Stella SimpsonThe idea is tempting, for a few euros you have a business plan template for a company in your sector that you just have to adapt for your project.
No need to bother doing market research, spending hours creating a financial forecast, etc.
Yes but here it is, what do you really get?
A Ready-Made Market Study
Sorry to disappoint you, but this market research is not worth a dime.
Why?
For starters, it is probably not from yesterday. But even assuming that the market research for the business plan you just purchased is up to date, it is of little value because it is too general.
Given the low conversion rate of products sold online, websites that sell models are forced to target high-volume themes – for example the business plan of a pizzeria – in order to get enough traffic to make the business profitable. creation of the business plan template.
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So you get with the model plan a market study on the French pizza market (to use the example above).
Big deal! This is perfectly unnecessary for 2 reasons:
- Unless you are launching a pizzeria chain all over France, this is not your market. The average price of a pizza varies from € 7.00 to € 12.70 depending on the region, the dynamics of this market are therefore local. You therefore need a local study based on your observations in the field.
- Your bank has exposure to the French pizza market and has much more in-depth market data internally than that contained in the study which sold you with the business plan model.
Good ok, but you are not buying the model only for market research, there are also the company’s forecast accounts. And having an example of accounts in your area is still useful, isn’t it?
No, let’s see why …
Forecast Accounts Of A Company In Your Sector
There are 3 issues with the financial forecast that sold you with the plan.
Problem number 1, who made the financial forecast for the plan?
The site that sells the plan will probably tell you that it was written by an expert. An expert in what? There is nothing to prove that the financial forecast for the plan was written by someone familiar with the industry, or that the banker found the plan realistic.
Problem number 2, the financial forecast of the plan you buy is precisely forecast . Even if the assumptions that were used to build the financial forecast were based on solid market research. There is no evidence that the plan was not overly optimistic.
Finally problem number 3, the differences within a sector are such that the cash flow plan valid for one company does not necessarily have it for another. Just as the price of a pizza can range from € 7.00 to € 12.70, the commercial margin of 50% of companies doing retail sales varies between 25% and 42%. Added to this are the considerations on the cost structure, a company choosing to lease part of its equipment or to outsource part of its activity will have very different margins than a company making different choices.
Put end to end, its problems mean that the financial forecast that you buy does not have much value.
If you want to get an idea of the potential for future profitability of your business, you should rather find one comparable to yours (same activity, same region, same industrial choices) and to buy its financial accounts on an information site. financial like society.com it will cost you less than buying a business plan template and you will be sure to have real accounts and not forecast.
Finally, last point, don’t forget that you only have one chance to convince your banker of your seriousness and the qualities of your project. Bringing out a copy and paste of an online business plan may not be the best idea. Especially since you take the risk that he has already seen a very similar project …
There you go, I hope you found these tips useful, if so feel free to share the article on social media. If you have a contrary opinion or feedback on the purchase of a business plan template, do not hesitate to leave us a comment below.
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Reminder: What Is An Executive Summary?