Assignment 1:
The next five assignments allow you to: invent an entrepreneurial company and research it; develop financial pro forma; do an executive summary and elevator speech; and, as the capstone of the project, develop an exciting presentation for investors.
This assignment is your project proposal. You will propose the company to be formed, provide preliminary information about it, and discuss how you will research its viability and strategy.
Write a 2-4 page (APA style) paper on the new enterprise, not including the title page, abstract, and reference page. The body of the paper should contain at least the following seven sections:
- Company & Product
- Description
- Industry
- Customer
- Competitor Analysis
- Marketing Plan Research
- Primary and Secondary Research
This paper should have a title page, abstract, body, and reference page. Make sure papers are written in correct APA style.
Use in-text citations for quotes, indirect quotes, and direct references. Also cite definitive statements of fact or opinion.
Assignment 2:
This week, you will build your draft financial plan. You only need to do it for the first year. You will have a chance to carry the plan out to the out years in next week's assignment. For this week complete the following:
1. A list of key assumptions that drive your financial model. It is strongly encouraged that you find comparable companies and use industry ratios to justify your assumptions. Assumptions should be on one of the pages of the spreadsheet workbook.
2. Year 1: Monthly and year-end income statements and cash flows; and a year-end balance sheet.
Note: Use Excel or compatible spreadsheet to build your first year pro-forma. Templates are available here to make this MUCH easier.
Assignment 3:
Continued from last week. Complete the remainder of the plan by developing the following:
1. Year 2: Quarterly income statements and cash flows; year-end balance sheet.
2. Years 3-5: Year end statements of income, cash flow and balance sheet. (Note: if you are using the Moyes template go to 5 years; if you used the SCORE template, it only goes to 3 years-don't jump through hoops to do years 4 and 5.
Please combine both assignments into the final draft which includes the components in this order:
1. A list of key assumptions that drive your financial model. It is strongly encouraged that you find comparable companies and use industry ratios to justify your assumptions.
2. Year 1: Monthly and year-end income statements and cash flows; year-end balance sheet.
3. Year 2: Quarterly income statements and cash flows; year-end balance sheet.
4. Years 3-5: Year end statements of income, cash flow and balance sheet.
Assignment 4:
The executive summary, or one pager, is a company marketing document intended to excite potential investors, customers, advisers, and employees. Its purpose is to get the call back and start the serious discussions-the process that will result in action.
The SBA, discusses typical thinks found in such a summary as follows (From SBA website)
1. The Mission Statement - This explains what your business is all about. It should be between several sentences and a paragraph.
2. Company information - Include a short statement that covers when your business was formed, the names of the founders and their roles, your number of employees, and your business location(s).
3. Growth highlights - Include examples of company growth, such as financial or market highlights (for example, "XYZ Firm increased profit margins and market share year-over-year since its foundation). Graphs and charts can be helpful in this section.
4. Your Products/Services -- Briefly describe the products or services you provide.
5. Financial information - If you are seeking financing, include any information about your current bank and investors.
6. Summarize future plans - Explain where you would like to take your business.
The above is a pretty good guide-except that executive summaries do not all need headers-it's only a page, after all. Consider also that the mission statement might really be the vision, or the core values, or the strategic goals-depending on the company. Above all, though, the executive summary should convey the excitement of the opportunity.
And then there's the elevator speech-for this assignment it will take the place of an abstract. It should be crisp, clear, and convey what the company is all about in less than 30 seconds
This paper should have a title page, abstract (the elevator speech), body, and reference page. Points will be deducted if any of these four sections are missing. Make sure papers are written in correct APA style
Assignment 5:
This PowerPoint pitch will pull together the research, planning, and writing you have done for for the new enterprise you have conceived during weeks 4-7.
1. The PowerPoint must WOW the audience in 6-7 slides (including the title slide).
2. Don't use PowerPoint to write an essay.
3. Think of the audience-this is a presentation!
4. Use short, punchy bullets. Use graphics related to text. Put details, citations, and references in the notes pages. Use an attractive template.