Business Planning

Participants on the NEA programme must write and submit a business plan eight weeks from the date of their first meeting with a mentor. We have produced some guidance notes (below) for participants and mentors, which sets out what we are looking for in the business plan.  

Guidance notes

We are looking for evidence that the participant can sustain a living through their business. We need to see a personal survival budget and a realistic plan that shows how they are going to meet their expenditure.

We have put together a template which contains all the sections that we would like to see included in the participant’s business plan. If the participant wishes to use their own plan, they must make sure that all of these sections are covered.

We expect plans to be written plainly and clearly. We are happy to receive plans that are hand written as long as they are legible. Participants are welcome to create their plans in a software programme of their choice but we must be able to open it.

If the participant is applying for the loan then their business plan must cover two years and include:

• 2 year cash-flow forecast
• Profit and loss
• Personal expenditure budget

If the participant is not applying for the loan then their plan should cover one year and include:

• 1 year cash-flow forecast
• Personal expenditure budget

When the participant is ready to submit their plan, they can choose to send it by:

Email	melissa.healy@mycci.co.uk
Fax	01924 311630
Post	New Commerce House 168 Westgate Wakefield WF2 9SR

For more information on this or any other aspect of the MYMentor programme, please contact Melissa Healy on 01924 786500 or email melissa.healy@mycci.co.uk