Welcome BCAP'ers!

We are so glad you are here at Texas A&M University!!

This web site (http://library.tamu.edu/subjects/bcap/) has been developed just for you.

The resources that are included in these pages will help you find the information you need to complete your business plan and sales presentation.

Have fun with your projects! Let us know if we can answer any of your questions.

The West Campus Library Reference Team

Table of Contents:

Basic Print & Web Resources

Industry Information

Sizing Up Your Competition

Targeting Your Customers

Financial Information

Print Resources

These print resources contain good examples of business plans and small business profiles:

• Business Plans Handbook
  WCL REF. HD 62.7 .B865
  • Bakery, Volume 5, page 11
  • Bagel shop, Volume 5, page 3
  • Coffee House, Volume 4, page 97
  • Diner, Volume 1, Pages 315 & 325
  • Fast Food, Volume 3, Pages 105 & 119
  • Gourmet Foods, Volume 8, Page 245
  • Ice Cream Shop, Volume 3, Page 163
  • Internet Cafe, Volume 5, Page 209
  • Pizzeria, Volume 6, Page 235
  • Pizzeria, Volume 11, Page 249
  • Restaurant, Volume 2, Pages 263 & 271
  • Restaurant, Volume 4, Page 373
  • Restaurant, Volume 5, Pages 327, 339 & 359
  • Restaurant, Volume 7, Page 337
  • Sandwich Shop, Volume 3, Page 397
  • Shave Ice Business, Volume 6, Page 323

   

• Small Business Profiles
  WCL REF. HD 62.7 S62
  • Bakery, Volume 2, Page 15
  • Catering Service, Volume 2, Page 73
  • Coffee Shop, Volume 1, Page 54
  • Deli / Sandwich Shop, Volume 1, Page 82
  • Gourmet Food Shop, Volume 2, Page 151
  • Health Food Store, Volume 1, Page 145
  • Mobile Frozen Yogurt, Volume 1, Page 188
  • Pizzeria, Volume 2, Page 267
  • Restaurant, Volume 2, Page 277

   

Web Resources

These websites have a lot of useful information on small business and marketing in general:

• U.S. Small Business Administration

   

  • Includes an online library as well as readings in Small Business Management.

 

• U.S. Business Advisor

 

• Texas Business Advisor

 

• Business Nation

 

• BizMov.com Small Business Knowledge Base

 

• Business.com

 

• See both the Small Business and Food & Beverage - Restaurants sections.

 

• Idea Cafe - Starting a Small Business

 

• Small Business Magazine Websites:
  Look for articles on 'how to start a ....' (fill in the blank with your business idea)

   

  • Entrepreneur

   

  • Inc.

 

Print Resources

• Starting a Restaurant:

   

  • The 2007 Restaurant & Foodservice Market Research Handbook
    WCL REF TX911.3 M3 R47 8th ed. 2007

   

  • Guide to Preparing a Restaurant Business Plan
    WCL REF TX945 T84 1992

   

  • Restaurant Starter Kit
    WCL REF TX911.3 M27 R47 2001

   

  • The Complete Restauranteur
    WCL REF TX911.3 M27 L42 1992

   

  • Restaurant Industry Operations Report
    WCL REF TX909 A1 R47 2001

   

  • The Restaurant Planning Guide
    WCL REF TX911.3 M27 R35 1996

   

  • The Restaurant Start-Up Guide
    WCL REF TX911.3 M27 R36 1997

   

  • Start Your Own Restaurant and Five Other Food Businesses
    WCL REF TX911.3 M27 L96 2001

   

  • Who's Buying at Restaurants and Carry-Outs
    WCL REF TX945 W46 2005

Web Resources

• Associations:

   

  • American Bakers Association

   

  • National Restaurant Association

   

  • Restaurantville.com - Texas Restaurant Association

   

  • Retailer's Bakery Association

 

• Restaurant Magazines:

   

  • Restaurant and Institutions Magazine

   

  • Restaurant Report Online

 

• Resources on Independent Restaurants:

   

  • RestaurantOwner.com

 

• Restaurant Equipment:

   

  • ACE MART Restaurant Supply (San Antonio, TX)

   

  • Arrow Restaurant Equipment

   

  • Harris Restaurant Supply

   

  • Restaurant Equipment World

   

  • The Restaurant Warehouse

 

• Mobile Equipment:

   

  • Coffee Cart Biz

   

  • TrailerTech - Concession Trailers

   

  • Unique Vending Carts

 

• Food & Specialties:

   

  • American Institute of Baking

   

  • Bakery Online

   

  • Beverage Industry.org

   

  • BeverageWorld

   

  • Big Baking Book

   

  • Dr. Smoothie

   

  • Food Reference Website

   

  • Specialty Coffee Retailer Online

   

  • The Gourmet Retailer

Sizing Up Your Competition

Ways to analyze your competition and get the information you need -- or at least come up with estimates.

• How to find your competitors in a local market:

   

  1. Search the yellow pages...

      

     • Big Book

        

       • Enter your city and state and then enter the type of business in the category search box (ex.  bakery)

   

  2. Search the business directories on the following websites.

      

     • Bryan / College Station Chamber of Commerce

      

     • Research Valley Partnership

 

• Estimating Sales and Market Share

   

  • You won't be able to get exact sales and market share information for each of those businesses that you got from the phone book or other business directory.  Estimates are easier to get.

     

    First, determine how many businesses there are that would be similar to yours?

     

    Then, once you get that number, you will need to find total retail sales for these businesses.

     

    • Use the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development websites (featured above) to look for retail sales data.

     

    • If you can't find retail sales from these websites, West Campus Library has some print sources which will help:

       

      • Demographics USA Zip Code Edition
        WCL REF HF5415.3 D463 2007

       

      • Demographics USA County Edition
        WCL REF HF5437 S32 2007

     

    Finally, to estimate your potential market share:

     

    • Take the number of businesses (plus yours) and divide by the retail sales.
    • Market Share = # businesses / retail sales

   

  • Another method you might use is to find out 'how much the average consumer spends on your product'. You can look for this data in articles or market research reports. Once you find that average, you would then multiply that number by the population figure for your city and then divide by the number of businesses in your product/service category.

     

    One really great source for what the average customer spends is:

     

    • Best Customers
      WCL REF HC 110 C6 B44 4th ed. 2006

Targeting Your Customers

Who do you want to sell to?
What age group(s)?
What income levels?
What characteristics would the perfect customer have?

Answering these questions helps you to identify your 'target market'.
Your target market is the group of consumers who fit the mission of your business.

To find your customers in your local market:

• The Chamber of Commerce, or Economic Development, websites may provide information on 'demographics' and 'market characteristics' of the city in which you are going to do business.

   

  • Bryan / College Station Chamber of Commerce

   

  • Research Valley Partnership

Other sources for demographic information are:

• U.S. Census

 

• Texas Online - Population and Demographics Data

Other Resources For Finding Customers Who Are Interested In Your Product:

• Best Customers
  WCL Ref. HC 79 .C6 R87 2005

Financial Information

These print resources contain good examples of financial statements:

• Business Plans Handbook
  WCL REF HD 62.7 B865
  (**Samples of financial statements can be found at the end of many, but not all, of the sample business plans.)

   

  • Bakery, Volume 5, Page 21 (bread & beverage cost/profit analysis)
  • Bagel shop, Volume 5, Page 8
  • Coffee House, Volume 4, Page 112
  • Diner, Volume 1, Page 321
  • Fast Food, Volume 3, Pages 108 & 128
  • Gourmet Foods, Volume 8, Page 250
  • Ice Cream Shop, Volume 3, Page 172
  • Internet Cafe, Volume 5, Page 218
  • Pizzeria, Volume 11, Page 249
  • Restaurant, Volume 4, Page 376
  • Restaurant, Volume 5, Pages 336, 349 & 368
  • Restaurant, Volume 7, Page 348
  • Sandwich Shop, Volume 3, Page 407

 

• A Guide to Preparing a Restaurant Business Plan
  WCL Ref. TX 945 .T84 1992
  • Pages 58-83 (Financial data including sales projections, balance sheets, and cash flow statements)