A dude ranch business plan is designed to securing funding for a tourist venture hosted at a working ranch. Common in the Sunbelt states of the US, these businesses work off a romanticized vision of the American West and welcome visitors into an active ranch that is fitted out with hotel rooms (typically lodges or bunks). Guests are allowed to work with animals or perform common ranch hand functions – in some cases including hunting wild game – with the permission and structure of a trained staff. Often itineraries are scheduled out to the hour so that guests can enjoy the feeling of full immersion. All of this background should be described in the business plan, if in abbreviated format, and the reader should know exactly what your business will look like once it's operational. Some of the major questions your plan needs to answer include these fundamentals:
• Will you be taking control of an existing dude ranch?
• If so, where is it and what improvements does it need?
• If you need to build the facility/outbuildings from scratch, what will the construction costs be?
• What statistics can you find on tourism to help paint a compelling picture?
• How many rooms will there be?
• What levels of staff do you need to maintain in each position?
The staffing question will require a complete personnel plan that shows who gets hired, when, and at what salary or hourly rate. This should be incorporated into the larger financial pro forma including projections on revenue, cash flow, profit and loss, the break-even, a balance sheet, and a monthly look at Year One. The projections should stretch for five years and show a potential ROI for the investors. You will also want to outline the marketing plan you will use for the dude ranch, including any promotions and advertisements that might launch on radio, television, in print, or through affiliate marketing programs. MasterPlans has worked on a wide variety of hotel and lodging industry business plans and we can develop the business plan you need for your presentations in as little as two weeks. Call an expert consultant today to discuss your vision. (877) 453-2011.
