Hello from the PNW

[marinazar]

Hello all. Currently I am heads down writing a BP (and financials) in preparation to meet with lenders for financing to open a brick & mortar retail/learning center targeted toward families who are cloth diapering, nursing and baby wearing. The city where I reside does not have such an establishment so I am anxious to get this project off the ground. It is also a passion of mine to evangelize the use of cloth diapers (CD) for ecological and health reasons. "The Shop," as I call it, will be community driven through workshops, demonstrations and a knowledgeable staff in a cottage industry that has grown from a "kitchen table", work-from-home-Moms-business to mainstream popularity. The beauty of The Shop is that historically purchases have been online from Stay-at-home-Moms blindly without having a tangible item to handle. Returns and return policies on an item you have used, washed and attempt to return is difficult. This is a void we will fill but providing a large array of product so our customers can make the right choices for their families. Currently there are 75 major brands and manufacturers of cloth diapers and 300 small business manufacturers producing out of their home. This is an industry that will continue to grow: The product doesn't expire and they never go out of style :)

I have never written a BP and am stuck at the moment. I BELIEVE I have all my research, data, mission, philosophy, market analysis, surveys produced, demographic, psychographic, my story and my sight on the prize! However, I have big holes in my BP that I need to fill. My background is in Marketing at Microsoft for many years and I have left that career behind for this one. My dream has always been to have a key to my own small business where I can take my child to work with me. I can taste it! I live and breath this service everyday and have the knowledge, drive and support to make this happen ... I just need to get this *^%$& BP finished :)

Thank you in advance for any words of encouragement and I look forward to reading many of the threads started here.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum marinazar. From your post it actually sounds like you're doing a good job and have filled in quite a bit. I'm not sure what holes you think you left. If there's anything specific you need to know feel free to ask. I may not be able to answer, but someone here likely can.

You've probably already done this, but maybe you could check some existing templates like the one from SBA (http://web.sba.gov/busplantemplate/BizPlanStart.cfm)

I know some part of the plan are hard to accurately predict. I think what you want to do is your best to estimate the details and then more importantly justify why you picked those details.

Hope that helps.

[KristineS]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into what you want your business to be and that's always a good thing. Good luck!

[marinazar]

Thank you Kristine!

[vangogh]

The starting your business section probably makes the most sense to post your questions. Don't worry about it too much. I can always move threads later.

I know the feeling you had with SCORE. I didn't approach them, but I spent some time with the SBA. Some people I worked with were great, others didn't seem to want to be there helping me. Sometimes you have to try again a few times until you get to talk to the person you want.