Business Growth Plan
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Required outline
This outline must be followed and every section must be titled. Additional subsections are allowed. The body begins with the Executive Summary (page 1); the title page and table of contents are not numbered.
- I.Executive Summary
One- to three-page description of the plan.
- II.Introduction
Type of business owned/operated and current operations; products/services offered; unique characteristics of the business.
- III.SWOT Analysis
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the business.
- IV.Five Year Plan to Grow and Expand the Business
Expansion opportunities, new-market analysis and a marketing plan.
- V.Financing Plan
Current financial situation with documents, fixed overhead and operating costs, capital needed for expansion, and time to profitability.
- VI.Conclusion
Summary of key points.
- VII.Bibliography
Required. List every source of information used in the entry. Each section, including this one, must be titled.
- VIII.Appendixoptional
Optional. Exhibits that support the entry but are not important enough for the body (sample surveys, letters, background data). If included, its pages are numbered too.
Also required: Proof of Ownership document (required) — verifies student ownership/operation. These pages are NOT numbered and do not count toward the 20-page limit. All participants must be documented owners/operators.
Penalty Point Checklist
Judges deduct these points before scoring. The scanner checks all of them automatically. Rules shown are the ICDC defaults — your district or association may vary.
Must be signed by all participants and the chapter advisor and placed in front of the written entry. Only physical or digital signatures count — typed names in a font are not accepted. Do not number this page.
The body is limited to 20 pages, plus the title page and table of contents. The appendix counts toward the 20.
All pages are numbered in sequence starting with the executive summary and ending with the final appendix page. Do not use separate/blank pages between sections or as section title pages.
The entry follows the outline in the Written Entry Guidelines for the event. Each section must be titled. Additional subsections are permitted.
Must be typed and use 8½ × 11-inch pages. Handwritten corrections, notes, charts and graphs are penalized.