Business Planning

Crucial to any enterprise and should be an ongoing process informing and driving decision making

Business planning is crucial to any enterprise and should be an ongoing process informing and driving decision making.  It is a process of determining and formalising objectives, strategies and actions that will make the business flourish.  Business planning typical not only looks at how to make the business financially profitable, but will also focus on what some of the key risks may be and how these may be mitigated.  CLEAR Associates’ no nonsense approach will unearth and define a development’s objectives, often by discussing exit strategies that may end up driving a business model.  With objectives clearly understood and mutually agreed, the strategies can follow these and action goals are aligned to achieve the objectives stated while mitigating the risks that have been identified. 

Project examples:

Bungalow Park, Dinant – Belgium: Confidential Client

On behalf of the owner, the possibility of re-developing an existing downmarket bungalow park veering towards closure, to an upmarket product was assessed. The market clearly showed a lack of demand for a higher priced product, but by investigating various funding options, including access to various grants, the development costs for the developer could be brought down making the project feasible and sustainable in the long term.

Leisure & Entertainment Strategy, London – UK: Knight Dragon

Margreet led the team commissioned to develop a strategy around the incorporation of a visitor attraction, a film studio and a casino in a large mixed use urban development in central London. The advice set out a strategy around the visitor attraction, it’s market positioning and target markets, and likely financial outcomes, based on a discussion around the client’s exit strategy. We also advised on the positioning of the Film Studio and projected financial results, and the demand there may be for a casino development in the same urban development.

As a second phase, the incorporation of hotel accommodation products was evaluated, and advice was provided regarding the type of accommodation best suited to the larger development, the sizing of these, the amenities required, the market positioning and possible branding, with a view to the client’s exit strategy. Particular attention was given to the opportunity of developing multiple hotel developments that could share back of house facilities to create greater efficiencies of scale.

Review of Business Plan FEC, Doha – Qatar: Majid Al Futaim

We conducted a review of the business plan for a Family Entertainment Centre in Doha. The review included a critique of the methodology and benchmarks used within the business plan. Specific areas that were addressed were the market sizing, penetration rates, visitor attendance, pricing levels and operational costs.

Strategic Tourism Master Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

Margreet worked for Ernst & Young from 1998 until 2003. During this time her responsibilities included advising the Saudi Arabian government on organisational structure and framework for tourism organisations to be established in Saudi Arabia on national, regional and local levels in both public and private sectors; project and financial management for a project to develop tourism strategy for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including a 20-year tourism master plan and a 5-year action plan (both in London and Riyadh).

Thorough research specific to the given criteria, leaving you with truly informative and relevant reports