You can include all necessary information in the appendix of your business plan, especially ones that do not fit seamlessly into the body of the plan.
This section of your business plan will include samples of the material or information that is referenced within the business plan but does not need to be included in the body. You can include materials that will serve a practicable purpose in the business or that buttresses key relationships.
Generally, you can include any external information necessary to support the facts or assumptions within the business plan. While it may not be compulsory to inculcate an appendix to your business plan, have in mind that your business plan will be incomplete without an appendix.
Just as was noted above, this part of your business plan supports all viable claims you have made in the preceding sections of your business plan.
Since all the documents presented in this part of your business plan authenticate the information you have in other sections of your business plan, you should present them in the same order as they are referred to in the plan.
If you have more than a few pages of documentation in the appendix, consider starting with a table of contents page that outlines each section of the business plan, well noted with letters or Roman numerals.
This will make it more convenient to refer to the items as you need to in the plan. Ensure that each document is clearly labeled so readers will know what they’re looking at when they refer to them and make sure your copies are of high quality, clear, and legit. Do not include original documents.
Don’t forget that your reader will most likely skip some parts of the plan, especially the appendix, so make sure that it doesn’t contain any major details and that jumping it will not make any significant difference. Your appendix can contain almost anything you feel is very necessary to your business plan. Here are some basic information to include in the appendix of your business plan.
Things That are Included in the Appendix of a Business Plan
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Organizational and Personnel Details
Within the business plan, you may have provided an extensive background of your employees and an organizational chart. If you have other employees, you may consider providing their backgrounds, key roles, and responsibilities. You should include things like;
- Organizational chart
- Executive members’ resume
- Affiliates such as attorneys, accountants, etc.
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Supplementary Information
Just as was noted above, you can use the appendix of your business plan to note any additional information necessary to support whatever you have discussed in other sections of your business plan. Have it in mind that this will help the reader get a more detailed understanding of the specifics of your company.
- Charts, graphs, and tables
- Marketing material
- Market research
- Competitor information
- Illustrations of products
- Property designs
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Legal Documents
You can also include certain legal documents in the appendix of your business plan. These will protect your business and help show your readers that you are reliable.
Also, note that you can include documents that are very important or serve as evidence of the information or claims present in your business plan. Some legal documents to include in the appendix of your business plan are:
- Incorporation papers
- Licenses, permits, patents, and trademarks
- Important contracts
- Pending contracts
- Leases and rental agreements
- Vendor agreements
- Equipment documentation
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Additional Financial Documents
While your business plan may already include all the necessary financial information, however, if you need to attach any extra documents, then you can include them in this section of your business plan. You may also have to input some exclusive documents for your investors and banks. Things like:
- List of assets within the business
- Credit history
- Tax returns
- Spreadsheets of financial projections
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Achievements, Testimonials, and Endorsement
Also, note that you can include information that shows or validates your company’s credibility. This will ensure that the reader can have adequate information to trust your products, and your brand too.
While you will mention these or provide brief quotations within the business plan body, you may wish to include the entirety of the endorsement or letter within the appendix. Some of them include:
- Media and press clippings
- Customer or expert endorsements
- Awards and achievements
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Other Sensitive Information
Businesses will always have to safeguard their documents and intellectual information to avoid any theft. A business plan, in general, is considered a classified document, so the appendix part of your business plan can contain sensitive and confidential information.
In case you haven’t yet created a confidentiality statement for your business plan, this can also be done in the appendix of your business plan. A confidentiality statement protects the contents of the document and avoids misuse of your information. It also helps you manage who gets to have access to the information.