The purpose of the AEDC Startup Grant Program is to improve the economic vitality of the City of Athens by encouraging new businesses in “brick and mortar” locations, creating jobs, and enhancing the local economy by “buying local”. Business must be located within Athens’ city limits. The business may be a startup or an existing home-based business that is expanding into commercial/retail space, but the business must be seeking a new location within city limits and not in a residential zoning.
The business must have a current business plan and should contain all of the following:
Executive summary: The executive summary should be the first item in the business plan, but it should be written last as detail in following sections will impact the content of this portion of the plan. An executive summary is a brief introduction and summary of your business plan. It describes the proposed new business, the problem that it solves, the target market, and highlights the goals of the company and the methods to achieve them.
Company description: The company description covers what problems your product or service solves and why your business or idea is feasible, including any patents if applicable.
Market analysis: This section of the business plan analyzes how well a company is positioned against its competitors. The market analysis should include target market, segmentation analysis, market size, growth rate, trends and a competitive environment assessment.
Organization and structure: Write about the type of business organization you expect to form, and who will staff the management team. State whether your business will be a single member limited liability company (LLC), partnership or a corporation.
Mission and goals: This section should contain a brief mission statement and detail what the business wishes to accomplish and the steps to get there. These goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, action-orientated, realistic and time-bound).
Products or services: . This portion of the business plan provides a detailed description of the products and/or services to be provided. It includes what products you’ll offer to consumers, how they compare to existing competitors, who will be responsible for creating the product, how you’ll source materials, the price of your finished product or service, and how much they cost to make.