factory, key marketplace trends, and introducing various customer segments and their preferences in terms of purchasing habits and budgets.

Next, shift your focus to the target market subsection, where you can zoom in on the specific customer segments your chocolate factory targets. Explain how your products and services are tailored to meet the unique needs of these customers.

For example, your target market might include health-conscious adults. These customers prioritize their health and nutrition, but still indulge in chocolate as a treat. They would be more likely to buy organic and fair-trade products, and may be willing to pay a premium for them.

In the competition subsection, introduce your main competitors and explain what sets your chocolate factory apart from them.

Finally, round off your market analysis by providing an overview of the main regulations that apply to your chocolate factory.

5. The strategy section

When writing the strategy section of a business plan for your chocolate factory, it is essential to include information about your competitive edge, pricing strategy, sales & marketing plan, milestones, and risks and mitigants.

The competitive edge subsection should explain what sets your company apart from its competitors. This part is especially key if you are writing the business plan of a startup, as you have to make a name for yourself in the marketplace against established players.

The pricing strategy subsection should demonstrate how you intend to remain profitable while still offering competitive prices to your customers.

The sales & marketing plan should outline how you intend to reach out and acquire new customers, as well as retain existing ones with loyalty programs or special offers. 

The milestones subsection should outline what your company has achieved to date, and its main objectives for the years to come - along with dates so that everyone involved has clear expectations of when progress can be expected.

The risks and mitigants subsection should list the main risks that jeopardize the execution of your plan and explain what measures you have taken to minimize these. This is essential in order for investors or lenders to feel secure in investing in your venture.

Your chocolate factory may face the risk of food contamination. If food safety protocols are not followed, or if equipment is not maintained properly, it could lead to contamination of your products. Your chocolate factory might also experience financial risk. Poor financial planning or an unexpected economic downturn could affect your ability to keep up with production costs. You may have to cut back on staff or resources in order to stay in business.

6. The operations section

In your business plan, it's also essential to provide a detailed overview of the operations of your chocolate factory.

Start by covering your team, highlighting key roles and your recruitment plan to support the expected growth. Outline the qualifications and experience required for each role and your intended recruitment methods, whether through job boards, referrals, or headhunters.

Next, clearly state your chocolate factory's operating hours, allowing the reader to assess staffing levels adequately. Additionally, mention any plans for varying opening times during peak seasons and how you'll handle customer queries outside normal operating hours.

Then, shift your focus to the key assets and intellectual property (IP) necessary for your business. If you rely on licenses, trademarks, physical structures like equipment or property, or lease agreements, make sure to include them in this section.

Your chocolate factory might have two examples of important assets and Intellectual Property. Firstly, it could have a unique recipe for the chocolate that it produces. This recipe could be the key to its success, and it could be a closely-guarded secret. Secondly, the factory might also have a unique brand logo or design that it uses on its packaging, which could help to distinguish it from other chocolate manufacturers. Both of these assets and IP are important for the factory's success, and could be protected legally.

Lastly, include a list of suppliers you plan to work with, detailing their services and main commercial terms, such as price, payment terms, and contract duration. Investors are interested in understanding why you've chosen specific suppliers, which may be due to higher-quality products or established relationships from previous ventures.

7. The presentation of the financial plan

The financial plan section is where we will present the financial forecast we talked about earlier in this guide.

Now that you have a clear idea of what goes in your chocolate factory business plan, let's look at the solutions you can use to draft yours.

What tool should I use to write my chocolate factory's business plan?

In this section, we will be reviewing the two main solutions for creating a chocolate factory business plan:

• Using specialized online business plan software,
• Outsourcing the plan to the business plan writer.

Using an online business plan software for your chocolate factory's business plan

The modern and most efficient way to write a chocolate factory business plan is to use business plan software .

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

• You can easily create your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
• You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
• You can access a library of dozens of complete business plan samples and templates for inspiration
• You get a professional business plan, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors
• You can easily track your actual financial performance against your financial forecast
• You can create scenarios to stress test your forecast's main assumptions
• You can easily update your forecast as time goes by to maintain visibility on future cash flows
• You have a friendly support team on standby to assist you when you are stuck

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try The Business Plan Shop for free by signing up here .

Need a solid financial forecast?

The Business Plan Shop does the maths for you. Simply enter your revenues, costs and investments. Click save and our online tool builds a three-way forecast for you instantly.

Hiring a business plan writer to write your chocolate factory's business plan

Outsourcing your chocolate factory business plan to a business plan writer can also be a viable option.

Business plan writers are experienced in writing business plans and adept at creating financial forecasts without errors. Furthermore, hiring a consultant can save you time and allow you to focus on the day-to-day operations of your business.

However, hiring business plan writers is expensive as you are paying for the software used by the consultant, plus their time, and their profit margin of course.

From experience, you need to budget at least £1.5k ($2.0k) excluding tax for a complete business plan, more if you need to make changes after the initial version (which happens frequently after the initial meetings with lenders or investors).

You also need to be careful when seeking investment. Investors want their money to be used to grow the business, not spent on consulting fees. Therefore, the amount you spend on business plan writing services (and other consulting services such as legal services) needs to be negligible relative to the amount raised.

The other drawback is that you usually don't own the business plan itself: you just get the output, while the actual document is saved in the consultant's business plan software - which makes it difficult to maintain the document up to date without hiring the consultant on a retainer.

For these reasons, outsourcing the chocolate factory business plan to a business plan writer should be considered carefully, weighing both the advantages and disadvantages of hiring outside help.

Ultimately, it may be the right decision for some businesses, while others may find it beneficial to write their business plan using online software.

Why not create your chocolate factory's business plan using Word or Excel?

Using Microsoft Excel and Word (or their Google, Apple, or open-source equivalents) to write a chocolate factory business plan is a terrible idea.

For starters, creating an accurate and error-free financial forecast on Excel (or any spreadsheet) is very technical and requires both a strong grasp of accounting principles and solid skills in financial modelling.

As a result, it is unlikely anyone will trust your numbers unless - like us at The Business Plan Shop - you hold a degree in finance and accounting and have significant financial modelling experience in your past.

The second reason is that it is inefficient. Building forecasts on spreadsheets was the only option in the 1990s and early 2000s, nowadays technology has advanced and software can do it much faster and much more accurately.

And with the rise of AI, software is also becoming smarter at helping us detect mistakes in our forecasts and helping us analyse the numbers to make better decisions.

Also, using software makes it easy to compare actuals vs. forecasts and maintain our forecasts up to date to maintain visibility on future cash flows - as we discussed earlier in this guide - whereas this is a pain to do with a spreadsheet.

That's for the forecast, but what about the written part of my chocolate factory business plan?

This part is less error-prone, but here also software brings tremendous gains in productivity:

• Word processors don't include instructions and examples for each part of your business plan
• Word processors don't update your numbers automatically when they change in your forecast
• Word processors don't handle the formatting for you

Overall, while Word or Excel may be viable options for creating a chocolate factory business plan for some entrepreneurs, it is by far not the best or most efficient solution.

• Having an up-to-date business plan is key to maintaining visibility on your future cash flows.
• A business plan has 2 parts: a financial forecast highlighting the expected growth, profitability and cash generation of the business; and a written part which provides the context needed to interpret and assess the quality of the forecast.
• Using business plan software is the modern way of writing and maintaining business plans.

We hope that this guide helped you to better understand how to write the business plan for a chocolate factory. If you still have questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

• How to write a 5 years business plan
• Business plan myths

Know someone who owns or wants to start a chocolate factory? Share this article with them!

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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Moscow's High Rise Bohemia: The International Business District With No Business

• Written by Dario Goodwin
• Published on March 17, 2015

The Moscow International Business Center (Also known as Moskva-City ) was meant to be Russia ’s ticket into the Western world. First conceived in 1992, the district at the edge of Moscow’s city center is intended to contain up to 300,000 inhabitants, employees and visitors at any given moment and, when completed, will house over 4 million square meters of prime retail, hotel and office space to create what the Russian government desired most from this project: an enormous financial district that could dwarf London’s Canary Wharf and challenge Manhattan . Twenty three years later though, Moscow-based real estate company Blackwood estimates that as much as 45% of this new space is entirely vacant and rents have plummeted far below the average for the rest of Moscow. The only press Moskva-City is attracting is for tenants like the High Level Hostel , a hostel catering to backpackers and other asset-poor tourists on the 43rd floor of the Imperia Tower , with prices starting at $25.50 for a bed in a six-person room. This is not the glittering world of western high finance that was envisioned back in the post-Soviet 90s; but what has it become instead?

As one might expect from a project of this sheer ambition, Moskva-City has a troubled past. The economic crash in 2008 hit Russia hard enough to evict the previous Mayor of Moscow , Yuri Luzhkov, who had been a cheerleader for the district, and replace him with the considerably more austere Sergei Sobyanin, who famously declared that the whole idea was an “urban planning mistake.” But as recently as 2013, the Wall Street Journal was triumphantly claiming that Moskva-City had risen from the dead, citing 80% occupancy rates and glowing quotes from industry insiders claiming that Moskva-City was the "place to be." Driven by record highs in oil prices, Moscow looked poised to become the next Dubai .

Instead, Moscow is now in the grip of an economic winter prompted by western sanctions and drops in the price of oil. The large financial groupings that Moskva-City was meant to shelter have been warned off by their inability to issue credit to international markets, for example - but Moskva-City isn’t just an Empire State Building left empty by the Great Depression.

A fundamental problem that is holding Moskva back compared to the rest of Moscow is the simple fact that currently, getting to Moskva-City is nigh-on impossible at peak hours. Moscow has long been plagued with transport problems, ever since the government failed to match the dramatic expansion of the city with a dramatic expansion of the transport system after the Second World War. Despite being only 2.5 miles from the Kremlin , Moskva-City is only just inside the ring road that bounds the city center and which acts as the only real transport link to it (and as a result, is clogged by construction vehicles.) A railway and metro hub has been finished, but so far only runs a one-stop shuttle service to the closest Metro station that is actually integrated with the rest of Moscow Metro. The isolation of the outer districts is a large, negative part of the Moscow psyche, and it’s not surprising that this is driving away the globetrotting financial elite this project was meant to attract.

The project is managed by architectural practice No.6, which is a constituent part of the large Moscow based practice Mosproject-2 , which is itself a public corporation headed up by Mikhail Vasilyevich Posokhin, who is apparently the “People’s Architect of Russia.” Despite all this state involvement, the project has still managed to become bogged down in bureaucratic infighting - each lot is managed and developed individually, which has led to developers competing for occupants by slashing rates.

Much has been written about the way modern financial districts and towers that inhabit them can be unwelcoming, forbidding or even hostile by design, but the skyscrapers of Moskva-City seem even less friendly than usual. The site - a former stone quarry, chosen out of necessity as the only place in the city center where a new district could be plausibly constructed - is isolated both physically and visually, leaving the cluster a stark anomaly on the city skyline. Even the names seem more imposing than optimistic now: Imperia, City of Capitals , Steel Peak.

The Mercury City Tower , so far the tallest completed building on the site, is officially “a strong reference to Russian constructivism, [which] gives the tower a strong vertical thrust similar to the one found in New York's Chrysler building .” It would be easy to criticize the Mercury City Tower for picking ‘inspirations’ that are so totally opposed to each other - The Chrysler building the defining emblem of American pre-crash confidence and Constructivism created with the express purpose (especially architecturally) of extending the Bolshevik revolution into a social revolution - but the way they smash those two inspirations together is almost beautifully ironic.

Even though the High Level Hostel is less an asset to a financial district than it is a PR problem, it’s been a huge success since opening in September, already ranked 27th out of 766 hostels in Moscow by TripAdvisor. According to the management agency for Moskva-City , 58% of the new occupant signings this year have been non-financial, including a number of small to medium size businesses. Other areas of office space have been occupied by a restaurant and a culinary school, while another space has been redeveloped into a 6,000 seat theater.

While Moskva-City is failing to be a financial district that could take on the world, it’s inadvertently becoming a humanized space catering to the very groups that the Russian economic miracle left behind. Taking advantage of rents lower than the rest of Moscow , the world class facilities and the sheer desperation of the developers, the humanization of Moskva-City could well create the world’s first high-rise bohemia.

Of course, these are not spaces designed for a community, or even for people: these are spaces designed for money, and there’s little scope for changing something that seems so baked into the design of Moskva-City . The High Level Hostel is trading off of the irony of being a hostel in a banking tower, but it’s perfectly possible that at some point people will no longer find this joke funny (especially in a building that seems hostile to the very idea of humor). The isolation of Moskva, even though it allowed this community to spring up in the first place, is just as detrimental to a humanized district as it is to a financial one: even bohemians need to move around the city, or the district risks becoming a black-spot instead of a hot-spot.

Moskva-City’s isolation won’t last forever. The end of construction will open the roads up to traffic, and plans to properly integrate the spur lines of the Metro in this area into the wider system are well under way. The integration of the district will inevitably push up rents, and the Russian economy will eventually boom once again. When that happens, Moskva-City is prime territory to be reconquered by the giants of international finance, and it seems unlikely that the municipal or national governments would want to step in to protect this accidental district. For now, though, the towers capture perfectly this moment of Russia ’s schizophrenic understanding of its place in the world.

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Drone attacks in Moscow’s glittering business district leave residents on edge

People stroll at embankment of the Moscow River in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, with the “Moscow City” business district in the background. The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district were once symbols of the Russian capital’s economic boom in the early 2000s. Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites shaken and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

A couple sit in a park in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, with the “Moscow City” business district in the background. The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district were once symbols of the Russian capital’s economic boom in the early 2000s. Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites shaken and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Police officers stand near the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district were once symbols of the Russian capital’s economic boom in the early 2000s. Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites shaken and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

People stroll at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district were once symbols of the Russian capital’s economic boom in the early 2000s. Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites shaken and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

People sit in a cafe in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district were once symbols of the Russian capital’s economic boom in the early 2000s. Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites shaken and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power. 2023. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

A view of the damaged building is seen in the “Moscow City” business district after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, early Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Ukrainian drones again targeted Moscow and its surroundings early Tuesday morning, the Russian military reported. Two of three launched were shot down outside Moscow, while one crashed into a skyscraper in the Moscow City business district, damaging the building’s facade. (AP Photo)

Investigators examine an area next to damaged building in the “Moscow City” business district after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, early Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Ukrainian drones again targeted Moscow and its surroundings early Tuesday morning, the Russian military reported. Two of three launched were shot down outside Moscow, while one crashed into a skyscraper in the Moscow City business district, damaging the building’s facade. (AP Photo)

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The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district dominate the skyline of the Russian capital. The sleek glass-and-steel buildings -- designed to attract investment amid an economic boom in the early 2000s – are a dramatic, modern contrast to the rest of the more than 800-year-old city.

Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power.

The attacks on Sunday and Tuesday aren’t the first to hit Moscow — a drone even struck the Kremlin harmlessly in May. But these latest blasts, which caused no casualties but blew out part of a section of windows on a high-rise building and sent glass cascading to the streets, seemed particularly unsettling.

“It’s very frightening because you wake up at night hearing explosions,” said a woman who identified herself only as Ulfiya as she walked her dog, adding that she lived in a nearby building. Like other Muscovites interviewed by The Associated Press, she did not identify herself further out of fear of retribution or for her personal safety.

Another resident, who gave her name as Ekaterina, said Tuesday’s blast “sounded like thunder.”

“I think for the first time, I got really scared,” she said. “I don’t understand how people in a war zone can live like this every day and not go mad.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down two Ukrainian drones outside Moscow and had electronically jammed another, sending it crashing into the IQ-Quarter skyscraper that houses government offices like the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade — the same building that was hit Sunday.

A cordon went up around the building and personnel from the fire department and the Russian Investigative Committee were at the scene. Hours later, residents strolled through the district along the Moscow River or sat on benches in the sunshine. By about 1 p.m. Tuesday, workers were already starting to replace damaged windows.

The business district, a 10-minute subway ride west of the Kremlin, is home to some of Moscow’s flashiest restaurants, offering far-reaching views of the capital and a menu of upscale fare like three types of caviar, shellfish from Russia’s Far East and French cuisine.

But there was no escaping the grim news.

While Russian state television has largely played down the strikes, one channel sandwiched a segment on how Moscow’s air defenses successfully intercepted the drones in between reports highlighting Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in Ukraine that Moscow “is rapidly getting used to a full-fledged war,” without confirming or denying Kyiv’s involvement in the drone attacks that in recent days have struck from the capital to the Crimean Peninsula .

After Sunday’s strike, the Kremlin said security would be ramped up.

Still, the size of the drone that hit the Moscow City district led analysts to question the effectiveness of the capital’s air defenses, suggesting it could have been launched from Ukraine.

“If this is the case, this would be rather embarrassing for Russia’s air defenses. If a drone has been in Russian airspace for hours, air defenses should have picked it up earlier and shot it down earlier,” said Ulrike Franke, an expert in drones and military technology at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

While they haven’t caused much physical damage, bringing the drone campaign to Moscow “blows holes in Russia’s narrative that the war on Ukraine is successful and that it is being prosecuted far away from any consequences for the Russian people themselves,” said Keir Giles, a Russia expert at the Chatham House think tank in London.

“That is something which is going to be harder and harder for Russia’s propaganda machine to explain away,” he said.

A Muscovite who identified himself to the AP only as Eldar summed up the strikes this way: “We attack them, they attack us. And it’s obvious that they will succeed somewhere, and we will succeed somewhere. We should try to strengthen the defense.”

In Odintsovo, where some of the drones were downed about 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of the capital, some residents discussed the events on their local Telegram channel.

One woman talked about hearing noises that turned out to be a car or improperly closed trash containers, and seeing what she thought were drones but actually were a flock of birds, a plane and a wind-blown plastic bag.

“How is it possible to live like this?” she asked the group.

“Stop creating panic,” one member admonished her.

“If you hear a noise, be happy because it hasn’t hit you,” added another.

Burrows reported from Tallinn, Estonia.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

April Fools' Day pranks: Apps to translate baby stoner sayings, a ghostbuster at Tinder

Every april 1, brands and companies want to get some laughs – and attention – with goofy new 'product' launches. here are some ideas from companies such as sweetgreen, welch's and omaha steaks..

If you don't like Mondays, this one may especially be grating. It's April Fool's Day , when you should trust no one and question everything.

The roots of April Fools' Day may date back before to before the 15th century. But the modern-day April Fools' Day has become a day to prank a friend, family member, co-worker − or your customers.

Even though some companies have had April Fools' pranks backfire , marketers continue to issue spoof products in attempts to get some laughs and attention.

Already ahead of April Fools' Day, 7-Eleven has hinted at a possible prank product: In addition to new Lemon Lime, Green Apple and Sweet Orange flavored 7-Select sparkling waters, out now with partner Miracle Seltzer, there's a fourth flavor coming April 1: Big Bite Hot Dog.

The hot dog-flavored water "combines the mouthwatering experience of 7-Eleven’s iconic Big Bite Hot Dog into one refreshing beverage – ketchup and mustard included," the convenience chain says in a press release . "Say goodbye to the days of alternating bites of a hot dog with sips of a beverage, now those on the go can swap the bun for bubbles."

Krispy Kreme: A special doughnut deal for April Fools' Day

Will Big Bite Hot Dog sparkling water be sold? Its availability will be announced April 1. However, some reporters were sent a can of the drink. USA TODAY can confirm that it definitely smells like hot dog water and has a smoky aftertaste.

If you are interested in trying it, both 7-Eleven and Miracle Seltzer have hinted at having some to give away on their Instagram pages. (If you get a can, share with a friend as it's 16 ounces.)

Here's a roundup of many of the brand-related April Fools’ gag announcements. You've been warned.

Sour cream & onion flavored soda

Despite the proliferation of crazy-flavored products including Peeps-flavored Pepsi , Frank's RedHot sauce-flavored Vlasic pickles and Doritos Nacho Cheese-flavored liquor , healthy soda brand OLIPOP and Pringles are not really teaming up to bring to market a Sour Cream & Onion soda.

The product would have been "a match made in heaven … to bring the delicious, tangy flavor of Pringles’ Sour Cream & Onion flavor to life in liquid form with prebiotic benefits," the companies said.

Stoner lingo translation app

Another dream team prank product: Rosetta Stoned, a mobile app from Rosetta Stone and medical marijuana company Fluent , that "bridges the conversational gap between novice users and seasoned stoners in any social setting."

Da da decoder

Infant equipment site BabyQuip has its own language-bridging lark: the “Baby Translator” app, to decode your baby's secret language.

"Say 'goodbye' to restless nights as you decode your baby's coos and cries instantly, providing you with the understanding you need as a parent, all in one convenient app," it promises.

An AI-powered plush doll

Custom stuffed animal maker Budsies already makes selfie plush dolls with a built-in voice recorder. Its April Fools' spoof: Artificial intelligence-enabled dolls that "come programmed to learn everything about you and to become your new best friend."

A 50-pound Bearabuddy

Sorry to the 3,500 or so who have already signed up to buy Bearaby's Jumbo Benji plush toy, which is four times the size of its regular weighted plush toys and twice as heavy as its heaviest weighted blanket . This isn't actually going to be sold. But it is real and will be making its home in the lobby at The Child Mind Institute in Harlem to welcome children and their families. More weighted plushies are due the day after April Fools' Day, the company says.

A sleeping bag to go bananas over

The Dole Banana Peel Sleeping Bag, conveniently promoted as being available on April Fools' Day only, is made from actual banana fiber and "allows parents to escape into their own cocoon of sensory deprivation."

A full-body cleaning suit

Outrageous clothing company Tipsy Elves has a special product for April Fools' Day: The Mopsie. You don't need paper towels anymore, you can use your body to clean up those messes, with this "innovative, wearable microfiber towel jumpsuit" for "effortlessly soaking up spills and messes with ease." There's also a Baby Mopsie for "hard to reach places."

Korean BBQ deodorant

Kevin's Natural Foods , which has paleo- and keto-certified ready-to-cook and easy-prep entrées, is touting a new line of personal care products inspired by its food dishes including Korean BBQ Deodorant, Cilantro Lime Toothpaste, Lemongrass Basil Shampoo and Tikka Masala Sunscreen.

"These new face, body and hair care essentials will help fans prioritize self-care inside and out," the company says. 

Omaha Steaks' meaty sprays

Omaha Steaks has its own personal care prank product: Meaty Spritz sprays with flavors such as Omaha Fog, Hog Haze, and Cock-a-Doodle-Dew.

"The world’s first protein-infused, flavor-packed, portable pump spray … (to) enjoy all the mouthwatering flavors of your Omaha Steaks gourmet favorites no matter how far away from the kitchen you are!" the company says.

Sriracha toothpaste

Asian sauce maker Lee Kum Kee , which makes Sriracha Chili Sauce and Sriracha Mayo Dressing, is introducing – not – its Siracha Mayo Toothpaste. It's "fiery and creamy goodness … is sure to spice up your morning dental routine."

Post-salad dental kit

Need some less powerful toothpaste? Sweetgreen offered these fanciful personal hygiene products as part of its Sweetgreen After Salad Kit, which is "designed with your pearly whites in mind … offering everything you need to freshen up post-meal."

Choose from Miso Ginger Toothpaste, Spicy Cashew Mints, Lime Cilantro Dental Floss, and Sweetgreen Toothbrush and Floss Picks.

Fruit juice lip gloss

More personal care prank products: Welch’s Juicyfuls Juicy Fruit Lip Gloss – now available in five flavors: grape, orange, peach, strawberry and raspberry – made with real juice from Juicefuls fruit snacks so "you get that irresistible sweet flavor you love, all in a lip gloss that's as fun as it is nourishing."

Protein-powered seasonings

Quest Nutrition , maker of protein powder, snacks and other products, has a prank product line of seasonings including All Purpose, Lemon Pepper, and Garlic Herb, each of which deliver "21g of protein, 2g of net carbs and less than 1g of sugar."

If you want to try Quest's real products, you can use code NOJOKE for free shipping on online orders over $49 April 1-3.

Superpowered Superfeet?

These would certainly come in hand on a run, but – sorry – it's a jogging joke. Superfeet SuperBoost Power E-Soles gives you 8 hours of continuous battery-powered boost, for almost Iron Man-like propulsion. "All the comfort and support of Superfeet , now with electrifying performance," the company says in a video about the prank product. "It's like having a powerful electric motor in your shoes."

Scotch tape-branded Scotch?

This shenanigan seems like a blend that could stick: Scotch Whisky by Scotch Brand. The whisky "features a nose of cherry wood and a delightfully smooth finish that hits like a well-wrapped gift."

Who you gonna call when ghosted? This new title at Tinder

Dating app Tinder announced a new April Fools' Day hiring quest for a Vice President of Ghost Hunting to help combat "one of dating culture’s most prevalent vices – ghosting," a practice inflicted on 78% of singles already in 2024 (an untrue fact from Tinder).

Patrón's bringing back a beloved liqueur. No kidding.

Patrón patrons get some good news today. The premium tequila maker chose April Fools' Day to announce the return of its Patrón XO Cafe tequila-based coffee liqueur, which was discontinued in 2021. Since production ceased, devotees took to social media and signed a petition asking parent company Bacardi to bring it back.

Made with Patrón Silver tequila and Arabica bean coffee – the dry liqueur can be sipped straight, in cocktails and as dessert topping – Patrón XO Cafe will begin arriving in stores again later this month.

Say it with dead flowers

Don't forget to put roses on your April Fools' Day list. UrbanStems has this "special" delivery, The Dead Inside Collection, "an assortment of dead flower bouquets, dead plants, half empty vases, and more for the pessimist in your life." But, for real, check UrbanStems' social media accounts including Instagram for how to get 20% off an order of real flowers.

Cheesecake Factory's real deals

The Cheesecake Factory  also has a deal that's no joke: Sign up for the chain's Cheesecake Rewards loyalty program on April 1 to get an Any Slice, Half Price reward, redeemable for 50% off any slice of cheesecake or layer cake, with any food or beverage purchase (no gift cards).

Those who were members before April 1 will find something special in their account on Monday, too: either a free slice of cheesecake each month for a year, a free whole cheesecake, a free slice of cheesecake, $5 off $25 purchases, or $10 off $40 purchases. (All rewards redeemable by April 16; can be redeemed for dine-in, to-go and DoorDash.)

New merch from Dunkin', bonus points in app

Dunkin' announced it is going back to its roots and rebranding to just "Donuts'" on Monday, April 1. To celebrate the rebrand, the company is selling "Donuts'" merch, including sweatshirts that read "DONUTS," on ShopDunkin.com .

Additionally, Dunkin' Rewards members will receive 3x bonus points on any donut order through the mobile app on April 1.

Urban Outfitters launches 'Name Three Shirts' movement

Urban Outfitters said it is launching a global movement to "stand in solidarity against band-tee-shaming" by launching a new collection called "Name Three Shirts."

The t-shirt line "playfully mocks the gatekeeping attitudes of older generations who insist that band-shirt wearers should be required to name songs by those artists," the company said in a news release.

The line, which features revamped logos from bands such as The Grateful Dead, Joy Division and Led Zeppelin, is a "playful jab at the attitudes of older generations, and fights back against the misogynistic undertones of the infamous ‘name three songs’ line of questioning," Urban Outfitters said in the news release.

The collection of shirts is available online and in select Urban Outfitters stores starting April 1. You can shop the collection online here .

Auntie Anne's, Frontier Airlines collaborate on Pretzel Plane

Auntie Anne's pretzels and Frontier Airlines announced they have collaborated on the newest addition to Frontier's fleet: the Pretzel Plane.

According to a news release, the plane includes new in-flight entertainment featuring Auntie Anne's pretzels rolled seat-side, the "luxurious" smell of hot, fresh pretzels throughout the cabin and airplane-shaped pretzels if you're feeling hungry.

Moe's Southwest Grill, Sonic team up to introduce a Queso Slush

Two popular fast food chains announced a collaboration that is sure to be polarizing.

Moe's and Sonic announced a new beverage, the Queso Slush, a queso-flavored slushie. "The frozen goodness of a Sonic Slush meets the delicious flavor of Moe's queso."

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads:  @mikesnider  & mikegsnider .

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X  @GabeHauari  or email him at [email protected].

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

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Plan to turn former lamp factory into apartments moves step closer to approval

The redevelopment of a former lamp factory building in St. Charles moved another step closer this week to getting final approval.

On Monday, the city council’s planning and development committee recommended approval of the final plat of subdivision for the project on the east side of downtown.

Petitioner Bob Rasmussen, representing the property owner Triple R-214, LLC, is seeking final plat approval for the redevelopment of the property at the northeast corner of 13th and Indiana avenues.

The 33,080-square-foot property at 1416 Indiana Ave. contains a two-story brick industrial building formerly known as the lamp factory.

Permits were issued last year, and work has commenced to convert the existing building into a 15-unit apartment building known as Indiana Place.

The building was constructed in 1904 for the Heinz Brothers Cut Glass Company. It was later used as a lamp factory and has been vacant for several years.

As approved, the Indiana Place development will remodel the building into 12 one-bedroom units and three two-bedroom units. The exterior dimensions of the building will not be altered.

In lieu of providing affordable units, the developer has paid a fee of $29,749 per city ordinance. Developers have also made contributions of $5,584 to St. Charles Unit District 303 and $64,545 to the St. Charles Park District instead of land donations required by city code.

Per a condition of the development’s already approved permitting, petitioners need a plat of subdivision approval for city-required easements before occupancy can commence.

As proposed, developers will add parking and an access drive on the north side of the building that will connect 13th and Indiana Avenues.

The St. Charles Plan Commission reviewed the proposed plat on April 2 and unanimously recommended approval.

Committee members recommended plat approval in a unanimous vote. The proposal is expected to go before the city council next week for final approval.

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How Tesla Planted the Seeds for Its Own Potential Downfall

Elon musk’s factory in china saved his company and made him ultrarich. now, it may backfire..

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Mara Hvistendahl, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains why, now, that lifeline may have given China the tools to beat Tesla at its own game.

On today’s episode

Mara Hvistendahl , an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading

A pivot to China saved Elon Musk. It also bound him to Beijing .

Mr. Musk helped create the Chinese electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there as well as scrutiny in the West over his reliance on China.

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Katrin Bennhold is the Berlin bureau chief. A former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, she previously reported from London and Paris, covering a range of topics from the rise of populism to gender. More about Katrin Bennhold

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Clothing Manufacturer Business Plan

Start your own clothing manufacturer business plan

New Look, Inc.

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">, opportunity.

New Look intends to lever up its position as an established retail men’s clothing business now to become a manufacturer of an upscale clothing line targeted at males between the ages of 20 and 40. New Look not only develops the clothing line, but supports it with advertising and promotion campaigns. The company plans to strengthen its partnership with retailers by developing brand awareness. New Look intends to market its line as an alternative to existing clothing lines, and differentiate itself by marketing strategies, exclusiveness, and high brand awareness.

The key message associated with the New Look line is classy, upscale, versatile, and expensive clothing. The company’s promotional plan is diverse and includes a range of marketing communications. In the future, the company hopes to develop lines of accessories for men, women, and children. These accessories will include cologne/perfume, jewelry, eyewear, watches, etc.

New Look not only develops the clothing line, but supports it with advertising and promotion campaigns. The company plans to strengthen its partnership with retailers by developing brand awareness

Our customers are males  between the ages of 20 and 40 with a disposable household income. Within this group, there are no color barriers, and customers have diverse backgrounds. The New Look customer is a versatile man who can fit into any environment and is willing to pay a high price for quality clothing.

Competition

Companies are restructuring to create leaner organizations and adopt new technologies. Consolidation has been prevalent in this industry in the past few years, as larger companies gain leverage in market position and cost cutting. In the apparel industry, companies can operate as retailers or manufacturers (wholesalers) or both. For instance, Gap, Inc., a vertical retailer, manufactures and markets their own apparel and accessories. A company like VG Corporation is a manufacturer and sells solely to retail channels. A company like Tommy Hilfiger does both, selling its products to both retailers and consumers (through retail outlets).

We are an alternative to existing clothing lines. We make our own lines which offers exclusivity, your coworkers or other fashion forward friends won’t be wearing the same thing. We are also highly aware of trends and brands,  you will be the envy of all your friends because you found us first.

Expectations

The company’s goal is to expand from retail into online, with its own branding, to be sold by the end of the period in other retail stores as well as online.

Financial Highlights by Year

Financing needed.

We are looking to expand our design line so our owner will put in $65,000. Further we are looking for a $115,000 business loan. Both will be paid back by our second year with our already established customer base and relationships

Problem and Solution

Problem worth solving.

The New Look strategy is to expand and grow our existing retail clothing business by aggressively developing and marketing a full range collection of its own brand. It intends to market its line as an alternative to existing clothing lines and differentiate itself through its marketing strategies, exclusiveness, and brand awareness. New Look intends to build on its core portfolio of products and overcome any obstacles by using the company’s expertise in the clothing industry.

The company’s goal over the long term is to make an overwhelming impact on the fashion industry and create a large consumer demand for the product. The company’s goal in the next 2-5 years is to venture into women’s and children’s clothing. It plans to also license a line of cologne and perfume, bedding, underwear, small leather goods, jewelry, and eyewear. According to Standard & Poor’s (S&P’s), women’s apparel accounted for 52% of total apparel sales in 2015.

Nashville Connection

The company has strategic alliances with Music Records and the Entertainment Group. These alliances are valuable to New Look because they provide the needed exposure for its line and the association of its products with celebrities. Celebrities are valuable assets because they receive free clothing for interviews, concerts, and music videos.

Our Solution

New Look clothing line is classy, upscale, versatile, and expensive clothing. Our current customers are males between the ages of 20 and 40. New Look not only develops the clothing line, but supports it with advertising and promotion campaigns. Our customers are the envy of their fashion forward friends. Our prices are in the mid range to upper level in the market, there are more expensive clothes on the market. Our clothes are top notch. This allows our customers to believe they are incredibly smart fashion forward shoppers. 

Target Market

Market size & segments.

[note: information here is for illustration purposes only, to serve as a sample business plan. It is not accurate and should not be reused]

The company plans to target males between the ages of 20 and 40 with a combined household income of more than $40,000. Within this group, there are no color barriers, and customers have diverse backgrounds. The New Look customer is a versatile man who can fit into any environment and is willing to pay a high price for quality clothing.

The company’s target group is seen as having enough disposable income to spend on high priced quality clothing.  From 2000 to 2007, for example, disposable personal income grew at a healthy average annual of 7.0%. Apparel and footwear expenditures increased at a strong .2% annual rate during the same period. After 2008, however, growth in personal income slowed somewhat and so did apparel expenditures. From 2008 to 2016 disposable personal income rose at an average annual rate of 4.7%, while apparel and footwear expenditures grew 4.5% per year.

According to S&P’s, in the men’s apparel segment, much of the growth in spending is being driven by consumers with annual household incomes of more than $60,000. Spending in this segment increased by approximately 13% in 2010. Apparel purchases by men from households with incomes between $40,000 and $59,999 grew by 7% in 2010. Men’s apparel sales at department stores and off-price retailers grew at double-digit rates in 2010.

As growth slows in the mature U.S. apparel and footwear markets, companies are increasingly looking overseas for growth opportunities.  American brands translate well internationally, and many expanding economies overseas are interested in buying U.S. products. International business has therefore become a focus of some U.S. companies.

Many apparel and footwear manufacturers see Europe, with a population of 350 million, as an attractive market. Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren recently opened flagship stores in London in an effort to build up their brands in Europe. Expansion in Asia, however, has been sidelined by economic troubles. In other parts of the world, footwear company Payless ShoeSource Inc., has been performing well in Canada and South America.

Distribution

New Look plans to use a direct sales force, retailers, and the Internet to reach its markets. These channels are most appropriate because of time to market, reduced capital requirements, and fast access to established distribution channels. The manufacture of denim is expected to take place in Mexico. Sweaters will be manufactured locally at first, and will later take place in Italy and Hong Kong. Upon arrival, the clothing will be placed in a warehouse. Initially, the company plans to use a consolidated warehouse before acquiring a warehouse of its own.

As companies in these mature industries continually look for ways to compete effectively, U.S. apparel and footwear manufacturers have increasingly moved their production facilities to lower-cost locations outside of the United States. Although some manufacturers have moved operations completely offshore, others are retaining a few production facilities in the United States to manufacture products requiring a quick turnaround time.

While manufacturing in Asia remains substantial, the growth of apparel manufacturing in Mexico and the Caribbean has been significant due to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the lowering of tariffs. Apparel assembled in Mexico and the Caribbean nations from fabric formed and cut in the United States accounted for 27% of all apparel imports in 1998, up from 9% in 1990.

With an improved economic outlook, Asian currencies have strengthened against the U.S. dollar over the past year. For example, the Thai bhat and Korean won appreciated 13% and 20%, respectively, from June 2013 to June 2014. While this has benefited U.S. exports somewhat, it has put pricing pressures on imported Asian goods. For the vast amount of goods manufactured in China, however, no such benefit is currently expected, as this country’s currency has remained fixed in value versus the U.S. dollar.

Leaner inventories, but continued pricing pressures

After several years of inventory build-ups, the apparel industry’s inventory-to-sales ratio declined steeply in 2008, and through 2010 it remained near its lowest levels in 16 years. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.49 as of May 2016, significantly below the 1.74 of a year earlier.

After several difficult years and many bankruptcies in the early 2010s, the apparel industry is relatively healthier overall, and its lower inventory levels are a sign of that. Despite the lean inventories, however, prices of women’s apparel declined in the first 6 months of 2015, compared with year-earlier levels, after rising slightly in 1998. S&P’s still expects some degree of apparel pricing pressure to persist in the near future. Intensifying competition doesn’t bode well for apparel manufacturers’ ability to raise prices. Companies are continually searching around the globe for cheaper sourcing and are looking for ways to cut operating costs. Consumers are also very value conscious-they want quality merchandise at the lowest possible price. This trend is evident in the successful growth of off-price retail stores.

Modest growth in ’16

As with most mature industries, the apparel and footwear industries are experiencing intense competition and pricing pressures, while facing the need for constant product innovation. However, these industries are enjoying a great economic cycle, with low interest rates, low unemployment, strong consumer confidence, and a low savings rate. Consumers are continuing to spend at a healthy clip. As a result, S&Ps expects sales for the apparel industry to rise about 4% in 2016. We believe that maker’s with strong brand recognition and those that are closely in tune with consumers’ needs will enjoy average growth. The footwear industry faces a tougher environment, however, considering the still-high inventory levels and low-margin price points. 

Apparel outlook still positive

Although S&P’s doesn’t expect the economy and consumer spending to sustain growth forever, we expect the overall apparel industry to continue to post-modest gains through 2016. Among apparel makers, we expect the best performances to come from companies with strong brand recognition, such as Tommy Hilfiger Inc., Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Jones Apparel Group Inc. As more and more companies have adopted casual attire in the workplace, the trend toward casual dressing continues. This has sustained the need for men and women to establish new wardrobes or alter their existing ones. S&P’s believes this has had more of an effect in the men’s segment, as evidenced by the higher growth rate in sales of that segment in the past year. Eventually, the casual trend will slow to a level of demand that satisfies basic replenishment needs, but for now we expect heightened consumer confidence to encourage spending beyond basic needs. Current career offerings have less structured looks, and consumers have favorably received these.

S&P’s expects the branded apparel companies that sell to the department store channel of distribution to grow somewhat faster than the overall industry. In addition to favorable demographic trends, this segment is benefiting from its strength in design and marketing, which has led to a high consumer awareness of and demand for branded apparel. Nonetheless, because there’s little pent-up demand for apparel, the need for freshness is still a vital part of keeping customers interested.

In response to a challenging and saturated domestic market with slower growth prospects, S&P’s expects that companies with strong brands will increasingly turn to international markets for growth. Companies are hoping that the international consumer’s interest in the U.S. lifestyle will translate into sales of brands that represent that lifestyle. Many companies as a significant growth area see Europe, and Asia appears to be recovering from the economic turmoil experienced in the past couple of years.

Apparel companies have been quick to recognize the importance of the youth market and have started to establish product lines to target this group. Generation Y–those individuals between four and 21 years of age–is a large demographic group with considerable spending power. This group is also significant in setting styles and trends that influence the styles for older consumers.

The current environment of abundant supply, consolidation, and intense competition has forced companies to maximize profits, not only for growth but for survival as well. Companies are constantly searching for ways to maximize efficiencies, cut costs, and increase sales. S&P’s believes this improved condition of apparel companies has positioned the successful ones for a greater degree of growth and should serve to develop a healthier industry.

Buy now, wear now

In the past, consumers purchased apparel and footwear for the upcoming season when retail stores decided it was best to carry the merchandise, usually months in advance. Times are changing, however, consumers are buying apparel and footwear closer to or during the season. The industry has had to adjust to this trend, or risk losing sales and carrying unwanted inventory. Companies have had to shorten design, development, production, and distribution cycles.

In order to stay in tune with consumer needs and trends and to aid in product planning, companies have established internal teams or have hired firms to gather feedback from relevant consumer groups. For example, Tommy Hilfiger recently established what it calls Quick Response Capsules (QRC), teams of designers and production staff to work in collaboration with retail stores to bring out fresh, new fashions within a month. When Nike recently reorganized its apparel division, it created a strategic response division to monitor consumer trends. Other companies are doing this as well.

S&P’s believes that the abbreviated production cycles brought about by this "buy now, wear now" phenomenon has caused companies to re-evaluate their manufacturing processes. With more and more production taking place offshore, the turnaround time for garments can be lengthy. Shortened cycles call for production sites in closer proximity to distribution points. 

At the moment, a few apparel companies are using domestic plants to fulfill small orders for fresh products. Although indications now are that most merchandise will continue to be sources offshore, some seasonal/special items may need to be produced domestically. If such demand increases, there may be some benefit to the rapidly shrinking domestic production industry. This buy now, wear now trend is a manifestation of the power that consumers now have in the mature apparel and footwear industries. Consumers dictate price, location, styles, and time of purchase more, something we don’t see changing anytime soon.

What’s in a name?

In a market where consumers are barraged by advertising and marketing campaigns delivering an onslaught of lifestyle and fashion messages, a brand name is a powerful weapon. Brands have become an increasingly significant factor in apparel and footwear. Many consumers have less time to shop an are spending their disposable income more carefully. Established brand names, with their quality image, make the shopping experience easier and faster for many consumers. For manufacturers, brands build consumer loyalty, which translates into repeat business.

Many established brand manufacturers, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., Jones Apparel, Liz Claiborne Inc., and Nautica Enterprises Inc., are leveraging their existing brand names by adding various accessory lines, such as sunglasses, watches, fragrances, wallets, and footwear. Jones Apparel’s recent acquisition of shoe retailer Nine West Group Inc. was a strategic move aimed at broadening the company’s product lines and creating opportunities to cross-sell products between the two brands. However, most companies choose to extend their product lines through licensing. Most recently, Tommy Hilfiger announced new licensing deals to market jewelry, hosiery and, most notably, watches through Movado.

A company with an impressive brand name must exercise caution when entering into licensing agreements. If a new product line doesn’t live up to the quality standards that consumers have come to expect from the brand name, the brand’s image can be tarnished. It remains to be seen how consumers will react to this onslaught of new brand name product introductions. To date consumers have embraced the extended product lines.

The Apparel Industry

The U.S. apparel industry is large, mature, and highly fragmented. Apparel sold in the United States is produced both domestically and in foreign locations. According to estimates from the American Apparel Manufacturers Association (AAMA), an industry trade group based in Arlington, Virginia, the dollar value of domestic apparel production was $39 billion at the wholesale level in 2014 (latest available), which was less than the $46 billion (U.S. wholesale value) of goods imported into the United States. In addition, $15 billion of goods were produced in both the United States and other countries.

The U.S. apparel market can be divided into two tiers: national brands and other apparel. National brands are produced by approximately 20 sizable companies and currently account for some 30% of all U.S. wholesale apparel sales. The second tier, accounting for 70% of all apparel distributed, comprises small brands and store (or private-label) goods.

Apparel is sold at a variety of retail outlets. Based on data from NPD Group, discount stores, off-price retailers, and factory outlets accounted for 30% of 2015 apparel sales, while specialty stores and department stores accounted for 22% and 18%, respectively. Another 17% were sold at major chains, and direct mail/catalogs accounted for 6%. The remaining 7% of apparel sales occurred through other means of distribution.

Current Alternatives

Although the apparel industry is mature and slow growing, it exists in a dynamic and competitive environment. In order to improve profitability, many companies are restructuring to create leaner organizations and adopt new technologies. Consolidation has been prevalent in this industry in the past few years, as larger companies gain leverage in market position and cost cutting. In the apparel industry, companies can operate as retailers or manufacturers (wholesalers) or both. For instance, Gap, Inc., a vertical retailer, manufactures and markets their own apparel and accessories. A company like VG Corporation is a manufacturer and sells solely to retail channels. A company like Tommy Hilfiger does both, selling its products to both retailers and consumers (through retail outlets).

Our Advantages

In a market where consumers are barraged by advertising and marketing campaigns delivering an onslaught of lifestyle and fashion messages, a brand name is a powerful weapon.  Brands have become an increasingly significant factor in apparel and footwear. Many consumers have less time to shop an are spending their disposable income more carefully. Established brand names, with their quality image, make the shopping experience easier and faster for many consumers. For manufacturers, brands build consumer loyalty, which translates into repeat business. 

The company’s name, New Look, is a competitive advantage in itself. The name is not attached to any particular group of customers and it allows entry into different segments of the industry. Another competitive advantage is the company’s marketing strategy. Through the use of celebrities, advertising, promotion, and giveaways, the company is able to develop its presence in the market. Although the company uses retailers to sell its line, most of the marketing and advertising is done in-house.

Keys to Success

Keys to succeses.

It’s about fashion, and style. We live or die with the look. 

Distribution will be critical. Although we start online, to grow we need to get the resonance of appearing in retail. 

• Department stores 
• Apparel specialty stores 
• Internet store

Marketing & Sales

Marketing plan.

The companies marketing plan is: 

• Public relations. Press releases are issued to both technical trade journals and major business publications such as DNR Magazine.
• Trade shows. Company representatives will attend and participate in several trade shows such as Magic in Las Vegas.
• Print advertising. The company’s print advertising program includes advertisements in magazines such as Code, and Rap Pages.
• Website. New Look plans to establish a presence on the Internet by developing a website. Plans are underway to develop a professional and effective site that will be interactive and from which sales will be generated worldwide. When up and running the customers who choose will be able to purchase our clothes from the comfort of their own home. We will even offer free expedited shipping to our reglars. 
• Social Media – We will use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Celebrities will be seen wearing our clothes on Facebook and Instagram. We will also run sales and promotions online. We will speak with our customers as well as have them speak back on Twitter. Youtube will be used as a way of promoting our clothing line designers. They will answer questions about fashion "dos and don’ts" and the best way to pick their color palate. 
• The company also plans to use various other channels including billboards, radio and television commercials, and a street team.

New Look intends to build a sales team that will be tasked with generating sales leads on a regional and national basis. They will also be responsible for establishing connections with retail outlets.

A key factor in the success of New Look will be its distribution. The company plans to use the following retail distribution channels:

Several large retail chains-particularly in the athletic footwear sector-have developed formats called superstores, which have more square footage dedicated to a particular product category. 

Differences exist in the distribution mix for men’s, women’s, and children’s items. For example, more women’s apparel is purchased in specialty and department stores than is the case for men’s apparel. Men’s apparel is more prevalent in discount stores and general merchandise chains. In the children’s segment, a considerably higher portion of apparel is purchased in discount stores.

Catalogs are another important method of distribution. Consumers have less time to shop, and for some, catalog shopping offers a more convenient and pleasant alternative. 

The distribution channel that has received the most attention recently is the Internet. Although it now represents only a small portion of apparel sales, this distribution channel has the most potential for growth. Consumers like the convenience of being able to shop from anywhere and at anytime they wish. Manufacturers with Internet sites use them for marketing and informational purposes. With expected technological advances in hardware, software, and data pipelines in the future, shopping for apparel and footwear should gain popularity.

Milestones & Metrics

Milestones table, key metrics.

Key Metrics are: 

1 – Keeping track of the customers that mention the print publications. We want about 10 to 15 percent of our people to mention the add, use a code or a referral. We will be taking surveys and each cash register attendant is set to ask two questions, did any one help you, where did you hear about us? 

2 – Trade shows – Connect with designers and make manufacturing deals at trade shows. We will keep very good records of the cost of the trade show and the profit from going there. We must cover our costs and make 1 or 2 percent of sales or it is not worth it. 

3 – Public Relations – Keep the cost low and measure by overall sales. These are hard to see and measure directly. They fall under branding and will be seen in sales and Twitter and Facebook. We need to be on people’s minds, have them speaking about us. 

4 – Website. These are measured by page views and links and sharing and our sales on our site. We want 80 percent of the people who search for us and view our clothes to turn into online sales. Technology allows us to keep track of if they drop out and what point in the process. We will have sales people on chat standing by to help. 

Ownership & Structure

New Look was founded as a Tennessee C-Corporation with principal offices located in Memphis, TN. All operations, from administration to marketing strategies, take place at this leased office location of approximately 500 square feet.

Past Performance

We brought our sales up to $3 million last year, with a 25% gross margin, but no profits. That gross margin was way below industry averages for good reasons as we ramped up, and we project an industry-standard gross of 50% for the future. 

New Look products will be priced at the high end to reflect the quality and exclusiveness associated with the brand. The company will use high-end materials such as cashmere, a wool blend, and high gauge denim. When a mark up is placed on New Look products, customers are willing to pay the premium because of the perceived value and quality guarantee that comes with all products. The New Look line is targeted at males between the ages of 20 and 40.

Management Team

The company’s management philosophy is based on responsibility and mutual respect. New Look has an environment and structure that encourages productivity and respect for customers and fellow employees.

Personnel Table

Financial plan investor-ready personnel plan .">, key assumptions.

Key Assumptions: 

– There are fashion forward men in the area

– These men have money they could spend on luxuries if they choose 

– These men are looking for high quality and unique clothes. They appreciate brands over everything else. 

Revenue by Month

Expenses by month, net profit (or loss) by year, use of funds.

The New Look strategy is to aggressively develop and market a full range collection to consumers. The company intends to market its line as an alternative to existing clothing lines and differentiate itself through its marketing strategies, exclusiveness, and brand awareness. New Look intends to build on its core portfolio of products and overcome any obstacles by using the company’s expertise in the clothing industry.

Sources of Funds

We believe we will be able to finance our growth through careful management of existing streams of income and working capital generated by the business. 

Projected Profit & Loss

Projected balance sheet, projected cash flow statement.

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What overcapacity? China says its industries are simply more competitive

The last day of U.S. Secretary Janet Yellen's trip to China coincided with the strongest retort yet from Beijing officials over her claims that China is flooding global markets with cheap goods, particularly in the new green industries.

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Network Rail to spend £2.8bn to cope with effects of climate crisis

Funding for drains, embankments and other measures is part £45.4bn five-year investment plan

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Network Rail is to spend nearly £3bn to protect the railway from the effects of the climate crisis and extreme weather, as it warned that the country’s network was having to contend with hotter summers and more winter floods.

As part of its new £45.4bn five-year investment plan, the body in charge of Great Britain’s rail network will spend £2.8bn over the next five years on activities and technology to help it cope with the impact of climate change.

Network Rail said millions would be spent on looking after thousands of miles of drains, cuttings and embankments to make them more resilient to issues such as flooding or landslips .

The taxpayer-funded body plans to send key operational staff to its new “weather academy” to make them “amateur meteorologists”, allowing them to interpret forecasts and make better operational decisions.

The rail network has been battered by extreme weather recently, with more than 14 named storms in the past 12 months, which have led to widespread disruption for passengers.

The most high-profile delays took place over Christmas when severe weather and heavy flooding led to delays and cancellations, including on the Eurostar .

The new investment will also go into building or rebuilding more than 600,000 metres of drains and recruiting more than 400 extra drainage engineers, who will boost the amount of maintenance done of drains so they can handle heavier rainfall.

More than 20,000 cuttings and embankments have been targeted for repair work, with more than 300 miles being strengthened.

The investment marks a major increase from the £1bn that Network Rail had initially earmarked for spending on climate change during the five-year period to April 2029, and is nearly six times the £500m in the investment plan that ran from 2019 to 2024.

The £45bn set aside for the latest investment period, known as control period 7, will be an increase of £3bn on the previous period. However, at current prices and factoring in inflation, it equates to a real-terms cut to £42.8bn, down from £43bn in the previous period.

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s group safety and engineering director, told Today on BBC Radio 4: “Climate change is happening right now. It’s affecting the railway with flooding in winter and hotter summers than we’ve ever seen before.”

Andrew Haines, the Network Rail chief executive, said: “We can never completely weatherproof our railway but we can be better prepared and mitigate the worst that Mother Nature throws at us, now and into the future, to keep passengers and services safe and moving.”

Network Rail plans to spend £19.3bn on replacing old assets, as well as investing in other projects such as digital signalling.

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It will spend £12.6bn on maintenance, £5.3bn on support functions such as timetabling and IT, £4.4bn on operations such as signalling, and £1.8bn will be put in a “risk fund” to be used for unforeseen events.

About 70% of Network Rail’s funding comes from the taxpayer, with 25% coming from the rail operators to use the lines, and 5% from property income.

The majority of Network Rail’s income – nearly £30bn – will come via grants from the UK and Scottish governments. It will receive £13.8bn in track access charges from train operators and £1.7bn in commercial income, such as from retail and property.

Network Rail has set a number of targets to improve train performance and reduce track failures, including replacing and maintaining 5,000km of track and 3,000 sets of points – the part of the rail that moves, allowing trains to switch tracks.

It has also committed to £4bn of efficiencies in operations and maintenance over the five-year programme, including changing the way it manages external contracts and simplifying its technical standards.

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