Business plans serve as the story and guide for nearly anyone who has interest in your business, whether they are founders, investors, partners, or key employees.

Plans help business owners organize the concepts of their enterprise in one place with a format that is clear and comprehensive for those reviewing it.  They also serve to assist interested parties in understanding the personality of a business, its current goals, and the investment opportunities that may exist.  ​

We at Order of Merchants have constructed 4 business plan models that can be utilized individually or in concert with one another as a pitch process.

​Your business planning needs depend on a number of factors such as intended audience, budget, fundraising method, amount of funding needed, type of business, and your current stage in business development. We can work with you to determine which business plan model is right for you. ​

Cover: The cover is the viewer's first impression of your brand and should convey the underlying business plan message.

Executive Summary: The executive summary serves as the business plan snapshot that will convey the who, what, when, where, and why surrounding business goals. This includes the mission statement as well as team, product, market, finance, and timeline summaries.

Market Analysis: The market analysis covers market need, target market, demographics, competition, competitive edge, and marketing strategy. This essentially makes up an executable marketing plan.

Product/Service Showcase: Here we showcase your products and services, how they fulfill the market need, and express how they shape up against the competitions.

Team: Whether your plan is for prospective partners or investors, your audience is interested in hearing about who is behind the business. At the end of the day, businesses are made of people, and your team can be one of the most important factors that others consider when electing whether or not to do business with you.

Roadmap/Timeline: A roadmap displays the major milestones that your business has achieved and is projected to achieve. Roadmaps are good for when you know what your milestones are, but are not sure about when they will be achieved. In the event you have a more defined projection, a timeline may be more appropriate.

Budget: So how much money do you estimate your startup or business scaling goal is going to cost? What are all of your expenses? How much money do you need to raise? Where are you getting your numbers? Your budget answers all of these questions.

Forecast: The forecast is a way of projecting how your revenues and expenses measure up against one another over time. When does your business break even? What is the rate of return for investors and when? Your forecast should correspond with your Timeline if you have one.

And More: There are also many other elements that can be added to your plan such a corporate structure infographics, flow charts, SWOT analysis, competitive analysis, and more!