sample publishing company business plan

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11+ publisher business plan templates.

With the advent of the Internet, this business industry has grown with further progressions. However, running a business isn’t enough to make profit. You always require knowing the tweaks and tricks of running an effective business. For the beginners, simple business plan samples would help you to progress in this field with flying colors.

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• Attain the targeted circulation level.
• Control the costs when spending maximum on the subscription marketing in just one year.
• Monitor the response rates of the media executions.
• Follow-on the marketing of the book titles in the first half of the year or the first year.
• Attain the targeted advertising sale revenues.
• Quality editorial contents in every issue.
• Make the production and the distribution dates in the timely fashion for every issue.
• Entry Barriers are negligible or less
• SEO happens to be another factor
• Inclusion of professional outlook
• The tax benefits
• Publishing companies also provide democracy to the writers.
• Advice from experts
• Learning the laws
• Selecting the name and buying the domain

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Creating a Business Plan for a Publishing Company

Table of contents, introduction.

This write-up will dive into the crucial yet often overlooked topic of creating a business plan for a publishing company. Yes, business plans can seem tedious. But stick with me because mastering this fundamental skill can differentiate between a floundering startup and a successful, sustainable publishing business.

With some effort and guidance, you can learn how to craft a winning business plan tailored specifically to the publishing industry. When done right, your business plan will:

Let’s get started.

The Basics of Creating a Business Plan for a Publishing Company

A business plan is an essential strategic document that outlines the goals, objectives, and tactics needed to launch and grow a successful publishing company. At its core, a business plan serves as a roadmap that guides essential decisions and aids in securing funding from investors.

Defining the Business Plan

Key components of a publishing business plan.

While the exact structure can vary, most publishing business plans contain the following key sections:

Attracting Investors with a Strong Business Plan

A well-crafted business plan instills confidence by thoroughly understanding the industry’s competitive landscape and showcasing a path to sustainability and growth.

Why You Need a Business Plan for Your Publishing Company

A clear vision and effective strategy are crucial for any successful publishing company. A well-crafted business plan allows you to define your company’s purpose, set goals, and map out a strategy to achieve them. Without a plan, it’s easy to lose focus or be swayed by passing trends instead of pursuing activities that align with your core mission.

Examining the financial viability of your publishing company is another key reason to create a business plan. You can assess if your company model is sustainable by projecting sales, costs, and profit margins over time.

A business plan allows you to spot potential cash flow issues or shortfalls in advance so you can modify your strategy. It also provides essential documentation if you seek funding from banks or investors.

With a solid plan, you can pursue your publishing goals strategically and purposefully.

Key Reasons for Creating a Business Plan for a Publishing Company:

Step-by-step guide to creating a business plan for a publishing company.

Creating a comprehensive business plan is essential for any new publishing company. A clear roadmap can help you secure funding, attract investors, and guide your strategy. Here is a step-by-step guide to crafting a winning business plan:

Conduct Thorough Market Research

Before anything else, you need to understand your target market inside and out. Research reader demographics, analyze competing publishers, identify gaps and opportunities in the market, and determine where your company fits in the competitive landscape. A data-driven approach is key.

Define Your Company’s Mission and Objectives

Describe your products and services.

Provide an overview of the types of books and services you plan to offer. Will you publish fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, or a mixture? What value do you bring to authors and readers? You want to convey what makes your offerings unique.

The Legal Structure and Ownership

This business plan section should detail the legal structure you’ve chosen for your publishing company. Common structures include sole proprietorship , partnership, limited liability company (LLC) , or corporation. Each has pros and cons, so consult a legal advisor or business consultant to determine the best fit for your situation. For instance, a sole proprietorship is the simplest form but offers no personal liability protection. An LLC provides liability protection without the formalities of a corporation. A corporation is more complex but allows for outside investors and protects personal assets from business liabilities. Here’s what you need to include in this section: 1. Legal Structure: Clearly state the legal structure of your company. If it’s an LLC, specify whether it’s member-managed or manager-managed. If it’s a corporation, note if it’s an S corporation or a C corporation . 2. Ownership Information: List all owners and their percentage ownership. If there are multiple owners, describe their roles and responsibilities. If you plan to seek external investment, mention the equity share available for investors. 3. Registration Details: Include information about where your company is registered, the date of registration, and any relevant registration numbers. 4. Licenses and Permits: Detail any necessary licenses and permits you must obtain. This might include a business license, sales tax permit, or ISBN registrar for a publishing company. 5. Intellectual Property: Discuss how you plan to protect your intellectual property, such as copyrights for the books you publish. By clearly defining your publishing company’s legal structure and ownership, you’ll provide potential investors with crucial information about the risks and rewards associated with investing in your business.

Outline Your Marketing Plan

Start by identifying what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts. This could be increasing brand awareness, reaching a new audience segment, boosting book sales, or attracting high-quality authors. Make sure these objectives align with your overall business goals. 2. Identify Your Target Audience

Use the information from your market research to define your target audience. Include demographic information like age, gender, education level, and psychographic details such as interests, values, and reading habits. 3. Understand Your Competition

Define your unique selling proposition (USP) – what sets your publishing company apart. This could be the type of books you publish, the authors you work with, your editorial standards, or your innovative marketing techniques. 5. Choose Your Marketing Channels

Determine which marketing channels will be most effective for reaching your target audience. This might include social media, email marketing, content marketing (blogs, podcasts, videos), public relations, events, and advertising. Consider both online and offline channels. 6. Develop Your Promotional Strategy

Determine how much you’re willing to spend on marketing activities. Remember to factor in website development, advertising, event hosting, and content creation costs. 8. Measure Your Success

Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your marketing efforts. These might include the number of books sold, website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, or event attendance. 9. Plan for Adjustments

Project Financials and Funding Needs

Provide projected sales, costs, profit margins, and funding requirements. Analyze expected revenues and expenses. This will demonstrate the viability and profitability of your publishing company.

Describe Your Management Team

Introduce your experienced leadership team and their qualifications. This gives investors confidence in your ability to execute your plan. This step-by-step guide will help you create a rock-solid business plan tailored specifically for a publishing startup. With clear goals, thorough market research, and financial planning, you’ll be poised for success.

Crafting the Executive Summary for Your Publishing Company’s Business Plan

Convey the essence of your business.

Briefly explain what your publishing company does, your target audience and market, and your competitive advantage. This helps readers quickly understand your business model and value proposition.

Emphasize Financial Highlights

Include key financial projections and metrics like expected revenues, profit margins, break-even point, and return on investment. These numbers showcase the money-making potential of your publishing company.

Discuss Your Goals and Objectives

Keep it concise.

The executive summary should be about 1-2 pages at most. Use clear, concise language and avoid unnecessary details. Focus on grabbing attention and interest.

Highlight Your Qualifications

Briefly summarize your team’s skills, experience, and expertise to showcase why you are the right people to lead this publishing company.

Include a Call-to-Action

With these tips, you can craft an executive summary that piques interest in your full business plan. Remember to make it skimmable, focused, and persuasive. This summary could make or break whether potential investors dig deeper, so perfect it!

Financial Projections and Analysis for Your Publishing Company’s Business Plan

Creating accurate financial projections is critical to any publishing company’s business plan. These projections allow you to forecast expenses, sales, and profitability over the next several years. While financial projections require some guesswork, they should be based on thorough market research and realistic assumptions.

Key Financial Statements

Financial analysis.

Conducting this financial analysis will provide invaluable insight into the economic feasibility of your publishing business. It enables you to identify potential issues and adjust your projections as needed.

Presenting the Financials

Well-prepared financial projections are hugely important for attracting investors to your publishing startup. Master this complex but essential aspect of the business planning process.

Editing and Proofreading Your Business Plan

Thorough editing and proofreading are crucial when creating a business plan for a publishing company. This is because your business plan is more than just an internal document—it’s a tool to persuade investors, partners, and other stakeholders that your publishing company is a viable investment. Here are some reasons why meticulous editing and proofreading are essential:

Professionalism

Editing ensures that your ideas are communicated clearly and effectively. It helps you eliminate unnecessary information, clarify complex concepts, and structure your content logically. A clear, concise business plan is easier to read and understand, which increases its persuasive power.

Proofreading helps you catch and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors. Even small mistakes can undermine the credibility of your business plan. They can also lead to misunderstandings or confusion about key details, such as financial projections or marketing strategies.

Consistency

Persuasiveness.

Ultimately, your business plan must convince readers that your publishing company is a good investment. Effective editing and proofreading help you build a compelling case by ensuring your arguments are clear, your evidence is accurate, and your language is persuasive. In conclusion, thorough editing and proofreading are vital steps in creating a business plan for a publishing company. By dedicating time and attention to these tasks, you can enhance the clarity, accuracy, consistency, and persuasiveness of your business plan, increasing your chances of securing investment and achieving your business goals.

In this post, we’ve covered a lot of ground on mastering the art of creating a business plan for a publishing company. Let’s recap some of the key takeaways:

When crafting your business plan, conduct thorough market research, analyze the competition, set realistic goals, and project financials. The executive summary should capture the essence of your business plan and excite investors.

Creating financial projections will demonstrate the viability of your publishing company. Include key statements like your income, balance, and cash flow statements.

Don’t let the business plan writing process intimidate you. Please start with the essential components we outlined, do your research, and get feedback from mentors. The hard work you put into your business plan will pay off tremendously.

Remember, success doesn’t happen overnight. Stay committed to your goals and keep moving forward one step at a time. With focus and perseverance, you can master the art of business planning and make your publishing company dreams a reality.

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Business Plan Template for Book Publishers

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

Are you a book publisher looking to take your business to new heights? Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, having a solid business plan is the key to success in the publishing industry. And ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Book Publishers is here to help you every step of the way!

With this template, you can:

• Outline your publishing goals, vision, and strategies
• Create detailed financial projections and budgets
• Identify target markets and develop effective marketing strategies
• Plan for distribution, sales, and author acquisitions
• Track progress and make adjustments to ensure success

Don't leave your publishing dreams to chance. Get the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Book Publishers today and turn your passion into a thriving business!

Business Plan Template for Book Publishers Benefits

A Business Plan Template for Book Publishers offers a range of benefits to help publishers successfully navigate the industry:

• Provides a clear roadmap for launching or expanding a publishing business, outlining the vision and goals.
• Assists in identifying target audiences, understanding market trends, and developing effective marketing strategies.
• Helps publishers analyze competition and differentiate themselves in the market.
• Allows for comprehensive financial projections, including revenue streams, expenses, and potential funding sources.
• Ensures a structured approach to managing operations, distribution channels, and author relationships.
• Facilitates strategic decision-making and adjustments based on market dynamics and industry shifts.
• Provides a professional document that can be shared with investors, partners, and stakeholders to secure funding and support.
• Enables publishers to demonstrate a deep understanding of their industry and the viability of their business concept.

Main Elements of Book Publishers Business Plan Template

When it comes to creating a business plan for your book publishing venture, ClickUp has you covered with a template tailored specifically for the industry. Here are the key elements of ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Book Publishers:

• Custom Statuses: Keep track of your progress with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do, ensuring your business plan stays on track.
• Custom Fields: Use custom fields such as Reference, Approved, and Section to add important details and track the status of each section of your business plan.
• Custom Views: Take advantage of five different views, including Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide, to organize and visualize your business plan in the most effective way possible.
• Document Collaboration: Collaborate with your team members and stakeholders using ClickUp's Docs feature, allowing you to work together seamlessly on your business plan.
• Task Management: Break down your business plan into actionable tasks using ClickUp's tasks feature, assigning responsibilities, setting due dates, and tracking progress every step of the way.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Book Publishers

Creating a business plan for a book publishing company can be a daunting task, but with the help of ClickUp's Business Plan Template, you can break it down into five simple steps:

1. Define your vision and mission

Start by clearly defining your vision and mission for your book publishing business. What is your ultimate goal? What do you want to achieve? This will help guide your decision-making process and set the tone for your business.

Use the Docs feature in ClickUp to write down your vision and mission statements for easy reference.

2. Identify your target audience

Next, identify your target audience for the books you plan to publish. Who are the readers you want to reach? What are their preferences and interests? Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your publishing strategies and marketing efforts accordingly.

Create custom fields in ClickUp to track important information about your target audience, such as demographics and reading preferences.

3. Develop your publishing strategy

Now it's time to develop a comprehensive publishing strategy. This includes deciding what genres and types of books you will focus on, establishing relationships with authors and agents, and determining your distribution channels.

Use the Gantt chart feature in ClickUp to create a timeline and visually plan out each step of your publishing strategy.

4. Create a financial plan

A solid financial plan is crucial for any business, including book publishing. Determine your startup costs, projected revenue, and expenses. Consider factors such as printing costs, marketing expenses, and royalties for authors. This will help you understand the financial feasibility of your business and make necessary adjustments.

Utilize the Table view in ClickUp to create a spreadsheet and track your financial projections and expenses.

5. Set goals and milestones

Lastly, set specific goals and milestones for your book publishing business. These can include targets for the number of books published, revenue generated, or market share gained. Break these goals down into smaller milestones to track your progress and keep yourself motivated.

Use the Milestones feature in ClickUp to set and track your goals and milestones, ensuring that you stay on track and celebrate your achievements.

By following these five steps and utilizing ClickUp's Business Plan Template, you'll have a comprehensive and well-structured business plan for your book publishing company.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Book Publishers

Book publishers can use the Business Plan Template for Book Publishers to create a comprehensive plan for their publishing endeavors.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a successful business plan:

• Use the Topics View to organize your plan into different sections such as market analysis, marketing strategies, and financial projections
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, whether it's complete, in progress, needs revision, or to do
• Utilize the Timeline View to set deadlines and milestones for each section of your plan
• The Business Plan View will give you an overview of your entire plan, allowing you to easily navigate and make updates
• Use the Getting Started Guide View to access helpful resources and tips on how to create a successful business plan
• Add custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to provide additional information and track important details
• Update statuses and custom fields as you work through your plan to keep stakeholders informed of progress
• Monitor and analyze your plan to ensure it aligns with your goals and objectives
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How to Start a Publishing Company

Publishing is the act of producing and distributing literature, music rights, video games, and information. The industry is made up of many types of publishing companies. Some companies publish materials for wider public consumption, while others cater to niche markets.

How to Start a Publishing Company — Checklist Download

This free checklist will help you set up your own publishing company.

Publishing Company Business Plan — Free Template

This template will help you to build your business plan from gathering vital information to presenting it professionally.

How to Start a Publishing Company:

A step-by-step guide on how to create a publishing company.

Decide on a type of publishing.

Choose what sort of publishing company you want to start..

The first step in starting a publishing company is in deciding what and how it will be publishing. Consider the options below.

Trade: Aims for wider public consumption. Companies that publish magazines, newspapers, popular music, popular video games, and books for the general reading public all fall into this category.

Academic and educational: Focuses on research and educational material. Academic research journals and syllabus-oriented textbooks fall into this category.

Independent and regional: Made up of small presses focusing predominantly on materials of local or regional interest, such as local histories and tourism pamphlets.

Boutique: Specializes in narrow, niche markets. Small presses publishing genre-specific fiction fall into this category, for example.

Self-publishing: The creator of the material pays the publishing costs and plays a much bigger role in the process.

Electronic: Offers an alternative to traditional publishing, sharing content across digital platforms only.

Name your business.

Come up with a name..

Give your company a name. There are a number of things to consider when naming your publishing company to successfully convey the values and mission of your brand, but you'll want to be creative. A unique name will set your company apart from the rest and will make it easier later when securing a domain name.

Think specifics: What genre are you working in? What subject, and for what age groups?

Revisit values: What are your business's core values? And what values does your market hold as important?

Your name should be easy to remember, spell, and say.

Check availability.

Use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s trademark search tool to see if your name isn't already in use.

Follow this guide on How to Check Business Name Availability for a more thorough check.

Trademark your business name.

If you have decided on a publishing company business name, secure a trademark so that no one else takes it. You can register a trademark at www.uspto.gov .

Go to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website .

Click on "Trademarks."

Click on "Trademark basics."

Make sure you fully understand what is required of you.

Click on "Apply for a trademark."

Register on the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).

Pick a distribution model.

Consider the print-on-demand model..

Check to see if print-on-demand works for the publishing you're doing, your goals, and your budget. With this model, nothing is printed before-hand. Someone purchases your publication online, the order is sent to the printer, and then sent to the customer.

Without having to print ahead of time and store inventory in a warehouse, print-on-demand is less risky and requires a lower investment in each title. However, the cost of printing is higher per unit .

Consider the traditional distribution model.

Find out whether printing ahead of time and storing publications in a warehouse fits the kind of publishing you do, your budget, and your goals.

While this model does allow for bulk printing and ensures consistently good quality , it is expensive upfront because it carries storage, returns, and shipping fees.

Consider the direct-to-reader model.

Consider whether cutting out most of the distribution chain and selling digital publications directly to readers through an online sales page makes sense for your company.

There are very little upfront costs and risks with this model, but a comprehensive marketing strategy is needed .

Create a publishing company business plan.

Write the business description section..

Leave a page for the executive summary, which should be written last, and start with the business description section. This section includes legal structure, location, the expected launch dates of publications, and all sources of revenue.

Write the operations and management section.

After describing your business, move on to describe the leadership and management structures. This section includes the backgrounds of all members of your leadership team and demonstrates why they are a good fit. Include information about the major departments such as editorial, sales, legal, operations, etc.

Run through your marketing strategy.

Once you've finished discussing your leadership, break down your business's marketing strategy. Include information about your target market, genre, and promotional outlets.

Do a full SWOT analysis and include the information about your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in this section.

Write about your competition.

Unpack in detail industry revenues for the last few years, paying attention to growth. Then describe what you know about other publishing houses in your area. In particular, note what aspects of their business may be in direct competition with yours.

Talk about your financials.

Discuss your start-up expenses, sources of funding, financial operations, revenue projections, and break-even point.

The better you know your competition and target market, the more accurately you will predict your first-year revenue.

Share your future plans.

Describe any plans you have for your company. Once it has covered all opening costs and is able to maintain strong cash flow, what is next? You can include hiring more people, publishing a few other titles, expanding the office building, creating an app, etc.

You don't need to be as detailed as in the rest of the business plan. A few details will be fine.

Now write your executive summary.

Now that you've written your business plan, it should be easier to distill everything into a snappy, thoughtful, evocative executive summary.

Include your mission statement.

List anything about your company that helps to distinguish it from the rest.

Focus on investment opportunities.

• Form a legal entity.

Choose one of four legal structures for your company.

For professional, financial, and tax purposes, set up your company as a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability corporation (LLC), or corporation.

Independent publishing companies generally go with setting up a limited liability corporation to avoid personal liability and double taxation. It is also more flexible in terms of ownership and profit distribution.

Sole Proprietorship: A business that is owned and operated by just one person, who is then solely responsible for tax and liability issues.

Partnership: Two or more partners who share the business's tax and responsibilities.

Limited Liability Corporation (LLC): An entity that protects owners from liability, while passing taxes on to them. May use corporate or partnership tax rules.

Corporation: A distinct legal entity that assumes all liability and is taxed as a business at corporate tax rates. Has members and shareholders.

Secure start-up financing.

Approach a bank or government program..

Meet with your local bank to find out more about small business loans, or find a qualified lender that offers SBA loans .

Choose an option with interest rates that aren't too high.

Pitch to investors.

Sell equity in your business to interested investors. Investors give you money in exchange for part ownership.

Apply for a business credit card.

Approach a bank and apply for business credit. Interest rates for credit cards are high but are an option for a short term injection of capital.

Try crowdfunding.

Create a crowdfunding campaign to reach as many people as possible and offer them something for their financial help.

• Purchase insurance.

Find coverage against libel and copyright lawsuits.

Buy several types of insurance including Media Liability Insurance, Publisher's Perils Insurance, and Business Interruption Insurance.

Search for an insurance company that offers packages designed particularly for publishers.

• Find an office.

Lease commercial real estate.

If your home office won't suffice, start looking for an office space to rent. You'll need to take a serious look at your budget before approaching an agent.

Buy International Standard Book Numbers.

Buy an isbn number from an isbn service..

Help buyers and sellers identify your business as the publisher of a given book by buying a unique ISBN for each title. You can buy an ISBN from any number of ISBN services. A single ISBN costs between $18.00 and $150.00. Buying them in bulk often brings the price per number down.

They can be used for e-books, but aren't necessary.

• Hire employees or freelancers.

Recruit the talent you need.

If you have started your company to self-publish, you'll play most of the roles found in the average publishing company. For a larger operation, you'll need help to produce, market, and distribute your published materials. You can decide to employ fulltime or make use of freelancers to fulfill different functions. Such functions include editing, sales, design, public relations, and bookkeeping.

Use hiring software to streamline the process of posting jobs, accepting applications, scheduling job interviews, and sending out final job offers. Or you can connect to freelancers through gig-economy platforms such as Upwork .

Approach a staffing agency. They often have access to large talent pools and can, therefore, reach more candidates.

Advertise your publishing company.

Create a company website..

Register a domain name and build a site that explains who you are and what you offer. Use a website builder to design a website or pay an expert to help you. Having a website increases your visibility, discoverability, and legitimacy.

Start social media accounts for your business.

Facebook and Twitter pages, in particular, will make it easier for people to engage with you. Be sure to keep these pages active and don't underestimate the value of engaging directly.

Publish a blog.

Keep your website active and full of fresh, topical, and interesting information by publishing a blog. They're a great way to showcase your authors, books, magazines, newspapers, and games, and give you a strong platform for conveying your values, approaches, and mission.

Join your local publisher's association.

Become a member of your local publisher's association. This will give you access to exclusive events, professional development, networking opportunities, and the latest industry intelligence. It will also increase your company's visibility and credibility as a serious business.

Publishing Company Metrics:

Contribution margin per book sold..

The contribution margin in book publishing is the earnings from each title after all the variable costs accrued in the production and distribution of the book have been covered.

It is important to calculate the contribution margin from each book because it tells you how much each sale contributes towards paying your fixed costs and establishes a benchmark for how many books you need to sell before turning a profit.

Here are the three steps for calculating the contribution margin for each book:

Book list price x number of books sold = total sales.

Total sales - variable costs = total contribution margin.

Total contribution margin/number of books sold = contribution margin per book.

A book sells for $16 and a total of 10,000 are sold. This adds up to the total sales of $160,000.

Take the $160,000 total sales and subtract the associated variable costs, which for this example come to $100,000. This gives you a total contribution margin of $60,000.

Now, divide the $60,000 total contribution margin by the 10,000 books sold, and you have your contribution margin per book: $6.

Each book you've sold has contributed $6 towards paying your fixed costs. If all your fixed costs have been paid, then each book is contributing $6 towards your profit.

List price: The price on the cover of the book in the bookstore or online store.

Variable costs: Retailer discount, distribution, paper, printing, binding, cover design, cover art, line editing, copy editing, text design, layout, proofreading costs, marketing, and royalties.

Fixed costs: Rent, salaries, insurance, licenses, permits, property tax, utilities, etc.

Expert Advice on Starting a Publishing Company:

Must-Reads Before Starting a Publishing Company:

• Book Business: Publishing Past, Present, and Future by Jason Epstein.
• The Self-publishing Manual by Dan Poynter.
• Publishing for Profit by Thomas Woll.
• The Book Publishing Industry by Albert Greco.
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.
• The Chicago Manual of Style by The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff.

Publishing Logos

How do I start my own publishing company?

• Decide on the type of publishing .
• Name your company.
• Choose a distribution model.
• Create a business plan.
• Secure financing.

What does a publishing company do?

Publishing companies produce and distribute literature, music, games, and information.

How much does a publishing company make?

It is difficult to say how much publishing companies make on average. According to the latest Association of American Publishers (AAP) report , the book publishing industry had estimated revenue of $258 billion in 2018.

What is an independent publishing company?

Independent publishing companies are small companies that are not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporations. The terms "indie press," "small press," and "independent press" are all used to describe these businesses.

How much does it cost to publish a book?

It costs anywhere from $0 to $50,000 or more. You could literally post a book to a free blogging site like WordPress, or you can have it printed on fine paper, distributed around the world, and heavily marketed.

How do publishers make money?

Publishers take a small percentage of every sale after paying retail, distribution, author, production, and overhead costs. This percentage ranges between 5% and 12%.

How do I get an ISBN?

You can buy an ISBN from Bowker , an official source of ISBNs in the U.S.

How much do publishers pay authors?

Publishers often pay authors an advance on predicted sales and then pay royalties on every book sold. Royalties can follow a sliding scale such as up to 10 percent on the first 5,000 books sold, 20 percent on the next 5,000, and so on.

How do I start an online publication?

• Pick a topic.
• Choose a name.
• Do market research.
• Secure a domain name .
• Build a website.
• Build your team.
• Generate content.
• Monetize the site.

How do I start a music publishing company?

• Decide on the type of music.
• Find an office and recording studio.
• Hire employees.

How do publishing companies work?

Book publishing companies and music publishers buy the rights to produce and sell the works of authors and musicians and pay them royalties on each unit sold.

How much does it cost to start a publishing company?

It costs between $50.00 and $500.00 to register your company. After that, there are advertising costs, rent, and the expenses associated with getting an initial product out to market. These costs can range from thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the size of your operation.

How much money does a publisher make?

Publishers make between $60,000 and $280,000 a year, according to our research. Publishers salaries depend on the type and size of the publishing company.

Does every book have an ISBN number?

Every edition of a book should have its own unique ISBN.

How much does it cost to get an ISBN number?

A single ISBN costs between $18.00 and $150.00.

Do authors pay publishers?

Not traditionally, no. Publishers pay authors royalties on sales.

Does your business need media liability insurance?

Yes, if your business needs media liability insurance to protect itself against libel, plagiarism, and invasion of privacy lawsuits.

How much does media liability insurance cost?

Media liability insurance policies cost $2,500.00 a year on average but can cost as little as $500.00 a year.

How do bookstores get their books?

Bookstores order books directly from publishers and distributors, but they also receive books from wholesalers.

What is an ISBN?

An ISBN is a 13-digit number used to help buyers and sellers identify your business as the publisher of a given book. Each title requires its own ISBN. They can be used for e-books, but aren't necessary.

What genre of books sells the most?

The top three best-selling genres are Romance/Erotica, Crime/Mystery, and Religious/Spiritual, in that order.

Can I be my own music publisher?

Yes, you can set up a music publishing company to publish your original music.

What is a micro-publisher?

Publishers with total revenues below a certain level are considered to be micro-publishers. Publishers publishing for a specific micro-market and those creating predominantly digital content shared across social media platforms, email, and public websites are also forms of micro-publishers.

How much money can you make from a self-published book?

Self-published authors can earn up to 35 percent on every printed book sold, and as high as 70 percent on every ebook sold.

How long does it take to publish a book?

According to our research, it can take anywhere from three weeks to six months. The process includes writing, editing, production, printing, and binding.

What goes into a business plan for a publishing company?

• Executive summary.
• Company description.
• Products and services.
• Marketing plan.
• Operational plan.
• Management description.
• Financial plan.

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How to Start a Publishing Company

  Starting a publishing company can be very profitable. With proper planning, execution and hard work, you can enjoy great success. Below you will learn the keys to launching a successful publishing company.

Importantly, a critical step in starting a publishing company is to complete your business plan. To help you out, you should download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template here .

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here

14 Steps To Start a Publishing Company:

• Choose the Name for Your Publishing Company
• Develop Your Publishing Company Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Publishing Company
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Publishing Company (If Needed)
• Secure a Lease for Your Location
• Register Your Publishing Company with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Publishing Company
• Buy or Lease the Right Publishing Company Equipment
• Develop Your Publishing Company & Book Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Publishing Company
• Open for Business

1. Choose the Name for Your Publishing Company

The first step to starting a publishing company is to choose your business’ name.  

This is a very important choice since your company name is your brand and will last for the lifetime of your business. Ideally, you choose a business name that is meaningful and memorable. Here are some tips for choosing a name for your publishing company:

• Make sure the name is available . Check your desired name against trademark databases and your state’s list of registered business names to see if it’s available. Also, check to see if a suitable domain name is available.
• Keep it simple . The best names are usually ones that are easy to remember, pronounce and spell.
• Think about marketing . Come up with a name that reflects the desired brand and/or focus of your publishing company.

2. Develop Your Publishing Company Business Plan

One of the most important steps in starting a publishing company is to develop your business plan . The process of creating your plan ensures that you fully understand your market and your business strategy. The plan also provides you with a roadmap to follow and if needed, to present to funding sources to raise capital for your business.

Your business plan should include the following sections:

• Executive Summary – this section should summarize your entire business plan so readers can quickly understand the key details of your publishing company.
• Company Overview – this section tells the reader about the history of your publishing company and what type of publishing business you operate. For example, are you a book publishing business, magazine publisher, textbook publisher, digital publishing company, or an indie publishing company?
• Industry Analysis – here you will document key information about the publishing company industry. Conduct market research and document how big the industry is and what trends are affecting it.
• Customer Analysis – in this section, you will document who your ideal or target customers are and their demographics. For example, how old are they? Where do they live? What do they find important when purchasing products like the ones you will offer?
• Competitive Analysis – here you will document the key direct and indirect competitors you will face and how you will build a competitive advantage.
• Marketing Plan – your marketing plan should address the 4Ps: Product, Price, Promotions, and Place.
• Product : Determine and document what products/services you will offer 
• Prices : Document the prices of your products/services
• Place : Where will your business be located and how will that location help you increase sales?
• Promotions : What promotional methods will you use to attract customers to your publishing company? For example, you might decide to use pay-per-click advertising, public relations, search engine optimization, and/or social media marketing.
• Operations Plan – here you will determine the key processes you will need to run your day-to-day operations. You will also determine your staffing needs. Finally, in this section of your plan, you will create a projected growth timeline showing the milestones you hope to achieve in the coming years.
• Management Team – this section details the background of your company’s management team.
• Financial Plan – finally, the financial plan answers questions including the following:
• What startup costs will you incur?
• How will your publishing company make money?
• What are your projected sales and expenses for the next five years?
• Do you need to raise funding to launch your business?

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

3. choose the legal structure for your publishing company.

Next, you need to choose a legal business structure for your own publishing company and register it and your business name with the Secretary of State in each state where you operate your business.

Below are the five most common legal structures:

1) Sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is the simplest business form in which the owner of the publishing company and the business are the same legal person. The owner of a sole proprietorship is responsible for all debts and obligations of the business. There are no formalities required to establish a sole proprietorship, and it is easy to set up and operate. The main advantage of a sole proprietorship is that it is simple and inexpensive to establish. The main disadvantage is that the owner is liable for all debts and obligations of the business.

2) Partnerships

A partnership is a legal business structure that is popular among small businesses. It is an agreement between two or more people who want to start a publishing company together. The partners share in the profits and losses of the business. 

The advantages of a partnership are that it is easy to set up, and the partners share in the profits and losses of the business. The disadvantages of a partnership are that the partners are jointly liable for the debts of the business, and disagreements between partners can be difficult to resolve.

3) Limited Liability Company (LLC)

A limited liability company, or LLC, is a type of business entity that provides limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners of an LLC are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The advantages of an LLC for a publishing company include flexibility in management, pass-through tax benefits (avoids double taxation as explained below), and limited personal liability. The disadvantages of an LLC include lack of availability in some states and self-employment taxes.

4) C Corporation

A C Corporation is a business entity that is separate from its owners. It has its own tax ID and can have shareholders. The main advantage of a C Corporation for a publishing company is that it offers limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The disadvantage is that C Corporations are subject to double taxation. This means that the corporation pays business taxes on its profits, and the shareholders also pay taxes on their dividends.

5) S Corporation

An S Corporation is a type of corporation that provides its owners with limited liability protection and allows them to pass their business income through to their personal income tax returns, thus avoiding double taxation. There are several limitations on S Corporations including the number of shareholders they can have among others.

Once you register your publishing company, your state will send you your official “Articles of Incorporation.” You will need this among other documentation when establishing your banking account (see below). We recommend that you consult an attorney in determining which legal structure is best suited for your own business.

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4. Secure Startup Funding for Your Publishing Company (If Needed)

In developing your publishing company business plan, you might have determined that you need to raise funding to launch your business. 

If so, the main sources of funding for a publishing company to consider are personal savings, family and friends, credit card financing, bank loans, crowdfunding, and angel investors. Angel investors are individuals who provide capital to early-stage businesses. Angel investors typically will invest in a publishing company that they believe has a high potential for growth.

5. Secure Your Location

When choosing a location, you’ll want to consider your target audience and what part of the country they live in. You’ll also want to think about your budget and what amenities are important to you.

If you’re targeting a local audience, it might make sense to open your publishing company near them. This will help you cut down on shipping costs and give you easier access to potential customers. However, if you’re targeting a national or international audience, you may want to choose a location that’s more centrally located.

6. Register Your Publishing Company with the IRS

Next, you need to register your business with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which will result in the IRS issuing you an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Most banks will require you to have an EIN in order to open up an account. In addition, in order to hire employees, you will need an EIN since that is how the IRS tracks your payroll tax payments.

Note that if you are a sole proprietor without employees, you generally do not need to get an EIN. Rather, you would use your social security number (instead of your EIN) as your taxpayer identification number.

7. Open a Business Bank Account

It is important to establish a bank account in your publishing company’s name. This process is fairly simple and involves the following steps:

• Identify and contact the bank you want to use
• Gather and present the required documents (generally include your company’s Articles of Incorporation, driver’s license or passport, and proof of address)
• Complete the bank’s application form and provide all relevant information
• Meet with a banker to discuss your business needs and establish a relationship with them

8. Get a Business Credit Card

You should get a business credit card for your publishing house to help you separate personal finances separate from the company’s assets and expenses.

You can either apply for a business credit card through your bank or apply for one through a credit card company.

When you’re applying for a business credit card, you’ll need to provide some information about your business. This includes the name of your business, the address of your business, and the type of business you’re running. You’ll also need to provide some information about yourself, including your name, Social Security number, and date of birth.

Once you’ve been approved for a business credit card, you’ll be able to use it to make purchases for your business. You can also use it to build your credit history which could be very important in securing loans and getting credit lines for your business in the future.

9. Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits

In order to start a publishing company, you will need to obtain a business license and a permit to publish from the state government. You will also need to register your company with the IRS and obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Additionally, you may need to register with the Secretary of State and/or the Department of Labor depending on your state.

10. Get Business Insurance for Your Publishing Company

Below are the main types of insurance to consider for your business:

• General liability insurance : This covers accidents and injuries that occur on your property. It also covers damages caused by your employees or products.
• Workers’ compensation insurance : If you have employees, this type of policy works with your general liability policy to protect against workplace injuries and accidents. It also covers medical expenses and lost wages.
• Commercial property insurance : This covers damage to your property caused by fire, theft, or vandalism.
• Business interruption insurance : This covers lost income and expenses if your business is forced to close due to a covered event.

Find an insurance agent, tell them about your business and its needs, and they will recommend policies that fit those needs. 

11. Buy or Lease the Right Publishing Company Equipment

Most publishing companies don’t need much equipment. To start a publishing company, you probably only need a computer, phone, and internet access. You might also need office furniture.

12. Develop Your Publishing Company & Book Marketing Materials

Marketing materials will be required to attract and retain customers to your publishing company.

The key marketing materials you will need are as follows:

• Logo : Spend some time developing a good logo for your publishing company. Your logo will be printed on company stationery, business cards, marketing materials, and so forth. The right logo can increase customer trust and awareness of your brand.
• Website : Likewise, a professional publishing company website provides potential customers with information about the products you offer, your company’s history, and contact information. Importantly, remember that the look and feel of your website will affect how customers perceive you.
• Social Media Marketing : establish a social media presence in your own company’s name. Accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and/or other social media networks will help customers and others find and interact with your publishing company.

13. Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Publishing Company

To run a publishing company, you need software that can manage your workflow and production. Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop are common design software used in the publishing industry. QuarkXPress is also a popular choice for publishing companies. Other software that can be helpful for publishers includes content management systems (CMS) like WordPress and Drupal, as well as e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Magento. To help you track business expenses, you will also need accounting software such as QuickBooks or Xero. 

14. Open for Business

You are now ready to open your publishing company. If you followed the steps above, you should be in a great position to build a successful business. Below are answers to frequently asked questions that might further help you.

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How to Start Your Own Book Publishing Company FAQs

Is it hard to start a publishing company.

It is not hard to start a publishing company.  You will need to create a business plan to help map out your strategy and business goals.

If you follow the steps above, you should be able to start your publishing business without too much difficulty.

How can I start a publishing company with no experience?

There are a few things you need to do in order to start a publishing business . First, you need to come up with a business plan and establish some goals for your company. You'll also need to set up a company structure and get the necessary licenses and permits. Finally, you'll need to market your company and attract authors and customers.

If you're not sure how to start a publishing company or you don't have any experience, there are a few resources available to help you. For example, you could join a publishing association in your niche to learn what it takes to be successful. You should also read several books on the topic and talk with other publishing companies that are already established.

Is a publishing company a good idea and/or a good investment?

Publishing businesses can be a great idea and can be a good investment, but there are also some things to keep in mind when starting a publishing company . First, it's important to consider what type of publishing company you want to start. There are different types of publishing companies, such as book publishers, magazine publishers, and digital content publishers.

Another factor to consider is the market for your type of publishing. For example, the market for book publishers is very different from the market for digital content publishers. You'll also need to consider the competition in the publishing industry and whether there is room for another publisher.

Finally, you'll need to evaluate the financial feasibility of starting a publishing company. This includes estimating how much money you'll need to start and run the business and whether you'll be able to generate enough revenue and profit to support your business.

What type of publishing company is most profitable?

There are a few types of publishing companies that are most profitable. These include children's book publishing, educational publishing, and religious publishing.

Children's Book Publishing

The first type of publishing business that is most profitable includes children's book publishing. Children's books are in very high demand because one, they teach valuable life lessons to all readers, including adults, and two, people want their kids to have the best material possible.

Educational Publishing

Educational publishing is one of the most profitable forms of publishing companies. Educational publishers, like children's book publishers, are established and well-loved because people want their kids to have the best tools possible for learning.

Religious Publishing

The last type of publishing business that is most profitable includes religious publishing. Religious publishers are in high demand because people want to read material that can provide insight into different religions and faith groups. 

If you're looking for the best way to start your own company, consider what types of books sell well and which ones you're interested in.

How much does it cost to start a publishing company?

The costs of starting your own publishing company vary depending on the size and scope of the business. There are some basic expenses that are common to all businesses, such as incorporation fees, legal fees, and accounting services. Other costs may include advertising, marketing, and website development expenses. Generally, the total cost of starting a publishing company ranges from $5,000 to $50,000.

What are the ongoing expenses for a publishing company?

The ongoing expenses for a small publishing company can be broken down into three categories: marketing and advertising, royalties, and production. Marketing and advertising can be costly, especially if you are trying to reach a national audience. Royalties vary depending on the contracts you sign with your authors, but an established publishing company can offer around 7-15% of the book's list price. Production costs can range from the cost of paper and ink to hiring a freelance editor.

To keep your publishing company running smoothly, it's important to budget for all of these expenses and track your spending carefully. By doing so, you can ensure that your own publishing company is sustainable and profitable in the long run.

How does a publishing company make money?

A traditional publishing company makes money by selling books written by other authors or their own books to the public. They may also make money by selling advertising in their books, or by selling subsidiary rights to movie or television producers. 

Digital publishing companies make money by selling ad space, subscriptions or products on their websites.

Is owning a publishing company profitable?

The profitability of a new publishing company largely depends on the type of publishing company that you own, the size of your company, and the market conditions at the time. That said, there are a few things that you can do to make your publishing company more profitable. First, focus on high-quality books and/or content that are both entertaining and informative. This will increase the chances of people wanting to read your content. Second, pick a popular niche so that you can tap into more of the market. Finally, try to get good reviews so more of the public has an interest in reading them.

Why do publishing companies fail?

One of the most common reasons why small publishing companies fail is because they do not have a clear understanding of their target market. Without knowing who their target audience is, it becomes difficult to create content that will resonate with them and generate sales. 

Additionally, publishing companies often fail because they do not have a business plan in place or they are unable to execute the plans that they do have. 

Lastly, poor marketing can also be a reason for failure. If publishers do not allocate enough money or resources towards marketing their titles, then it becomes difficult for them to reach their target audience and make a profit.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

The Publishing Business Plan ; 7 Essential Elements

If you are like most aspiring authors, the idea of becoming a published author probably excites you. Even if you are planning to produce an ebook to boost your business, adding “author” to your credentials could represent the fulfillment of a dream you’ve had your whole life or might catapult you into the ranks of the other authorities and thought leaders in your industry.

It’s important to realize that you are not just becoming an author. You are also becoming a publisher. And with that new title comes a new start-up business.

Author vs. Entrepreneur

If you are like most aspiring authors, you may just want to write. You may have no desire to become an entrepreneur. Most writers don’t realize that when they decide to self-publish their work they are making a decision to go into business.

In fact, when you choose to self-publish a book—any type of book— you go into business for yourself. You actually become a publisher and open a publishing company.

You go into the business of writing, producing, and publishing your own books. To a certain extent, you also are responsible for distributing those books, or for finding a way to do so.

If you are writing ebooks to support your existing business, you now have a new business venture to support. As with any other business, it takes time, effort…and money.

How to Create a Business Plan for Your Indie Publishing Company

Besides your good, marketable ebook ideas, you need a variety of things to get your publishing business up and running. First, you need a business plan.

Any seasoned entrepreneur will tell you a plan is necessary to start a company.

A book proposal serves as a great template for such a plan since initially you are creating a plan that revolves around one book. You don’t need to traditionally publish to use it as your business plan; a book proposal serves as an excellent business plan for an indie publisher as well.

This template can be expanded to serve as a business plan for your whole publishing company. I write about this extensively in my new book, The Author Training Manual .

A book proposal is used to prove to a publisher the marketability of a book idea. You want to prove to yourself , since you are the publisher, that your book idea is viable—that it will sell and make you money. And you want to make sure it will enhance, not detract from, your current business.

Seven Essential Publishing Business Plan Elements

There are seven essential elements that should be in every publishing entrepreneur’s business plan:

• A “Resources Necessary to Complete the Book” Calculation

Before you begin any business, or any project, be sure you can afford it. For example, aspiring authors are often shocked at the cost of editing a manuscript, which can prove much more costly than design. Determine what resources you need to complete your book. At the minimum, these can include:

• ISBN numbers
• Ebook conversion
• Permissions
• Review copies
• A Break-Even Analysis

It’s extremely difficult to achieve success if you haven’t defined it. The publishing industry defines success in terms of book sales, and as a publisher, sales must become part of your definition. Must you sell 500, 1000 or even more copies per year to earn back your investment and start making money?

A “break-even analysis” will help you determine this. This entails knowing what it cost to produce your book. Beyond this, how much money do you want to make?

Most companies have monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual goals to meet. This helps them continuously move toward their vision of success—their long-term goal. As the publisher, it’s up to you to create the goals for your company.

• A Promotion Plan

Be sure you create a sound promotion plan for your book. Promotion helps sell books, so this is an important aspect of the book publishing business.

• A Profit and Loss Statement

To keep track of how your company fares financially, you need a profit and loss statement. This allows you to determine if your start up is getting out of the red and into the black. You need to know if your company is actually making money—or if you are losing it. If you publish more than one book, you’ll need to track each.

• Contractor Lists, License Information and Legal Plans

Create a list of contractors you will use to help you run your business—editors, designers, virtual assistants, accountants, etc. Then make a list of the licenses you will need, such as to set up your business in the county where you live, with the tax office, etc.

Then make a list of additional business-related things you need to do, such as set up bank accounts and possibly incorporate your business to reduce personal liability.

• Branding Plans

Make sure you have plans for a website, logo and how you might develop your brand with more books and related products and services. A good publisher always thinks beyond one book.

In fact, you’ll sell more books if you write more books. And you’ll earn more money as an author if you brainstorm additional ways to build a business around your book.

[pullquote position=”right”]The most successful start-up companies are based on sound business plans.[/pullquote] If you are already a business person, you know this. Now apply it to your desire to become an author and self-publish an ebook (or more than one) — to become a successful publisher.

If you are writing an ebook to start a business venture, then treat your desire to get published like an entrepreneurial venture from day one. If you see yourself as a publisher, you’ll be more successful if you do!

This article was originally published on The Future of Ink and is reprinted here in its entirety for our Magnolia Media Network readers.

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Business Analysis Publishing Business Plan

Start your own business analysis publishing business plan

The Wonderkind

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

Our Mission : Our mission is to tap into the brightest young minds of today and tomorrow by empowering them to research the trends, themes, and technological advances that are prevalent among college students and decipher how these phenomena translate into the investing dynamics of the stock market.

Description of the Business Concept : We will offer bright, motivated college students who are passionate about business and investing a forum to gain real business experience by empowering them to analyze trends, themes, and companies and write about them outside of the classroom. The original thoughts and ideas of these business-minded wunderkinds will be available on the Internet at our website: www.thewonderkind.com and in a hard copy newsletter printed quarterly and mailed to subscribers. We are an informational publishing company which provides analysis citing key trends in various industries to our subscribers. The Wonderkind’s focus allows students to discuss business matters most relevant to them and their Wall Street analyst counterparts-–current market and product trends, social issues, and general stock market dynamics-–and decipher how these phenomena translate into current investment opportunities. Our analysts are independent from the biases created due to the investment banking relationships between traditional Wall Street firms and their clients. Interested readers from across America will be able to access the collaborative findings of The Wonderkind by subscribing via the website for a monthly fee of $12.95 or $129.95 per year. This flat fee includes unlimited access to our online database, including email interaction with our analysts, as well as our quarterly newsletter, which provides the top articles and analyses in a printed form.

Opportunity and Strategy : The founding partners will rely upon their own investment wisdom and perspicacity as well as that of their network of peers from other schools from across the country to create the initial knowledge base. This foundational base will be used as a marketing tool to encourage motivated students from any university to submit their own original investment ideas to be considered for publication on the website and newsletter of The Wonderkind. We believe that motivated students will flock to this opportunity to gain exposure and honor through publication on the website as well as in the quality periodical without the need for other monetary compensation. Judging from the quality of investment analyses submitted we would look to recruit additional full-time writers and compensate them accordingly. As our subscriber base continues to grow, so will the number and quality of articles submitted by students.

The Wonderkind has a range of possible recruitment and implementation methods including the Internet; promotion via official college and university newsletters and magazines; with business and entrepreneurial departments at other schools; and lastly, through friend and family networking and support.

Target Market : Subscribers of The Wonderkind will be motivated to gain exposure to the pulse of collegiate America. The Wonderkind’s target market consists of:

• Business professionals who enjoy a multitude of information sources.
• College students with business, finance, or marketing interests.

Competitive Advantage : Our competitive advantage is two fold:

• There is currently no other investment publication that taps into the collective collegiate intellect.
• Our internship would be offered during the school year as well as during the summer.
• Because our internship would be performed electronically, students will not need to relocate nor arrange for lodging.

The Wonderkind’s uniqueness stems from its planned creation of an elite team of college students who embody America’s most technologically savvy and dynamic generation of youth. College students of today command more respect from business professionals and society at large than ever before. With the incredible success stories of college entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Sean Fanning, everyone seems to have an interest in the pulse of the collegiate America.

Economic Potential : Our five year projected models indicate over one million dollars in annual revenue. Additional value-added services and cross marketing initiatives could become accretive to our bottom line beginning two years out.

Management : Both founding partners, Frank Peanut and Jacob Sweller have unique resumes and background experiences. They each bring to the table distinct personal qualities that will complement one another as they manage and grow their business.

Frank Peanut is majoring in finance and is ranked in the top 5% of his class. His past experience includes being mentored under the guidance of two hedge fund managers in Minneapolis. Frank currently serves as the Co-fund Manager of the Investment Club at school responsible for approximately $400,000 in assets. Frank has been managing his own personal funds in the equity markets since the age of 14. His future plans after graduation entail working in the Investment Banking industry for a short duration and then attending graduate school.

Jacob Sweller is on track to receive a dual degree in finance and government. Jacob, enrolled in the Honors Program, scored a 1500 on the SAT exam and is currently ranked in the top 10% of his class. While at school, Jacob has been extremely active in the business arena and has directed business-consulting presentations to the Credit Suisse First Boston investment banking firm as well as McKinsey & Co. consulting firm.  Jacob has received over 30 prestigious awards in academics and athletics over the past few years. Jacob currently serves as the Co-fund Manager of the Investment Club responsible for approximately $400,000 in assets.

The Offering : We propose to offer a large minority stake in The Wonderkind in exchange for our desired financing to cover start-up costs associated with promotion of our services, and business infrastructure. We are open for negotiations.

Risks : While any start-up company investment necessitates a high degree of risk, we are committed to using any funds received conservatively and wisely. However, The Wonderkind is not an Internet company. We are an informational publishing company which provides services citing key trends in various industries to our customers. We have decided to utilize the Internet for distribution purposes because it is the most cost efficient method.

1.1 100 Word Summary of Business Venture

The Wonderkind is an informational publishing company whose focus allows exceptionally bright students with business/investing interests to discuss business matters most relevant to them and their Wall Street analyst counterparts–current market and product trends, social issues, and general stock market dynamics-–and decipher how these phenomena translate into current investment opportunities.  Our analysts are independent from the biases created due to the investment banking relationships between traditional Wall Street firms and their clients.

Team leaders and contact personnel:

Frank Peanut:  [email protected].  Office: (555) 589-3432

Jacob Sweller:  [email protected].  Office: (555) 589-3453

1.2 Objectives

We will offer bright, motivated students who are passionate about the stock market a forum to gain real business experience by allowing them to analyze companies and write about them outside of the classroom.

Our objectives for growth in our subscriber base are as follows:

1.3 Mission

1.4 Keys to Success

The following is a list of crucial steps in which we will take:

• Recruit qualified college students from around the country and properly integrate their research into our services.
• Ensure that the content we publish is truly original and unique in all aspects.
• Convince investors and interested readers of the quality and differentiated content of our service.
• Market our concept to institutional interests at the collegiate level and in business to ensure that more than just individual subscribers endorse it.
• Retain existing subscribers and persuade them to recommend our service to others.
• Keep our costs minimized to ensure self-sufficiency and longevity in all operations.

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

The Wonderkind is an informational publishing company comprised of the best and brightest college students with business/investing interests. The Wonderkind’s focus allows students to discuss business matters most relevant to them and their Wall Street analyst counterparts-–current market and product trends, social issues, and general stock market dynamics-–and decipher how these phenomena translate into current investment opportunities. Our analysts are independent from the biases created due to the investment banking relationships between traditional Wall Street firms and their clients. Student analysts will offer a unique perspective in the following areas: 

• Company analysis and recommendation.
• Business and investment issues from the perspective of generation Y.
• Current market and product trends/themes prevalent on the college campus.
• What’s happening now in collegiate America and business today?

An online edition and hard-copy newsletter will be available to subscribers for $12.95 per month or $129.95 per year.

2.1 Company Ownership

The Wonderkind will be a privately owned, operated, and funded partnership.

2.2 Start-up Summary

At this time, we anticipate minimal start-up related costs associated with our company. We plan on devoting a substantial amount of our personal time and utilizing already existent resources available to us at little or no cost. Our website is hosted and maintained by Vista.com for a monthly charge of $50. However, through a special partnership with Vista we will receive Web hosting and developing capabilities free of charge for the first year. Marketing and business infrastructure expenses will be the primary source of cash outflow during the beginning stages of growth.

2.3 Company Locations and Facilities

The primary operations of The Wonderkind will take place in New York, NY. Because all activities and information can be tracked and maintained using a personal computer and the Internet, we will not need exclusive office space until our operations have reached a scale in which dedicated office space is necessary.

The Wonderkind will publish a website and newsletter that provides product, market trends, and theme analysis, company insight, and interesting business issues impacting society from the collegiate perspective. The angle that we address business and societal issues from is unique in that it is representative of today’s and tomorrow’s top college students opinions. The interests of today’s college generation indicates broader themes that will eventually transform society as a whole. The Wonderkind offers bright, motivated students who are passionate about business and/or the stock market a forum to gain real business experience by allowing them to analyze companies and trends and write about them outside of the classroom. The original thoughts and ideas of these wunderkinds will be available on the Internet at our website: www.thewonderkind.com and in a hard copy newsletter printed quarterly.

3.1 Competitive Comparison

The Wonderkind is a collection of the best young financial minds in the U.S. These people see trends and issues in the market that the Wall Street analysts fail to realize. In addition, our analysts do not have the investment banking ties that create a major bias in the Wall Street analysts’ opinion. Certain trends cannot be read in yearly reports and can only be realized at the earliest moments by those with a feel for the future of trends in business and technology. In addition, our analysts are willing to perform the more hands-on research carried out by the Wall Street analyst of thirty years ago. This kind of research could include actually eating at a restaurant with the intent of judging the quality of food service. Or perhaps visiting the local mall and witnessing the consumer traffic at Abercrombie & Fitch vs. The Gap vs. J. Crew. If a hot new MP3 player is creping into the popular music scene, then college students with an astute wit will detect the trend first. Our team of college students will be the Wall Street analysts and business professionals of the future. The Wonderkind provides a forum for these brilliant students to voice their observations and ideas before they become biased by their investment banking counterparts.

The Wonderkind’s uniqueness stems from its creation of an elite team of college students who embody America’s most technologically savvy and dynamic generation of youth. College students of today command more respect from business professionals and society at large than ever before. With the incredible success stories of college entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Sean Fanning, everyone seems to have an interest in the pulse of the collegiate America.

Our competitive advantage is two fold:

• There is currently no other business/investment publication that taps into the collective collegiate intellect.
• We will appeal to motivated college students who are frustrated with the lack of response and organization of internship programs at large corporations.
• Because our internship would be performed electronically, students will not need to relocate nor arrange for lodging.

3.2 Sales Literature

Nearly all needed sales literature will be produced in-house using personal computer desktop publishing software such as Microsoft Publisher. We will outsource all of our printing needs. Sales literature will consist of brochures that can be passed out in person or mailed to our initial list of prospective clients. In addition we will publish performance reports including graphs and charts from our analysts using software such as Microsoft Excel.

3.3 Future Services

After creating the initial knowledge base for our business and we have a growing base of subscribers to our service, we will explore opportunities to further personalize the relationships between our subscribers and our analysts/writers. Our analysts will become available via email communication to subscribers who wish to further discuss the ideas presented by the writer. We will also explore the possibilities of adding additional channels of more consistent communication between subscribers and writers. One possibility for a future channel would be aimed at the corporate recruitment division of firms seeking top collegiate talent. The Wonderkind could become a means to establish an early link between corporations and students.

3.4 Technology

The Wonderkind will be heavily reliant upon the use of the Internet as a means for publishing its website and communicating with clients through email. We feel that technology will be utilized strictly to our advantage and we currently do not see any competitive threats resulting from the advent of new technologies. This mentality is subject to change and will be reevaluated continually in the future.

3.5 Fulfillment

The core value of The Wonderkind will lie in our analysts’ role as the brightest and most motivated college students in the country. The Wonderkind is different from other informational publishing services in that it represents collegiate America. Furthermore, value of this company will lie in the experience, education, dedication, and willingness of the analysts and owners to go out on a limb to observe the most pressing trends and tech themes prevalent today. Sound, unbiased analysis of these market trends, themes, and investment ideas, will be our objective.

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

Subscribers of The Wonderkind will be motivated to gain exposure to the pulse of collegiate America. The Wonderkind’s target market consists of business professionals who enjoy a multitude of information sources.

4.1 Market Segmentation

We will target business professionals who enjoy a range information sources. These people could include buy/sell-side Wall Street analysts or other marketing managers at companies with an interest in consumer trends. The perspective offered by college students is truly separate from the bombardment of traditional business periodical sources. The interests of today’s college generation indicates broader themes business professionals need to be aware of.

4.2 Market Trends

The most relevant trend to the success of The Wonderkind is the continuing recognition of college business persons. No longer are the top Wall Street analysts and managers the only voices being heard. After the astounding success stories of college students such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Sean Fanning, everyone seems to have an open ear to the collective collegiate conscious.

Another important trend originating in the last few years results from the “Fair Disclosure Act” which was created by the S.E.C. This act states explicitly that companies must disclose all information to the general investing public at the same time as releasing information to Wall Street analysts. In other words, individual investors can be present in the same conference calls with management along with Wall Street analysts effectively leveling the playing field for individual investors.

Another critical market influence on the investing public deals with the separation of the Wall Street research analysts from their investment banking counterparts. The inherent biases of investment banking research is being realized by the investing public. Investors want unbiased fundamental research to make decisions.

4.3 Market Growth

J. P. Morgan estimates that that 18 million Americans used online brokerages in 2000. This number is expected to increase to 27 million users with online accounts by the year 2003. J. P. Morgan also projects European online accounts to increase from 3.9 million in 2000 to an estimated 17 million accounts by 2003, an anticipated average annualized growth of over 60%. We mention the European statistics here because we expect some foreign investors to utilize The Wonderkind’s service as a concise, interactive, and cost-efficient method of gaining insight into the American markets. This trend indicates that more people are investing without the aid of a traditional broker. Such people, whether they be college students or business professionals, need supplementary research and information to make their investment decisions.

4.4 Service Business Analysis

The online investment research industry consists of a handful of all-inclusive websites that touch on nearly all realms of financial activity. Next, there are numerous lesser-known websites and newsletter services that take a more limited approach, specializing in various aspects of the financial markets.

The Wonderkind’s biggest challenge will be to establish itself as a quality niche service in an arena already filled with a wealth of information.

4.4.1 Business Participants

To our knowledge, there is no other company that offers the same services as The Wonderkind. However, there are several virtual businesses that charge fixed monthly rates for their analysts’ suggested portfolios along with periodic email newsletters. These companies will certainly be competition. However, we believe that The Wonderkind offers many competitive advantages over these more automated market information services. The uniquely powerful collection of extremely smart college students that we plan to create will separate us from these other standardized information services.

4.4.2 Distributing a Service

The Wonderkind will be distributed via Internet subscriptions and mailed newsletters, which will be promoted via our marketing campaigns. The highly scalable knowledge-based platform on which we will operate, will allow us to efficiently leverage our business to a large audience. In addition, we will be able to communicate with our clients via our website, email, and telephone.

4.4.3 Main Competitors

The Wonderkind is removed from these otherwise comparable sites because of our collection of the best and brightest young minds representative of the American collegiate pulse:

1. All-inclusive online financial services:

Already established financial sites such as Yahoo! Finance, CBS MarketWatch, MSN MoneyCentral, The Street.com, and Fool.com certainly could be grouped in the same industry as The Wonderkind. We also group any information provided by discount brokers into this category as well. These services provide market research, daily articles, charts, quotes, and much more. We certainly recognize the breadth and reputation of these sites. However, our object will not be to take away market share from this group. Instead we will strive to serve as a desired supplementary informational service.

2. Reputable and focused companies:

3. Stock Picking Services/Technological Forecasting

Persons such as George Gilder and Michael Murphy have set up subscription-based revenue models similar to what we will strive to achieve for The Wonderkind.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

We plan to collect an extensive network of bright and talented college students as writers and analysts. We will gather student representatives from schools across the nation. The position of writer and analyst for The Wonderkind will become more coveted than an internship because of the manner in which our newsletter will provide students with a voice to be heard. Lastly, the college community has a perspective and insight that the overall investing world needs to hear.

5.1 Value Proposition

Subscribers have access to the stock ideas and societal trend/theme analysis generated by our analysts. In addition, subscribers will have access to a more personalized form of communication with our advisors regarding their own investment ideas as well as further exploration into those ideas already put forth by our analysts.

While traditional stockbrokers and Wall Street Analysts are biased in their buy/sell recommendations due to their financial incentives being aligned with the quantity of trading and preconceived investment banking relationships rather than the soundness of individual investment decisions, The Wonderkind analysts remain independent and unbiased in their advice. The Wonderkind analysts have no incentives other than to offer practical stock picking and trend/theme analysis based upon independent and thorough research.

5.2 Competitive Edge

The Wonderkind is a collection of the best young financial minds in the U.S. These people see trends and issues in the market that the Wall Street analysts fail to realize. In addition, our analysts do not have the investment banking ties that create a major bias in the Wall Street analysts’ opinion. Certain trends cannot be read in yearly reports and can only be realized at the earliest moments by those with a feel for the future of trends in business and technology. Furthermore, our analysts are willing to perform the more hands-on research carried out by the Wall Street analyst of thirty years ago. This kind of research could include actually eating at a restaurant with the intent of judging the quality of food service, or perhaps visiting the local mall and witnessing the consumer traffic at Abercrombie & Fitch vs. The Gap vs. J. Crew. If a hot new MP3 player is creeping into the popular music scene, then college students with an astute wit will detect the trend first. Our team of college students will be the Wall Street analysts and business professionals of the future. The Wonderkind provides a forum for these brilliant students to voice their observations and ideas before they become biased by their investment banking counterparts.

The Wonderkind’s uniqueness stems from its elite team of college students who embody America’s most technologically savvy and dynamic generation of youth. College students of today command more respect from business professionals and society at large than ever before.

5.3 Marketing Strategy

Our marketing strategy for The Wonderkind will focus on our differentiation by virtue of representation of college students and their opinions and advice. We seek out the brightest and most motivated students at colleges and universities around the country. The name ‘The Wonderkind’ is a play on the German and American word wunderkind, which describes a person of remarkable talent or ability who achieves great success or acclaim at an early age especially in business.

5.3.1 Promotion Strategy

Our most effective means of gaining exposure to a wide audience will come as a result of communicating with the business/entrepreneurial offices at the top 100 universities in the country. We will look to establish permanent links with these institutions in order to generate interest for student writers as well as publicity from university publications. Also, we will be mailing brochures and information to selective lists of potential subscribers and investors.

Our promotion strategy will be in-line with our main competitive advantage from a business perspective: our ability to contain costs. We will rely upon inexpensive forms of publicity that reach a large number of potential clients. Examples of such publicity will manifest in the form of articles written for student-business publications. One publication in which we have already contacted regarding our proposal is Business Today magazine. Business Today is the largest and most influential student-run publication in the country and is distributed widely to over 200,000 subscribers nationwide.

It is our assumption that one effective means of promoting our service will come by word-of-mouth from all people connected with our service including our analysts, writers, and customers. We expect that networks of friends and family will represent a portion of our initial cliental base and that word of mouth will continue to spread. We will be offering incentives for clients to sign up their friends and colleagues. This incentive will take the form of credit toward our existing services for referring clients. We will reward two free months of service for each new subscriber that is referred by an existing subscriber.

5.3.2 Positioning Statement

The Wonderkind will be positioned as an alternative form of investment advice designed to offer an enjoyable and energetic source of investment advice from an otherwise unrecognized group of people–college students. We provide investment advice from those who will be making the rules in the future. Ultimately, we fall into the category of an  informational publishing service utilizing the Internet as well as traditional paper printing methods of distribution.

5.3.3 Pricing Strategy

While we believe that our services are premium in quality, we have decided to offer them for a flat monthly charge. We believe that we should enter the market with a pricing strategy that is focused on convincing possible clients to give us a try. If we were to initially charge a much higher amount, possibly more in-line with the quality of service our clients will be receiving, we may experience a more difficult time selling to new clients. Once we have established ourselves in the eyes of our clients, we will begin raising our prices accordingly.

We will initially charge a fee of $12.95/month or $129.95/year for our basic service which provides access to all articles and content on our website in addition to a quarterly newsletter mailed to the subscriber.

5.4 Sales Strategy

We imagine that our sales strategy will be a natural follow up from our marketing strategy. Once we have attracted users to our website, the natural progression will be to retain them as subscribers. The majority of this process will be carried out through the website itself. The website will describe the specific benefits of subscribing to our service as well as address any questions prospective subscribers may have. We will give prospective subscribers a sample of the services offered by The Wonderkind. Sample articles and abridged articles will be available free of charge by accessing our website at www.thewonderkind.com. We will make an extraordinary effort to accommodate new subscribers in the beginning and throughout the duration of his or her subscription. We will strive to familiarize our subscribers with our services both on the website and through the comprehensive quarterly newsletter.

5.4.1 Sales Forecast

Our objectives for growth in our subscriber base are as follows:

Assuming our yearly subscription fee of $129.95, projected subscriber bases translate into yearly revenue projections of:

For fiscal accounting purposes, this plan begins in June even though we do not expect to receive income from subscriptions until January of the following year. In the seven months between these dates, we will be carrying out an aggressive marketing campaign to attract both subscribers and contributors.

5.5 Strategic Alliances

Once we have established The Wonderkind as a viable entity, we will begin to evaluate strategic alliances and co-marketing initiatives. One possibility for a future alliance exists in another student-operated investment service called WallStreetProdigy.com which offers recommended stock portfolio analysis via its website. WSP offers analysis and live quotes for all stock picks and represents some of the best investing students in universities and colleges in the U.S. However, for now, our main focus will be on building the foundation of The Wonderkind alone.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

The initial management team consists of the founders, Frank Peanut and Jacob Sweller. As we grow, we will be looking to recruit exceptionally qualified students. Both partners are currently taking on as much responsibilities as possible and working together on a number of critical issues.

6.1 Organizational Structure

Frank Peanut and Jacob Sweller will remain full-time partners for the short term. We will look to expand our organizational structure of student networks very shortly and have already contacted a select few potential analysts for The Wonderkind. These students come from universities including: University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and Duke University.

6.2 Management Team

Both founding partners have unique resumes and background experiences. They each bring to the table distinct personal qualities that will complement one another as they manage and grow their business.

Jacob Sweller is on track to receive a dual degree in finance and government. Jacob, enrolled in the Honors Program, scored a 1500 on the SAT exam and is currently ranked in the top 10% of his class. While at school, Jacob has been extremely active in the business arena and has directed business-consulting presentations to the Credit Suisse First Boston investment banking firm as well as McKinsey & Co. consulting firm. Jacob has received over 30 prestigious awards in academics and athletics over the past few years. Jacob currently serves as the Co-fund Manager of the Investment Club responsible for approximately $400,000 in assets.

6.3 Management Team Gaps

Our management team identified insufficient expertise in Web development as an area of concern. While both Frank Peanut and Jacob Sweller have some experience with HTML hard coding and building basic Web pages, neither has the expertise to develop the website that they had originally envisioned.

Several solutions to this problem were evaluated:

•  Bringing in a third partner to specialize entirely in building and maintaining the company’s website.
•  Hiring a professional Web-development team to build and host a custom website.
•  Partnering with Vista.

Vista.com is a revolutionary e-Business Infrastructure Provider (eBIP) delivering a fully automated and integrated infrastructure platform for corporations to rapidly deliver e-business services to their small- and medium-size business customers. Vista will be providing us with an all-inclusive solution to develop our Web-based business. We are able to access a full range of tools through a Web browser platform from any computer terminal with Internet access. In addition, Vista will be hosting our site and managing a range of smaller details related to maintaining a business on the Web. They have provided us with the tools necessary to implement a fully enabled e-commerce site that has many features including customer database management, password protected content filled areas, email management, and a myriad of other back office applications that will prove extremely useful and necessary. While Vista has empowered us to create our website on our own, they also have customer support and technical specialists available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week in the event that we need assistance with any area of our site. We feel that in choosing to setup our business with Vista, we have effectively filled the Web design gap that initially existed. Vista should allow for our growth and expansion plans as we envision them.

6.4 Personnel Plan

The Writers : Our writers will be students who submit articles for publishing on The Wonderkind website and newsletter. Only select articles that embody the quality and spirit of The Wonderkind will be published. The writers will not be paid but will gain the opportunity to be promoted to analyst status through exceptional written articles.

The Analysts : An analyst is defined as a consistent writer for The Wonderkind. These analysts will represent the best of our writers and will be true investment wunderkinds. We estimate that each analyst will make approximately $400 per month. Each analyst will be paid X amount of dollars per customer for every month plus a monthly commission determined by the analyst’s quality of service provided to the customers. We estimate the average commission at about $100 monthly for the first year.

The Wonderkind will not have any personnel during the initial stages of operation, during which the partners of the company will handle all services and site operations. We plan to employ 10 full-time analysts by the end of year one. By year three we plan to have 25 analysts on payroll. The table below indicates the payroll provided by The Wonderkind. Not all analysts are expected to produce articles for our company every month.

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

We want to finance growth mainly through free cash flow. We recognize that this means we will have to grow more slowly than we might like. We think that this strategy of more conservative financial management makes sense since we are not trying to create a conglomerate financial company, rather one that focuses on what we believe to be our core competencies and interests. We believe in financing opportunities that add value to our company from a cost/benefit analysis perspective. However, we will not blindly invest our resources in endeavors that do not have a high likelihood of bearing fruit in the future.

7.1 Important Assumptions

Our most important assumption is regarding the arrangement we have obtained with Vista whereby we are in essence being subsidized 100% for the first year. Vista, nonetheless, currently charges regular paying customers $100/month or $599/year.

7.2 Key Financial Indicators

We foresee steadily rising service revenues starting in June of 2001. Our initial objectives for client retention should lend itself directly to our sales forecasts. It is important to note that these goals as stated are extremely subjective to change once we begin operating and acquire a better feel for our market.

7.3 Break-even Analysis

By the beginning of the second year, assuming that we pay the costs related to Vista’s services, and assuming 10 analysts on the payroll, the Break-even Analysis below shows what is needed in sales to break even.

7.4 Projected Profit and Loss

The Wonderkind should be a profitable entity following the first year. This is possible because of our minimal start-up expenses and projections for consistent sales growth. Also, our arrangement with Vista for a full year’s worth of service free of charge is a substantial financial subsidy. The primary expenses incurred will be marketing and payroll. Marketing expenses will include printing fees for brochures to be distributed and other promotional initiatives.

The following table shows the Projected Profit and Loss for The Wonderkind.

7.5 Projected Cash Flow

The following chart and table show the Projected Cash Flow for The Wonderkind.

7.6 Business Ratios

The Industry standard ratios are for the Other Management Consulting service industry, NAICS code 541618. A quick comparison between the industry standards and Wonderkind shows that our company is in a class all by itself. Therefore, some explanation is necessary. First of all, because it is primarily an Internet company, all sales will be on credit. This means that the company has a very high amount of accounts receivable. In addition, the company has a very high gross margin for the same reasons. Furthermore, because it is a service company utilizing currently owned assets, the company has few long-term assets. We expect the company to have a decreasing net worth as the sales growth slows down, however it may seem abnormally high for some time.

7.7 Projected Balance Sheet

The table below is the Project Balance Sheet.

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How to Start a Desktop Publishing Company – Sample Business Plan Template

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Media Industry

Are you interested in starting a desktop publishing business from home? Do you need a sample desktop publishing company business plan template ? If YES, then i advice you read on. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, desktop publishing is one of the fastest-growing businesses, with the number of desktop publishers in the U.S. alone escalating from 38,000 in 2000 to 63,000 in 2010—a whopping 67 percent increase.

Desktop publishing involves preparing text and graphic materials such as books, proposals, forms, brochures, flyers, full-page adverts, logos, newsletters, letterheads, and so on. Some desktop publishers focus only on word processing services, while others specialize in graphic design, or both. You can click here to learn how to start a graphic design business .

If you have a solid background in word processing or graphic design software packages, or you are ready to quickly learn and master how to use them, then you can consider starting a desktop publishing business from home.

Although desktop publishing can be a very lucrative and rewarding business, it’s not easy, especially when you are just starting out. But by taking the right steps, you can avoid the all pitfalls and set up a desktop publishing that will fetch you huge profits in the long term. You can follow these steps to start your desktop publishing business:

Starting a Desktop Publishing Company – Sample Business Plan Template

1. examine your market.

The best way to start a desktop publishing business is by examining the market in your geographic area first, and find out if your services are really needed. If there are similar businesses around, then chances are that there is a good market. And in that case, you need to find out the types of services they render and decided on whether you will offer something different.

For example, if the desktop publishing businesses in your area focus only on Word processing, you can set yourself apart by specializing in graphic design projects only. Researching the market and competition around you will save you a lot of time and worries.

2. Find out more about the business

You may need to approach a professional desktop publisher with some years of experience and find out more about the business. Setting up the business requires more than just having the skills. It requires financial input. It requires strategy. And it requires proper planning and implementation.

You should also find out about the financial requirements for starting the business, the required equipment and their costs, strategies for running the business effectively after launch, marketing strategies for attracting new clients, and other relevant information that will be of help.

3. Plan your services

Chances are that you don’t want to be a “ Jack of all trades .” So, you will need to identify your strong points and focus on them. If you are exceptionally skilled in graphic design, you might want to focus only on that. Similarly, you might want to stick with Word processing if you think design isn’t your forte.

You can start by making a list of the specific services you will render, and set prices for each. Sticking with fixed prices when you are just starting out might be somewhat difficult, so you might want to offer discounts for your first few clients in order to keep them coming back.

4. Write a business plan

Writing a comprehensive business plan is very important. Not only will it help you ensure a successful launch of your desktop publishing business, but it will also help you grow your business over time.

Your business plan will include information about your business’s mission and objectives, the services you will render, the startup costs, marketing analysis and marketing strategies, the competition and your unique selling points, and your exit strategy. In addition, if you will need to approach third parties for funding, then having a detailed and accurate business plan will boost your chances of getting the funds you need.

5. Set up your office space

One of the good aspects of the desktop publishing business is that you can run it right from your home. All you need is a small room or a corner of a large room where you will place your equipment and do you work. However, the place must be free of noise and other distractions.

6. Gather your equipment

As a desktop publisher, you will need a set of furniture that comprises a desk, chair, a small table for your printer, and a small shelf. In addition, you will need a PC, a laser printer, packs of different paper sizes, and the software packages that you will use.

7. Market your business and start work

You can start by telling friends and family about your desktop publishing business . They can help you tell others about it as well. Also, you need to contact individuals and businesses around you who might need your services and tell them about your business. Advertise in local newspapers and on billboards, flyers, and bills. You can also consider reaching out to your potential clients via online marketing channels, such as social media.

Related Posts:

• How to Start an Online Magazine and Publish it Profitably
• How to Start a Publishing Company Online for Books
• How to Start a Videography Business
• How to Start a Cable Company
• How to Start a Podcasting Business

Small Business Trends

How to create a business plan: examples & free template.

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or launching your very first startup, the guide will give you the insights, tools, and confidence you need to create a solid foundation for your business.

Table of Contents

How to Write a Business Plan

Executive summary.

It’s crucial to include a clear mission statement, a brief description of your primary products or services, an overview of your target market, and key financial projections or achievements.

Our target market includes environmentally conscious consumers and businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. We project a 200% increase in revenue within the first three years of operation.

Overview and Business Objectives

Example: EcoTech’s primary objective is to become a market leader in sustainable technology products within the next five years. Our key objectives include:

Company Description

Example: EcoTech is committed to developing cutting-edge sustainable technology products that benefit both the environment and our customers. Our unique combination of innovative solutions and eco-friendly design sets us apart from the competition. We envision a future where technology and sustainability go hand in hand, leading to a greener planet.

Define Your Target Market

Market analysis.

The Market Analysis section requires thorough research and a keen understanding of the industry. It involves examining the current trends within your industry, understanding the needs and preferences of your customers, and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.

Our research indicates a gap in the market for high-quality, innovative eco-friendly technology products that cater to both individual and business clients.

SWOT Analysis

Including a SWOT analysis demonstrates to stakeholders that you have a balanced and realistic understanding of your business in its operational context.

Competitive Analysis

Organization and management team.

Provide an overview of your company’s organizational structure, including key roles and responsibilities. Introduce your management team, highlighting their expertise and experience to demonstrate that your team is capable of executing the business plan successfully.

Products and Services Offered

This section should emphasize the value you provide to customers, demonstrating that your business has a deep understanding of customer needs and is well-positioned to deliver innovative solutions that address those needs and set your company apart from competitors.

Marketing and Sales Strategy

Discuss how these marketing and sales efforts will work together to attract and retain customers, generate leads, and ultimately contribute to achieving your business’s revenue goals.

Logistics and Operations Plan

Inventory control is another crucial aspect, where you explain strategies for inventory management to ensure efficiency and reduce wastage. The section should also describe your production processes, emphasizing scalability and adaptability to meet changing market demands.

We also prioritize efficient distribution through various channels, including online platforms and retail partners, to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner.

Financial Projections Plan

This forward-looking financial plan is crucial for demonstrating that you have a firm grasp of the financial nuances of your business and are prepared to manage its financial health effectively.

Income Statement

Cash flow statement.

A cash flow statement is a crucial part of a financial business plan that shows the inflows and outflows of cash within your business. It helps you monitor your company’s liquidity, ensuring you have enough cash on hand to cover operating expenses, pay debts, and invest in growth opportunities.

Tips on Writing a Business Plan

4. Focus on your unique selling proposition (USP): Clearly articulate what sets your business apart from the competition. Emphasize your USP throughout your business plan to showcase your company’s value and potential for success.

FREE Business Plan Template

To help you get started on your business plan, we have created a template that includes all the essential components discussed in the “How to Write a Business Plan” section. This easy-to-use template will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you don’t miss any critical details.

What is a Business Plan?

Why you should write a business plan.

Understanding the importance of a business plan in today’s competitive environment is crucial for entrepreneurs and business owners. Here are five compelling reasons to write a business plan:

What are the Different Types of Business Plans?

Using Business Plan Software

Upmetrics provides a simple and intuitive platform for creating a well-structured business plan. It features customizable templates, financial forecasting tools, and collaboration capabilities, allowing you to work with team members and advisors. Upmetrics also offers a library of resources to guide you through the business planning process.

Business Plan FAQs

What is a good business plan.

A good business plan is a well-researched, clear, and concise document that outlines a company’s goals, strategies, target market, competitive advantages, and financial projections. It should be adaptable to change and provide a roadmap for achieving success.

What are the 3 main purposes of a business plan?

Can i write a business plan by myself, is it possible to create a one-page business plan.

Yes, a one-page business plan is a condensed version that highlights the most essential elements, including the company’s mission, target market, unique selling proposition, and financial goals.

How long should a business plan be?

What is a business plan outline, what are the 5 most common business plan mistakes, what questions should be asked in a business plan.

A business plan should address questions such as: What problem does the business solve? Who is the specific target market ? What is the unique selling proposition? What are the company’s objectives? How will it achieve those objectives?

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

How is business planning for a nonprofit different.

Self Publishing Business Plan Template & Guidebook

How to write a self publishing business plan in 7 steps:, 1. describe the purpose of your self publishing business..

It also helps to include a vision statement so that readers can understand what type of company you want to build.

2. Products & Services Offered by Your Self Publishing Business.

When you think about the products and services that you offer, it's helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

3. Build a Creative Marketing Stratgey.

If you don't have a marketing plan for your self publishing business, it's time to write one. Your marketing plan should be part of your business plan and be a roadmap to your goals. 

Target market

Customer base , product or service description, competitive analysis, marketing channels, form an llc in your state, 4. write your operational plan., what equipment, supplies, or permits are needed to run a self publishing business, 5. management & organization of your self publishing business..

The second part of your self publishing business plan is to develop a management and organization section.

6. Self Publishing Business Startup Expenses & Captial Needed.

Startup costs are typically the first expenses you will incur when beginning an enterprise. These include legal fees, accounting expenses, and other costs associated with getting your business off the ground. The amount of money needed to start a self publishing business varies based on many different variables, but below are a few different types of startup costs for a self publishing business.

You should include any costs associated with marketing and sales, such as advertising and promotions, website design or maintenance. Also, consider any additional expenses that may be incurred if you decide to launch a new product or service line. For example, if your self publishing business has an existing website that needs an upgrade in order to sell more products or services, then this should be listed here.

7. Financial Plan & Projections

Here are some steps you can follow to devise a financial plan for your self publishing business plan:

Frequently Asked Questions About Self Publishing Business Plans:

Why do you need a business plan for a self publishing business, who should you ask for help with your self publishing business plan.

It is recommended to speak to a business consultant or a lawyer who has experience in helping with self publishing business plans. It may also be helpful to consult with other authors who have self-published their own books. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a great resource for small business owners and can help provide information, resources, and advice to help create the right plan for your self-publishing business.

Can you write a self publishing business plan yourself?

Related business plans, home inventory business plan template & guidebook, home inspection business plan template & guidebook, home decor business plan template & guidebook, health and wellness business plan template & guidebook, hauling business plan template & guidebook, hardware business plan template & guidebook, handyman business plan template & guidebook, hair extension business plan template & guidebook, handbag business plan template & guidebook.

I'm Nick, co-founder of newfoundr.com, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. As a small business owner with over five years of experience, I have garnered valuable knowledge and insights across a diverse range of industries. My passion for entrepreneurship drives me to share my expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to turn their business dreams into reality.

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Writing an Effective One-Page Business Plan: What You Need to Know (+ Free Template)

By Homebase Team

If you’ve started—or are starting—a small business, you’ve probably heard the words ‘business plan’ thrown around. That’s because a business plan is an important document with important information! Even a one-page business plan can help you address key questions early in the planning process.

That’s right—we said  one page. In many cases, there’s no need for a supermassive document that takes ages to create. In this article, we walk you through what a good business plan needs—and what a business plan one-pager should contain. 

Whether you’re writing your business plan for the first time or giving your existing plan a refresh, we’ve got your back. We’ve even got a free, downloadable business plan template to help you get started. Let’s get into it!

Why do you need a business plan?

A business plan is a blueprint for your business. It outlines everything your business needs, from goals to market to the steps you need to implement.

Business plans serve two main purposes:

• To help you set your business up for success. As you put together your business plan, you’ll be forced to think strategically about all your business goals and activities . Are they realistic? Is something likely to go wrong? What haven’t you thought of? The goal is for you to walk away feeling confident in the future of your business.
• To communicate the value of your business to others. It’s rare that entrepreneurs like yourself will go it 100% alone. You’ll likely work with partners, investors, or vendors to bring your small business to life. A business plan gives your collaborators confidence in you and your business and helps them support you in the best way possible.

Taking the time to create a business plan can feel like you’re wasting all-too-precious time, but it can help keep you focused and increase efficiency down the road. It’ll also help you make better business decisions off the bat so you can grow your small business quickly and wisely. 

What are the 7 main points in a business plan?

Every business plan is unique, which is part of the reason writing one can feel a tad overwhelming. You can’t just copy and paste the plan from another business—instead, you need to assess your business’s idea within its niche.

Luckily, the skeleton of every plan is usually very similar. Whether you’re creating a plan for a neighborhood daycare or that cool new bar down the street , here are a few main points to put into any comprehensive business plan.

1. Executive summary

Your executive summary is an overview of your business plan. 

Think about this section like a TL;DR or too long, don’t read . If someone wants to understand the gist of your business plan in just a few minutes, what information would they need to know?

2. Company overview and description

In this section, you should introduce your business to the reader. By the time they finish reading this section, they should have a good idea of who you are, what you do, and what you sell—in other words, your business’s niche.

Don’t be afraid to dive into your own background and why you decided to start this business. Building a small business is personal, and your story can go a long way in giving the reader some context.

3. Market and competitive analysis

Every business needs customers. Here’s where you’ll detail who they are and the potential target market of your business, including your ideal customer.

You’ll also want to take note of potential competitors that may impact your business. These might be direct competitors, but could also be similar businesses that may compete for your customers’ time and money. For example, if you’re opening a cycling studio, you might consider any other type of fitness studio to be a competitor.

Competition isn’t a bad thing, but being aware of your competition is one way to ensure your business stands out from the crowd. 

4. Business offerings

Here’s where you’ll outline what products or services your business will offer in more detail. It doesn’t have to be a complete laundry list, but it should give readers a general idea and show a certain degree of forethought and attention to details.

For example, if you’re opening a bakery , this might be a sample of your menu. Or if you’re an HVAC repair company , you might share an overview of the services you’ll offer your customers. This section might even mention the products or services you won’t offer and why, especially if it helps clarify how your business is unique.

5. Management and operational plan

From managing employees and inventory to securing equipment and a lease, there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Every business plan should touch on how you’ll manage the day-to-day of your business.

This is also a great place to indicate key milestones and timelines so you know that you’re on track for a successful grand opening. 

6. Sales, marketing, and PR strategy

Now that you’ve got all the research and operational plans in place , it’s time to start attracting customers and securing those sales. Even with the best products or services in town, every business can use a little marketing boost. Feel free to get creative. From social media to paid ads, there are tons of ways you can spread the word about your budding business . 

7. Financial forecast and budget

No one loves to crunch financials, but when it comes to business, money talks. And a strong financial plan is key to the long-term success of your business.

This final section of your business plan should estimate the costs, revenue, and profits of your business in the short and long term. How do you plan to finance your business? What costs will you incur before opening day ? What are the ongoing costs?

Not only will this give your vendors and investors confidence in your business, but it helps you make sure that your business is profitable in the long run.

What is a one-page business plan?

A one-page business plan is essentially a condensed version of a full business plan.  

It covers all the core information about your business without overwhelming the reader with details. The goal is to summarize your business plan for yourself and potential stakeholders so they can understand your business at a glance.

Depending on your business needs, this concise document may even be all you need to get your business off the ground. Or it could serve as a stepping stone to a more robust plan in the future. 

Top benefits of a one-page business plan.

Bigger isn’t always better—and one-page business plans are here to prove it.

Here are some benefits and reasons why you might opt for a one-page business plan:

• To kickstart your business planning: A full business plan can be incredibly daunting. A one-page business plan gives you a place to start without feeling overwhelmed with the nitty gritty. 
• To share and distribute: Sometimes potential vendors, partners, or investors want to get more information about your business before they sign on officially. Instead of leaving them with a massive document, a one-page business plan helps you share the relevant need-to-know information easily.
• To focus on the key details: If you’re early on in the business ideation process and want to make sure you have all the important information, a one-page business plan can help you easily validate your business plan.
• To save time: In the long term, you may still expect to put together a full business plan at some point. However, if you’re in a time crunch, a one-page plan can help you get the important insights without the time commitment.
• To easily edit: In an ever-changing business environment, a one-page business plan is much easier to keep updated. 

Key details to include in a one-page business plan.

Above, we outlined the key components of any business plan. The key with a one-pager is to keep it brief without losing any of those important details. 

Let’s look at the sections of a business plan one-pager and dig into how you can adapt them to cover all the details of your business—all on one page. 

Summary and overview

Start your one-page plan by sharing the name of your business, what you do, and your main value proposition.

The problem—and your solution

In a few sentences, share the problem that your business solves and how you solve it. This clarifies why your business should exist, so it’s an important section!

Depending on your business, you may also want to share a few of your team members to help readers put a face to your business. Great examples include the executive chef for a restaurant, or the lead veterinarian for your vet clinic.

Target market

Briefly describe who you expect to be a customer and their characteristics. This could be in the form of a short “ideal customer” profile.

Competitor overview

Here, you’ll touch on potential competitors and what makes your business stand out.

Business timeline

Share the key milestones for your business. For example, pitch when you’ll start marketing your business, when you’ll hire employees , and when you expect to open.

Sales and marketing plan

Here, you’ll quickly highlight the key marketing activities that you’ll use to drive new customers to your business. Try to stick to the most interesting or high-value stuff, like a website or social media .

Financial projections

Outline your expected revenue , expenses, and profits to give the reader an idea of your financial future.

Our tips for creating a one-page business plan.

If you’ve ever written something with a limited word count, you know that sometimes keeping things concise can be easier said than done.

As you get writing your one-page business plan, here are some of our top tips so you can make the most of that one page.

• Focus on the need-to-know information.
• Avoid fluff and keep your sentences short.
• Link out to additional resources and material if more information is necessary.
• Don’t be afraid to strategically incorporate visuals to emphasize the important points.
• Feel free to up sections or have different versions of your one-page business plan based on who’s reading it. 
• Get creative with formatting to keep information organized.

One-page business plan example.

If you’re skeptical that all that information can fit on one page—we have proof!  Here’s an example that you can use to start thinking about your business plan.

Download our free one-page business plan template.

A one-page business plan is one of the most important pages you’ll write for your business. While there’s a lot to think about, it’s worth the effort to give both you and your partners peace of mind.

The good news is that we’ve done the heavy lifting for you! If the above one-pager looks good to you, we’ve pulled it together as a download for you. All that’s left for you to customize it for your unique business, fill in the sections, and get ready to launch your business.

Download your one-page business plan template PDF

Get your team in sync with our easy-to-use, all-in-one employee app.

One-page business plan FAQs

Why should you create a business plan.

There are several reasons you should create a business plan, such as:

• Improving your decision-making as you start and grow your business.
• Setting realistic goals and timelines.
• Attracting top-notch suppliers, investors, and even employees.
• Keeping your business profitable and your financials in order.

What types of companies need a business plan?

From brand-new small businesses to established corporations, companies of all shapes and sizes need a business plan. It’s a key part of setting your business up for success and improving your business trajectory.

Even if you already have a business plan in place, revisiting it from time to time can help you stay on track with your goals and adapt as your business changes.

Can a business plan be one page?

Yes, in many cases a business page can be one page. The trick to creating an effective one-page business plan is making sure that you’re covering the most important pieces of information. 

Our top tips? Keep it as concise and organized as possible, so you can effectively communicate the value of your business to your audience.

Writing a one-page business plan is simple. You can create a business plan from scratch or use a free template like the one above to stay on track, but generally, the steps to writing a one-page business plan include:

• Start with a short executive summary and value proposition to introduce your business.
• Share the problem your business solves and your solution.
• Give an outline of top competitors and how your business compares.
• Create a timeline of key milestones.
• Outline your sales and marketing plan for attracting customers.
• Summarize your financial projections and funding plans.

Remember:  This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.

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