1.1. What is a business plan?

a)   Substantive justification:
The business concept must be marketable, plausible and realistic; it must be substantiated in terms of content.

b)   Convincing presentation:The
business concept must be presented in a self-confident, qualified and competent manner, it must be convincing.

The business plan must make and justify the most important assumptions for the implementation of the business concept. It must describe which business goals are aimed at and how the goals can be achieved. It must seek to grasp the opportunities and risks of the enterprise in competition.

The business plan represents a self-presentation of the person who prepares it and who presents it.

This means:

The service description must define the offer, set the price and determine the quality. This simultaneously defines the target customers and makes decisions for marketing. The sales price must take into account the market price and the cost price. The market forecast lays the foundations for the sales targets. With the financial planning, it is determined what the capital structure of the company should look like and to what extent investments can be made. With the planned profit and loss account (P&L), the economic success is planned. Finally, it must be stated how the liquidity of the enterprise is to be ensured in the "best case" and "worst case".

The business plan is a tool. The modules in the business plan function according to the principle of "communicating tubes". Every change has effects on the other parts. Without a precise definition of the service, no precise sales planning is possible. Without a definition of the target customers, no marketing plan can be drawn up. Without knowledge of the market, competitors remain unknown. The special challenge is to conceptualise the inner context of a successful company.