Activeplans Helps Produce Business Plans in Exton

Exton, PA -- Kutztown University’s Small Business Development Center (KUSBDC) uses Activeplans as the central feature of its First Step series of workshops for prospective and existing entrepreneurs.  The outline of the on-line model, what the SBDC calls its “Business Plan For Success,” is the course manual for the four session program offered free of charge to residents of southeastern Pennsylvania.  It is used to structure the flow of information in the first two workshops and as reading assignments for all four classes. The model’s financial section is the subject of the third session dealing with financial statements and sales forecasting. 

KUSBDC staff, graduate assistants, and guest speakers share information and experiences with classmates in the Chester County program.  A KUSBDC business consultant presents the first session that deals with describing the product/service, finding the target market, analyzing competition, and developing pricing strategies. In the second session, a president of a marketing communications company covers advertising, logo development, market positioning, and sales force management.  The local SCORE chapter uses the Activeplans financial model in a power point presentation to instruct the classmates in the third session, and the finance manager of the Chester County Economic Development Council leads the fourth seminar whose subject is “Funding Your New Venture.”

The interactive Activeplans model is supported by a combination of information from the presenters and support from both the local library and graduate assistants.  The graduate assistants are the “guides” in using the model and in gathering market information from databases, and the attendees have said they feel comfortable in asking the graduate assistants some of their “dumb questions.”  The Chester County Library’s business reference librarian is our hostess for the First Step series classes in Exton, PA, and offers guided tours of the business books and information available to the budding entrepreneurs.

After the completion of their first draft business plan, First Step attendees can make an appointment for one-on-one counseling with a KUSBDC business consultant.  These engagements usually deal with resolving start-up issues and preparing for a loan application.  “The business consultant’s effectiveness has been improved significantly with the consistent quality of plans produced by the Activeplans model” says Bud Batcher, KUSBDC’s business consultant in Chester County.

The First Step series in Chester County has grown steadily in attendance primarily from word-of-mouth advertising.  “People say they can’t believe the quality of information they receive and the great help our business model (Activeplans) is in helping them write their business plan.  It truly has become a ‘Business Plan For Success,’” said Batcher. 

The internal metric of success is how many business plans are completed as a percentage of the number of people starting the program.  The last monthly class generated 82% first draft plans.  Mr. Batcher said, “We are pleased with this result, but our objective is 90%.”