Internet ISP Wireless Business Plan

Grassroots Wireless is an innovative start-up company that provides wireless broadband Internet connections to several Chicago neighborhoods. Utilizing Wi-fi technology and proprietary antennas and repeaters, Grassroots will be able to serve a large area with broadband Internet connections.

Grassroots was been founded by Steve Teche. With a MBA and an undergraduate Computer Science degree, Steve has the skills to execute on this well-researched business plan. Steve spent two years in the Peace Corps, which gave him not only an incredible and reasonable boost in confidence to accomplish a business venture, but also provided him with solid project management skills and experience.

The market for wireless broadband Internet connections is wide open. Demand for traditional broadband connections is surpassing conservative forecasts. The wireless market is even more exciting due to the significantly lower costs needed in terms of delivery infrastructure. As Grassroots’ customer base grows, costs decrease through scales of economy, creating an even more compelling argument for Grassroots’ existence.

Grassroots has targeted three distinct groups. The first is students, a market segment that uses the Internet the most and also have high expectations regarding the speed of the connection. The second group is professionals, people with disposable income, not a lot of excessive time on their hands, and a group that uses the Internet a fair amount, both personally as well as professionally. The last group that will be targeted is techies. This group is the early adopters of any type of technology and spend incredible amounts of time immersed in Internet technology.

Grassroots is a compelling business concept that leverages advances in technology and proprietary tools to offer a market need at below market prices. In addition to earning great margins with low infrastructure costs, margins increase as the customer base increases. This exciting business plan has a high likelihood of success with Steve Teche responsible for the execution of it. The business will earn modest profits in year two, increasing exponentially in year three. Net profit is forecasted to be commensurate in years two and three.

1.1 Mission

It is Grassroots Wireless’ mission to provide fast, wireless Internet access at a reasonable price. The most important thing to remember is that every customer must be satisfied with our services.

1.2 Keys to Success

• Practice disciplined growth.
• Reach profitability by year two.
• Ensure that the customer’s needs are met and maintain a 90% customer retention ratio.

1.3 Objectives

• Provide, fast, reliable, wireless Internet access.
• Treat customers with the upmost respect.
• Become profitable within two years.

Grassroots Wireless will be formed in 2003 to offer an inexpensive, wireless broadband Internet connection to compete with DSL or cable offerings. Using Wi-fi technology, it is inexpensive to set up a neighborhood network. The company was founded by Steve Teche. Steve will rely on outside investors for the necessary start-up costs.

2.1 Company Ownership

Grassroots Wireless is an Illinois L.L.C. with Steve Teche as the principal and majority owner.

2.2 Start-up Summary

Equipment that will be needed is as follows:

• Three computer workstations;
• Wireless access point;
• Five repeaters;
• Five antennas;
• Assorted office equipment and supplies.

Grassroots offers wireless broadband Internet access. The service is DSL speed with customers only needing a Wi-fi card and to live within range of the signal which covers a thirty block radius currently. There are plans to enlarge the coverage area as more customers sign up.

Wi-fi technology is based off of 2.4 mhz spectrum wireless transmissions. Using the same wave lengths that some cordless phones use, the Internet signals are broadcasted out through the neighborhood. With the supplied password and a Wi-fi receiver in each customer’s computer, customers will have fast, wireless Internet connections.

Within the last three years there has been a proliferation of broadband Internet connections. With so many people enjoying fast connections at work, they are no longer willing to deal with a dial-up connection at home. With the advent of Wi-fi technology, customers can now enjoy a fast connection without having to lay expensive cables since the signal is sent via radio waves. The targeted market segments are: students, professionals, techies.

4.1 Market Segmentation

The market can be segmented into three distinct groups:

• Students: these are people currently in academia and are accustomed to fast connections and are willing to pay for it. This group uses the Internet the most, whether they are trading MP3s or downloading videos.
• Professionals: this group conducts a fair amount of business over the Internet, whether banking, e-commerce, or communications.
• Techies: this group embraces technology as they enjoy challenging themselves with technology and the complexity it brings.

Other than the students, Grassroots’ customers are fairly affluent (household income of >$50,000) and spend their money on technology offerings, whether it is digital cable, cellular service, or broadband Internet connections. The target customers are also generally well educated with 65% having a college degree and 20% having a graduate degree. Combining several demographic factors, Grassroots arrives at the following primary customer profile:

• Spends 10 hours a week on the Internet away from home.
• Has purchased something from a website at least once within the last two months.
• Educated with at least some course work for an undergraduate degree.
• Household income of at least $50,000.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Grassroots has chosen the three aforementioned target markets due to their adoption of broadband Internet technology. It is these three groups that are most likely to use a fast connection and the most willing to pay a premium for the connection.

4.3 Service Business Analysis

There are three main participants within the consumer broadband Internet market.

• DSL (digital subscriber line). A connection that utilizes the copper phone lines as the method of transmission.
• Cable. A connection that uses cable TV wiring for transmission.
• Satellite connections. These use satellites, in orbit to provide “cable” TV as well as Internet connections to residential and remote consumers.

4.3.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

As mentioned in the previous section, DSL, cable, and satellite access are the competitors in the broadband market. Consumer buying patterns are based on two factors:

• Availability: not every type of broadband connection is available to every consumer. Consumers often pick service providers based on what is available to them.
• Convenience: this is often based on where the outlet cords are based in the house, whether the computer will be located closer to the cable TV or nearer to a phone jack.

Simply put, Grassroots’ strategy is to offer a service, demanded by customers, at a price that undercuts the competition. This will be accomplished, not by accepting below-market margins, but by leveraging technology, to help drive Grassroots’ costs down. Awareness regarding Grassroots’ services will be generated effectively and inexpensively to the specific target segments that Grassroots has focused on.

5.1 Competitive Edge

Grassroots’ competitive edge is the effective and efficient use of Wi-fi technology. Wi-fi, while a fairly recent technology, has been adopted by several different service providers as well as used for home-based networks. What provides Grassroots with a competitive edge is its efficient use of the technology. Grassroots has developed a proprietary antenna that allows for signal transmission over great distances with less signal loss. Additionally, Grassroots has significantly reduced administrative costs by having most administrative activities like marketing, sales, and service details administered via the Internet.

5.2 Marketing Strategy

As the name implies, Grassroots will be using a grassroots approach to developing awareness of the offered services. Grassroots will adopt a multi-pronged marketing approach:

• Advertising/postings with local retailers and commercial businesses. This will provide Grassroots with great visibility in the exact community that it operates in.
• Mailings. Grassroots will adopt a targeted mailing campaign to local residents.
• Website. Grassroots will leverage its website as a comprehensive and efficient source of marketing/sales information.

5.3 Sales Strategy

The sales strategy that Grassroots will adopt is based on developing an awareness of Grassroots’ service as a viable alternative to Cable and DSL within the community. The message used will be that you can receive broadband speed connections to your computer, wherever it may be, even your laptop on your front lawn, at a price that is a fraction of the current competitors’. This will be done with targeted advertising with local retail/commercial establishments in the area. Additionally, Grassroots will rely on mailings to get the word out. Lastly, Grassroots will have a website for marketing, sales, and administrative purposes.

5.3.1 Sales Forecast

Grassroots has developed a conservative sales forecast. Adoption rates of customers are fairly steady from one month to the next. A conservative approach has been adopted to minimize any external variables that may effect future operations.

Grassroots believes that it will experience extensive growth for several years for several reasons. The first is the general adoption of broadband connections which has been encouraging for the last several years. Another reason Grassroots believes their forecast to be accurate is it offers a viable, less expensive alternative to current broadband connections.

5.4 Milestones

Milestones are a very important aspect of a business plan. They provide concrete, achievable, yet lofty goals that the business must concentrate on. By targeting lofty goals, Grassroots ensures that it is aiming high, therefore it is more likely to achieve more. The milestones that Grassroots has chosen are very specific to the company and will be embraced by all employees.

The website will be used for:

• Marketing/sales;
• Administrative functions.

6.1 Website Marketing Strategy

All of Grassroots’ marketing information will be present on the website for viewing and for downloading/printing. Awareness regarding the website will be accomplished by inclusion of the website address on all printed materials. Additionally, the website will have a comprehensive submission procedure to all of the popular search engines.

6.2 Development Requirements

The website will be developed in-house by leveraging interns.

Steve Teche, founder and president will be the anchor of the management team. Steve received his undergraduate degree in computer science from Loyola University. While Steve enjoyed the course work he recognized that it was not something that he was interested in pursuing as a career. Steve decided that it would be in his best interest to study for an MBA, however, he was not immediately ready to do this. So Steve headed off to Ghana with the Peace Corps to develop community-based trading systems. Steve’s Peace Corp experience was invaluable, providing him with extensive project management experience as well as giving him confidence that he could accomplish anything he set his mind out to do.

After getting back to the States, Steve began the MBA program at the University of Chicago. Steve’s course of study concentrated on entrepreneurial ventures, recognizing at some point his desire to start his own business. Near the end of his second year, Steve began to hear about Wi-fi technology. He became interested in what he saw was a strong market need for inexpensive broadband Internet connections transmitted wirelessly, thereby significantly decreasing delivery costs. Steve formed Grassroots Wireless to fulfill this market need.

7.1 Personnel Plan

The two main employees beyond Steve are:

• Technician: this position is responsible for the smooth operation of the wireless network as well as the website.
• Administration: this is a general customer service position, assisting in sales and support.

The following sections outline important financial information.

8.1 Break-even Analysis

Average per-unit revenue: based on the $20 monthly access fee.
Average per-unit variable cost: costs based on infrastructure, and administrative costs.
Estimated monthly fixed costs: Internet connections costs.

8.2 Projected Profit and Loss

The following table and charts show the Projected Profit and Loss.

8.3 Projected Cash Flow

The following table and chart display the Projected Cash Flow.

8.4 Projected Balance Sheet

The following table presents the Projected Balance Sheet.

8.5 Business Ratios

The following table illustrates the different Business Ratios, based on NAICS code 518111, Internet Service Providers.

Ratio Analysis
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Industry Profile
Sales Growth	0.00%	262.63%	59.38%	15.97%
Percent of Total Assets
Other Current Assets	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	56.35%
Total Current Assets	35.17%	76.99%	96.55%	87.48%
Long-term Assets	64.83%	23.01%	3.45%	12.52%
Total Assets	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Current Liabilities	47.56%	31.76%	11.38%	30.66%
Long-term Liabilities	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	23.07%
Total Liabilities	47.56%	31.76%	11.38%	53.73%
Net Worth	52.44%	68.24%	88.62%	46.27%
Percent of Sales
Sales	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Gross Margin	95.00%	95.00%	95.00%	100.00%
Selling, General & Administrative Expenses	251.52%	90.73%	74.90%	73.80%
Advertising Expenses	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	1.37%
Profit Before Interest and Taxes	-156.52%	6.10%	28.72%	1.03%
Main Ratios
Current	0.74	2.42	8.48	1.97
Quick	0.74	2.42	8.48	1.50
Total Debt to Total Assets	47.56%	31.76%	11.38%	59.78%
Pre-tax Return on Net Worth	-1767.98%	90.88%	118.12%	2.93%
Pre-tax Return on Assets	-927.10%	62.02%	104.68%	7.28%
Additional Ratios	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Net Profit Margin	-156.52%	4.27%	20.10%	n.a
Return on Equity	-1767.98%	63.62%	82.69%	n.a
Activity Ratios
Accounts Payable Turnover	11.59	12.17	12.17	n.a
Payment Days	27	26	24	n.a
Total Asset Turnover	5.92	10.17	3.64	n.a
Debt Ratios
Debt to Net Worth	0.91	0.47	0.13	n.a
Current Liab. to Liab.	1.00	1.00	1.00	n.a
Liquidity Ratios
Net Working Capital	($765)	$5,900	$49,412	n.a
Interest Coverage	0.00	0.00	0.00	n.a
Additional Ratios
Assets to Sales	0.17	0.10	0.27	n.a
Current Debt/Total Assets	48%	32%	11%	n.a
Acid Test	0.74	2.42	8.48	n.a
Sales/Net Worth	11.30	14.90	4.11	n.a
Dividend Payout	0.00	0.00	0.00	n.a