This part of the plan details the features and benefits of your products and services, their seasonality and life cycle, as well as any future products and services you are planning. It also includes a thorough market analysis, in which you will study your customers, your competition and the market itself. Here you should include a PEST analysis, in which you will consider the impact of various factors upon your business. The factors include combinations of the following, depending upon your business: social, technological, economic, environmental, political, legal, ethical, and demographic.
Do not try to write your business plan in one sitting. As I mentioned in the beginning, for a traditional brick and mortar business, it could take in excess of 100 hours to compile all of the information needed into a comprehensive but yet understandable document. For online businesses, probably not that long. But your final product should be well thought out, well documented and easily understandable.
The financial statements section should show the way things are now if you have an existing business, as well as a forward look at your checking account, or projected income statement. The only way a start_up company can provide an income statement and balance sheet is by projecting these figures based upon well defined assumptions. Both start_ups and existing businesses should include a statement of owner's equity.
An income statement shows revenues minus expenses, in order to calculate net income or net loss. Start_ups should project these expected results for the first twelve months of business, then quarterly for the next two years. A list of a company's assets (what you own), liabilities (what you owe), and net worth (assets minus liabilities) is called a balance sheet. The statement of owner's equity shows the owner's initial investment, additional investments, and retained earnings, minus owner withdrawals.