How do you write a business plan for producing fish sticks in Rhode Island?

Fish Sticks Production Business

You would use the same process when writing a business plan for a fish production company in Rhode Island as you would for any business. However, there are a few areas that would be unique, which I’ll discuss later. First, it is important to understand that writing a business plan is a four step process. These steps are: research, write, edit and implement. Before writing your business plan you should thoroughly research the concept. It is critical that you explore the issues that could essentially make or break your business and find out if your product or service is even needed in the marketplace. Will you make money? Who is your competition? What are some of your unique qualities or selling points? What are the start-up costs? Which legal structure would be best? And so on. Visit the Web site of the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a complete list of questions that you should answer before writing your business plan. Next comes the writing. It is imperative that you remain as organized as possible during this phase. Create an outline of all the sections that you intend to include in your business plan and go from there. As a rule of thumb, the Executive Summary should be the last section that you write as it touches upon all of the key points of your plan. Again, the SBA has a complete outline that you can use as a starting point. Once written, have a trusted business associate such as an accountant or lawyer review your plan. Listen to their feedback and recommendations, and make changes if necessary. Finally, it’s time to implement your plan. Use all of the step-by-step information that you have prepared to launch your business. Now to answer your question specifically, food processing and production differs from other businesses in three various ways: production facility licensing, product labeling and marketing. Since you will be handling food you should check with your local or state government to find out what licenses are required, if any. You also need to inquire as to what is involved in Rhode Island in the planning and approval of a food processing facility. For your convenience, visit the Web site of The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) at www.riedc.com or the official Web Site of the State of Rhode Island business center at www.ri.gov/business/. In your business plan, another area you will need to discuss is your production and distribution processes. How will the product get to the customer? Will you use a food broker or distributor with connections? Or will you ship the food yourself? The type of licensing and inspection that you will require will depend on how you get the product to the end-user. You will also need to discuss proper food handling and what safety measures you intend to implement. You will most likely be subject to a health department review and inspection. Find out more information from the Rhode Island Department of Health at www.health.state.ri.us/. The next item is to make sure you meet all labeling and packaging requirements, laws, agendas and so on. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the main agency that enforces labeling regulations. All food labels must contain a statement of product identity, net quantity, list of ingredients, name, address and contact information of the manufacturer, nutritional information and a Universal Product Code (UPC). The Uniform Code Council assigns these numbers for a fee. More information can be obtained by calling: the Uniform Code Council at 937-225-4282. When marketing your food product, you will need to take the 4 P’s into consideration. They are product, price, place and promotion. Again, you can find detailed information at the Web site of the SBA. Good luck with your endeavor!