The Executive Suite: How to Write an Indian Business Plan

Friday, September 27, 2013

How to Write an Indian Business Plan

India is a rapidly emerging market with immense growth potential. The Indian population is second only to China and is also much younger on average. As a result, business opportunities in India are seemingly endless.

However, any business requires a business plan--a formalized plan of how a business will make money. Creating a business plan for India is slightly more difficult than writing a business pan for a developed country, as India burdens its industries with excessive regulations and red tape.

Suggestions

Generate an original business idea that can be exploited in India. Ideally, you need to uncover a demand among Indians for a product that is not yet provided. You can also tailor your services to foreigners (e.g., IT outsourcing), in which case you may want to capitalize on the relatively low Indian wages.
Study the state of your business industry in India and write a section about it. Write information about the size of the market, the main market players and the regulation of the industry. Also, include information about the demand you anticipate for your products.
Write a section describing your products and how you plan to make them. Here you will need to provide the exact features of your products. In addition, write about the manufacturing process, including who will be your suppliers, what it will cost to produce a unit of your product and the price you will charge for it.
Write about the business structure of your business. State whether you plan to register it as a sole proprietorship or a company, or even incorporate. Pay particular attention to the regulations, including state and national ones. India is notorious for its red tape, and so you need to think of everything in advance before you will actually commit financial resources to your business.
Complete the financial section of your business plan. In the financial section, write about the anticipated sales, costs and profits of your business. Also include data on how much money you need to get started and when your business will be able to break even and start making money, It's better to make your calculations in rupees, though if your business is export-oriented, some data can be given in U.S. dollars.