Writing a business plan is an essential part of the initial strategic planning of any company. One thing, which seems to hang up most entrepreneurs, is figuring out what kind of data and information goes into the Market Analysis section. So often entrepreneurs will attempt to bluff or BS their way thru it. Often you find those with MBA write meticulous Market Analysis sections and although they may have little if any true entrepreneurial skills going into a new business, their business plans are sure to impress. But you need not be an MBA to write a proper Market Analysis section in your business plan for your next business.

Below please find a generic sample of a Market Analysis, which you can use to help you do yours. You may wish to print this article and then apply your own analysis to your particular area and business model. I recommend that you read it and think on it for a day and then write a few things in the margins and take a legal pad and write out your thoughts in paragraph form and then go collect the data you need. It is not a difficult exercise and you should be able to do this quite stress free. Now then remember this is only a sample and it is something we used for a Franchised Outlet for a mobile car wash business, which is probably about the most simple business in the world and why we chose it to simplify your process. Keep it simple and use factual data and you will have a first class business plan with an excellent Market Analysis to help you impress bankers, investors and the capital you need to succeed.

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Market Analysis

Please refer to our feasibility study for in depth demographics analysis. Our chosen city study proves conclusive; a mobile car wash company will thrive and prosper under these ideal conditions. Although we will have a quicker return on investment than most The Car Wash Guys franchisees, we will not take our marketing plan lightly. It is our intention to absolutely conquer our market rather than simply possess a large percent of market share. We will follow the franchisors marketing plan to accelerate projected gross sales from our initial opening through the five-year renewal date.

Target Markets

Our target markets for personal car washing are:

Large Corporate Offices

Large Manufacturers

Multi-Tenant Businesses

Retail Centers

Strip Shopping Malls

Upper Class Residences

Our target markets for fleet sales, rideshare consumers, etc. are:

Bus Companies

Construction Companies

Corporate Offices With Sales Staff

Distribution Companies

Government Agencies

Large Companies With Pool Cars

Material Companies

Rent-A-Car Companies

Small Package Deliverers

Taxi Cab Companies

Trash/Refuse Companies

Trucking Companies

U.S.P.S.

Utility Companies

Warehouses-Wholesale

Our target markets for industrial cleaning include:

Amusement Parks

Cities-Sidewalks, Etc.

Government (Graffiti)

Heavy Equipment Companies

Horse Stables

Park Playground Equipment

Parking Structures

Property Management Companies

Railroad Yards

Retail Stores (Holiday Window Paint Removal)

Schools, Universities

Shopping Centers (Concrete)

As we solicit these types of accounts we will secure a large percentage of them. We will impact many of our competitors, both fixed and mobile. This will make them go on the defensive. One instinct of business owners that are backed into a corner is to attack. Often these competitors will call in favors from local politicians. They will try to pull rank because they have been in the community longer. The more money they have and the longer they have been established, the more weight they can pull.

It is important to know exactly how much the fixed site car wash owners participate in the community. Since you can never know too much about your competition, we will create a database in Microsoft Excel of all detail shops, car washes, mobile detailers and washers. Fixed car wash owners hate mobile car washes because they are capable of eating up 15% of their market share. If the car wash owners attempt to get city or county officials to change laws inhibiting our company, we will:

Alert the Media

Fax All Customers and Tell Them

Increase Car Wash Fundraisers

This will make our customers more loyal, aid us in community identity and give us free publicity that money cant buy. We will be able to tell the entire area how great and environmentally sound our services are.

To decrease the chance of backlash from fixed car wash owners, we will immediately market the entire city with the help of our franchisor and his marketing team. This week long comprehensive program is part of The Car Wash guys Bonzai and Blitz marketing program. Please see outline on the next page. Another adversary we might encounter are Sierra Club groups who dont understand our operation. We will lobby and educate these groups.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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