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Food South Australia: Feeding ConnectionsFood South Australia: Feeding Connections
Food South Australia: Feeding Connections
Food South Australia is feeding connections to help industry grow, unite, lead and sustain South Australia’s food industry into the future, and is the State’s peak industry body.
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  • Programs
    • Our Programs
    • Business Growth Program
    • Luxury Food and Beverage Program
    • Eat Local SA
    • South Australian Food Industry Awards Program
  • Services
    • Our Services
    • Product Recall Cover Package
    • Grow Food and Drink Australia
    • Food South Australia Prize
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Food South Australia Summit
    • Workshops/ Training/ Tours
    • Trade shows
  • Resources
    • Our Resources
    • South Australian food and beverage: A framework for growth through innovation
    • Serving South Australian Food & Beverages: Showcasing our state’s products and capabilities
    • Fact Sheets
    • Your guide to the food and beverage business…
    • Toolkits
    • Grants
    • About food and beverage in South Australia
    • South Australian Food Users’ Guide
  • Membership
    • About Membership
    • Join Food South Australia
  • Members Directory
    • Food Manufacturers
      • Bakery and cereals
      • Beverages
      • Convenience
    •  
      • Confectionery
      • Dairy and eggs
      • Fruit and vegetables
    •  
      • Meat
      • Seafood
      • Speciality
    • Service Providers
    • Advanced Search
    • Join Food South Australia
  • News
    • All News
    • Media releases
    • Food South Australia news
    • Member news
    • Industry news
    • In the media
    • Find Us on Facebook
    • Gallery
  • About Us
    • About Food Australia
    • Board
    • Team
    • Sponsors
    • Partners
    • Location
    • Contact Us

Business Plans

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  4. Your Guide to Business
  5. Business Plans

The fact is more businesses don’t have a written business plan than do. Many people think a business plan is only written when seeking finance. Others just can’t face the paperwork or get overwhelmed by the day-to-day pressures and just don’t get around to it.

But taking the time to write down your business plan could make the difference between success and failure. Having a business plan is the best possible way of developing a blueprint for the future of your business. It has been said that ‘If businesses fail to plan, they plan to fail.’

Having a business plan means:

  • you are not the only one who knows what’s going on and what you hope to achieve in the future
  • centres your attention on what you need to do to achieve your goals and helps you break that down into achievable tasks, reducing risks and stress because you will be confident that you are staying on track through the ups and downs and unexpected twists of being in business
  • means that if you have to delegate for some reason, then you can be confident your team are focused on the right objectives

Business plans don’t need to be hundreds of pages and they don’t need to be pretty, desktop-published documents (unless you are presenting them to investors). They just need to:

  • describe the purpose of the business
  • describe the present and future shape of the business
  • document the challenges faced by the business
  • define short and long term objectives
  • establish a framework for action to achieve those objectives
  • set out performance measures which enable you to measure progress toward achieving your purpose

A business plan should describe the ‘now’ (where is my business now?), the ‘where’ (where do I want it to be?), and the ‘how’ (how am I going to get there?).

Once you have a plan, it is a good idea to check back with it regularly and to communicate it to your staff, offering them a chance to contribute to improving plans to achieve business goals. Some businesses break down tasks and scheduling into a brief list for a three month period. Reviewing this at regular meetings mean you can stay on top of what isn’t getting done, identify why and revise your goals accordingly. The three month action plan should cover business management, staff, financial performance and sales, product development and marketing.

There are many good templates available online for developing a business plan. Search and choose one that suits your needs or visit the Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy small business gateway for a range of workbooks and tutorials in business planning.

SWOT

A SWOT analysis is a useful starting point for developing a business plan. ‘SWOT’ stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis is a simple technique for assessing business ideas, preparing or amending plans, problem solving and decision making, or making staff generally aware of the need for change.

Strengths and weaknesses relate to what is going on inside the business. Your strengths should include what you do best as a business, your best assets and products, while weaknesses are the areas or factors that could cause customers to go elsewhere. Opportunities and threats relate to what is going on outside the business. An opportunity will be a new trend or issue that you are well-placed to take advantage of (such as the growing number of health-conscious consumers, for example) or new products you are considering. Threats could include a trend away from demand for a core product or a change in the economic climate.

By taking a look at the internal strengths and weaknesses of your business, and the external opportunities and threats you face, you will be able to build on the strengths, address the weaknesses, seize the opportunities and defend your business against threats.

Important people to have on your side:

  • accountant
  • solicitor
  • bank manager
  • your family
  • business coach or mentor
  • network of like business owners
  • industry associations

Want more information?

  • Australian Securities and Investment Commission advice for small business owner operators
  • Business terms glossary
  • Food Safety programs
  • Business plan template and guide
  • Running your business
  • Succession planning
  • How do I write a business plan?
  • Writing a business plan
Upcoming Events
  • Book now: 2019 International Trade Shows with Food South Australia
  • 27 February 2019: Food South Australia Hall of Fame Breakfast
  • 29 May 2019: 2019 Food South Australia Summit
  • Recent Posts
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      December 3, 2018
    • Food Business 101: How protected is your brand name in China?
      November 6, 2018
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    • Telephone:
      +61 8 8303 9435
    • PO Box 124, Glenside SA 5065
    • Plant Research Centre, Waite Campus 2b Hartley Grove, Urrbrae SA 5064

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    Food South Australia

    14 hours ago

    Food South Australia

    Where do icons come from? They come from hard work and high courage. But the opportunity to hear firsthand from the people who dreamed the dream and lived the experience to make it real are rare. And that's why we are so pleased to announce our special guest at the 2019 Hall of Fame Breakfast will be Maurice Crotti from San Remo and owner of Balfours.

    Balfours is our newest inductee into the South Australian Food Industry Awards Hall of Fame and an iconic South Australian brand. Join us to hear first hand the Balfours story. Have you registered to attend yet? Click on the link below for further information.
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    Tony Polese

    Food South Australia

    6 days ago

    Food South Australia

    A number of important State Government consultations and reviews are currently in progress. Food South Australia is collating member input to key reviews into single-use plastics and container deposit legislation, and also seeking member input to respond to the State Government on the business case for a dedicated wine and food centre in the Riverland. If you are a member and wish to contribute to these consultations, contact us before 15 February. ... See MoreSee Less

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    Food South Australia shared Baylies Epicurean Delights's post.

    2 weeks ago

    Food South Australia

    The fantastic team at Baylies of Strathalbyn have just launched their new organic range of Lavash and Premium Crackers with flavours including Olive Oil & Sea Salt, Rosemary, and Pepper Berry.
    Well done also to the team at Co-op Fresh Foodland for supporting local SA businesses.

    Baylies Epicurean Delights
    We LOVE the display of our NEW Organic Lavash & Gourmet Crackers at The Co-op Shopping Centre in the Barossa 😍😍

    Big thanks to Co-op Fresh Foodland for supporting local South Australian businesses.

    Food South Australia Brand South Australia

    #local #baylies #foodies #yum #organic #party #platter #grazing #ichoosesa #woodisde #adelaidehills #love #family #supprtlocal #adelaide #southaustralia #barossa #nuriootpa #foodland
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    PlayBaylies Epicurean Delights
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    Food South Australia

    2 weeks ago

    Food South Australia

    Looking good La Casa Del Formaggio! ... See MoreSee Less

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    Jess Anne

    Thanks Food South Australia

    Exciting news Claude, congratulations

    Food South Australia

    2 weeks ago

    Food South Australia

    Food South Australia members EfficientSee are presenting a workshop for Business SA on best practice energy management standard ISO50001 on Tuesday 19 March. The Untapped Power Masterclass is open to all energy intensive businesses (above 500 MWh annual usage) Find out more here ... See MoreSee Less

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