Page 4 February 15, 1996 - SMOKE SIGNALS
Attention tribal business owners
Small Business Development would like to print a tribal member business directory. Let's
encourage Grand Ronde tribal members to use services from their fellow tribal members.
If you want your business advertised in this directory please submit the following:
O Business Card with business name, address and phone number;
Photo of Grand Ronde tribal member owners include the names of business owners;
Any promotions or discounts offered to tribal members andor community members.
Send materials to Shelley Hanson, Small Business Development, CTGR, 9615 Grand
Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347.
Also, on page 5 is a sample of already submitted advertisements. If your ad is listed without
a photo, please send one as soon as possible we hope to have this printed soon.
FEBRUARY - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Intro to PC's and Beginning Word --
Tuesday, Feb. 20
Beginning Excel - Thursday, Feb. 22
Intro to PC's and Beginning Windows -
Tuesday, Feb. 27
Intermediate Excel -- Thursday, Feb. 29
MARCH - 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Beginning Word - Tuesday, March 5
Beginning Excel - Thursday, March 7
Intro to PC's and Beginning Windows --
Tuesday, March 12
Intermediate Excel Thurs., March 14
Advanced Word - Tuesday, March 19
Beginning Excel - Thursday, March 21
Intro to PC's and Beginning Windows --
Tuesday, March 26
Beginning Word -- Thursday, March 28
Computer training classes are FREE to
Grand Ronde tribal members and staff;
$10 fee for non-tribal members.
To make your reservation,
please call Penny at 879-2476 or
Sam at 879-2487 or 1-800-422-0232.
memum.
Instructor: Shelley Hanson
PART I:
You and Your Business Idea,
helps potential business owners
understand the requirements of
business success. $10 fee
March 6 and 13 Salem
April 4 and 1 1 Grand Ronde
PART II: (10 weeks)
Starting a Successful Business,
helps avoid costly potential mis
takes of business start-up. It pro
vides the framework for success
ful business start-up by assisting
students in writing a bankable
business plan and training them
to prepare a successful applica
tion for financing. $100 fee
Starting March 20 Salem
Tribal members wishing to take
ONABEN business classes may qualify
to have tuition paid by Short Term
Training Program obtained through the
Education Department. For more in
formation, please contact the Tribal
Education Division at 879-2275.
Native American craftspersons are invited to receive a free listing
in the fourth annual edition of the
Native American Crafts Directory
This directory is a comprehensive, nationally distributed guide to locating Native
American fine arts and crafts, rugs and blankets, jewelry and silverwork, craft sup
plies, tipis, western clothing, furniture, southwestern home decor, leather goods,
furs, books, audio, video, organizations and services, and much more.
It is published yearly, and contains over 1 ,000 listings. Price is $8.95, plus $ 1 .50
shipping. Native Americans are invited to submit complete information for the
next edition. Your listing and advertising is free of charge. We would like to
include you in this issue.
Please provide the following information: 1 . Name of business. 2. Your name.
3. Mailing address andor business street address. 4. Telephone number. 5. Do you
have a catalog, price list, brochure, flyer, cassette, or other advertising to send to
your customers? (If so, list its price.) 6. In approximately 25 words or less, de
scribe your art, crafts, products, services, or other business descriptions. (No prices.)
Send to: Spotted Horse Tribal Gifts
P.O. Box 869, Oakridge, OR 97463
Preview of a Business Plan
You have decided to start composition of your business plan. What is it
supposed to look like? How should it be arranged? What should be included
in each section. How long should it be?
Here are some basic principles of a business plan.
1 . There's no right way to organize and write a business plan. Business plans may
differ widely in content and organization. There are "canned" computer business plans
available, but you should be careful. A business plan for a computer software company
would vary greatly from a business plan for a coffee shop. Canned programs take the
generic approach to ideas. Your plan must suit your business needs.
2. You can be creative in the business plan's packaging and presentation. Dressing up
the appearance of your plan with marvelous graphics will enhance its selling effective
ness. Certain subjects, mainly financial results and projections, demand conformity
with the tried and true.
3. Keep the plan as concise and focused as possible. The plan must be both complete
and easy to read and understand. You may feel your business is so complex that a plan
requires long sentences, buzz words, and many pages of explanation. This is not the
case. It is essential to make the plan as accessible and easy to read if it is going to be
of maximum use.
4. Make sure the plan captures your company's energy and personality. As much as
possible, the business plan should capture a special outlook and sense of purpose. It
should identify a special character that includes an excitement about and commitment
to its markets and products or services, and more than just enthusiasm and confidence.
5. Be sure to include negatives as well as positives. It's natural when writing a busi
ness plan to talk about the great things the company does. To be credible, the plan
must acknowledge and discuss the industry and company drawbacks that are a part of
every business, no matter how successful.
6. Write the business plan over a period of weeks. Reflecting the many challenges and
opportunities facing a business takes several weeks or even months. A word of cau
tion, don't let the process drag on too long or the plan may never reach completion.
Here's an overview of the contents of the written plan. The titles of the
subsequent sections can vary, but every plan should cover the subjects ad
dressed in this overview:
Cover Page. On this page should go the name of your company, its address and
telephone number, and the chief executive's name. Nothing will turn off a banker or
investor faster than having to look up your telephone number in the telephone book,
because you left it off the cover page.
Table of Contents. This is a logical arrangement of the sections of your business
plan, with page numbers.
Executive Summary. This is the heart of the business plan. It is the plan in miniature.
It should be logical, clear, interesting and exciting. The executive summary should
stand alone and a reader should be prompted to say, "So that's what these people are
up to!"
The Company. The business plan must provide basic information about the com
pany: its past, its present, and its future. There should be information about the
company's history or, if it's a start-up, about the evolution of the market and product
concept. What is the company's future strategy? What are its goals and what actions
are required to achieve its goals?
The Market. This is your assessment of the customer group(s) you've targeted,
others you might pursue, the competition, and marketing efforts so far. Is the market
growing, how fast and do you possess evidence to back up your conclusions?
The ProductService. Describe here what makes your product andor service special
and attractive. What are the components? How much do you charge? What services
don't you provide? What kind of warranty do you offer?
Sales and Promotion. This is your plan of how you'll reach your customers and sell to
them. Do you have an in-house sales force, direct mail, or contracted telemarketers to
sell your productservice? What kind of public relations do you have planned? Will it be
done internally or will you hire a public relations firm?
Finances. This sections should include cash-flow projections, profit and loss state
ments, and balance sheets. This figures should be cast in traditional accounting format.
How do you start writing?
1 . Begin mapping a table of contents. Consider what subjects must be covered in your
plan.
2. Start to make notes under each subject of your contents. Now, list the subject
areas again, and make a few notes about issues you want to be sure to cover.
The process of writing a business plan is just that - a process. Scribbling
notes, rearranging things, and adding points over a period of days or weeks is
quite productive. Because, all of a sudden, you're writing!
Reprinted from the Guide to Creating a Successful Business Plan. By David Gumpertr.