How to write a business plan for an opticians?

Writing a business plan for an opticians can be an intimidating task, especially for those just starting.

This in-depth guide is designed to help entrepreneurs like you understand how to create a comprehensive business plan so that you can approach the exercise with method and confidence.

We'll cover: why writing an opticians business plan is so important - both when starting up, and when running and growing the business - what information you need to include in your plan, how it should be structured, and what tools you can use to get the job done efficiently.

Let's get started!

Why write a business plan for an opticians?

Being clear on the scope and goals of the document will make it easier to understand its structure and content. So before diving into the actual content of the plan, let's have a quick look at the main reasons why you would want to write an opticians business plan in the first place.

To have a clear roadmap to grow the business

Small businesses rarely experience a constant and predictable environment. Economic cycles go up and down, while the business landscape is mutating constantly with new regulations, technologies, competitors, and consumer behaviours emerging when we least expect it.

In this dynamic context, it's essential to have a clear roadmap for your opticians. Otherwise, you are navigating in the dark which is dangerous given that - as a business owner - your capital is at risk.

That's why crafting a well-thought-out business plan is crucial to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of your venture.

To create an effective business plan, you'll need to take a step-by-step approach. First, you'll have to assess your current position (if you're already in business), and then identify where you'd like your opticians to be in the next three to five years.

Once you have a clear destination for your opticians, you'll focus on three key areas:

Resources: you'll determine the human, equipment, and capital resources needed to reach your goals successfully.
Speed: you'll establish the optimal pace at which your business needs to grow if it is to meet its objectives within the desired timeframe.
Risks: you'll identify and address potential risks you might encounter along the way.

By going through this process regularly, you'll be able to make informed decisions about resource allocation, paving the way for the long-term success of your business.

To get visibility on future cash flows

If your small opticians runs out of cash: it's game over. That's why we often say "cash is king", and it's crucial to have a clear view of your opticians's future cash flows.

So, how can you achieve this? It's simple - you need to have an up-to-date financial forecast.

The good news is that your opticians business plan already includes a financial forecast (which we'll discuss further in this guide). Your task is to ensure it stays current.

To accomplish this, it's essential to regularly compare your actual financial performance with what was planned in your financial forecast. Based on your business's current trajectory, you can make adjustments to the forecast.

By diligently monitoring your opticians's financial health, you'll be able to spot potential financial issues, like unexpected cash shortfalls, early on and take corrective actions. Moreover, this practice will enable you to recognize and capitalize on growth opportunities, such as excess cash flow enabling you to expand to new locations.

To secure financing

Crafting a comprehensive business plan for your opticians, whether you're starting up or already established, is paramount when you're seeking financing from banks or investors.

Given how fragile small businesses are, financiers will want to ensure that you have a clear roadmap in place as well as command and control of your future cash flows before entertaining the idea of funding you.

For banks, the information in your business plan will be used to assess your borrowing capacity - which is defined as the maximum amount of debt your business can afford alongside your ability to repay the loan. This evaluation helps them decide whether to extend credit to your business and under what terms (interest rate, duration, repayment options, collateral, etc.).

Similarly, investors will thoroughly review your plan to determine if their investment can yield an attractive return. They'll be looking for evidence that your opticians has the potential for healthy growth, profitability, and consistent cash flow generation over time.

Now that you understand the importance of creating a business plan for your opticians, let's delve into the necessary information needed to craft an effective plan.

Information needed to create a business plan for an opticians

You need the right data in order to project sales, investments and costs accurately in the financial forecast of your opticians business plan.

Below, we'll cover three key pieces of information you should gather before drafting your business plan.

Carrying out market research for an opticians

Carrying out market research before writing a business plan for an opticians is essential to ensure that the financial projections are accurate and realistic.

Market research helps you gain insight into your target customer base, competitors, pricing strategies and other key factors which can have an impact on the commercial success of your business.

In particular, it is useful in forecasting revenue as it provides valuable data regarding potential customers’ spending habits and preferences.

You might discover that people may be increasingly interested in contact lenses with enhanced vision correction capabilities. Additionally, research could also indicate that potential customers may be looking for more stylish frames with a variety of colors and designs.

This information can then be used to create more accurate financial projections which will help investors make informed decisions about investing in your opticians.

Developing the sales and marketing plan for an opticians

Budgeting sales and marketing expenses is essential before creating an opticians business plan.

A comprehensive sales and marketing plan should provide an accurate projection of what actions need to be implemented to acquire and retain customers, how many people are needed to carry out these initiatives, and how much needs to be spent on promotions, advertising, and other aspects.

This helps ensure that the right amount of resources is allocated to these activities in order to hit the sales and growth objectives forecasted in your business plan.

The staffing and equipment needs of an opticians

As you embark on starting or expanding your opticians, having a clear plan for recruitment and capital expenditures (investment in equipment and real estate) is essential for ensuring your business's success.

Both the recruitment and investment plans must align with the timing and level of growth projected in your forecast, and they require appropriate funding.

The staffing costs that an opticians might incur include wages for a receptionist, optometrist, optician, and any other necessary staff. Equipment costs could include computers, a point-of-sale system, an eye-testing machine, and any other machines or tools necessary for providing optician services.

To create a realistic financial forecast, you also need to consider other operating expenses associated with the day-to-day running of your business, such as insurance and bookkeeping.

With all the necessary information at hand, you are ready to begin crafting your business plan and developing your financial forecast.

What goes into your opticians's financial forecast?

The objective of the financial forecast of your opticians's business plan is to show the growth, profitability, funding requirements, and cash generation potential of your business over the next 3 to 5 years.

The four key outputs of a financial forecast for an opticians are:

The profit and loss (P&L) statement,
The projected balance sheet,
The cash flow forecast,
And the sources and uses table.

Let's look at each of these in a bit more detail.

The projected P&L statement

Your opticians forecasted P&L statement enables the reader of your business plan to get an idea of how much revenue and profits your business is expected to make in the near future.

forecasted profit and loss statement in a opticians business plan

Ideally, your reader will want to see:

Growth above the inflation level
Expanding profit margins
Positive net profit throughout the plan

Expectations for an established opticians will of course be different than for a startup. Existing businesses which have reached their cruising altitude might have slower growth and higher margins than ventures just being started.

The forecasted balance sheet of your opticians

The projected balance sheet of your opticians will enable the reader of your business plan to assess the overall financial health of your business.

It shows three elements: assets, liabilities and equity:

Assets: are productive resources owned by the business, such as equipment, cash, and accounts receivable (money owed by clients).
Liabilities: are debts owed to creditors, lenders, and other entities, such as accounts payable (money owed to suppliers).
Equity: includes the sums invested by the shareholders or business owners and the profits and losses accumulated by the business to date (which are called retained earnings). It is a proxy for the value of the owner's stake in the business.

projected balance sheet in a opticians business plan example

Analysing your opticians projected balance sheet provides an understanding of your opticians's working capital structure, investment and financing policies.

In particular, the readers of your plan can compare the level of financial debt on the balance sheet to the equity value to measure the level of financial risk (equity doesn't need to be reimbursed, while financial debt must be repaid, making it riskier).

They can also use your balance sheet to assess your opticians's liquidity and solvency:

A liquidity analysis: focuses on whether or not your business has sufficient cash and short-term assets to cover its liabilities due in the next 12 months.
A solvency analysis: takes and longer view to assess whether or not your business has the capacity to repay its debts over the medium-term.

The cash flow forecast

As we've seen earlier in this guide, monitoring future cash flows is the key to success and the only way of ensuring that your opticians has enough cash to operate.

As you can expect showing future cash flows is the main role of the cash flow forecast in your opticians business plan.

example of projected cash flow forecast in a opticians business plan

It is best practice to organise the cash flow statement by nature in order to show the cash impact of the following areas:

Cash flow generated from operations: the operating cash flow shows how much cash is generated or consumed by the business's commercial activities
Cash flow from investing activities: the investing cash flow shows how much cash is being invested in capital expenditure (equipment, real estate, etc.) either to maintain the business's equipment or to expand its capabilities
Cash flow from financing activities: the financing cash flow shows how much cash is raised or distributed to financiers

Looking at the cash flow forecast helps you to make sure that your business has enough cash to keep running, and can help you anticipate potential cash shortfalls.

Your opticians business plan will normally include both yearly and monthly cash flow forecasts so that the readers can view the impact of seasonality on your business cash position and generation.

The initial financing plan

The initial financing plan, also known as a sources and uses table, is a valuable resource to have in your business plan when starting your opticians as it reveals the origins of the money needed to establish the business (sources) and how it will be allocated (uses).

opticians business plan: sources & uses example

Having this table helps show what costs are involved in setting up your opticians, how risks are shared between founders, investors and lenders, and what the starting cash position will be. This cash position needs to be sufficient to sustain operations until the business reaches a break-even point.

Now that you have a clear understanding of what goes into the financial forecast of your opticians business plan, let's shift our focus to the written part of the plan.

The written part of an opticians business plan

The written part of the business plan is where you will explain what your business does and how it operates, what your target market is, whom you compete against, and what strategy you will put in place to seize the commercial opportunity you've identified.

Having this context is key for the reader to form a view on whether or not they believe that your plan is achievable and the numbers in your forecast realistic.

The written part of an opticians business plan is composed of 7 main sections:

The executive summary
The presentation of the company
The products and services
The market analysis
The strategy
The operations
The financial plan

Let's go through the content of each section in more detail!

1. The executive summary

The first section of your opticians's business plan is the executive summary which provides, as its name suggests, an enticing summary of your plan which should hook the reader and make them want to know more about your business.

When writing the executive summary, it is important to provide an overview of the business, the market, the key financials, and what you are asking from the reader.

Start with a brief introduction of the business, its name, concept, location, how long it has been in operation, and what makes it unique. Mention any services or products you plan to offer and who you sell to.

Then you should follow with an overview of the addressable market for your opticians, current trends, and potential growth opportunities.

You should then include a summary of your key financial figures such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

Finally, you should detail any funding requirements in the ask section.

2. The presentation of the company

As you build your opticians business plan, the second section deserves attention as it delves into the structure and ownership, location, and management team of your company.

In the structure and ownership part, you'll provide valuable insights into the legal structure of the business, the identities of the owners, and their respective investments and ownership stakes. This level of transparency is vital, particularly if you're seeking financing, as it clarifies which legal entity will receive the funds and who holds the reins of the business.

Moving to the location part, you'll offer a comprehensive view of the company's premises and articulate why this specific location is strategic for the business, emphasizing factors like catchment area, accessibility, and nearby amenities.

When describing the location of your opticians to a third party financier, you could explain that it is in a high-traffic area with a good amount of foot traffic and that it could be a great opportunity for investment.

You could describe the area as one with plenty of other businesses and a large population of potential customers.
You may also discuss any public transportation options that are nearby and how this could be a beneficial factor for customers.
You could also mention any recent development or events that could draw more people to the area and provide more potential for success.

Lastly, you should introduce your esteemed management team. Provide a thorough explanation of each member's role, background, and extensive experience.

It's equally important to highlight any past successes the management team has achieved and underscore the duration they've been working together. This information will instil trust in potential lenders or investors, showcasing the strength and expertise of your leadership team and their ability to deliver the business plan.

3. The products and services section

The products and services section of your opticians business plan should include a detailed description of what your company sells to its customers.

For example, your opticians might offer comprehensive eye exams to ensure customers have the best vision possible, as well as a wide selection of stylish frames to choose from.

Additionally, they might offer contact lens fittings and contact lens solutions, as well as sunglasses designed to protect the eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays.

All of these services and products help to ensure customers have healthy eyesight and look fashionable at the same time.

The reader will want to understand what makes your opticians unique from other businesses in this competitive market.

When drafting this section, you should be precise about the categories of products or services you sell, the clients you are targeting and the channels that you are targeting them through.

4. The market analysis

When presenting your market analysis in your opticians business plan, you should detail the customers' demographics and segmentation, target market, competition, barriers to entry, and any regulations that may apply.

The goal of this section is to help the reader understand how big and attractive your market is, and demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of the industry.

You should start with the demographics and segmentation subsection, which gives an overview of the addressable market for your opticians, the main trends in the marketplace, and introduces the different customer segments and their preferences in terms of purchasing habits and budgets.

The target market section should follow and zoom on the customer segments your opticians is targeting, and explain how your products and services meet the specific needs of these customers.

For example, your target market might include young adults who need glasses for the first time. This segment of customers may not have a lot of experience when it comes to selecting glasses, so they need guidance and assistance in finding the right frames and lenses for their needs. Additionally, they may be looking for more affordable frames and lenses, since they are just beginning to wear glasses.

Then comes the competition subsection, where you should introduce your main competitors and explain what differentiates you from them.

Finally, you should finish your market analysis by giving an overview of the main regulations applicable to your opticians.

5. The strategy section

When writing the strategy section of a business plan for your opticians, it is essential to include information about your competitive edge, pricing strategy, sales & marketing plan, milestones, and risks and mitigants.

The competitive edge subsection should explain what sets your company apart from its competitors. This part is especially key if you are writing the business plan of a startup, as you have to make a name for yourself in the marketplace against established players.

The pricing strategy subsection should demonstrate how you intend to remain profitable while still offering competitive prices to your customers.

The sales & marketing plan should outline how you intend to reach out and acquire new customers, as well as retain existing ones with loyalty programs or special offers.

The milestones subsection should outline what your company has achieved to date, and its main objectives for the years to come - along with dates so that everyone involved has clear expectations of when progress can be expected.

The risks and mitigants subsection should list the main risks that jeopardize the execution of your plan and explain what measures you have taken to minimize these. This is essential in order for investors or lenders to feel secure in investing in your venture.

Your opticians may face the risk of competition from other opticians in the area, as they could offer cheaper prices or more attractive services and products.

This could lead to customers leaving your opticians and going to a different one. Your opticians may also face the risk of technological progress.

New technologies may be developed that could make your opticians' services or products obsolete. This could lead to customers no longer wanting to use your opticians.

6. The operations section

The operations of your opticians must be presented in detail in your business plan.

The first thing you should cover in this section is your staffing team, the main roles, and the overall recruitment plan to support the growth expected in your business plan. You should also outline the qualifications and experience necessary to fulfil each role, and how you intend to recruit (using job boards, referrals, or headhunters).

You should then state the operating hours of your opticians - so that the reader can check the adequacy of your staffing levels - and any plans for varying opening times during peak season. Additionally, the plan should include details on how you will handle customer queries outside of normal operating hours.

The next part of this section should focus on the key assets and IP required to operate your business. If you depend on any licenses or trademarks, physical structures (equipment or property) or lease agreements, these should all go in there.

You may have physical assets such as eye-testing equipment and frames, as well as intellectual property such as the opticians' trademark and any copyrighted materials associated with the business.

You could also have a database of customer information and opticians' expertise that could be considered intellectual property.

Finally, you should include a list of suppliers that you plan to work with and a breakdown of their services and main commercial terms (price, payment terms, contract duration, etc.). Investors are always keen to know if there is a particular reason why you have chosen to work with a specific supplier (higher-quality products or past relationships for example).

7. The presentation of the financial plan

The financial plan section is where we will present the financial forecast we talked about earlier in this guide.

Now that you have a clear idea of what goes in your opticians business plan, let's look at the solutions you can use to draft yours.

What tool should I use to write my opticians's business plan?

There are two main ways of creating your opticians business plan:

Using specialized business planning software,
Hiring a business plan writer.

Using an online business plan software for your opticians's business plan

The modern and most efficient way to write an opticians business plan is to use business plan software.

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

You can easily create your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
You can access a library of dozens of complete business plan samples and templates for inspiration
You get a professional business plan, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors
You can easily track your actual financial performance against your financial forecast
You can create scenarios to stress test your forecast's main assumptions
You can easily update your forecast as time goes by to maintain visibility on future cash flows
You have a friendly support team on standby to assist you when you are stuck

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try The Business Plan Shop for free by signing up here.

Hiring a business plan writer to write your opticians's business plan

Outsourcing your opticians business plan to a business plan writer can also be a viable option.

These writers possess valuable experience in crafting business plans and creating accurate financial forecasts. Additionally, enlisting their services can save you precious time, enabling you to concentrate on the day-to-day operations of your business.

It's important to be mindful, though, that hiring business plan writers comes with a cost. You'll be paying not just for their time but also for the software they use, and their profit margin.

Based on experience, a complete business plan usually requires a budget of at least £1.5k ($2.0k) excluding tax, and more if revisions are needed after initial meetings with lenders or investors - changes often arise following these discussions.

When seeking investment, be cautious about spending too much on consulting fees. Investors prefer their funds to contribute directly to business growth. Thus, the amount you spend on business plan writing services and other consulting services should be negligible compared to the amount you raise.

Another aspect to consider is that while you'll receive the output of the business plan, you usually won't own the actual document. It will be saved in the consultant's business plan software, which will make updating the plan challenging without retaining the consultant on a retainer.

Given these factors, it's essential to carefully weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing your opticians business plan to a business plan writer and decide what best suits your business's unique needs.

Why not create your opticians's business plan using Word or Excel?

Using Microsoft Excel and Word (or their Google, Apple, or open-source equivalents) to write an opticians business plan is a terrible idea.

Why?

For starters, creating an accurate and error-free financial forecast on Excel (or any spreadsheet) is very technical and requires both a strong grasp of accounting principles and solid skills in financial modelling.

As a result, it is unlikely anyone will trust your numbers unless - like us at The Business Plan Shop - you hold a degree in finance and accounting and have significant financial modelling experience in your past.

The second reason is that it is inefficient. Building forecasts on spreadsheets was the only option in the 1990s and early 2000s, nowadays technology has advanced and software can do it much faster and much more accurately.

And with the rise of AI, software is also becoming smarter at helping us detect mistakes in our forecasts and helping us analyse the numbers to make better decisions.

Also, using software makes it easy to compare actuals vs. forecasts and maintain our forecasts up to date to maintain visibility on future cash flows - as we discussed earlier in this guide - whereas this is a pain to do with a spreadsheet.

That's for the forecast, but what about the written part of my opticians business plan?

This part is less error-prone, but here also software brings tremendous gains in productivity:

Word processors don't include instructions and examples for each part of your business plan
Word processors don't update your numbers automatically when they change in your forecast
Word processors don't handle the formatting for you
...

Overall, while Word or Excel may be viable options for creating an opticians business plan for some entrepreneurs, it is by far not the best or most efficient solution.

Takeaways

Using business plan software is a modern and cost-effective way of writing and maintaining business plans.
A business plan is not a one-shot exercise as maintaining it current is the only way to keep visibility on your future cash flows.
A business plan has 2 main parts: a financial forecast outlining the funding requirements of your opticians and the expected growth, profits and cash flows for the next 3 to 5 years; and a written part which gives the reader the information needed to decide if they believe the forecast is achievable.

We hope that this in-depth guide met your expectations and that you now have a clear understanding of how to write your opticians business plan. Do not hesitate to contact our friendly team if you have questions additional questions we haven't addressed here.