A business plan is a summary and appraisal of your business concept. It is the written result of the planning process. A business plan shows the likelihood of success of the business and your ability to make it work.   It is a management instrument to provide direction to you as the business owner. If you are starting a business, the process of preparing and writing a business plan provides a great opportunity to test your motivation and commitment. Why complete a business plan?A business plan enables you to take an objective look at your business, identifying areas of strength and weakness and indicates requirements and problems that might otherwise be unnoticed.    What the planning provides is a measure of structure and a focal point, allows one to analyse alternative strategies that may have been missing on first thought.  The following list is just a guide to a standard business plan layout; we hope it is useful to you. 1. Front cover2. Statement of purpose3. Summary4. Table of contents5. The business* Business objectives* Name, address, contact details and ABN* Business activity, commencement date, commencement capital and business structure* Competitive advantage* Owners’ profiles* Major clients* Licences and registrations* Business advisors* Current performance6. Industry analysis* ANZSIC category, political/economic, social, technological, industry and competition* Key success factors7. Product and services* Product range analysis* Competitor analysis* SWOT analysis8. Marketing plan* Target market* Marketing objectives* Marketing strategy – product, price, promotion and place9. Operational strategy* Location and premises* Plant and equipment* Inventory* Human resources* Environmental strategy10. Financial strategy* Financial objectives* Capital structure.