Whether you're an experienced franchisee or on the lookout for a first-time franchise opportunity, you should consider a business plan. Creating a business plan will not only help you but it may also be essential in the initial stages of the business. You may be asked for a business plan, for example, in order to get the capital that's required when you're launching the enterprise. So they make sense for both charting your potential successes and in the acquisition of start-up cash.

   An advantage to acquiring a franchise is that you do not have to reinvent the wheel and feel like you are all alone. Your franchiser will be there to help you every step of the way starting with a business plan for your new opportunity. The success of your new franchise is a two way street because the franchiser also has a vested interest. As for helping you with the business plan, the franchiser is the best person to guide you because there is a lot of information that you would not know at this time. It is important to do the business plan properly if the franchiser is not able to help you in other aspects of the business.

   When a business plan is in place it can help you to prioritize the important tasks and leave what is not urgent for a later date. As you go along, you will notice how the information from the franchiser for a new business is uniquely different then that of a conventional business plan. In order to make owning a franchise more appealing the franchiser may assist you in other areas of the plan.

   Franchise business plans contain a number of features. The list isn't exhaustive, but it usually includes the following:

   An introduction or abstract is prepared as part of your business plan which is shorter than an executive summary and notes the main aspects of the plan. Then the summary follows and it is more detailed and describes the company as well as the finer points of the business. The franchise itself is discussed in the overview and this is in place of the "industry analysis" section of a conventional business plan.

   Competition is everywhere and the challenges you will face in this particular market are discussed in the next section of the business plan. How to manage a marketing plan, attract customers thru advertising and come ahead of your competitors are all covered too.

   All businesses need employees to run an organization and, therefore, the busines plan for the franchise has also a management and human resources section. In this section, the different staff and management positions are discussed as well as the qualification of the people required for these positions. The organizational structure is also discussed.

   Your financial objectives and projections are another important aspect of the business plan and very necessary as with other conventional plans.

   The last section usually consists of exhibits or documents which support the projections, statistics or whatever information you provided in the business plan. They are generally at the end of the business plan as part of the whole document or in a separate binder.