305-300 plan - LPIC-3 Virtualization and Containerization Updated: 2024

Alerting: Receive notification of breaking news and story coverage developments (4)

Easy access: Coverage Plan is available to view via AP Newsroom and AP Video Hub on your desktop, tablet or mobile phone

Strategic Plan Narrative

We are pleased to present this plan, and proud of the work that went into it. We believe in the Green Party and the essential role that we can play in moving a progressive political agenda. We know that what we seek to do isn’t easy. But throughout history we have seen organized people beat organized money.

The creation of this plan is the beginning, not the end, of our thinking strategically about how to build our party. We’ve laid out a mission and vision statement, an analysis of our situation, goals and objectives, and an action plan to tackle. The rest is up to you.

We hope every reader of this plan will offer, not only ideas to make it better or more complete, but your personal commitment to work to make it a reality. We must also commit to re-visiting the plan on a regular basis, to make any necessary adjustments. We can’t predict the future. We do know that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Read the Plan

Support Documents
International Greens 
State Leader Survey Report 

Objectives & Action Plan Proposals Passed by the NC
Goal 1: Membership Proposal 
Goal 2: Elections Proposal 
Goal 3: Raising Awareness 
Goal 4: Movements / Issues / Advocacy 

Introduction

If you're considering opening a restaurant, your first step should be writing a business plan. A well-written business plan can help you raise money, manage your restaurant and succeed. Here's what you need to know about writing one:

Executive Summary

An executive summary is a short but powerful document that can help you to get your point across quickly and effectively. Although it is usually the first section of a business plan, it should be the last piece written. It should be one page at maximum and clearly describe your business plan's critical points in a way that makes sense to anyone who reads it. The purpose of an executive summary is to convince potential investors or lenders that they will profit from investing in your restaurant idea, so avoid unimportant details or lengthy descriptions of how great your food tastes.

An excellent way to write an executive summary is by starting with an introduction paragraph that summarizes what the rest of your plan contains—this helps readers understand why they should continue practicing further into the document. Then go into discussing why this particular project is worthwhile; why people need it. How will it benefit them? Next comes some background information about yourself: include any relevant experience or education related to running this business. Finally, end with future goals: where do you see yourself after opening the shop?

Here are some items to include in your restaurant business plan:

Concept Validation and Business Model Testing

Before you launch your business, it's important to validate your concept and test the viability of your business model. You can do this by conducting market research, talking with potential customers, and interviewing industry experts with similar business experiences. You can also test the viability of your plan by completing an "experience economy" analysis. That is, looking at ways people enjoy spending money on experiences rather than goods (such as dining out). For example, if people value experiences over material goods, opening a restaurant may be a good idea!

Labor Costs and Staffing Plan

Labor costs, including direct and indirect labor, are essential to your labor budget. Direct costs refer to wages paid directly to employees, while indirect expenses include benefits like healthcare coverage and payroll taxes. To calculate these figures, you'll need to estimate the number of full-time equivalents (FTE) positions you'll need and their average salaries. This calculation can be tricky because each restaurant has its unique staffing plan based on its size, location, cuisine type, and reputation among customers, not to mention any other factors that might affect staffing decisions (e.g., whether it's open 24/7).

The first step is deciding whether or not you want full-time staff or part-time workers who work only during peak times such as lunchtime rush hour or Friday night dinners out with friends at restaurants nearby yours. As tempting as it may seem, wait to write anything down until after practicing through the following sections because several factors are explicitly related to determining how many people we'll need overall.

The Menu

You want your menu to be focused and simple. Try to add only a few items, as too many menu items may confuse customers, making it difficult for them to choose what they want.

If there are any "signature" items on your menu, include them first when listing off your offerings so that people know what kind of food you serve before even stepping inside the restaurant. Also, incorporating local ingredients into these specialties will help build community spirit around supporting local businesses.

Location

Site selection is a critical factor in your success. After conducting a comprehensive market study, the site selection is based on the data you discover to determine if your customers are in and frequent that area. David Simmonds, Founder and CEO of ResolutRE, a Commercial Real Estate firm in Austin, Texas, states: "More than ever, entrepreneurs opening a restaurant need to analyze what their own customers look like on paper (demographics, psychographics, etc.), so then when they are examining a market, they can find the highest concentration of their customers within that market. From that data, they are able to determine the number of restaurants that the market could support, and from there, create the blueprint for their expansion."

Your plan should describe your ideal location. Your chosen location must be close to your target market and similar businesses, such as restaurants or cafes. The site should also have high foot traffic and be accessible by car, bike, and public transportation. Simmonds goes on to say: "Analytics reinforces or disputes instincts. It is a necessary part of the expansion process, whether the restauranteur has 1 unit or 37.

Marketing Strategy

When developing your business plan, think about the marketing strategy you will use. Your plan should consider and explain the following marketing tactics:

• Advertising: You can use print or online ads on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Also, consider running commercials on local television stations.
• Public relations: This can include writing articles about your restaurant in local newspapers or magazines, hosting events at your restaurant (such as wine tastings), speaking at community events like Chamber of Commerce meetings with other business owners in the area, participating in charity events related to foodservice industries like Feeding America—the possibilities are endless! The idea is to get people talking about what makes YOU unique so they think of YOU first when ready for their next dine-out experience!
• Social media: Let's face it—most millennials don't even pick up the phone anymore; they prefer texting over talking face-to-face because it feels intimate somehow, and guess what? By interacting directly with customers through social media platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp (which allows users from all over the world access 24 hours per day, seven days per week), we can offer immediate customer service support during high-demand times such as weekend brunch hours without having employees sitting idle during slow periods throughout weekdays when traffic drops off significantly due the lack of demand generated elsewhere.

Profit and Return on Investment Analysis

• Profit is the difference between your sales revenue and your costs. To calculate it, you need to know the following:
• Sales revenue (how much money you expect to make from selling food)
• Cost of goods sold (the cost of ingredients and supplies)
• Other operating expenses (including labor, rent, and utilities)

The reader of your business plan should be able to find these numbers in your budgeting worksheet and financial projections spreadsheet.

Financial Plan

The financial plan is the most critical part of your business plan. It should clearly show how much money you need to start, run and grow your restaurant.

You will need to show a projected profit and loss statement. The projected profit and loss statement (P&L) shows how much revenue comes in, what expenses are incurred, and what profits are made over time. In addition, the P&L shows all revenue sources, including but not limited to sales of food/alcoholic beverages and income from private parties. It must also project all costs associated with operating the restaurant, such as Cost of Goods (raw materials) and salaries for employees - these include both front-of-house roles such as waiters or bartenders, as well as back-of-house roles like chefs who prepare food during off hours so it can be served fresh upon opening each day - cleaning supplies needed throughout each week, etc., depreciation costs associated with long term assets such as ovens that wear down over time and waste of unused food product.

Multi-Year Projections of Revenue and Costs

Accurate projections are the key to a successful business plan. They help you to understand how much money you will make and how much you will need to make it happen. Projections also help with understanding what your costs will be.

For example, if I were starting a restaurant today and wanted my business plan projections for opening day and going out one, three, and five years.

Then I would look at similar restaurants that serve similar foods, noting their prices, portion sizes, and any specialties they offer, such as breakfast all day or lunch specials every Friday during football season. This research of other restaurants will provide you a basis for your projections. Include the documentation of this research in the narrative of the plan.

A Business Plan Is Your Road Map To Success.

A business plan can help you raise money by demonstrating that you have a viable idea for a restaurant. In addition, investors want to see that others are interested in investing in your vision, so they'll be more likely to provide you money if they see other investors involved with it as well. An excellent example is when an investor wants to invest but only if another investor does first; this way, both parties feel comfortable investing because they know someone else believes in the project enough to put their own money into it too!

A well-written business plan helps manage restaurants by giving owners information about how much money will be coming in over time, so there aren't any surprises when bills come due every month - which could lead businesses into trouble if left unchecked."

Conclusion

This article has given some insights into how to write a business plan for opening a restaurant. Do your research and learn other aspects of good business plan writing. I know that it can be a lot of work, but I also know that the payoff is worth it. Not only will you have a better understanding of what it takes to open up shop and run it successfully but also potential investors will be more likely to fund your project if they see that you've done your research. And remember: don't be afraid to ask other restaurant owners for help or advice; many of them have been where you are now.

In the 1950s, trucking magnate Malcom McLean changed the world when he got frustrated enough with the speed of trucking and traffic to start a commercial shipping company in order to move goods up and down the eastern seaboard a little faster. Within ten years, containers were standardized, and the first international container ship set sail in 1966. The cargo? Whisky for the U.S. and guns for Europe. What was once a slow and unreliable method of moving all kinds of whatever in barrels, bags, and boxes became a streamlined operation — one that now moves millions of identical containers full of unfathomable miscellany each year.

When I started writing this, there was a container ship stuck in the Suez canal that had been blocking it for days. Just like that, a vital passage became completely clogged, halting the shipping schedule of everything from oil and weapons to ESP8266 boards and high-waist jeans. The incident really highlights the fragility of the whole intermodal system and makes us wonder if anything will change.

We are all used to seeing the standard shipping container that’s either a 10′, 20′, or 40′ long box made of steel or aluminum with doors on one end. These are by far the most common type, and are probably what come to mind whenever shipping containers are mentioned.

These are called dry storage containers, and per ISO container standards, they are all 8′ wide and 8′ 6″ tall. There are also ‘high cube’ containers that are a foot taller, but otherwise share the same dimensions. Many of these containers end up as some type of housing, either as stylish studios, post-disaster survivalist shelters, or construction site offices. As the pandemic wears on, they have become so much in demand that prices have surged in the last few months.

Although Malcom McLean did not invent container shipping, the strict containerization standards that followed in his wake prevent issues during stacking, shipping, and storing, and allow any container to be handled safely at any port in the world, or load onto any rail car with ease. Every bit of the container is standardized, from the dimensions to the way the container’s information is displayed on the end. At most, the difference between any two otherwise identical containers is the number, the paint job, and maybe a few millimeters in one dimension.

Standard as they may be, these containers don’t work for every type of cargo. There are quite a few more types of shipping containers out there that serve different needs. Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?

Continue practicing “Field Guide To Shipping Containers” →

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.