Looking for help with creating a Business Plan?

Scope:  Your strategy is the foundation of your business plan, be it for acquiring financing or just a better business. Develop a mindmap first of your landscape - i.e. Enterprise, Your product or service (what, how used), your market (by usage or other characteristics), Your marketing and sales (from brochures to channels), your competition (industry and specific players to you), Your production (or service delivery - how you produce), Your materials and inventory, Suppliers and Financials.

Test it: Even some of the best looking plans are flawed, so it would be a good idea to get it tested for Free.   Strategicrating.com offer a no-cost assessment, along with helpful suggestions.

Sample:  There are many formats for Business plans, but it's the strategy told within that makes the difference. Sample Business plans should only be reviewed for format vs. content.  It's unlikely that you will find one appropriate to your business with a good strategy for you - Business plans are semi-confidential and no competitor with a good strategy will want it ever shown to his competition.

Note:  The samples do work better during times of economic prosperity.

Thinking Strategy:  Stories and case studies of great Business strategy are just the type of catalyst you need next to develop the strategy for your plans.  Unlike sample business plans or fill-in templates, you shouldn't be looking for the specific tactics, but rather the strategy or objectives in play.  As it's often difficult to find these sources, we've made many of them available at www.strategicrating.com/stories/business_strategy.html... enjoy!

Strategy: Now write down (a) your key objectives for the next year (w/specific timing and cost figures), (b) your priorities, and finally, (c) A set of action plans for each objective.

Format:  While there are many styles of plans, your only concern should be that it is in the format preferred by the SBA, banks and investors.  Luckily, if you use any of the leading commercial Business Plan packages like those from Planware, BPlans, or Business Plan Pro, they are all compliant.

The Google Video referenced below (that we also use on our site) is packed with the information you need to put all the pieces together (except for possibly some additional research).  We've reviewed a ton of videos, and could find no one else who offered better insights.

 at http://www.videojug.com/interview/business-plans#what-style-business-plan-should-i-use

Closing:  Strategicrating.com has turned the Business plan and strategy planning process into a combination of an art and a science. Please don't hesitate to visit us for more help.

Oh,,, PS:  I used to set up concept gourmet restaurants as well was Exec. Chef for Best Western and Hilton hotels...(former life).... is the foot cost target still 40%?

Reem sadly but true, there are evacuation fees to be paid. But with some you can take a running business that is not doing that well and pay a monthly "rent" fee to the original people who ran it and rented it already. This will make your business plan feasible on the short term but expensive on the long term if you can't be able to pay them that amount eventually when you have the cash.

reem before you start a resaurant can I ask you this .. why do you want to start one? I'll explain my question after you post a response :)

BTW_ all the tips Razano and JosefJ gave are valuable and I think you shoudl spend the time thinking about them and researching their answers.

1) Variety, I love a restaurant with variety, don't confine yourself to a certain cuisine.

2) Come up with new ideas, don't make it like the others.. be fresh, people love that, or, atleast, the people I know love that!

3) Friendly staff, fast service is not good enough if the staff members are mean... ex. Books@Cafe staff members SUCK!

4) Anothe thing about staff, get people who understand and speak English very well.

5) Good music, and keep changing the playlist, the thing I hate the most about certain restaurants and cafes is that their music is bad, or that the music is good but they keep repeating the same playlist over and over and over, it's seriously annoying.

6) if you want to have a restaurant, you should make people understand that it is a restaurant not just a cafe, even if you have argeeleh.

7) Argeeleh, I'm not a big fan of that, but a lot of people love "nafas argeeleh" after food, but again, that depends on the type of restaurant you want.

8) Decoration,  warm, cozy yet fun.

9) A website or facebook might do it but you have to have be online, I don't believe in businesses with no web-presence, no matter what the business is, it can help you get feedback from your customers, and update them about new stuff.

I'll add more stuff later, I have to think about it more! :P

Well I have experience in starting tech startups which require minimal or no capital investment the first year. However, the following are some resources that should help in starting a restaurant business:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/howto/restaurant.html

http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/starting_your_own_business.php

However, here  are some tips from my side :)

1. Make it into a cozy atmosphere.

2. If this will be in Amman, Jabal Al weibdeh is a good location not many restaurants are there except Canvas and its on the expensive side.

3. Train waiters very well to provide great service. With service being generally bad in Amman, this alone could make people come over an over again.

4. For your financial planning, go and find real prices for the things you have to buy. I know a friend who had his capital burn before he even opened the restaurant because of poor financial planning at first.

5. I think the start should be the concept, the menu and the location then you can do your financial planning much better.

6. Prepare your self to stand side by side with your contractor(s) to make sure they use the material you asked for and that they do a clean job the first time around.

7. Make sure you have a good air ventilation system since it doesn't look like smoking will be banned in public spaces anytime soon in Jordan. Better yet, separate smoking an none-smoking sections. Lots of people will appreciate it.

8. Have a target customer in mind. Age group, financial stance specified.

9. Use social media to promote your restaurant. Facebook is an excellent tool to get the word around and build a community for your restaurant.

10. This one should be obvious but you can't believe the number of businesses that run for years without proper bookkeeping! So get your self a bookkeeper to keep your finances in order.

11. Capital Bank should be a good choice to do your banking. They are least bearucratic and understand small business.

I will post again if I think of anything else, good luck :)