SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PLAN

 

This event recognizes Collegiate members that demonstrate an understanding and mastery of the process required to develop and implement a new business venture.

An effective business plan should include the following information:

• Executive Summary—provides a brief synopsis of the key points and strengths included in the plan.  Convinces the reader to read the rest of the report.
• Company Description—includes the basic details of the business.  Provides an overview of the business, its location, and its legal structure and organization.
• Industry Analysis—provides an analysis of the larger industry to which the business will belong.  Analyzes key trends and players in the industry.  Demonstrates an understanding and awareness of external business conditions.
• Target Market—provides a brief overview of the nature and accessibility of the target market.
• Competitive Analysis—includes an honest and complete analysis of the business’ competition.  Demonstrates an understanding of the business’ relative strengths and weaknesses.
• Marketing Plan and Sales Strategy—demonstrates how the business’ product or service will be marketed and sold.  Includes both strategic and tactical elements of the marketing and sales approach.
• Operations—provides an overview of the way the business will operate on a day-to-day basis.  Includes production processes, physical facility review, utilization of technology, and processes followed to ensure delivery of products or services.
• Management and Organization—describes the key participants in the new business venture.  Identifies the human resources the business can draw upon either as part of the management team, employee pool, consultants, directors, or advisers and the role each will play in the business’ development.  Discusses compensation and incentives and details decision-making processes.
• Long-Term Development—gives a clear vision for where the business will be in three, five, or more years.  Demonstrates an honest and complete evaluation of the business’ potential for success and failure.  Identifies priorities for directing future business activities.
• Financials—indicates the accounting methodology to be used by the business.  Discusses any assumptions made in projecting future financial results.  Presents projections honestly and conservatively.
 

In addition, many business plans include copies of key supporting documents in an appendix (e.g. certifications, licenses, tax requirements, codes, etc.).  Other examples of these documents might include letters of intent or advance contracts, product technical descriptions and/or illustrations, endorsements, etc.

 
 

ELIGIBILITY

State:            Limited to one entry per charter that is on record in the FBLA/PBL state office as having paid state and national dues by February 15 of the current school year.

National:     See national guidelines: www.fbla-pbl.org.

 

REGULATIONS

· The entry form found in the SLC registration packet and the written project must be submitted to the state adviser's office according to the directions in the SLC registration packet and received by the date specified in the SLC registration packet.

• Project may be authored by an individual or by a team, not to exceed three members.  Members may compete in this event more than once if they have not previously placed in the top ten of the event at the National Leadership Conference (NLC). If a member places in the top ten of an event at the NLC, they are no longer eligible to compete in that event.

 

• General Report Guidelines
1. Student members, not advisers, must prepare reports. 
2. Penalty points will be given if the written project doesn’t adhere to the report cover and report contents guidelines.

 

• Report Cover Guidelines
1. Report covers are not counted against the page limit and may contain other information.

2. Front cover must contain the following information: name of the school, names of the participants, name of the state, name of the event, and year (20xx–20xx).
 

• Report Content Guidelines
1. Include a Table of Contents with page numbers.
2. Follow the rating sheet sequence in writing the report. If information is not available for a particular criterion, include a statement to that effect in the report. 
3. Pages must be numbered and must be standard 8 1/2” x 11” paper. Each side of the paper providing information is counted as a page. Pages must not be laminated or bound in sheet protectors.
4. Reports must not exceed 15 pages (a title page, divider pages, and appendices are optional and must be included in the page count).
5. Copies should be sent rather than important original documents. No items may be attached to any page in the report. 
• Reports may describe a viable and realistic proposed business venture or a current business operation. The business described in the project report must not have been in operation for a period exceeding twelve (12) months before the NLC. Reports should not be submitted that evaluate ongoing business ventures.

• Reports judged at the national level become property of FBLA-PBL, Inc.  These reports may be used for publication or reproduced for sale by the national association.

 

PROCEDURE

Report format must follow the same sequence shown on the rating sheet.  If information is not available for a particular criterion, an appropriate statement should be included in the report.  The report must be similar to that of a business report with substantiated statements in a clear and concise format.  Creativity through design and use of meaningful graphics is encouraged.

 

ORAL PRESENTATION

Based on the highest written report scores, a maximum of five entries will be selected to make oral presentations at the State Leadership Conference. A maximum of three members from each local chapter selected for the finals will give an oral presentation at the State Leadership Conference. 

Five minutes (5) will be allowed to set up equipment or presentation items. When five minutes have elapsed, the timekeeper will automatically start the seven-minute performance clock. The chapter must provide all equipment for the presentation. Visual aids and samples specifically related to the project may be used in the final presentation. However, no items may be left with judges or audience.

A timekeeper will stand at six (6) minutes and again at seven (7) minutes. The timekeeper will stop the participants from continuing once the time is elapsed. Following each presentation, the judges may conduct a three-minute (3) question-and-answer period.

 

JUDGING

Reports will be reviewed by a screening committee to determine if chapters have complied with event eligibility and regulations.  A panel of judges will select the finalists before the State Leadership Conference.  A panel of judges will evaluate the oral presentations.  Final rank is determined by totaling the written report scores and the oral presentation scores. All decisions of the judges are final.

 

AWARDS

State:            State awards for the top three places are presented at the State Leadership Conference.

National:     The judges will determine the number of awards presented at the National Leadership Conference.  The maximum number will be ten.