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FEB. MAR. 2021 VI I I information available at: http://www. unioncamerelombardia.it/? /menu- di-sinistra/Bandi---contributi-alle- imprese/Bandi-aperti/Bando-Credito- Ora, expiring on 3 May 2021”. Camilleri says. The Lombardy Region makes information available to businesses both on its own site (https:// www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/ portal/istituzionale/HP/servizi-e- informazioni/imprese) and on the POR Fesr site with a section dedicated to open calls https://www.fesr.regione . lombardia.it/wps/portal/PROUE/ FESR/Bandi#). “Faced with a very complex situation,” concludes Camilleri, “in many cases made worse by the succession of measures that are not always consistent both at national and regional level, it is essential to stay up to date, to rely on an expert in the sector who knows how to move with ease among the bureaucratic quibbles and to envisage a change in one’s business model, perhaps by leveraging the potential of home delivery, imagining a client who is more take-away than sedentary”. ______________________________ AT PAGE 24 IN THE DINING ROOM Financing? Banks need a detailed business plan A document that shows the banks that they can trust you and the validity of your idea. Marco Massari, the “right- hand man of entrepreneurs” explains how to create one and why it is so important. by Maria Elena Dipace If 2020 was the year of lockdowns and accounts in the red, there are plenty of entrepreneurs who are looking positively towards 2021, trying to draw up strategies and jot down good ideas to turn their businesses around. Unfortunately, commitment and good intentions alone are not enough. Money is needed, and after such a disastrous period, not all entrepreneurs have adequate cash flow. “All business owners know how difficult it is to get money from the banks, especially in a historical period like the one we are living today. But there is a trump card that you can play to be more credible and reliable: the business plan,” comments Marco Massari, business consultant and right-hand man to many entrepreneurs. “It is a very important document that tells your business idea, highlighting its feasibility, potential earnings and everything that can lead your listener to say, ‘I want to bet on this project, I’ll give you the money you’re asking for’. Obviously, however, it has to be drafted in a certain way, be realistic and comprehensive, otherwise there’s not much hope’. INCISIVE In support of all registered VAT holders, Marco Massari has drawn up a short vademecum with 5 FAQs that he often hears from those who ask for his help in obtaining a loan or carrying out a project. These topics are discussed in detail in his book “L’impresa di essere imprenditori” (The Business of Being an Entrepreneur), written with the aim of supporting entrepreneurs in those areas in which they often have gaps and express more doubts than certainties. 1. WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN? It is a document in which you put your company projects in writing, translating your ideas (which must be very clear!) into numbers and letters. The language to be used is the typical language of business economics, with an excellent command of “double-entry bookkeeping” and budget analysis. For this reason, it should be written by someone competent in the field, who knows how to set up the whole document. Presenting an incomplete or inaccurate business plan is the worst business card you can give, as it only gives an idea of approximation, and certainly does not convince your interlocutor to give you money. 2. WHO NEEDS IT? First of all, the entrepreneur himself, to decide whether to implement the investment projects he has in mind, assessing their feasibility and profitability. Afterwards, it will be useful as an evaluation tool, to monitor progress and take prompt corrective action. Secondly, it is useful for those who, in some way, have to decide whether to join the project, e.g. by financing it or supporting it in another way. 3. HOW SHOULD IT BE COMPOSED? Usually, a good business plan has two parts, one descriptive and one numerical. The first describes the company and its stability, the projects, the partners and their experiences, the organisation, the technology used, the target market and the marketing strategies for the future. The second shows the company’s balance sheet from an economic, financial and equity point of view. Simplifying as much as possible, it is necessary to demonstrate that the company is and will be well-balanced, able to carry out that specific project, from which it will obtain a tangible profit, and able to repay the financing in a timely manner. 4. DOES IT HAVE TO BE LONG? It absolutely isn’t the number of pages that give a measure of how good a business plan is. Writing very long dissertations on “hot air” and dragging it out will not make you look viable. “Time is money” and nobody has the MAGAZINE