We Write Business Plans That Get Financed
The following 29 page document (image link below) contain a successful business plan project. This business plan resulted in our client receiving over $300,000 in financing for their business. Some of the questions people ask us when inquiring about our business plan writing services are:
- How much do we charge for a business plan?
- What will the business plan contain?
- The price ranges anywhere from $1500 to $15,000. The cost is directly related to the purpose of the business plan and the complexity of the business. If you only need a simple 5-10-page business plan to secure a commercial lease then $1500 is the typical price. If you need a business plan to secure creditor financing and they are requesting three years of proforma financial statements with cash flow tables, a loan amortization table, financial ratios, and a decent amount of market research then the price will typically be between $3,500 and $5,000. The cost of the business plan depends on exactly what you need in your business plan.
- Download the 29-page sample business plan below to read an actual business plan (we changed or omitted the names, locations, and numbers to provide anonymity).
Click to download a free sample of a successful Business plan than resulted in over $300,000 in funding for a Calgary business.- Alberta Innovates Alberta Community Futures Loans Alberta Small Business Resources
- British Columbia Business Loans and Grants
- Canadian AgriScience Innovation Canada
- Community Futures Manitoba
- Northwest Territories Business Funding
- Nunavut Small Business Support Program
- Saskatchewan First Nations, Metis, and Northern Communities
- Yukon Business Support
Our Business Plan process
| A free consultation session: Either by phone or email our initial conversation will focus on your business idea and any questions you have about us. To schedule the free consultation just email us at david@matterhornsolutions.ca or call us at (403) 991-8863. If you would like for us to sign a non-disclosure agreement first, just let us know. |
| Cost and Timeline: We will review your information and provide you with a quote and timeline to complete the business plan. If you are good with our proposal then we will begin work after a 50 percent deposit is made. Quotes under $5000 are paid upfront in full. Quotes $5000 and over are paid 50% upfront with the remaining 50% due on the original delivery day*. |
| Progress Reports: We will send you drafts after milestones are reached. For example, once the financials are complete, we will email you the Excel file which we can review together. |
| Final Business Plan Once complete, we will send you an editable Word document and editable Excel spreadsheet. You then make the final 50% payment for the business plan. |
| Revisions to the Completed Business Plan It is possible your situation may change, such as a new expense or revenue source you want to add – no problem! For no extra charge, we will do up to five minor changes to your financials or written portion. Examples of minor changes are: bank loan interest rate, adding an extra employee’s wages, changing start-up item costs, removing a business partner and their associated costs or contributions. |
To book a free consultation on your business idea just call us at (403) 991-8863 or email: david@matterhornsolutions.ca.
Privacy Note: We will not sell or share your information with any other party. All information will be held strictly confidential between you and us. If you decide not to work with us, we will delete your personal information. We will only use this information to better understand your needs and to contact you to schedule a free consultation. We take your privacy seriously.
- Do you guarantee financing with your business plan service?
Let’s be honest, no one can guarantee financing – no one. All of our business plans did get financing but some business owners were required to do more to get financing than others. I don’t want to sound too jaded about banks, but if you have collateral (home equity for example) then a bank will give you a loan for almost anything. If you are requesting a loan of $250,000 and putting up $250,000 of your own money, the bank may require a lien on the equipment you buy with your own money before they lend you theirs. - How does financing from government agencies work?
As much as a bank will require a business plan, government agencies offering grants will need a very strong business idea. An idea so strong that it demonstrates how you will help some aspect of the Canadian economy or a particular Canadian community. The details of each agency is different so it would be best if they explain the requirements to you. - What if I pay the 50% deposit and something happens in my life where I can’t go ahead with the business; do I still have to pay you the remaining 50% of the fee?
We understand that life can be unpredictable. If we do not deliver the business plan, you do not have to pay the other 50%. Be sure to tell us this news ASAP so we can stop work. - Why do you only work on businesses valued up to two-million-dollars, why not take on bigger projects?
Just like a construction company, some build houses, some build apartment buildings, some build office towers, and some build oil refineries. A key factor in business success is knowing what you are good at and sticking to it. Businesses from $50,000 to $2,000,000 have a lot in common and similar requirements. A $20,000,000 business idea is a different beast all together.
David HowseBefore you hire someone to help with you on what might be the most important work project of your life, make sure you have confidence in that person.
Take a few minutes to read about my background, and anyone else you may consider hiring to write your business plan.
Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of businesses and to write business plans for many new businesses in Alberta. Our latest business plan was for the successful bank financing and corporate approval for the new The Chopped Leaf restaurant in Lethbridge, Alberta. A few of the businesses and industries we have worked with are:Alberta Innovates Feasibility Application
Automobile Export
Auto Repair
Barbershop
Beauty Services
Beef Processor
Bottled Water
Brewery
Bridal
Canada Heritage Fund Funding Application
CBD Dispensary
Chiropractor
Construction: Concrete / Residential and Commercial
Construction: Earthworks
Construction: Flooring
Construction: Paving Company / Residential and Commercial
Construction: Home Renovation
Construction: Roofing
Construction: Underground Civil Engineering
Daycare
Education (Post Secondary)
Education (Learning Disabilities)
Federally Licenced Medical Marijuana Production
Food and Beverage
First Nations Community
Franchises
Glass Reflective Coating Service
Health Services
Home Security
HR Recruiting
HR Group Benefits
Hydrovac
Importing from China
Janitorial
Land Developer
Landscaping / Hardscaping
Legal Services
Marketing Agency
Mobile Barbershop
Not-for-Profit Organizations
Oil and Gas Industry
Retail Food
Retail Fashion
Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)
Software Developer
Telecommunications / Call Center
Yoga Instructor Training Center
and many more
Here’s a little about me: I began working in business research in 1992 and by 2008 I started a business consultancy focusing on marketing and business consulting. Five years ago, in addition to my business consultant work, I began teaching business classes at Mount Royal University. I still teach at MRU in the evenings and absolutely love teaching my wealth of knowledge to students.
The price ranges anywhere from $1500 to $15,000. The cost is directly related to the purpose of the business plan and the complexity of the business. If you only need a simple 5-10-page business plan to secure a commercial lease then $1500 is the typical price. If you need a business plan to secure creditor financing and they are requesting three years of proforma financial statements with cash flow tables, a loan amortization table, financial ratios, and a decent amount of market research then the price will typically be between $3,500 and $5,000. The cost of the business plan depends on exactly what you need in your business plan.
Call: David Howse at (403) 991-8863
Email: david@matterhornsolutions.ca
David Howse in the News
David Howse, Matterhorn’s lead marketer and business consultant, has made several media appearances as a subject matter expert. Some of the topics he is available to discuss are:
- Social Media Advertising
- Google Search and Advertising
- Business Strategy
- Marketing Strategy
- Public Relations Crisis Management
- Advertising (in general)
- Digital Marketing
Below are a selection of his news media collaborations.
CTV News July 19, 2018 For published article click to visit David Howse, CTV News
CTV News June 5, 2018 For published article click to visit David Howse, CTV News
Global News May 6, 2018 For published article click to visit David Howse, Global News Morning Calgary
Global News February 13, 2018 For published article click to visit David Howse, Global News Hour at 6 Calgary
CTV News May 12, 2011 Article no longer online. In this CTV interview, I was the spokesperson for Bill Borger’s $600,000 Calgary Handi-Bus fundraiser. Bill had just summited Mount Everest and became only the fourth person in history to have swum the English Channel and climb Mount Everest.
Alberta Venture Magazine September 1, 2010 For published article click to visit David Howse, Alberta Venture Magazine
Grand Falls Advertiser May 3, 2007 Article available in print only.
Here’s an area often overlooked. A good business plan has an “Owner’s Biography” section; the part of the business plan that tells a potential lender about you. It is equally important to know the details of the person writing your business plan. .
David Howse’s Resume
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Lead Business Consultant, Matterhorn Business Solutions Inc., Calgary, AB 2008 – 2020
Managed all aspects of marketing communications and development & execution of marketing plans for a Calgary-based marketing agency. Provided strategic marketing support for over 20 Calgary-based businesses. Client revenues ranged from $200,000 to $200,000,000 per year. Designed a monthly client reporting program to enhance customer awareness and satisfaction. Trained and managed a team of five.
- Innovation Specialist
- Innovation portfolio includes over 20 products, services, and workflows
- Placed 6th in Alberta’s largest construction innovation fair
- Innovations include (individually or team): construction site management software design, challenge coin innovation program, corporate private university and certification program, work site health and safety program, mobile app design for instant 400 member team notification and communication, fuel anti-theft device, and several others for which I am bound by an NDA.
- Innovation consulting includes: Production Waste to Biofuel and Engineer Blueprint Design Marketplace.
- Market and Marketing Research
- Following a 12-step research process, designed and managed all components of:
- Market research on consumer behaviour in Lethbridge, AB regarding consumer perceptions and us of traditional and digital marketing materials.
- Global research report as the basis of a feasibility study on a proposed Yoga training centre in Samoa (South Pacific).
- Calgary Restaurants Digital Marketing Report: researched digital marketing usage among 500 restaurants in Calgary
- Calgary Industrial Digital Marketing Research Report: researched digital marketing usage among 1000 industrial businesses in Calgary
- Retail traffic counts and analysis for retail location strategy
- Following a 12-step research process, designed and managed all components of:
- International Business Development and Marketing
- China
- Four trips (10 weeks total) to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Yiwu, China
- Managed importing for two product categories from China to Canada
- Managed vendor selection, vendor negotiation, Canadian legal issues, order fulfillment, and complexities of defective products shipped from China
- Iran
- Two trips (5 weeks total) to Tehran, Iran
- Consulted for a steel manufacturing component producer on international market entry from a digital marketing perspective.
- China
- Business Plans / Financial Analysis / Financial Statement Analysis
- Analyzed financial statements of a large bridal shop in Lethbridge and advised on inventory and sales policy adjustments
- Business Plan Writing
- Over 100 business plans written
- Multiple bank financings approved
- Received Federal Government approval and fast-track based on business plan quality
- Created business plan template with 100 client questions to enable business plan completion in two weeks or less
- Created custom Excel template that automatically turns sales forecasts and expenses in to 3-year cash flow, income statements, and balance sheets.
- Advertising Strategy and Design
- Designed several print and digital marketing ads including press ready images for print production
- Collaborated with brand stakeholders and design teams to deliver brand enhancing communications across multiple media platforms
- Used data-informed strategies to drive audience engagement
- Measured advertising effectiveness using various analytics tools
- Digital Marketing
- Developed complete digital marketing plans and subsequent plan execution including:
- Website Design – wrote content for and maintained about 20 websites
- SEM (Search Engine Optimization and Google Advertising)
- Regularly applied over 50 SEO techniques to multiple client websites to outrank the competition on Google
- Used Google Analytics and Google Ads data to reach the target market on terms they used
- Designed and managed Google Ads campaigns with an average ad cost 50 percent less than clients’ previous cost
- Social Media Marketing management and content creation
- Transformed client’s HR recruitment strategy away from print Ads and built an online community of qualified job seekers.
- Wrote content and scheduled social media posts using Hootsuite
- Community management and engagement
- Video Production – produced, scripted, shot, and edited about 50 client videos including green screen
- “Women in Construction” video resulted in a major news piece in the Financial Post (links available on request).
- Public Relations and Media Relations Management
- Press Release writing and submission
- Over 50 press releases published in local to international media outlets
- Managed PR for Bill Borger’s $600,000 Calgary Handi-bus / Mt. Everest fundraiser
- Media Trainer
- PR Crisis Management (including TV and radio interviews)
- Acted as Spokesperson (live TV and Newspaper)
- Press Conference Management
- Independently managed, planned, and implemented special events including multiple press conferences for Century Downs Racetrack and Casino (Ground breaking ceremony and first race)
- Oil Ministry of Kazakhstan’s World Petroleum Congress 2017 Bid
- Managed Media Relations in Calgary
- Setup Kazakh Cultural Art Gallery at Hyatt Regency
- Photographer and Videographer for all events
- Event Management
- A Night of Food and Art – put together six local businesses including a restaurant inside a restaurant to promote the arts in Calgary.
- Press Release writing and submission
- Sales and Sales Management
- Prospecting, lead development, sales presentations, negotiation, and client management
- Closed over 90 percent of Matterhorn’s sales on an annual basis
- Maintained client relations – some for over ten years
- Business Development for a bridal accessory wholesaler: Travelled across Canada and the USA developing a client base
- Business Development for a beef jerky manufacturer: Travelled across Southern Alberta developing a client base
- General Marketing Management
- Managed marketing for new business start-ups, product launches
- Project management from inception to execution
- Outsource and negotiate external contracts for graphic design, photography etc.
- Created client briefs, proposals and bids
- Traditional marketing management: TV and Radio commercials, newspaper ads
- Digital Marketing Management: multi-platform multi-channel strategies
Assistant Editor, Motion Picture and TV – Vancouver, BC and L.A., Ca. 1997 – 2003
- Professional video editor (Credits include CBS, ShowTime, CTV, NFB, and feature films)
- A position divided evenly among creative, managerial, and technical duties.
- 11 multi-million-dollar budgeted feature films, made for TV movies and shows.
- Worked closely with the editor, director, & producer as a creative & technical resource.
- Collaborated with several departments to ensure work flow and continuity.
- Ongoing document management including organizing and maintaining daily reports.
ACADEMIC INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCE
Lecturer
- College of the North Atlantic – Qatar, Doha, Qatar 2018 – 2020
- 2018 – 2020 (Six Academic Semesters)
- Marketing Services (MR2450)
- A third-year marketing course, Four sections, 56 hours per section
- Business Research (MR2300)
- A second-year marketing course, Seven sections, 60 hours per section
- Digital Marketing (MR2403)
- A third-year marketing course, Three sections, 56 hours per section
- Introduction to Marketing (MR1100)
- A first-year marketing course, One section, 60 hours
- Introduction to Business
- A first-year business course, One section, 26 hours
- Entrepreneurship (EP2150)
- A second-year business course, Three sections, 60 hours per section
- Student Workplace/Skills Development
- Marketing Services (MR2450)
- 2018 – 2020 (Six Academic Semesters)
- Supervised students on external work terms
- Mentored students on workplace issues and theory-in-to-practice
- Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2015 – 2020
- Social Media for Business – Final Project
- 21 hours, Five semesters in-class and online instruction
- Coordinated outside not-for-profit directors to liaise with student project
- Search Engine Marketing – (SEO and Google Ads)
- 18 hours, Two semesters of in-class instruction
- Content Marketing
- 15 hours, Two semesters of online instruction
- Social Media for Business
- 15 hours, Two semesters of online instruction
- Social Media for Business – Final Project
Curriculum Development
- College of the North Atlantic – Qatar 2018-2020
- Developed complete curriculum for MR2403 – Digital Marketing
- Created original twelve module (100+ slides) PowerPoint
- Trained fellow instructor to deliver the course
- Developed complete curriculum for MR2403 – Digital Marketing
- Mount Royal University 2015
- Developed complete curriculum for Social Media for Business – Final Project
- Created original 60 slide PowerPoint
- Developed 34-page social media marketing manual
- Developed complete curriculum for Social Media for Business – Final Project
Instructor Training
- Vancouver Community College, PIDP 3100 — Instructor Skills, December 2018
- 28 hours hands-on training to improve lecturer-student outcomes.
- Vancouver Community College, PIDP 3230 — Evaluation of Learning, March 2019
- 30 hours assessment and evaluation strategies used in education and training
EDUCATION
2007-09 Bachelor of Business Management, University of Lethbridge, AB
2004-07 Business Administration Diploma (Marketing), College of the North Atlantic, NL
MEMBERSHIPS and SKILLS
- Marketing & Social Media Advisory Committee Member, Mount Royal University
- Amateur photographer with several photos published across traditional and digital media
A typical business plan covers these areas:
- CONTENTS
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- SECTION 1.0
- OBJECTIVES
- MISSION
- SECTION 2.0
- COMPANY SUMMARY
- COMPANY OWNERSHIP
- START UP SUMMARY
- SECTION 3.0
- PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
- SECTION 4.0
- MARKET SUMMARY
- COMPETITION
- MARKET NICHE
- SEGMENTATION STRATEGY AND TARGET MARKET
- Competitive Edge and Fundamental value added to customers
- RISKS AND MINIMIZATION OF RISKS
- SECTION 5.0
- BUSINESS MODEL
- MARKETING STRATEGIES
- PRICING STRATEGIES
- SECTION 6.0
- ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
- ORGANIZATION HIERARCHY
- FINANCIAL PLAN
- Initial Start-up Costs & Legal
- Financial Analysis
- APPENDIX A: Financial Statements
- Cash-flow Statements
- Balance Sheets
- Income Statements
- Loan Amortization
- APPENDIX B: Ownership Biography
A short guide to writing a business plan
A business plan can be as short as five pages or go over 100 pages. The length of the business plan should be determined by its purpose. Consider who will use the business plan; will it be your strategic road-map for the future success of your business, is it for a bank to get funding, or a landlord so you can take possession of a location? A bank will require more information than a landlord and creating a strategic road-map for you review and update yearly will require the most information. The next thing to consider is your type of business. Consider multiple business start-ups anywhere in Alberta; the business plan for a takeout only pizza shop that is self-funded can be written in about a week. On the other hand, a plan for a heavy-duty mechanic service provider with multiple employees and in need of bank financing would require a much more sophisticated business plan. Regardless of the type of business, starting with a set of questions to answer will help you understand what is required in your business plan. Below are a few initial interview questions that I would ask you to help give you a quote and timeline to create your business plan.- What problems in the market will your company solve?
- Is your main market B2C, B2B, B2G?
- Describe the ideal client such as where they are and what they do.
- How will you serve your clients – in-store, visiting them on-site, online?
- What are the competitive advantages of your company?
- Does your company have special skills or other competitive advantages?
- Do you already have a location?
- How long has the business been running or for how long have you had the idea for this business?
- Has your business already started?
- Are you the sole owner or director?
- Do you have business partners?
- List the owners and their role in your business.
- What is the hierarchy of your organization?
- Why does your organization exist (from a customer perspective)?
- What do you want your company to be in 10 years (from a customer perspective)?
- What is the past, present, and future outlooks of the industry your company belongs to?
- What are the annual industry sales of your service or product over the last 5-10 years; is it increasing?
- Other than sales volume, what other changes have occurred in that time?
- What does the typical target market look like?
- How many consumers are there of your product or service in your service area?
- Who is going after the same customers for the same/similar service as you?
- Who are the competitors and what are their strengths?
- Who are the market leaders and what market share do they own?
- Are you going after the exact same customer as your competition?
- Are you positioning your company any differently from your competition?
- How will you divide the market?
- What’s important to your business?
- Gender, age, income, geographic, home ownership, car ownership, lifestyle, what criteria define your market?
- What is the political situation of Canada or Alberta and how can it affect the industry?
- What are the current economic factors and trends in Alberta or Canada?
- How much do you think the economy could retract and your business not be affected?
- How much importance does culture have in the market and what are its determinants?
- How do people’s behaviors or beliefs affect the purchase of my products or services?
- What technological innovations are likely to pop up and affect the market structure?
- Isthere any current legislation that regulate the industry or can there be any change in the legislation for the industry?
- What are the environmental concerns for the industry?
- Describe your product(s) or service(s).
- Are their multiple price points?
- Product or service ad-ons?
- What is your marketing strategy?
- How will you generate revenue?
- Why does your target market care about your product or service?
- How will you price your product? Cost plus, value based, follow the competition?
- Where will your business be located? Will you be virtual/online only? Will you go to the customer?
- How will people find out about your business?
- Do you have a location where customers interact? How will the environment affect customer interactions and their perception of your brand?
- If you are selling a physical good, how is it presented to the customer? If you are selling a service, are there any tactics to make the intangible good less abstract?
- Where in the mind of the consumer does your brand sit? Think of your category, residential concrete services for example. How many of these companies exist in Calgary? What influences the purchase decision the moments a customer decides to look for your service? Are there any well known companies in this category?
- You may get a Google review after your first sale; will it be good or bad?; what will you do if it is bad?
- At what point(s) does the customer interact with your product or service?
- Are there any special zoning requirements of your location? Do they affect how you do business?
- If you have suppliers, do you have a supplier contingency plan?
- How will you produce the product or provide the service?
- List the steps and time to perform each step. What materials or people are required in each step?
- How will you handle mistakes or customer complaints?
- What positions/skills/people do you need to start the business? What is HR’s role in your company’s growth?
- Once your business starts, what do you anticipate the next hire to be? And the next hire after that?
- If you are a small business, how many employees can you manage before needing a manager or foreman or supervisor?
- How do you plan on finding the right people for your company? What skills are required?
- How much is the local labour marketing paying these people?
- How will you evaluate the resumes?
- How will you interview them?
- What criteria will you use to make an offer?
- How often will you do a performance review?
- What criteria will you use?
- What are the possible outcomes of these reviews?
- How will you motivate employees to stay?
- How much will you pay each employee?
- Good employees generally want to advance, can you provide that opportunity?
- Vacation: how many days a year do you have to offer? How many will you offer?
- Will you offer health insurance?
- Will you offer any benefits?
- What will you do to reduce the probability of injuries to your employees/customers?
- Does your business require WCB insurance?
- Do you have a plan to ensure a respectful workplace?
- Are you looking for a bank loan or an investor?
- How much capital do you need?
- What are the terms of this investment?
- Is it a bank loan that you will pay back or is it an equity investment that gives the investor partial ownership of your company?
- Is there a payback period – how long?
- Exactly what will you use the funding for? Equipment, inventory, salaries?
The Executive Summary is a one or two page section, where, if it was the only thing a person read, they would understand the main points of your business plan. Make sure you at least discuss who you the business owner are, your business idea, the goal and vision of the business, what makes your business idea unique, the market size, expected annual sales, net income, and any other important financial numbers. Discuss why you need financing and how much you need to achieve your objective.
If room allows, a sentence or two from each section of the business plan will be helpful.
There are 35 sections to this business plan. Consider combining sections if a section is four sentences or less. Feel free to rearrange sections, add new sections, or delete ones that are not relevant to you.
Example paragraph, “In year-one we expect our net sales to be $575,000 with a COGS of $190,000 creating a gross profit margin of X%. In year-two, we expect our net sales to be $775,000 with a next COGS of $240,000 creating a gross profit margin of X%. The increase in sales is expected from Y activity while supply chain efficiencies are expected to reduce COGS. We expect further improvements in year-3 as well.”
Below are sample pro-forma cash-flow, income statement, balance sheets, and loan amortization table. As you can see at the bottom of the Excel screenshots, there are more sheets that are required for the financial planning of a business.
The financials section is incredibly important to your business plan – it might be the first thing a lender looks at.
If you are a skilled accountant, you may notice in the below statements that PPE (property, plant and equipment) are not depreciated nor are COGS (cost of goods sold) represented by themselves but included in SG&A (selling, general, and administrative expenses). Instead, the financial statements are simplified to make them usable for a new business owner. In the end, surviving the first five years of a business are critical and the owner (if this is their first time running a business) getting bogged down in to much accounting may distract them from revenue generation.
If you want to read more on COGS and SG&A, here is a good resource.
I have yet to find a bank, private lender, or federal licencing agency care how PPE, COGS, and SG&A are handled on pro forma financials so long as they are not misrepresented and are reasonably reported. Later, when you are operating your business, your accountant will set up your books to properly reflect these accounts.
With all the above, remember this: cash flow problems are the number one reason for a business to fail.
