How do you complete a business plan?

BastiColler

I am starting a mobile auto care business. We would be doing things like detailing, roadside assistance, and repairs. I have tried working on my business plan several times but I always hit the same wall. When I get to the section about forecasting and revenue I just don't know what to put. I have a few years of auto repair experience and have presented my ideas to dozens of people who all seem to be very interested, but I have no clue how to determine how much I would actually make in a month or year, let alone the next few years. This has held me up long enough and want to be able to move forward already. I have tried searching google, but I have only found clickbait articles with no real explanation. Could someone please help me?

rocking-m

Find out if there are any similar businesses for sale in your area. The listing may have helpful information.

Back your way into the maximum business you could do per day based on time for each activity, travel time estimates, commute to and from home etc. The estimate what you think is a realistic utilization or productivity rate per day. example - You estimate at most you can do 8 service calls per day, assume a 75% productive rate....that would be 6 calls at an average price of $X.

Call the competition and ask them about availability for help (they will tell you the wait time). Ask them your actual question about how busy they are, you never know, they may tell you.

The key is to get a number in those areas as a starting point so you can tell if your plan is even viable. Continue to learn and refine those numbers over time before you start your business.

A SWAG (scientific wild ass guess) is better than no information at all. It is critical that you have no blanks in your business plan and that each number you plug in has some research and rationale behind it.

Keep learning and refining. Hope that helps!

Brackwom

Hi,

If you are working on breaking down your activity plan into chunks. For instance, you have a marketing aim of penetrating a specific segment, then chunk it down and explain how that is going to be performed. Chunking is powerful because it formulates focus, sets definable targets that you can control, and serves as accountability (either you’ve achieved the chunks or you haven’t).