Submission Guidelines

Written Business Plan Guidelines

Your total written business plan is limited to 20 pages. The business plan should be completely typed, double spaced, and the font should not be less than 12 point. Margins should be at least 1 inch.

Spreadsheets and appendices will be limited to 8 pages and are not included in the 20-page limitation. In any event, the total pages including appendices should not exceed 21 pages (not including the cover page or section dividers). 

Business Plan Contents:  Your business plan should include the following sections:

▪             Executive Summary.

▪             Company detailed description.

▪             Customer and market evaluation/analysis.

▪             A description of the product or service being proposed.

▪             What patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property required, if any.

▪             Competitive differentiation and how you will sustain your competitive advantage including an analysis of the competition.

▪             Investment requirements, i.e., how much investment/funding required to fund your business venture.

▪             Student team members and faculty advisor

▪             Financial data and highlights (projection of financials for a minimum of three years). Students may develop financial charts, enclose Excel spreadsheets, or other financial illustrations as appropriate.

▪             Sales and Marketing Plan about how your business venture will go to the market.

Executive Summary Guidelines

Executive summaries should not exceed 5 pages. The executive summary should be typed, double spaced, and the font should not be less than 12 point. Margins should be at least 1 inch. You must have a cover page, which is not included in the total of 5 pages.

The Executive Summary must include certain information including, but not limited to, the following:

▪                               Company summary

▪                               Customer and market evaluation/analysis, i.e., the potential market and the market size.

▪                               A description of the product or service being proposed.

▪                               What patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property are required.

▪                               Competitive differentiation and how you will sustain your competitive advantage.

▪                               Student team members and faculty advisor.

▪                               Competitive advantage expected.

▪                               Financial highlights.

▪                               Investment requirements, i.e., how much investment/funding required to fund your business venture.

▪                               What problem or need your business venture will address.

▪                               Evaluation of why customers would be attracted to your product or service.

▪                               Timeframes to achieve the revenue able to see positive cash flow.

Any determination required or ruling on the rules or guidelines for this competition will be determined by the Chair of the Business Department of Ohio Christian University and shall be final.

Contact person

Department Chair: David H. Garrison, J.d.

Phone: 740 477-7741

E-mail: dgarrison@ohiochristian.edu