new business module

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BUSINESS SKILLS
Session 3: Planning a business
Many businesses fail because of lack of planning – Nathalie’s
chicken business is a prime example. Planning is thus an essential
step on the way to a successful business. This session is
dedicated to the subject of planning a business. It starts with
a short explanation of why planning is important and then
discusses what things need to be planned when starting a
business. Finally, it presents a simple business plan format. As
the subsequent training modules cover the different subjects
of the business plan, at the end of the training course, the
participants will have a basic business plan.
3.1 Key learning points of the session
This session makes several key learning points.
• Planning helps entrepreneurs understand what they
need to do and get.
• Starting entrepreneurs must plan their buying,
producing and selling activities.
• Planning helps entrepreneurs obtain a good
understanding of their business, solve problems before
they actually occur, and reduce the risk of loss.
Do not present the key learning points at this stage of the
session but rather summarize them at the end.
3.2 Introduction to planning
Planning can be described as the thinking that takes place
before the action. As the previous case study illustrated, entrepreneurs
needs to plan their business before they get started.
They must address two basic questions.
• What do I need to do?
• What do I need to get?
The first question helps entrepreneurs plan the tasks needed
to operate the business. The second question helps them
determine the equipment and materials – the resources –
needed to operate the business.