Step 2

In order for Veterans’ Pathway to assess your grant request, a snapshot of your start-up or existing business is necessary.  The plan does not have to be long or complex, but must briefly address the following:

• Executive Summary

This is the most important part of the document and should briefly recap the other sections.  In this section, it is important to state:

1. The amount of the grant request
2. The specific use of the funds
3. The impact the grant will have on the business and how it will help the business:
   1. Get started and an estimate of how long until revenue comes in; or
   2. What impact the grant will have on the growth of the business.  For example, a capital infusion might be used to purchase new equipment/inventory which would lead to new contracts, thus resulting in an increase of 20% in revenues over a 12 months period.

In addition, the Business Plan must include:

• Company Description
• Market Analysis
• Organization & Management
• Service or Product Line
• Marketing and Sales
• Funding Request Impact on business
• Financial Projections/Historical Financial Data is an existing business

The Small Business Administration has an on-line tool for business plan preparation that is recommended and can be accessed at http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business/starting-business/how-write-business-plan.