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No matter how hard you try, sometimes the perfect Christmas gift isn’t as prefect as you thought it would be (or a friend thought it would be for you). No one needs to say “Bah, humbug” after receiving an unloved gift, however, because you can always try returning Christmas gifts an for cash, credit or a new piece of merchandise. The timing of your return can affect how much value you get back and/or how long you’ll have to wait for a replacement. Using a few tips and ticks for returning Christmas gifts will help you avoid wasting your valuable time and missing out on the full value of your item.

The Day After Christmas

The day after Christmas is one of the biggest shopping/return days each year because retailers immediately try to dump their entire excess Christmas inventory by slashing prices on December 26th. This might be the best day to return items if you plan on looking for more bargains with your return credit or cash.

In addition to getting great buys, you’ll avoid missing out on fabulous deals because a store’s inventory gets wiped out by people who beat you to it. Even if you’re just exchanging something for a different size or color, you don’t want to have to wait weeks or more for a replacement by waiting too long.

One of the problems with shopping the day after Christmas is that you’ll face the rush and crush of extra traffic, bad parking, crowded stores, busy clerks and long lines. If you don’t need to return an item immediately, wait a few days to avoid these problems.

Go Online First

Even if the gift you plan to return was purchased at a brick-and-mortar store, make sure you find out a store’s return policies before you drive to any location. You might need to bring ID or a receipt, or find there’s a specific time window during which you can return an item.

You might also be limited to store credit or an exchange for the same item (but a different size or color). A quick phone call can also get you some personal tips from a helpful store manager, or you can look online for retail store return policies.

If the item was purchased online, you still might be able to return it to or exchange it at a local store near you. Print your transaction confirmation or any other information that shows you purchased online, including a copy of a credit card statement.

Return Unwanted Christmas Gifts Early

The sooner you get to a retailer to start returning Christmas gifts, the better chance you’ll have of getting an exchange item you want (and better parking). The longer you wait, the more items will have been snapped up by other shoppers hungry for discounts.

Bring Your Phone to Return Gifts

Make it easy to search a store’s inventory or your purchasing history by having your smartphone with you. Bookmark the websites of the stores you used so you can quickly pull up a receipt or order confirmation while you’re talking to a clerk at the returns counter.

Keep Track of Credit Cards

Some retailers ask you to present the credit the card you used to buy an item when you make a return or request a refund. When buying gifts, keep track of which cards you use and bring the right one to a return. If you’re not sure which card you used, bring all of your cards.

Bring Your ID When Returning Christmas Gifts

Some stores require an ID for all returns and refunds. This makes it more difficult for criminals to get cash, credit or other goods for items they’ve stolen.

Save/Bring Receipts

This is probably the most important aspect of returning Christmas gifts, but often the most difficult when you’re returning a gift you received. If you can tactfully ask your gift giver for the receipt, you’re in good shape. If not, all is not lost. Calling ahead will help you determine whether or not you can return a gift without a receipt. Many stores will do this, but might require an ID.

Without a receipt you’ll have to settle for the sales price amount that’s in effect the day you return the item, rather than the day it was purchased.

When you’re buying gifts the first time, have a separate envelope for all receipts and print out receipts and confirmations of every online purchase you make. As a courtesy to gift recipients, include your receipts with your gifts. To make this less tacky, put the receipt in a sealed envelope your giftee can open at her discretion.

Don’t Open The Packaging

Don’t tear off plastic wrap, break seals or otherwise damage boxes or packaging if you want to exchange the item or get a refund. If the package is opened or damaged, call ahead to find out the store policy on opened gifts. Some stores might take the item back after a visual inspection of the contents.

Returning Items Bought Online

You will most likely be responsible for the return shipping costs when returning gifts purchased online. Review the company’s return policies to make sure you ship the item to the correct location. Pack the item securely and consider buying insurance from the shipper if the item is more valuable than the free insurance the shipper offers. Save your shipping documents. Even if it seems like an easy procedure, call the company to make sure you have followed all directions and ask for any tips the phone associate can give you.

Swap Gift Cards for Cash

If you received a gift card for a store that has nothing you want, you can sell your gift cards (at a discount) on a number of websites, such as giftcards.com, cardcash.com or carpool.com. If the amount is $100 or more, you might ask friends or family if they want to buy the card at a discount. Just make sure this doesn’t get back to the person who gave you the card. You can also put a gift card on Craigslist or eBay, but you’ll have extra mailing costs.

Avoid the Problem Altogether

•Give Gift Cards – If you want to reduce the hassles associated with returning gifts you gave to your kids or partner, or to reduce the chance a friend or co-worker will have to exchange your item, find out where they like to shop and give a gift card.

•Re-gift – If you receive a gift you don’t want, think about who else might like it. Re-gifting can usually be done discreetly and creates a win/win for you and your giftee. Just make sure the items isn’t something the person who gave it to you will ask to see the next time she stops by for a visit or ends up seeing it at your friend’s house.

Leasing or buying a vehicle? It’s a question many car, truck and SUV owners wrestle with each time they need a new ride. The question is easier to answer if the decision comes down to a straight financial or convenience choice.

A long-term relationship with a significant other requires careful thinking before making the commitment – just as the decision to buy a vehicle requires research and careful thinking about priorities before taking the plunge. And just as a no-commitment relationship with someone might feel like a sweet deal until reality sets in, seemingly carefree car leasing can also come with unforeseen hiccups.

Types of Vehicle Leases

Many people think of leasing in terms of a closed-end contract, which lets the driver return the car after a short-term period. Open-ended leases continue until the driver pays off and owns the car. Closed-end leases are often taken by businesses for a variety of financial reasons. This article discusses the difference between consumer closed-end leases and purchases.

Pros of Auto Leasing

In a nutshell, leasing give buyers more for their money during a short-term commitment, according to independent vehicle review website Edmunds.com. Drivers pay less, and can get more features or a higher class of car, but they don’t own an asset they can later trade in or sell. With leasing, the advantages include:

•Lower down payment

•Smaller monthly payment

•Dealer pays for most repair costs

•More car for less money each year

•Possible tax write-off for business owners

•Lower sales tax obligation

•Reduced commitment

•Easier to get rid of the car

If a driver only needs a car for one or a few years, his total cost will be less with a lease. It’s easier to buy and walk away from a leased vehicle, allowing drivers to change cars if they decide they don’t like the one they’re leasing, if their personal situation changes and they need a bigger or smaller vehicle, or if they just like driving different vehicles every few years.

The leasing company takes care of most repair costs because they own the car and want it back in good shape at the end of the lease. The driver’s insurance covers any accidents. With a lease, a vehicle owner doesn’t have to worry about the auto going out of warranty and having to pay thousands of dollars for repairs such as a new transmission or broken catalytic converter.

Cons of Vehicle Leasing

While leasing costs less per year in the short run, drivers don’t ever get the chance to drive a “free” car with no monthly payments, or sell or trade in their cars. After five years, the cost of driving is often higher for most people who lease, depending on a purchased car’s warranty and how well the car holds up. Disadvantages of leasing include:

•No owned asset, resulting higher driving costs over the years

•High-mileage drivers pay more

•Fine print surprises

•More out-of-pocket investment over the long run

•Wear-and-tear expenses due at end of lease

•Early-termination charges

•Higher insurance costs

A new car, maintained well by the owner, can last 10 or more years, with most of those years coming with no monthly car payment. With a lease, the consumer is always on the hook for a monthly payment. Lease contracts can also be filled with fine print, leading to unexpected expenses, warns Consumer Reports.

For example, when driver’s turn in a leased vehicle, they are charged for “wear and tear,” which is difficult to estimate because it includes things such a dents, chipped paint and damage to seats. Ending a lease early also comes with an early termination fee negates some savings.

Lessees should check their contract to understanding the maintenance costs they’ll have, which can include oil changes and brake jobs.

Pros of Buying a Vehicle

Buying a car lets drivers see most of their expenses in advance and gives them ownership of an asset they can keep, sell or trade-in for a discount on another car. The situation is similar to owning a home or renting an apartment. The benefits of buying a vehicle include:

•Lower total expense over the life of the car

•Unlimited mileage

•Easy disposal

•No monthly payment after the contract is paid off

•Lower insurance costs

With good driver maintenance, the operating costs of a purchased vehicle can be similar to a leased vehicle while the owned car is under warranty. If a driver doesn’t mind a larger financial commitment upfront and for the first few years of owning a car, buying lets drivers keep more money in their pockets. Long-term owners, as compared to long-term lessees, can put more money toward their retirement, children’s tuition or house down payment funds.

Cons of Buying a Vehicle

Buying a vehicle decreases the owner’s flexibility and options, in terms of her ability to switch autos. After the warranty expires, the operating expenses for an older car can be much higher than for a leased vehicle. The main disadvantages of buying a vehicle include:

•Larger down payment

•Bigger monthly payments

•Driver pays all maintenance costs

Drivers who are struggling to pay their bills will need to dig deeper the first few years of owning a car than if they lease. This includes a larger initial down payment, higher monthly payments and higher annual taxes. A typical car purchase down payment ranges from 10 to 20 percent, according to Liz Opsitnik, deputy managing editor, autos, at U.S. News & World Reports.

Lease down payments are negotiable, she notes, with those ranging from no money down to several thousand dollars. Depending on the lease and warranty, maintenance costs can be higher for an owned vehicle, especially as the car gets older.

Financial guru Suze Orman calls any car loan that lasts longer than 36 months, “financial irresponsibility,” based on the extra interest consumers pay that could be put toward retirement savings or emergency funds. In her article, Orman writes that a long-term car loan is such a waste of money that it “boggles my mind.”

She cites statistics showing the average car loan at 67 months, with up to 25 percent of loans lasting between 73 and 84 months.

Auto Lease vs. Owning Calculators

To get a feel for the difference in the upfront, annual and long-term costs of l easing or buying a vehicle, you can use online lease and ownership calculators. These calculators allow drivers to enter their budget numbers to see what they can afford, or check out specific models to determine the leasing and buying costs.

These calculators are available at manufacturer websites, or independent financial and auto websites.

Vehicle Lease Timing is Important

Another factor to consider when looking at buying or leasing is the current state of the economy, advises financial website BankRate. The costs of leasing and buying fluctuate with the economy, and the sweet lease deal a driver gets on one car probably won’t not be available three years later.

Depending on interest rates and the state of the auto industry, the financial differences between leasing and buying are greater or smaller in any given year.

You don’t need to offer frankincense, myrrh or gold to give the gift of a great Christmas party for children this year. Choosing kid-favorite activities and using low-cost items you might already have around the house, you can create an inexpensive holiday party that will impress both youngsters and their parents with your creativity and snowy spirit.

Put on a Christmas Play

Choose a fun Christmas play and assign the roles in advance. Ask children to bring their own costumes and review (but not memorize) their lines before the party. Provide the items needed to let kids create their own stage, props and sets about an hour or so before parents arrive to watch the play.

Give each child a copy of the script to read to make it easier for them to have fun and get into their roles during this inexpensive holiday party activity.

Make Holiday Decorations

Let kids make decorations for their rooms, trees and classrooms using inexpensive items you have around the house or purchase cheap at a dollar store. Teach kids how to make cutout snowflakes and origami swans.

Email your family, friends and co-workers as far in advance as possible and ask them to save their gum wrappers so you can make Christmas tree chains. Let kids make cotton ball Santa’s beards and popsicle stick figures of their favorite holiday characters.

Christmas Cookie Making

Teach kids how to bake from scratch or using prepared cookie dough. Have plenty of food items kids can use to decorate the tops of their cookies and provide a number of metal or plastic holiday cookie molds to make fun shapes.

Teach kids how to read and follow baking directions, use a stove and use different kitchen appliances and utensils. Find out in advance if any of the children have any food allergies (including nuts, soy, milk or gluten).

Gift-Wrapping Lessons

Help kids learn the art of gift wrapping, letting them practice on a variety of empty boxes. In addition to traditional wrapping paper you pick up at a dollar store, have fun with the Sunday comics.

Teach kids how to properly pack gifts in a box, such as clothing or other packaged goods, including how to fold clothes and use crumpled newspaper, foam peanuts and bubble wrap to secure items.

Have them cover some of the wrapped gifts in cut-up brown paper bags for mailing, and explain how shipping gifts to friends and family members in other cities works (including how to address packages).

Holiday Stocking Making

Let kids make their own Christmas stockings, or if they already have one, make stockings for teachers, friends or pets during this inexpensive holiday party activity.

If you have a senior center nearby, contact the director and ask if she’d like your kids to make stockings for seniors and make a visit to present them. You might get an offer of a free party, complete with gifts and treats, in exchange for the visit and caroling.

Christmas Caroling Party

Instead of taking kids to an expensive concert, have them give their own. Gather kids for snacks and drinks and teach them a variety of Christmas carols they will soon be singing for neighbors or seniors at a nearby assisted living facility.

Print lyrics sheets from the Internet to make learning each song quicker. Find out if anyone can sing harmony to improve the sound of your Christmas choir. Make sure you plan how you’ll transport kids and let other parents know if their kids will be outside in the cold and for how long, so they’ll send them dressed warmly.

Have extra gloves, hats and jackets ready for kids who might not have enough warm items.

How to Host a Caroling Party

Send Some Christmas Mail

Teach children how to write, address and mail letters or Christmas cards to Santa, friend or relatives they haven’t seen for a while, or service men and women stationed overseas. In addition to cards or letters, you can help the kids create small goody packages for military members.

These don’t have to contain lots of store-bought items – it’s the thought that counts when men and women are serving and away from home from during the holidays.

Addition Resources:

Tips for Hosting a Holiday Caroling Party

You might be surprised at how easy it is to save thousands of dollars each year without sacrificing the quality of the things you regularly buy. With a little planning and a few money-saving hacks, you can purchase the items you really want at the lowest possible prices, and avoid spending extra money you really didn’t need to.

Individually, the 11 money-saving ideas below can save you hundreds of dollars each year – together, they can save you thousands.

Eliminate Unnecessary Auto Costs

Don’t change your oil every 3,000 miles. That’s an auto industry hustle. Read your owner’s manual – most people only need to change their oil once every 6,000-7,500 miles.

Buy a tire air pressure gauge and check your tires each month. Properly inflating your tires helps them last longer and improves your gas mileage. Have your air and oil filters changed as needed to maintain optimal gas mileage.

Don’t buy premium gas unless your owner’s manual specifically recommends it. Most cars run just fine on regular gas.

Reduce Home Utilities Costs

Why pay extra for heating, cooling, lighting and washing you don’t need? Lower your water heater temperature two degrees at a time until you reach the right temperature for showers and sinks to reduce your gas bill. Invest in low-flow toilets and showerheads.

Only wash clothes and dishes when you have full loads, and use cold water. Buy a programmable thermostat and lower the heat during the 16 hours a day you are asleep or at work. Use low-cost window-covering kits to reduce drafts and heat loss. Use energy efficient light bulbs. You only need to water your lawn only once each week to a depth of 1 or 2 inches, rather than several times each week.

Check Your Credit Reports

You’ll have more access to credit and get lower interest rate offers if you have a higher credit score. Go to FreeCreditReport.com and get copies of your three credit reports. Find out what factors are negatively affecting your score and correct any incorrect information that might be hurting your creditworthiness.

Transfer a Credit Card Balance

Eliminating 20 percent worth of interest fees on a $5,000 credit card balance can save you $1,000 you can use to pay down other balances. When you are sure your credit reports are accurate, shop for a credit card that lets you transfer a balance for 12 months or longer.

You’ll have a balance transfer fee of a several percent, but you can eliminate a balance with a 10 to 30 percent interest, using those hundreds of dollars of savings to pay down other cards you have.

Slice & Dice Your Grocery Bills

A single person can cut $200 or more from their grocery bill each month without giving up quality. Families can also use the money-saving hacks at the Food Stamp Challenge website (you don’t need to be on food stamps).

These money-hacks also reduce your credit card interest payments by as much as 30%, depending on how long you keep balances on your cards. You can also use the extra cash you save to pay down high-interest credit cards, creating a financial snowball effect.

Go to the Movies – At Home

Eliminating just one trip to movies per month can save a couple more than $500 per year, and a family twice that. To make up for your missed outings, plan a special movie night once each month, taking advantage of the on-demand free movies your provider offers. Make it a movie you’ve really wanted to see, make some fresh popcorn, and have your favorite beverage of choice on hand.

Learn to Cook – Gradually

No, you don’t have to take classes or become a gourmet to slash your food bill. Saving just $20 each week by brown bagging one lunch and eating one fewer fast-food dinner can save up to $1,300, depending on how much you save by not putting those meals on a credit card. You’ll still get to eat your favorites, and you only have to learn a few basic cooking techniques (Can you use a can opener?)

Start with dinner you can make that just requires opening a few cans or boxes and adding water or a few other ingredients. Once you get comfortable in the kitchen, you’ll want to learn more techniques and expand your cooking and savings opportunities.

Do Your Taxes Correctly

Are you taking advantage of all of the income tax deductions available to you as a parent? Did you know you might be able to write off some of the expenses of your child’s sports camps? Have you claimed head of household status? Review your annual income tax strategy each year with a professional to make sure you don’t give Uncle Sam money you can keep in your bank account.

Check Your Health Plan Options

Learn the difference between a health reimbursement arrangement, health savings account and flexible spending account. Depending on the plan for which you qualify, your employer might make a contribution, and you can reduce your payroll taxes and use that money to spend on your health care bills.

Get More Clothing for Less

What do you think affluent women do with clothing they’re not wearing anymore? They donate it (along with great men’s and kids clothing) to thrift stores. You’ll be shocked at the rows of $7 blue jeans and $3 designer blouses and shirts you’ll find in these increasingly well-appointed stores.

Go to big box retailers and buy your seasonal clothing at the end of each season to get items for half-price or less. For example, buy next year’s summer bathing suits this fall, or your winter clothing come spring. Buying clothing at the end of the season for next year is one of the great money-saving hacks you’ll find.

Get in Shape for Free (or Close to it)

Do you really need to pay a monthly fitness center membership or hire a personal trainer fee to get and stay in shape? Check out our article on how to create your own home gym and exercise like a pro without a trainer. You’ll learn how to shrink your waistline – not your budget.

Farm-to-table, or farm-to-fork, eating is a movement that encourages more consumption of locally grown, raised and made foods, and fewer middlemen between the farmer and consumer. If you’d like to become more involved in this growing trend, here are eight steps you can take to enjoy more of the good foods your area has to offer.

Find Your Local Farmer’s Markets

More and more cities and towns hold weekly farmer’s markets, allowing growers to set up a booth for a weekend morning or afternoon and sell the fruits and vegetables they grow directly to local residents. Some communities have commercial farmer’s markets that operate with similar hours to a grocery store, offering expanded food choices, such as cheeses, eggs, meats, baked goods and packaged foods.

While locally produced items often cost more, they can also be cheaper than what you find at supermarkets because local farmers don’t pay distributors. Even if items cost more, the food you’ll get will be fresher and last longer at home because it hasn’t been sitting for days while being processed and shipped.

Look for Farm-to-Table Restaurants

U.S. chefs are increasingly sourcing local fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, fowl, game, cheeses and other locally produced foods for their restaurants. The trick is finding them. The easiest way to locate farm-to-table restaurants that offer local fare is to do a Google search. Another way is to ask the farmer’s at your local farmer’s market which restaurants they supply.

Involve the Kids in Menu Planning

Children eat so much processed junk food and spend so much time in front of their electronic devices, childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions throughout the country, according to health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control.

Get your kids into eating healthy by taking them to visit farms, dairies and other local businesses that grow, raise and produce the foods they eat. Let your children plan a meal or two each week and go online to get the recipes for each dish.

Teaching Kids How to Cook

Take them shopping to buy the ingredients, looking for local sources when possible. Cook with them, teaching them what you know to get them more interested in eating healthy. Explain to them why buying healthy foods and cooking for yourself lowers the risk for many diseases and conditions, including juvenile diabetes.

Ask Friends to Recommend Restaurants

Send a group email to your family, co-workers and friends to find out if they know of any places to find fresh, local foods and restaurants that have a farm-to-table mentality. You might end up with another friend or a small group who want to start a F2F dining club.

Learn to Cook Local Ingredients

You might find your area produces a variety of foods you’ve never cooked or even eaten before. Research the local crops your area produces, find out when they’re available, and then search for recipes that include these foods.

Plan Seasonal Menus

One feature of eating F2F is that you won’t be able to get all of your local favorites year-round and will have to eat some foods produced out of the area throughout the year. Finding out when local foods are available will ensure you don’t miss them during their season and help you plan bulk buys and seasonal menus.

Start Gardening

The ultimate F2F experience might be growing your own foods. You don’t need to invest lots of money into gardening before you find out whether or not it’s something right for you. Start small, with only two or three of your favorite crops, such as tomatoes or cucumbers or radishes or carrots.

Spend some time on the ‘net learning which veggies will grow best in your area and when you should plant them. Once you experience growing a few of your own vegetables, you can decide whether you want to expand your garden next season. If you decide to stick with gardening, you can learn canning and save even more money while enjoying your veggies year-round.

Look for a CSA Group

Community Supported Agriculture groups are springing up around the country, allowing consumers to invest small amounts of money with local farmers in exchange for a portion of the crops when they arrive. When you join a CSA group, you get a “share” of the produce, with weekly allotments over the course of several months, providing you with fresh produce you know is coming in advance.

The money you and other CSA member pay farmers in advance allows them to fund their growing and better plan crops, since they know how many people are involved. You might also have access to items such as fresh eggs, meat, poultry and flowers. Your upfront investment might be several hundred dollars, based on where you live, but by cutting out the middleman and joining with others, you can save money in the long run while getting the healthy foods you want.

Starting your own business, either as a part-time venture or full-blown effort, can be easier than you think if you’re willing to do some pre-launch legwork. That includes writing a business plan.

For many people, writing a business plan is the easiest way to increase the chance of a successful startup. For many others, it’s an intimidating hurdle that scares would-be entrepreneurs away from pursuing their dreams.

Understanding what goes into writing a business plan and learning how to create one over a period of weeks, months or even years, can make this process less intimidating and easier for creating a document to guide you through your preparation, launch and growth.

How Do You Eat an Elephant?

One bite at a time.

There’s no need to tackle writing a business plan in one sitting or over the course of a week. You can work on it section by section, whenever you have the time or interest. What if you had started working on your business plan last year, putting in a few hours each month? You’d have a complete business plan right now ready to show potential partners, investors or lenders.

To get started on your business plan, you might spend 30 minutes one morning working on the initial outline. You can work on explaining your product or service one day, then come back weeks later and work on outlining your marketing plan. You can skip the section that analyzes your marketplace (customers and competitors) for a while and work on your financial projections.

Setting a realistic timetable for writing your business plan and working on it when you’re motivated will make the process much less intimidating. And remember, just because you’ve finished your business plan doesn’t mean you have to launch your new endeavor. Don’t worry about having to find financing, get permits, sign contracts and start advertising just because you’ve got a finished business plan. When a situation presents itself in the future to start your business, having a written plan will help you take advantage of that scenario instead of missing a great window of opportunity.

Write an Business Plan Outline

Writing an outline for your business plan is the easiest step to getting started and, once completed, makes the prospect of putting together the much less intimidating. You can write an outline in a matter of minutes, or spend about 10 to 15 minutes filling in a sub-headings with a few details.

Your outline should include the following:

• Cover page
• Contents page
• Executive summary
• Product/service overview
• Marketplace overview
• Marketing plan
• Financials
• Investment opportunity
• Summary
• Appendix

Cover page

This should include a title, date and your contact information.

Contents page

This should help readers see what’s coming and make it easy for them find information they want. The contents page can include the document sections that follow, with a page number after each heading and sub-heading. One of your headings will be “Marketing.”

Your subheadings for this section might include “Product Development, Pricing Strategy, Distribution, Advertising, Public Relations, Promotions, Direct Mail, and Social Media.” Under the “Advertising” sub-heading, you might have further sub-headings, such as “Print, Radio, TV and Outdoor.”

Executive summary

An executive summary is a brief description of what’s in the document. The summary should be about a half a page long and not provide much detail.

You describe the product or service, tell why there’s a need for it, tell why you’re qualified to run the business, give the projected sales and profits and lay out the necessary investment. Resist the temptation to sell or justify in your executive summary – you want to tease the reader into wanting to know more.

Product/service overview

Explain your product or service concept in more detail than you did in your executive summary. In your executive summary, you explained what your product is and briefly mentioned why it would work. Now’s the time to show how it will work, what benefit it will offer, what proof (similar products) you have that it will work and what research you’ve done.

Take care to show your concept’s unique selling differential. This is the need, benefit or solution you will offer consumers that they want, but can’t get elsewhere. It might be a lower price, better customer service and support, or quicker delivery.

Marketplace overview

This is where you discuss your competition, reveal who your target customer is and give any history about similar products, services or companies that have succeeded or failed in your marketplace in the past.

Marketing plan

Marketing refers to the Four P’s of product, price, place and promotion. Since you’ve already explained your product in your product overview section, focus on how you will price your product based on your competition, target customer and what type of brand, or image you want to create.

Tell where you will sell your product or service (e.g., retail stores, websites, catalogs, etc.) and how much it will cost to use these channels. Provide a section that explains your marketing communications, which includes advertising, public relations, promotions, social media and direct mail.

Financials

Create two sections in your financial discussion that detail what it will cost to make or create your product or service and what it will cost to run your company. Add a section that lists your pre-launch expenses to start the business, such as a website, local business license, office space and insurance. Create a one-year budget that lists all of your expenses, including your startup costs, overhead expenses (costs to run your business) and production costs.

Give conservative and optimistic sales projections so you can project your revenues and profits and estimate how long it will take you to pay back your initial investment. Discuss how you will finance the business, which can include using credit cards, dipping into savings, borrowing from friends and family or taking out a small-business loan.

Investment opportunity

If you are looking for a partner or investor, explain what you need from the investor and what you are wiling to offer him in return. You can offer part ownership of the company, a percentage of the profits or an opportunity to license or franchise your product or service. Re-state your financial projections to show a potential investor when they would get their initial investment back and when they would start making a return on their investment.

Final Summary

Summarize your business plan, similar to how you introduced it in your executive summary. You can add a bit more detail, including financial projections, in the final summary.

Appendix

This is where you put support documents such as a budget spreadsheet, pictures, photos or drawings of the product, sample marketing materials and biographies of key employees. You might wait until you’ve written your business plan to write your executive summary because you will have all of the detail available and better know what to highlight.

Resources

U.S. Small Business Administration: Write Your Business Plan

FindLaw: Contents of a Written Business Plan