# Business Plan Questions



## DonegalTs (Jul 16, 2008)

hey guys,
im here in Ireland trying to do a business plan not only for my self but I also need it in order to talk my bank manager to give me a loan! so my problem is i need to find out the market size in ireland for the business plan and i have no idea where to find it. any ideas?


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## SBEMedia (Jun 26, 2008)

In the States we have local chambers of commerce, and is at least a good starting point for garnering information in your local market. You can also contact local universities for economic/demographic statistics, as a lot of times they are already complining this sort of data. Although it might not be targeted specifically towards apparel it will give you an overview of your audience that way you can gear your product towards the market you're in


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## tshirt0mania (May 27, 2008)

How about google? (or its newest competitor, cuil.com)


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## DonegalTs (Jul 16, 2008)

i tried google but nothin came up unfortunatly


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

Hi. Seeing as how you are situated in Northern Ireland (if my geography is right), you can sell to the whole of the UK without any restrictions. I ship to Northern Ireland on a regular basis and the Royal Mail costs are no more than to anywhere else in the UK?

You need to have breakdown of the population in Ireland, that not only covers age and demographic distribution, but also the socio economic breakdown. In simple terms, that means how wealthy various segments of the population are. From this you need to decide which market segment you are going to be aiming your products at, your method of actually getting your products to your customer, the production and distribution costs involved and your likely profit margin.

Without this information, you won't be able to plan a business and it would be highly unlikely that a bank manager would even entertain the idea of giving out a loan.

Ideally you want to start a business on a part time basis, without the need for loans. That way if things don't work out, you don't owe anyone anything.

Hope this helps.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Something like this?

Apparel Retailing - Ireland - April 2003 - Market Research Report

These kind of reports are not free but they have solid info.

I just Googled for ireland apparel market research. I'm sure there is more stuff out there.


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## DonegalTs (Jul 16, 2008)

hey thanks guys,
dreamglass donegal is in the north of ireland but is not part of northern ireland but is infact part of the republic of ireland. it seems i was googling the wrong terms thanks Jasonda. the other option i have come up with is using the adoption and diffusion curve which means says that about 2-5% of the market will buy the product in the first 1-2 years and for the market i have taken the number i got for thenumber of households and people living in donegal


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

Southern Ireland. I learn new things everyday. 

I presume with your figures that you are talking about 2-5% of your *specific target market* buying the product, rather than the population of Donegal?

As many people in business on here will tell you, your anticipated sales and your actual sales, can be two very different things for a new start up venture. You need to incorporate a 'worst case scenario' into any business plan that you do, so you have sufficient funding whilst you become established.

Good luck with it all.


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## DonegalTs (Jul 16, 2008)

oh dont worry im more than aware that the real sales number wont be the same as the projected. there are so many things that contribute and also take away from the sales. but these figures are for the bank manager! its my least favorite part of this process - making stuff up and by that i mean profit and loss accounts for the next three years!


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