Adapted from content excerpted from the American Express® OPEN Small Business Network
Bella has some of her key players in place for BB to move forward. Her president is a long-time professional associate, who complements her skills. A local agency that is only several years into its development, has committed to working with BB on a project basis, because it believes the company has potential to become a lucrative client. Bella has created her organizational structure section below.
From the three choices available, pick the one you think she should include in her business plan:
- CEO, Bella Lettini
- After graduating from the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Bella worked as a pastry chef in a popular pastry shop in Rome. She then returned to Metro City where she worked as head baker for four years at the award winning City Center Confections (CCC). Bella was then hired to work for La Boheme, a gourmet bread company. During Bella’s tenure as head of bread production, La Boheme expanded its operation from one bakery location into a national bread wholesaler to gourmet shops and restaurants. Bella has connections at various levels of the baking and baked goods wholesaling industry and is familiar with how to institute and maintain quality control in a wholesale baked goods business. As CEO of Bella’s Biscotti, Bella will be responsible for strategic planning, market development, and company operations.
- Vice President, Lily Olster:
- Lily Olster is the former vice president of operations from the clothing manufacturing firm, Chic Casuals. Olster started at Chic Casuals as a buyer for women’s shoes, and after two years of double-digit growth in sales of Chic Casual shoes, she was promoted to buyer of women’s apparel. For a decade, Olster oversaw the highly time-sensitive business of delivering designer knock-off ready-to-wear items from manufacturing facilities in Korea to boutiques and department stores in the United States. She will oversee operations, quality control, design, and packaging. The vice president will report to the CEO.
- Sales Manager
- The right candidate for this job will possess contacts in the fancy-food distribution market as well as experience establishing new relationships for food wholesalers. Responsibilities include establishment of wholesale distribution accounts, marketing, product presentation, and customer service. The sales manager will report to the CEO.
- CEO, Bella Lettini
- Bella Lettini is a graduate of the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, an award winning baker, and the former head of production for a gourmet bread company that took its wholesale business national during her tenure. As CEO of Bella’s Biscotti, Bella will be responsible for strategic planning, market development, and company operations. Bella has connections at various levels of the baking and baked goods wholesaling industry and is familiar with how to institute and maintain quality control in a wholesale baked goods business.
- Vice President, Lily Olster:
- She will oversees operations, quality control and design, and packaging. The vice president will report to the CEO. Lily Olster is the former vice president of operations from the clothing manufacturing firm, Chic Casuals, where she oversaw the highly time-sensitive business of delivering designer knock-off ready-to-wear items from manufacturing facilities in Korea to boutiques and department stores in the United States.
- Sales Manager
- The right candidate for this job will possess contacts in the fancy-food distribution market as well as experience establishing new relationships for food wholesalers. Responsibilities include establishment of wholesale distribution accounts, marketing, product presentation, and customer service. The sales manager will report to the CEO.
- CEO Bella Lettini
- Bella Lettini will oversee all aspects of the company. She has worked previously in a company that followed a path similar to the one she plans for Bella’s Biscotti.
- VP, Lily Oster
- As vice president, Lily Olster will oversee operations. In her former job she was in charge of operations for a manufacturing company.
- Sales Manager
- Bella’s Biscotti does not currently have a sales manager.
You Chose A
Bella has done too much here by summarizing resumes of management. Her descriptions are good, but she has provided too much detail. Remember, resumes will be attached as appendices. This section should include only the relevant past experiences and areas of responsibility for each member of management. If you chose this version of Bella’s management description, try summarizing each person’s experience and responsibilities in three or four sentences. It might help you to pretend you are describing them out loud; telling a friend what they’ve done and what they will be responsible for in your business.
You Chose B
These management summaries contain the correct amount of detail. Bella has highlighted and summarized her achievements and those of her vice president. She has also painted a picture of what specific skill she needs in a sales manager. When you create your management summaries, try to boil details of your management team’s experience down into a few sentences that give readers a sense of their value to the business, without providing the kind of detail your reader can find in a resume.
You Chose C
These descriptions are too general. Bella has not included enough information about herself or the rest of her management team to impress upon a reader of her business plan that the team will be able to run a business. If you chose this description, be sure to think about what elements of your management team’s experience will help you make a case before writing your descriptions. Evaluate past work experience, industry connections, and other skills that are a testament to the strength of the management team you have assembled.
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