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  • Business Plan

    We are looking to start a brewpub operation in a small Canadian city. I would like to know if anyone has any good tips in regard to the business plan. Especially sources for sales projections etc.. A sample plan would be most helpful.

    Thank-you!

  • #2
    team effort

    Hi I am also planning a micro in a small eastern city, maybe we could share info and create a symbiotic business relationship helping each other along the way. email me @ nmhorme@hfx.eastlink.ca

    Anyone else who can help us in our ventures would be a welcome and engouraged gesture. If you have started or are starting a micro please contact me and we will all work together.

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    • #3
      send email with specific q's to johndamas@mac.com I recieved lots of help from brewers/bus. owners from this board when writing my plan and would be more than happy to answer any q's that I can.
      Bottoms Up!

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      • #4
        I have some sample BP's as well if it helps. Also, if you haven't already, go to beertown.org and join the Brewers Association. You will definiteley want to buy the most current Industry Revealed nums as well as the Brewery Planner (especially if you are starting a micro). Best of Luck

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        • #5
          Look forward not back

          My wife and I have been working on a business plan, and I'd have to recommend checking with the bank(s) you plan on getting a loan through.

          We talked to several consultants who told us completely conflicting things. The first Small Business consultant told us our plan should be 40-50 pages and gave a sample to work from that "a bank" had developed. The second consultant, a Score counselor, told us our plan should be no more than 4 or 5 pages, and gave us a sample to work from that "a bank" had developed.

          When we talked to the first bank they asked if we had one, we said yes and asked if they would like to see it. She replied that they may look at the cash flow, but just wanted to make sure we went through the process. The second bank we talked to definitely wants to see the plan. So it really depends on your target audience, find out what they want.

          In the end our plan itself is about 10 pages, with another 10 pages of projections and cash flow charts, plus some supporting material. For most of our projections we asked other recently opened local brewpubs and breweries what they did initially, and they were very helpful and generous with their information.

          Hope this helps,
          Ray
          Ray Sherwood
          Sherwood Brewing Company
          Shelby Township, MI
          586.532.9669
          f.586.532.9337

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          • #6
            Business Plan is more for you than for others

            You may need to have a couple of versions of your business plan depending on the party in question ...

            However, ultimately, you write the business plan for yourself -- the key word being "plan." This should have as much detail as possible and necessary. This initial plan is what you'll be working from in your first six months.

            This is the most important tool in your administrative arsenal, allowing you to project costs and stay on course.

            Later on down the road, once you've realized that your assumptions and operating conditions have changed, you'll want to re-write that plan ...

            I suggest doing this every six months or so (or even continously) and keeping a digital copy on a secure computer (that is, one not hooked up to the internet).

            Organization and planning are 90% of the battle in a successful business.

            - John

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            • #7
              40-50 page business plan......WTF! That is wrong. A small brewpub is not some huge corporate plan to distribute multiple products around the world. Aim for 10-15 pages. The only parts that get read are the cover page,summary, and financials. If you go thru SBA you will need to provide 15% of the loan (if a opening a new company, 10% if existing). If you are going thru a bank only (no SBA) you will need 20% of the requested loan amount.
              Bottoms Up!

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              • #8
                bp software?

                Anybody have thoughts on business plan software? Good ones, bad ones, etc.

                Cheers,
                Justin

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                • #9
                  I just used excel and word to create the bp from scratch. It worked great and easy.
                  Bottoms Up!

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                  • #10
                    buisness plan

                    im also looking for a buisness plan , can anyone write his or give his detals so i can see where to start from

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                    • #11
                      Business Plan

                      I don't think it truly matters what program you use, and, if written well, I don't think it matters to a great extent how long or how short the plan is. I think it does matter that from the outset, you establish a clear mission that is to be the heart of your company, and your projected sales and anticipation on profits or breakeven periods; and from that point on, every word should be a reflection of how you intend on serving your mission, and fulfilling your financials. The bottom line is I believe you have to be straight with yourself about what you truly hope to accomplish by creating your company, and let that guide every thought from that point forward.

                      My plan was over 60 pages. I was told by our banker, accountant, and head of our investors' syndicate it was the best plan they had ever read. It was well indexed, so anyone who didn't want to read the whole thing could easily get to the meat of the story at any point in the plan, but the plan was replete with a good deal of real world, quality research, so any who chose could see the depth of thinking and reasoning that went into our plan. The only unfortunate thing was that after getting money commitments, a free three year lease on a 20,000 s.f. historical brick building, and a host of other positives, the City in its inestimable wisdom reversed its position on zoning and in our rural area, that was the death knell, as noone travels outside the immediate environs.

                      Good luck. I think it's all just sitting down and hammering out some truth about what you hope to build by mounting your company.

                      Paul

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                      • #12
                        Business plan class?

                        Has anyone attended a seminar or maybe community college business course geared toward developing a business plan for a small business? Maybe even a course for actually running said small business? Any recommendations in the NJ area if you have?

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                        • #13
                          Business Plan

                          I am also looking for any information on a plan. I am finding it hard to find numbers in the Canadian market. Can anyone help?

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                          • #14
                            I dont think the bank even read my business plan. Maybe the cover sheet, and proformas (def. the proformas) but that is it. All they really cared about is if I had the money to fund the loan and if the loan amount was enough to fully fund the project. Make the numbers in the plan make sense and pitch your plan to the bank well and you can get a loan.
                            Bottoms Up!

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                            • #15
                              B-Plan !?!

                              Take your time by planning for project. It took’s me almost a year from the idea to the grand opening. Try to work with the SBA und the local Chamber of Commerce. I like to create a franchise system for microbreweries. A lot of smaller breweries have the same buying power as one large brewery!

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