BUSINESS PLAN

Davida Ferrell
Jalesa King
Tiara Smith

November 21, 2014
Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3
Company Description 5
Market Research 6
Product/Service Line 8
Marketing & Sales 11
Financial Projections 14
Appendix A Resumes 21
Appendix B Location & Layout 24
Appendix C Advertising 29
References 31

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1 Product The Sojourn will provide temporary housing to women who are living on the streets. A bed will be provided to ensure a good night’s stay for every woman taken in. With the help of donations and partnerships with food banks, we will acquire food to provide them with three meals a day. We will also partner with companies that collect clothing to better assist the women. Both procurement methods of food and clothing will be matched by our own efforts of hosting clothing and food drives. We will partner with the student business organizations at Alabama State University. Alabama State University’s College of Business Administration is home to many business oriented organizations such as Phi Beta Lambda Professional Business Fraternity, the American Marketing Association, ENACTUS, the Society for Advancement of Management Association, Google at ASU, and the National Association of Black Accountants. The students in these organizations are trained and knowledgeable in many business areas and pride themselves on completing community service. This sense of giving back will help us find free instructors to come and teach the women professionalism, resume writing, interview skills, impromptu speaking, and so on, while allowing them to complete community service hours. By teaching them these key skills, they will be better prepared for life after the shelter.
Lastly, we will attempt to provide services needed for women to survive and maintain a normal life in society. We will assist with counseling services and partner with outside sources to find a solution to each individual's situation. These counseling services and outside sources will help diagnose the issue and help formulate a corrective plan for the future. Sojourn will help with drug/alcohol abuse counseling, domestic violence counseling, mental health issues and counseling, disaster relief services, sudden unemployment, and any other issues that lead to homelessness. The main goal is to address any issues hindering women from being successful in life.

1.2 Customers
Approximately, there are 600 people in Montgomery who are homeless. Half of those people are women and ten percent are their kids. Our clients are women of all ages who need shelter, food or clothes. Also, victims who have been physically, mentally, or emotionally abused or need help obtaining a job.
We also consider donors and volunteers as our customers because they ensure the survival of our shelter. We would not be able to continue servicing women without the financial help from them. We develop our strategy based upon donations and the help we receive. We treat our appreciated help the same way profit making organizations treat their customers. Keeping our volunteers and donors updated with information is important to us because we want our “customers” to know where their money is going. Customer service is as critical to us as it is to any other business.

1.3 What Drives Us We chose to start a homeless shelter because we want to stimulate the economy. We believe that everyone deserves a chance and can have a chance at a better life with proper guidance. Ours goals for the shelter is to, not only provide a comfortable and safe place to sleep and eat, but to also act as a guide in applying for government assistance, to provide job readiness skills, to assemble parenting classes, to connect with different rehab facilities