Business Plan - A Shot in the Dark!

[lvograin]

Good Afternoon!

I know this is a shot in the dark and the odds are "slim to none", but is there anyone who is willing to share their Business Plan for a small Whiskey Distillation operation with me? Bill has been kind enough to provide me with the spreadsheets, which are fantastic... it is just daunting to think of all the writing I need to do! I am not looking to copy someones plan verbatim... just looking for some language and a framework to get started. Or, does anyone know of a freelancer that can help with the writing? So, if there is someone out there that is willing to give a "newbie" an extra nudge in the right direction, any and all feedback, templates, etc. are sincerely appreciated. I am enthusiastic to have become a member of the ADI (today) and look forward to sharing intellectual capital with you...

Kind Regards,

Alan

[DyerWolf]

I had Masterplans help me with mine (www.masterplans.com). I would highly recommend using them if you don't feel like you are able to write your own. They are not cheap but it is a solid investment, particularly if you need help funding. I could not have come close to the proffessionalism of the document they prepared for me. Additionally they have written plans for other distilleries so I think they have gained experience.

[Guest Liberty Bar - Seattle]

Hey there, Alan.

As someone that has written a number of business plans, I would like to suggest that when you say, "it is just daunting to think of all the writing I need to do!", you are missing one of the points of writing a BP. It's through the process of doing the research in order to write your BP that is where you will become knowledgeable about your possible future business, not just knowledgeable about someone else's plan.

For instance, I was going to open a distillery, but through the process of writing the BP and looking into what it takes to open and operate a distillery, I found that the contract direction was the way for me to go at first before going the distillery route, and I would never have figured that out if I did not spend time researching for my BP.

No, this is not a shortcut that you should take, in my opinion. If you get someone else's BP, you'll only be learning what THEY have put together, and how will you know if their assumptions are correct if you don't do the work YOURSELF? Also, I have never ended up in the place where I expected to end up when I started the BP compared to where I ended up after doing the research - and that's a big chunk of WHY one writes a BP, which is to learn about the issue and thus see where this learning takes you.

That said, when you have specific questions, I am sure that many here would have no problems pointing you in the right direction.

Andrew

[Andrew]

If you happen to live near a college/university with a business school, stop by and ask one of the entrepreneurship profs if they have any students that might be interested in helping you. It's something that students can often get credit for, and they'll be able to help you get your hands around organizing a business plan.

I wouldn't recommend cribbing, unless you're just using the document for fund raising. The process of figuring out the plan organizes your thoughts and forces you to think through details you'd otherwise gloss over to your later regret. The journey is more important than the destination.

-A

[robertbirnecker]

Hey,

We help with business plan development but as noted by a previous poster you have to do most of the work yourself.

Part of our business is pointing you in the right direction and giving you the right information.

It is definitely worth the time to invest in researching for your business plan.

All the best,

Robert

Kothe Distilling Technologies.

Award winning handcrafted German engineered potstills for the production of high quality fruit and grain spirits, as well as bioethanol. Kothe Destillationstechnik uses patented technology to specially engineer each still with solid quality and energy saving compounds to meet the particular needs of each distiller. Kothe Distilling Technologies is the sole representative of Kothe Destillationstechnik in North America, Canada, and Mexico.

--------------------------------------------------------

Kothe Distilling Technologies Inc.

5121 N. Ravenswood Ave

Chicago, IL 60640

http://www.kothe-distilling.com

info@kothe-distilling.com

(773) 295 4454

[JohninWV]

Alan,

The guys above are all giving you really good advice. I wrote my own business plan and secured a solid investor, but I had a past relationship with him that helped. I had only written one business plan in the past for a much different operation at a smaller scale. As these guys have mentioned, doing your own business plan will really help you become better prepared for the journey. You will be well served to do your own plan based off of some examples (for form more than content) that you can find online.

I will make one, small negative comment. If you think the process of writing the business plan is daunting, you are in for a eye-opening. The permit application, bond, etc....it's a bunch of work.

With that said, good luck...and have fun!

[Scott @ Twenty2Vodka]

Good Afternoon!

I know this is a shot in the dark and the odds are "slim to none", but is there anyone who is willing to share their Business Plan for a small Whiskey Distillation operation with me? Bill has been kind enough to provide me with the spreadsheets, which are fantastic... it is just daunting to think of all the writing I need to do! I am not looking to copy someones plan verbatim... just looking for some language and a framework to get started. Or, does anyone know of a freelancer that can help with the writing? So, if there is someone out there that is willing to give a "newbie" an extra nudge in the right direction, any and all feedback, templates, etc. are sincerely appreciated. I am enthusiastic to have become a member of the ADI (today) and look forward to sharing intellectual capital with you...

Kind Regards,

Alan

.

Hi Alan.

5 years ago i took an idea to start a distillery and began the first draft of my business plan which eventually resulted in 19 shareholders, and an operating distillery in Northern Maine. At it's height, my business plan totaled 75 pages and covered every single aspect of what i expected my future business to be and grow into. We treated the document as "living" where we constantly added or edited information as we learned more about the industry and market. The experience of authoring such a plan and more importantly knowing it's finer details like the back of my hand allowed me to sculpt a document that eventually landed my shareholders and financing to go ahead and begin spending. The knowledge gained through that experience made me the "expert" when presenting the plan and i could speak in detail to any number of counterpoints presented during my fund raising stage. Had i not authored the document myself, i would not have conveyed nearly enough confidence in the overall plan presented and do not believe i would have secured the funding i eventually did.

Like i said, that was 5 years ago. It took about 2 years (albeit part-time) to finalize my business plan and first draft of my financial projections. Once that document had reached a state of completeness, we evaluated our financials one last time and determined the amount of money we needed to raise to make this a reality (looking back, like collecting firewood for a camp out we picked an amount that we considered a lot at the time, but when all was said and done could have easily used 3x the amount instead), created a corporation, sent the BP to the lawyers for a final legal review, and had the necessary subscription agreements drafted so investors could legally invest in the company with all the proper disclosures and SEC BS taken care of. Once we were finally ready to begin to accept funds, it took about 20 months to land my 19 shareholders, along with 59,000 miles traveled and about 4,000 total pages of additional documents before fund-raising was closed. While that experience was excruciating, and at times daunting, I'm happy that i made it through, and think I've proven (to my shareholders especially) that i can weather similarly stressful or difficult tasks with positive outcomes expected.

So, the experience and work leading up to starting the business i've started is my justification in starting it. Any investor worth their salt is going to see through any other type of experience (except for the state lottery). I don't believe there is a self-made distiller on this forum that can disagree.

Go out and get it and make it great.

Good Luck

[Palmetto Coast]

Hi Alan,

I'm sure most, if not all, of us on here can share your despair. While some here have already navigated the waters, I am in your shoes. I am in the process of completing my business plan. I have about 15 pages, and have learned so much, and more importantly, changed my plan a lot. I am less than a third done. You need to do the plan for your benefit if you want this to work for you. As an educator myself, I can liken the folks here to good teachers. They will tell you what "books" to look in so you can find the answers, but won't give them to you.

I will tell you what I have found useful. You can find sample plans for breweries and wineries online. Look at them, since some of it is similar (NOTE: similar does NOT = same). Also, look at business plans that are not in the related field. I have gotten a bunch of good ideas from these as well.

If you have a local chapter, SCORE is a group you may want to look up as well. They are retired business execs that volunteer to mentor folks like us.

Feel free to ask questions here, that's what its here for. Everyone here comes from different backgrounds and brings a lot of individual experience. The good news is the internet is a wealth of free info, as is your library. You will become close with both of them.

Good luck! And let me know if you find a finished business plan. It would save me a lot of time

Todd

[porter]

EXCELLENT RESPONSES !

I am also in the process of the business plan stage. It really isn't that hard for a small operation. Simply think the process through, making an outline along the way without getting too particular to the finer details the first time through. Then go back and add to the appropriate spot every time you have a thought.

Just to give you a good idea of what to expect, download the MS Office busines plan template from their website. At least it gets you started putting down some thoughts.

Couple of things you failed to mention...(don't need to answer here, but you need to think of)

What are you calling a 'small' distillery?

How much funding are you expecting to need to start/operate?

Are you trying to get investors or fund it yourself?

These are all important to answer to yourself, and to let those who are helping with the BP.

[sailorman9]

Good Afternoon!

I know this is a shot in the dark and the odds are "slim to none", but is there anyone who is willing to share their Business Plan for a small Whiskey Distillation operation with me? Bill has been kind enough to provide me with the spreadsheets, which are fantastic... it is just daunting to think of all the writing I need to do! I am not looking to copy someones plan verbatim... just looking for some language and a framework to get started. Or, does anyone know of a freelancer that can help with the writing? So, if there is someone out there that is willing to give a "newbie" an extra nudge in the right direction, any and all feedback, templates, etc. are sincerely appreciated. I am enthusiastic to have become a member of the ADI (today) and look forward to sharing intellectual capital with you...

Kind Regards,

Alan

I got the book, "Anatomy of a Business Plan". I find it like an exercise in running a business. I found so much useful information that I had not considered and it gave me so much to think about. Now I feel like I'm ready to run a business.