You’ll have six assignments during the 10-week course, all of which are components of the business plan, which you turn in at the end of the course, that determines your final grade. I will be looking at the assignments as you turn them in, commenting on them, but not grading them. If you get comments you should incorporate them into the final plan. You can check on grading to review how the assignments affect your grade and the business plan and participation are almost all of it.

1. One-page Business Description. Just click the link here for more instructions. Note that the title includes “one page.” The details include some downloadable examples so you can see how others have done it. Due by 10 a.m. April 8.
2. Market Analysis. Three-page maximum, but this one includes one table, a pie chart if possible, and a few paragraphs of text. Plus some thinking, and maybe even some research. Due by 10 a.m. April 15.
3. Sales Forecast. Text explanation plus tables showing sales, by units if possible, and costs of sales, also called direct sales, for the first year broken down by month, plus years two and three. Due by 10 a.m. April 22.
4. Startup Plan. Text explanation plus tables showing startup costs broken into expenses and assets, and startup funding. Due by 10 a.m. April 29.
5. Summary memo. This will become the executive summary of your final plan. It’s 2-5 pages, telling a hypothetical investor what you’re going to do, how much money you need, and how and how much money you’ll generate for the investor. Due by 10 a.m. May 6. Note: this would normally be the last step, but we need it to help you with the school-wide business venture contest.
6. Projected Profit & Loss. Also called Income Statement, or Pro-forma Income Statement, if you want to be formal about it. What this means in actual work is doing a list of salaries first, then expenses. When those two are done, you combine them with the sales forecast from assignment 3, add some text explanations, and you have Profit & Loss. Due by 10 a.m. May 13

These assignments become the main components of the business plan that you’ll turn in at the end of the quarter.