BUSINESS PLAN

Students will prepare and present a proposal for a new business that they have developed on their own and which will serve as the foundation for their business plan. The opportunity may be related to an original product or service, a unique sales concept, or an inventive distribution or manufacturing process. The business concept should be new, sustainable and scalable. While the proposal will address many of the major issues contained in a formal business plan, it should focus on evaluating the opportunity itself, as opposed to the specifics of the actual business venture that would be established to capitalize on that opportunity (those refined details will be presented in the business plan itself). This analysis should help the entrepreneur decide whether or not to pursue the opportunity by presenting a systematic and realistic analysis of the opportunity. Ultimately, it should provide the direction and focus for the business plan, giving the student a good foundation from which to proceed. This analysis will consist of an initial and final presentation (a three-minute ‘pitch’), which should generate interest and excitement while conveying as much critical information as possible, and a final written report (2 – 4 pages, typed, 11 point Arial font, single spaced, one-inch margins, and printed in black on one side of 8 1⁄2 x 11 inch paper). Each proposal should include: (1) a well-articulated core concept for a brand new business, (2) a description of the market and potential need for this