A food writers business plan needs to emphasize the revenue opportunities you will have as a food writer in enough detail to satisfy a financial backer. While it is a dream job, it won't work unless you have enough paying gigs to cash flow a loan – or give a modest backer with an equity investment a reason to be happy that they're along for the food writer's ride. Your business plan for food writing should show what sort of deals you can get along with the frequency of those writing assignments. If you're a frequent contributor to The Atlantic, for example, and they give you 3-4 opportunities a year, model those into your pro forma (revenues and costs) alongside whatever other freelance gigs you get. Importantly, a food writers business plan should show:
• The type of pieces you write
• The amount of money you're paid for the average piece
• The COGS or margin you'll have, if applicable
• Is there any overhead associated with this business?
• Do you outsource anything or have costs that wouldn't be obvious?
The business plan for a food writer also needs to examine the marketing methods that make the most sense for a writer in this space. Can you network your way into all future gigs, or should you have a website and/or a CPC and print ad campaign locally to get paying assignments? Be realistic about your prospects and show the frequency and size of contracts in your budgeting in the business plan. A financial supporter will want to see at least a three-year forecast including revenue projections, break-even point, profit and loss, cash flow, and a balance sheet for each year. The business plan writing team at MasterPlans has been working on behalf of entrepreneurs since 2002, writing more than 10,000 plans to date. Call us to learn more about our services! Toll-free: (877) 453-2011.
