SAMPLE SERVICE BUSINESS PLAN

Created by Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc.

The contents of this Business Plan are fictional. No intent is made to resemble a business in existence.

BRILLIANT CLEANING SERVICE

SALLY SPARKLE, PROPRIETOR

September 30, 20XX

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

36

BRILLIANT CLEANING SERVICE

BUSINESS PLAN SUMMARY
Brilliant Cleaning Service is a start-up business that provides cleaning services for residential homes. Primary services include floor, window, and bathroom care. The business is seeking $5,900 for equipment, supplies, and advertising. The name and address of the business is: Brilliant Cleaning Service 1111 Home Street Hometown, USA 99999 Phone: 123-456-7890 Fax: 098-765-4321 Email: [email protected] The name and address of the business owner is: Sally Sparkle 1111 Home Street Hometown, USA 99999 Market The potential market for Brilliant Cleaning Service is 210 households in the Hometown area based on her research. The average target customer is 35 to 65 years of age and earns $45,000 or more annually. There are three competitors serving the area. Brilliants competitive advantage is that it can attract customers with a more personalized, professional cleaning that is Satisfaction Guaranteed. Organization Plan This business is a sole proprietorship with no employees. The owner will manage the finances and perform the work.

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

37

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION
Nature of the Business Brilliant Cleaning Service is an insured, residential cleaning service. It offers cleaning service tailored to its customers needs. Most customers will likely request weekly cleaning. There is also a need to offer in-depth cleaning on an as-needed basis. History of the Business None - this is a start-up business. Legal Structure of the Business Sole proprietorship, Sally Sparkle, proprietor. Past Work Experience The owner has five years of experience as an employee for Merry Maids, Inc. Reasons the Business Will Succeed The belief that the business will succeed is based on the proprietors knowledge, experience, and determination to succeed.

MARKETING PLAN
Services Services provided include cleaning of floors, windows, cabinets, dishes, laundry, and furniture, and watering of houseplants. This service will save the customer time and energy of doing the work. The customer has the benefit of enjoying a clean and attractive home. The customer also has extra leisure time for entertaining guests, enjoying hobbies, or any other activities. Start-up money will be used for a vacuum cleaner, cleaning supplies, hand-held vacuum, buckets, rags and other miscellaneous supplies. See attached list and bids for equipment. Brilliant Cleaning Service will provide cleaning supplies used. Ten homes cleaned weekly per month will cost approximately $80 per month (total) for cleaning supplies, which will be purchased from mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart in Hometown. Driving to and from these homes will cost approximately $30 per month. Cleaning ten homes will take approximately 40 hours per week with an average cleaning time of four hours. In the next two years, Brilliant Cleaning Service will expand its services to commercial customers and will hire employees to meet the new demand. Distribution Services will be directly supplied to the end-users in their homes.

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

38

Industry There are many new, larger homes being built in the area. According to the citys building permits issued each year: 18 homes of over 3000 square feet were built one year ago. 21 homes of over 3000 square feet were built two years ago. According to Domestic Details in Income Opportunities magazine, March 2XXX, more women were hiring cleaning services to ease the strain of their hectic lifestyles over 20% of households surveyed had hired a cleaning service, an increase of 5% from the previous year.

Customers Brilliant targeted customer profile includes working families. The ages range from 35 to 65 years. The average annual income is $45,000 or more. According to census information (see attached), from the population of 5,000 households, 21% of the households earned $45,000 or more. This means there are 1,050 customers who fit Brilliants target profile. If 20% of these households use a cleaning service, that means 210 households could be potential customers. Brilliants goal is to secure ten customers. It already has three potential customers see attached letters of intent. An average customer would use Brilliant Cleaning Service once a week for an average cleaning time of four hours. Competition Brilliant Cleaning Services main competitors are franchised cleaning services: Service Cleaners, 1212 Clean Street, Hometown, USA. Strengths include name recognition and size. It has 20 employees and the largest number of customers. It is insured and the employees are bonded. Weakness is lack of consistency. A customer could have one employee clean their home one week, and have a different employee another week. It charges $60 for a half-day of cleaning. Maids for Hire, 4000 Washboard Street, Hometown, USA. Strengths include name recognition and size. It has five employees and is the second largest provider of cleaning services. It is insured, but employees are not bonded. Weakness is also lack of consistency. It charges $55 for a half-day of cleaning. Julies, 3256 Duster Street, Hometown, USA. Strengths include individualized service since the owner, Julie, operates this business. Julies weakness is she has no employees and is not insured. Julie has a regular customer base and has no room for new customers. She charges $35 for a half-day of cleaning.

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

39

Position in the Marketplace Brilliants position in the marketplace is mid-base residential. Brilliants strengths include personal and professional service. Although the franchisers have strong advertising techniques, a sole proprietor has the advantage of offering more personalized service. This service gives Brilliant a competitive advantage because most customers prefer the same cleaning person for each cleaning. Brilliants competitive advantage over Julies is its professionalism. Brilliant is insured and the owner and employees will wear uniforms for a professional image. Because of the owners vast knowledge of houseplants, Brilliant will offer to take care of houseplants as an additional service no one else offers. Image/Packaging See attached bids for all promotional costs. The business name is Brilliant Cleaning Service. The slogan is: Professional Service By People Who Care! The business will be operated out of the owners home. Business cards and flyers will cost approximately $200. Magnetic car signs will cost approximately $160. Printed bid forms and invoices will cost $40. Uniforms include black pants and white shirt with business name. Uniforms will be provided by U.S. Linen Services for $40 per month, which includes the cleaning of the uniform.

Pricing Brilliant will charge $45 for a half-day of cleaning. All prices will be quoted per job: by the size, time, and effort involved in cleaning the residence, not by an hourly rate. Brilliants fees reflect a fair market rate, and are comparable to fees charged by competitors. Marketing Goals and Objectives To start the business by November (20XX) To acquire ten customers by April (20YY) To earn $1,200 monthly by June (20YY) Marketing Strategy Brilliant Cleaning Service will follow the promotion plan below to meet its goals and objectives:

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

40

Action Order business cards/flyers Magnetic vehicle signs Invoices/Bids Uniforms Press release Publish assumed name Put up 25 flyers (check every two weeks) Put ad in church newsletter (runs every other week) Put ad in local paper in business directory (runs every Sunday) Put ad in local paper in business directory Yellow pages (starts in June) Put ad in local paper in business directory Put ad in local paper in business directory

Responsibility Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner Owner

When 10/XX (Year) 10/XX 10/XX 10/XX 10/XX 10/XX 10/XX 11/XX 11/XX 12/XX 3/XX 4/XX 5/XX

Cost $200 $160 $40 $40/month $0 $25 $0 $5/week $50/month $50/month $15/month $50/month $50/month

After this the owner will rely on word-of-mouth advertising.

OPERATING PLAN
Duties and Qualifications The sole proprietor will perform all duties including cleaning, bidding, advertising and record keeping. The sole proprietor has five years experience in cleaning and has had one course on record keeping. The sole proprietor will take a monthly draw of $1,200. Employees There will be no employees in the first two years.

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

41

Specialists or Consultants The sole proprietor will continue to consult monthly with a business consultant to set up record keeping systems and receive help with monitoring the business. The sole proprietor will use the services of Jones Accounting Services for income tax preparation. Record Keeping, Inventory and Finances The sole proprietor will use a manual record keeping system that is a combined cash receipts and cash disbursements journal. The sole proprietor will use ledger sheets to track inventory supplies. The sole proprietor will open a business checking account at National Bank, located in Hometown. Licenses, Permits and Other Regulations No licenses or permits are required to operate this business. Brilliant is not required to get a hazardous waste permit. See attached letter from the State. Sales Tax Brilliant will have to collect 6.5% state sales tax from customers (to be paid to the state) on all services. Brilliant does not have to collect a city sales tax. Insurance Brilliant Cleaning Service will get the following types of insurance from All-Types of Insurance, located in Hometown, USA see attached bids: Commercial Auto Insurance: $600 annual premium or $200 down and monthly payments of $35 General Liability: $300 annual premium Workers Compensation on owner: $350 annual premium Payment Terms Customer payments will be accepted by cash or check, which are collected at the end of each job. Payment terms will be explained to potential customers before accepting each job. If a customer does not pay at the end of a job, future work will not be done until payment is received. After six months of being in business, Brilliant will start accepting credit cards. Hours Open Brilliant Cleaning Service will operate Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

42

Contingency Plans There will be one day set aside biweekly-weekly for a make-up day in case of owner illness or emergency. If the owner gets sick, she will reschedule the appointment. If the job cannot wait, the owner will clean those despite illness or will get her sister to fill in on the job. If the owner gets injured on the job, Workers Compensation will be available. If the owner is injured, her sister will fill in until the owner can get back to work. If the owners car breaks down, she can borrow her mothers car or take a taxi. If sales are not as anticipated and loan payments cannot be made, owner will get part-time job in the evening. The owner will also look at increasing promotional efforts and reducing expenses, such as uniforms.

FINANCIAL PLAN
See two-year, monthly Cash-Flow Projections with List of Assumptions. There are no Business Financial Statements since this is a start-up business. See Personal Financial Statement. See Personal Income and Expense worksheet.

START-UP EXPENSES
Expense Vacuums Supplies and Misc. Business cards/flyers Signs Uniforms Cleaning supplies Insurance Assumed name filing Phone deposit Working capital TOTAL Sources Owner Contribution Loan TOTAL Cost 200 110 200 160 40 40 850 25 10 825 $2,500 600 1,900 $2,500

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

43

Attachments Credit application Years 20XX and 20YY personal income tax returns Copies of collateral documents Resume Census data Article from Income Opportunities magazine Letters of intent from: B. Barney, M. Wilson, S. Jacobson Bids for business cards, flyers, magnetic car signs, and uniforms Sample business cars, flyers and magnetic car signs Sample invoices and bid sheets Quotes for ads in local newspaper Insurance Quotes

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

44

Sales 180 900 1,080 40 40 350 8 360 45 500 40 110 25 50 1,488 1,900 600 2,500 70 70 99 99 20 20 450 1080 1,530 35 35

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct(*)

Nov

Dec

Totals 630 1,980 2,610 95 95

8 60 12 20 35 40 5 20 200

8 60 12 55 35 40 25 5 20 260

350 24 480 69 75 570 120 135 10 25 90 1,948 1,900 600 169 2,669

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

200 200 772 0 772 1,150 1,150 (220) 772 552 1,265 1,265 69 552 621 200 2,415 2,615 621 0 621

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Seasonal homes Repeat homes Cash IN from sales Goods Cleaning supplies Cash OUT for goods Operations Health/WC Acctg, legal Advert/promo Bank, cr card chgs Auto expenses Insurance, gen liab Misc - uniforms Office supplies Repairs/maint Taxes & licenses Telephone Cash OUT operations Other cash in Loan proceeds Owner contrib Sales tax collected Total other cash IN Other cash out Sales tax paid Debt service Capital equipment Bldgs/improvements Owner draw Total other cash OUT Net change in cash Beginning cash Ending cash

BRILLIANT CLEANING SERVICE - CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS FOR YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 20XX
1

45

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

Sales 1,440 1,440 35 35 35 35 35 35 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 45 45 1,440 1,440 1,440 1,440 270 1,800 2,070 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 270 1,800 2,070 180 1,800 1,980 270 1,800 2,070 45 45

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Totals 990 20,520 21,510 475 475

8 10 12 25 35 40 5 20 155 20 160 20 260 20 210 20 210 20 250 20 365 5 5 5 5 5 5 20 165 5 20 190

8 10 12 30 35 40

83 10 12 55 35 40

8 60 12 30 35 40

8 60 12 30 35 40

8 25 12 55 35 40 50 5

8 15 12 230 35 40

8 15 12 30 35 40

8 15 12 55 35 40

8 15 12 30 35 40 5 20 165

350 8 15 12 30 850 40 5 20 1,330

8 15 12 55 35 65 50 5 20 265

350 171 265 144 655 1,235 505 100 60 240 3,725

94 94 169 65 65 65 282 65

94 94

94 94

135 135

135 135

117 117

117 117

117 117

117 117

117 117

129 129

135 135

1,401 1,401

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

65 65 387 65 65 65 351 65 65 65 1,380 1,614 (270) 621 351 1,380 1,445 (106) 351 245 1,380 1,445 (206) 245 39 1,380 1,727 228 39 267 1,380 1,445 510 267 777 1,380 1,445 182 777 959 1,380 1,832 (320) 959 639 1,380 1,445 267 639 906 1,380 1,445 242 906 1,148 1,380 1,796 (84) 1,148 1,064 1,380 1,445 (711) 1,064 353 1,380 1,445 450 353 803

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Seasonal homes Repeat homes Cash IN from sales Goods Cleaning supplies Cash OUT for goods Operations Health/WC Acctg, legal Advert/promo Bank, cr card chgs Auto expenses Insurance, gen liab Misc - uniforms Office supplies Repairs/maint Taxes & licenses Telephone Cash OUT operations Other cash in Loan proceeds Owner contrib Sales tax collected Total other cash IN Other cash out Sales tax paid Debt service Capital equipment Bldgs/improvements Owner draw Total other cash OUT Net change in cash Beginning cash Ending Cash

780 780

16,560 18,529 182 621 803

BRILLIANT CLEANING SERVICE - CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS FOR YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 20YY

46 2

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

ASSUMPTIONS FOR CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS

Note: Assumption number corresponds to line number on cash flow projections. Items without an assumption number are not applicable and therefore not included on the cash flow projections; however, explanations of these items are included below.

Sales Seasonal Customers: Average $45 per half-day of cleaning. The business will have customers who want their homes cleaned for the holidays. November - four customers December - ten customers April - six customers May - six customers November - four customers December - six customers April - six customers May - eight customers November - six customers December - eight customers Repeat Customers: Average $45 per half-day of cleaning once a week. November - five customers by December - six customers by January - eight customers by April - ten customers Cash Out for Goods Cleaning supplies - for ten homes per month (cleaned weekly) will cost approximately $40 per month. Cash Out for Operations Gross Wages, Payroll Taxes - not applicable since the owner will not have any other employees. Workers Compensation Insurance - $350 annual premium to cover owner. Accounting and Professional Services - $8 per month for consulting services and $75 in March 20XX and 20YY to have taxes done. Advertising - see marketing strategy in business plan. Bad Debts - based on past experience, bad debts are not incurred. Bank - $45 to open account and get checks, monthly service fee of $12. Auto - Driving to and from cleaning jobs will cost approximately $30 per month for ten homes cleaned weekly. In December, March, June, September and December the owner will spend $25 for oil change. In July, the owner will need to get new tires for approximately $200.

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

47

Insurance - Commercial auto insurance is $600 annually - $200 down payment and $35 per month. General Liability is $300 annually. Miscellaneous - $40 per month for uniforms; a $25 contingency in December of each year. Office Supplies - $110 for supplies and invoices, will need to replenish about every six months. Rent - Not applicable. Repairs and Maintenance - Will plan for $5 to cover costs for vacuum cleaner bags and belts. Taxes and Licenses - $75 to file assumed name. Telephone - $50 deposit and $20 monthly service charge. Loan Proceeds - $1,900 at 13.25%, 36 months, closed in November, monthly payments of $65 start in December. Owners Contribution - $600 from savings. Sales Tax The owner will collect 6.5% on services to be paid out quarterly. Owners Draw The owner will draw $1,000 per month to start with a goal of $1,200 per month by April, 20YY.

ATTACHMENTS (Loan Request) Credit Application Credit History Report Two Years of Personal Tax Returns Two-Years Business Tax Returns (NA) Collateral Documents Resumes Market Studies Articles from Magazines Photographs/Sketches of Work Leases Letter of Intent Bids for Brochures, Business Cards, Stationary, and Other Promotional Pieces, Signs Insurance Quotes Remodeling Quotes (20% added for contingencies) Articles of Incorporation Purchase Agreements Floor Plans Personal Income and Expense Worksheet

Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Inc. | CORE FOUR Business Planning Course

48