A toner business plan needs to prove that you have a market with both the commercial sector and the residential one. It's a well-known fact that the cost of most printers is heavily subsidized by the relatively steep rates for toner cartridges and laser ink jets, so it's generally accepted that you'll have solid margins on your products and services. What is less apparent, and needs to be emphasized in the plan, is that you can draw from a sufficiently large customer base to sustain operations for 3-5 years and bring in increasingly handsome profits. The market analysis in a plan for toner should show the following sort of information:
• The number of small businesses in your metro region
• The estimated number of home offices
• The number of private residences and the average house size
• The other businesses in your area that sell toner or related services
• The sales volume, strengths/weaknesses, and staff of your competitors
Once you know what your competition is like and how well they perform, you can project your own sales and expenses more intelligently. What are the ongoing operating expenses a toner company will face? What permits and fees will there be, and what sort of inventory costs are there in any given month? Show a detailed pro forma that includes a revenue forecast, break-even point, cash flow and profit and loss, and a balance sheet year by year. A 3-year pro forma will suffice for an SBA loan, but make sure you cover your market, marketing strategy, and management team in depth as well. MasterPlans can help with the business plan if you get stuck or want to call in reinforcements. We have been writing full plans since 2002. Call today! (877) 453-2011.
