Candy Store Business Pla1
Candy Store Business Pla1
Candy Store Business Pla1
Executive Summary
Marketing Plan
Personnel Plan
The purpose of this business plan is to raise $100,000 for the development of a candy store while
showcasing the expected financials and operations over the next three years. The Candy Store, Inc. (“the
Company”) is a New York based corporation that will provide sales of candy and beverages to customers
in its targeted market. The Company was founded in 2009 by John Doe.
The primary revenue center for the business will come from the sales of candy, chocolates, nuts, and
similar products throughout the Candy Store’s retail location. The business will also provide gift basket
services throughout the year (and especially during holiday seasons) so that the Company can generates
substantial revenues beyond the sales made in its retail location. The business will also operate a classic
style soda fountain which will feature many flavors of cola and sodas. The Candy Store will also sell
bottled water and beverages. The third section of the business plan will further describe the services
offered by the Candy Store.
Mr. Doe is seeking to raise $100,000 from as a bank loan. The interest rate and loan agreement are to be
further discussed during negotiation. This business plan assumes that the business will receive a 10 year
loan with a 9% fixed interest rate.
The Candy Store’s mission is to become the recognized local leader for the sale of candy and candy gift
baskets to the general public.
Mr. Doe expects a strong rate of growth at the start of operations. Below are the expected financials over
the next three years.
The Founder expects that the business will aggressively expand during the first three years of operation.
Mr. Doe intends to implement marketing campaigns that will effectively target individuals within the
target market.
Candy Store, Inc. The Company is registered as a corporation in the State of New York.
At this time, the Candy Store requires $100,000 of debt funds. Below is a breakdown of how these funds
will be used:
2.3 Investor Equity
Mr. Doe is not seeking an investment from a third party at this time.
If the business is very successful, Mr. Doe may seek to sell the business to a third party for a significant
earnings multiple. Most likely, the Company will hire a qualified business broker to sell the business on
behalf of the Candy Store. Based on historical numbers, the business could fetch a sales premium of up
to 4 times earnings.
The primary source of revenue for the business will be the sale of candy, chocolate, and gift baskets to
the general public. Currently, Mr. Doe is sourcing a number of wholesalers that will provide the business
with an expansive number of brands of chocolate bars and candies. As mentioned in the executive
summary, the Candy Store also intends to have an extensive gift basket segment to the business for
people that want to send gifts to loved ones, friends, and clients. This is an extremely important aspect
to the Company’s operations as it will allow the Candy Store to substantially increase its inventory
turnover. During holiday seasons, Mr. Doe expects that that 30% of the Company’s candy product sales
will come from candy gift baskets. In the future, the business may also develop an online ordering
platform where customers can place large orders for candy/gift baskets to be delivered to homes and
businesses within the target market. This, much like the gift basket aspect of the business, would
substantially increase revenues.
The Company’s secondary streams of revenue will come from the sale of beverages including fountain
sodas, bottled water, and other bottled soda/juice beverages. Mr. Doe expects that approximately 25%
of the Company’s aggregate income will come from the sale of beverages.
This section of the analysis will detail the economic climate, the candy retailing industry, the customer
profile, and the competition that the business will face as it progresses through its business operations.
Currently, the economic market condition in the United States is in recession. This slowdown in the
economy has also greatly impacted real estate sales, which has halted to historical lows. Many
economists expect that this recession will continue until mid-2009, at which point the economy will
begin a prolonged recovery period. However, candy stores tend to operate with a strong degree of
economic stability as the pricing point for the candy products offered at these businesses is extremely
low.
Within the United States, there are 3,500 companies that specialize in the retail sale of candy and nuts.
Each year, these businesses aggregately generate more than $1.5 billion of revenue while providing jobs
to more than 20,000 people. Aggregate payrolls in each of the last five years have exceed $220 million.
This is a mature industry, and the expected future growth rate is expected to mirror that of the general
economy. However, with the advent of the internet, many candy stores are now developing online
ordering platforms so that people from all around the country can place orders for candy and gift
baskets. Once retail operations commence, Mr. Doe may develop this platform to further boost
revenues.
In this section of the analysis, you should describe the type of customer you are seeking to acquire.
These traits include income size, type of business/occupation; how far away from your business is to
your customer, and what the customer is looking for. In this section, you can also put demographic
information about your target market including population size, income demographics, level of
education, etc.
The Candy Store intends to maintain an extensive marketing campaign that will ensure maximum
visibility for the business in its targeted market. Below is an overview of the marketing strategies and
objectives of the Candy Store.
• Establish relationships with event planners so that the Company can produce gift baskets for
guests of parties.
• Implement a local campaign with the Company’s targeted market via the use of flyers, local
newspaper advertisements, and word of mouth advertising.
• Develop an online presence by developing a website and placing the Company’s name and
contact information with online directories.
Mr. Doe intends on using a number of marketing strategies to ensure maximum visibility for the Candy
Store. Foremost, he intends to source a highly visible retail location from which the Company will
conduct business. This location will feature highly visible signage that will inform the public of the
Company’s candy offerings and its grand opening. The business will also maintain a sizeable amount of
print/media advertisement in local newspapers, journals, and flyers that are distributed throughout the
community. The Candy Store will also develop ongoing relationships with event planners and corporate
gift companies that will outsource their candy basket needs to the Company. These relationships will be
an invaluable source of referrals for the business. Finally, the Candy Store intends to develop its own
online website that will showcase the Candy Store, its hours of operation, contact information, and
location information. In the future, e-commerce functionality may be added to this website so that
people from all over the country can order gift baskets for local and long distance delivery. This
functionality will not be added to the Company’s website until after retail operations have commenced.
5.3 Pricing
In this section, describe the pricing of your services and products. You should provide as much
information as possible about your pricing as possible in this section. However, if you have hundreds of
items, condense your product list categorically. This section of the business plan should not span more
than 1 page.
In this section of the business plan, you should write a two to four paragraph biography about your work
experience, your education, and your skill set. For each owner or key employee, you should provide a
brief biography in this section.
• The Candy Store will have an annual revenue growth rate of 8% per year.
• The Owner will acquire $100,000 of debt funds to develop the business.
In the event of an economic downturn, the business may have a decline in its revenues. However, the
pricing point for the Company’s candy products is very low, and as such, only a severe economic
downturn would result in a decline in top line revenues. Additionally, the Candy Store earns substantial
margins for each sale, and despite a moderate drop in revenues, the business will be able to remain
profitable and cash flow positive.