Do you want to start a private email service business and need to write a business plan? If YES, here is a detailed sample private email business plan template. If you are ICT inclined, you have the startup capital and you are looking towards starting a business in the ICT industry, one of your best bets is to start a private email service company. There is indeed a huge global market for services rendered by private email companies.
All you need to do to attract clients and maximize profit as a newbie in this industry is to ensure that your business is well – publicized, your platform is well-secured and trusted you reduce downtime to the barest minimum and your access fees (subscriptions) are affordable.
To achieve all that is stated above, you should be ready to work hard and smart, hire dedicated and competent employees and above all, have a reliable server and pretty fast internet connection.
If you are serious about starting your own private email service company, then the best place to start is to draft a good business plan. The sample private email service company business plant template below will guide you on how to draft yours with little or no stress.
A Sample Private Email Service Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
Operators in the Internet service providers (ISPs) industry use wired infrastructure to provide clients with internet access and related services such as web hosting, private email, web page designing and hardware or software consulting related to internet connectivity.
Aside from telecommunications companies, ISP companies may also lease out capacity on their networks to support the network infrastructure of other companies (i.e. backbone services). It is important to clearly state that wireless internet and VoIP services are not part of the Internet Services Providers (ISPs) industry.
This industry also includes businesses that act as intermediaries between ISPs, website servers and online content providers; these operators are known as internet backbone providers It is an undisputable fact that the internet has rapidly developed a universal presence in almost all facets of daily life and business, profiting the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) industry.
In addition, current regulatory overhaul is expected to drive government-subsidized network expansion and increase the number of broadband connections in the united states, driving revenue growth for the industry. Going forward, ISPs companies will look towards benefiting from the increased internet traffic from both individual and corporate clients.
A close study of the industry shows that the demand in the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) industry especially private email services grew substantially over the past five years due to high demand from companies hoping to expand their online activities and presence. This trend is expected to continue to grow. Most of the employees, management and business owners in the industry have worked in complimentary information technology industries.
Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 1,014 registered and licensed Internet service providers (ISPs) responsible for employing about 233,886 people. The industry rakes in about $97 billion annually.
The industry is projected to grow at the rate of 4.3 percent annually. The companies with the lion share of the available market in this industry are AT&T Inc., CenturyLink, Comcast Corporation, Time Warner Cable Inc. and Verizon Communications.
Basically, the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) industry offers only one product to her clients: internet access. Nevertheless, the industry has created reliable methods for delivering that product. In as much as each internet connection type has various speeds, variations, advantages and disadvantages associated with it, it is mostly useful to distinguish only between broadband and narrowband residential internet access.
The Internet Service Providers (ISPs.) industry is still very much open to any aspiring entrepreneur who has the required startup capital and technical expertise to launch this business. As a matter of fact, it was projected that new technology will continue to emerge that will make it easier for more players to come into the industry hence increasing the competition in the industry.
2. Executive Summary
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is a U.S based private email service company. We have been able to secure a standard and well – positioned office facility in a central business district in Columbus, one of the largest cities in Ohio. We are a private email services company that is set to compete in the highly competitive Internet Service Providers (ISPs) industry not only in the United States market, but also in the global market.
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC will be involved in providing secure, reliable, web-based solution for our client’s email needs starting from $9.99 per year. All of our Private Email hosting plans come with a fast, lightweight interface for managing email, contacts, and calendar for our subscribers.
Our workers are going to be selected from a pool of talented and highly creative IT experts in and around Columbus – Ohio. Our support team is made up of the most professional people in the industry and they are available 24/7 to assist our clients and answer their questions.
We will make sure that we take our workforce through the required trainings that will position them to meet the expectation of the company and to compete with leading Private email services companies in the United States and throughout the globe. We have put plans in place to build a state of the art internet server in Columbus – Ohio.
At Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC our client’s best interest will always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely.
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC was founded by Eric Justin and his friend Cain McGregor. Eric and Cain are products of Silicon Valley and they have qualifications and experience in the ICT industry and business management.
3. Our Products and Services
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the internet service providers (ISPs) industry. We want to compete favorably with leading private email service companies such as Gmail, MSN, and Yahoo et al in the United States which is why we have but in place a competent team that will ensure that meet and even surpass our customers’ expectations.
We will work hard to ensure that Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is not just accepted nationally in the United States of America, but also in other parts of the world. Our products and services are listed below;
- Provide secure, reliable, web-based solution for our subscribers’ email needs
- Provide internet backbone and carrier services
- Web hosting
- Business broadband services
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to establish a standard private email service company whose services and brand will not only be accepted in the United States of America, but also in other parts of the world.
- Our mission is to provide a highly reliable and secure, web-based solution for our subscribers’ email needs and other related services that will assist businesses and individuals in connecting to the internet, promoting their brands and reaching out to a wide range of customers all over the globe.
- We want to build a private email service company that can favorably compete with other leading brands in the internet service provider (ISPs) industry.
Our Business Structure
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is a private email service company that intends starting small but hopes to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading private email service companies such as Gmail, MSN, and Yahoo et al.
We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the picture of the kind of world class business we want to own. This is why we are committed to only hire the best hands within our area of operation.
At Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC, we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, creative, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stake holders.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;
- Chief Executive Officer
- General Manager
- ICT Specialist
- Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Sales and Marketing Executive
- Accountant
- Client Service Executive
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Executive Officer – CEO:
- Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results
- Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
- Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
- Responsible for providing direction for the business.
- Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
- Evaluates the success of the organization.
General Manager:
- Serve as project manager of the organization; works directly with employees
- Responsible for designing concepts and contracts
- Develops strategic plan by studying technological and financial opportunities; presenting assumptions; recommending objectives.
- Accomplishes subsidiary objectives by establishing plans, budgets, and results measurements; allocating resources; reviewing progress; making mid-course corrections.
- Coordinates efforts by establishing procurement, production, marketing, field, and technical services policies and practices; coordinating actions with corporate staff.
- Builds company image by collaborating with customers, government, community organizations, and employees; enforcing ethical business practices.
- Maintains quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards.
- Ensures that the organization works in line with international best practices.
ICT Specialists
- Responsible for providing secure, reliable, web-based solution for our subscribers’ email needs and providing internet backbone and carrier services
- Liaising with clients to determine their requirement and budget
- Handle website hosting services
- Available 24/7 to assist clients and answer their questions.
- Responsible for Optimizing Website Functionality for owners of existing websites
- Responsible for Search Engine Optimization Services and Code Writing Services
Admin and HR Manager
- Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
- Design job descriptions with KPI to drive performance management for clients
- Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders to review the effectiveness of HR Policies, Procedures and Processes
- Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
- Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
- Carries out induction for new team members
- Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
- Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
- Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading
- Oversees the smooth running of the daily office activities.
Sales and Marketing Manager
- Manage external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
- Model demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer
- Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts
- Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
- Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
- Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
- Create new markets cum businesses for the organization
- Empower and motivates the sales team to meet and surpass agreed targets
Accountant/Cashier:
- Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
- Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports
- Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
- Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
- Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
- Responsible for administering payrolls
- Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
- Handles all financial transactions for Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC
- Serves as internal auditor for Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC
Client Service Executive
- Welcome clients and visitors by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
- Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
- Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s services
- Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to potential clients when they make enquiries
- Receives parcels/documents for the company
- Distribute mails in the organization
- Handles any other duties as assigned by the human resources and admin manager.
6. SWOT Analysis
Because of our drive for excellence when it comes to running a standard private email services company, we were able to engage some of the finest business consultants in the United States of America to look through our business concept and together we were able to access ourselves to be sure we have what it takes to run a standard private email company.
In view of that, we were able to take stock of our strengths, our weakness, our opportunities and also the threats that we are likely going to be exposed to in Columbus – Ohio. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC;
- Strength:
Our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. Our support team is made up of the most professional, knowledgeable people in the industry and they are available 24/7 to assist our subscribers and answer their questions.
Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected ICT experts, our fast, secured and highly reliable internet connection, we have state of the art internet server that will guarantee minimal downtime and our services will be guided by international best practices.
- Weakness:
As a new private email services company in Columbus – Ohio, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from top profile clients in the highly competitive internet service providers (ISPs) industry; that is perhaps our major weakness. Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to pump into promoting our business the way we would want to.
- Opportunities:
The opportunities available in the internet service providers (ISPs) industry is massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organizations whose businesses depends on the services of private email services companies. As a private email services company, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that is available in the industry.
- Threat:
The major threat that can affect our business is spammers and internet fraudsters. Their activities have the capacity to compromise people’s emails and bring down our platform. With that in mind, we are always improvising on ways to keep our platform highly secure and reliable.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
It is obvious that as more big players move in to the internet service providers (ISPs) industry; it now becomes pretty important for smaller companies to have strong partnerships. So also, competitive pricing, niche specific approaches, and excellent service will all play a key role in this industry as smaller internet service providers continue to compete and grow.
Going forward, prices are likely to increase as private email service companies lay additional services on top of existing private email hosting plans. Another important trend in this industry is the degree to which individual website hosting providers are able to automate their services.
The more automated this process is, the higher the margins on individual accounts. As a consumer, it’s helpful to understand how efficient your potential host’s processes are in this respect – it will save you tremendous amounts of aggravation when an issue does occur.
Like every other IT related services, private email services is continually evolving. Technologies are changing and improving with rapid astonishment, and as a result the technological boundaries for internet services are being pushed to meet the ever-changing demand.
This creates opportunities for consumers: not just to search for the cheapest private email service provider, but to think about what kinds of business models they want to support and whether or not they need specific features in their packages.
Lastly, customers are also becoming savvier with respect to potential security issues connected with the cloud. As a result, private email services companies are developing stronger communications around this issue in the form of web-based access to email accounts offering a number of collaboration features, including a calendar, contacts, tasks and a portal providing customizable information.
8. Our Target Market
Before starting our private email service, we are certain that there is a wide range of clients who cannot successfully run their businesses without the services of private email companies.
In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to those who we know can’t afford to do without our services. We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that our private email services company is well accepted in the market place. Below is a list of the organizations that we will specifically market our services to;
- Website Designers and IT Specialists
- Banks, Insurance Companies and other related Financial Institutions
- Blue Chips Companies
- Corporate Organizations
- Manufacturers and Distributors
- Real Estate Owners, Developers, and Contractors
- Research and Development Companies
- The Government (Public Sector)
- Schools (High Schools, Colleges and Universities)
- Hotels
- Celebrities, Politicians, Public Figures and Public Speakers
- Sport Organizations
- Religious Organizations
- Political Parties
- Television Stations
- Printing Press (Publishing Houses) and Authors
- Branding and Advertising agencies
- NGOs
- Entrepreneurs and Startups
Our Competitive Advantage
Aside from the fact that all of our Private Email hosting plans come with a fast, lightweight interface for managing emails, contacts, and calendar, our competitive advantages are;
- Secure Webmail
Web-based access to secure email accounts offering a number of collaboration features, including a calendar, contacts, tasks and a portal providing customizable information.
- Anti-Spam Protection
Advanced mail account protection based on the SpamExperts solution, offering a powerful anti-spam filter and anti-virus system.
- Collaboration tools
Includes features such as shared tasks, contacts, calendars, and files, useful for organizing and collaborating with group or company.
- Drive
A cloud-based storage solution to save, sync, and share documents, pictures, and other media. Our subscriber can save and edit files or share them with other users, all the while managing file versions and edit histories.
- Spreadsheet
Easily upload an Excel document, edit it, save it, and share the contents without losing formatting or properties.
- Text
Web-based collaborative word processing solution. Our subscribers can create or upload text documents, edit files, and monitor changes in real time.
- Portal
We have a customizable information center that shows scheduled appointments, mailbox quota, new messages, and news from our subscriber’s social networks.
Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and objectives.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
We are mindful of the fact that there are stiff competitions in the internet service providers industry hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing. Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets.
Our corporate goal is to grow Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC to become one of the top 10 private email service brands in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategies that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in the United States of America but also in other parts of the world.
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;
- Introduce our private email services company by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure (hard copy and soft copy) to individuals, website designers, corporate organizations, religious organizations and key stake holders in Columbus – Ohio.
- Promptness in bidding for private email services contracts from the government and other cooperate organizations
- Advertise our business in relevant business magazines, newspapers, TV and radio stations.
- List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
- Attend relevant international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
- Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver excellent and reliable private email services
- Leverage on the internet to promote our business
- Engage direct marketing approach
- Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients
Sources of Income
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the internet service providers industry and we are going to ensure that we do all it takes to meet and surpass the expectations of our clients.
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC will generate income by offering the following services;
- Providing secure, reliable, web-based solution for our subscribers’ email needs
- Providing internet backbone and carrier services
- Web hosting
- Business broadband services
10. Sales Forecast
One thing is certain; there would always be corporate organization, small businesses and individuals who would need private email services.
We are well positioned to take on the available market in the industry and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income/profits from the first six months of operation and grow our private email company to enviable heights.
We have been able to examine the private email services market, we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. Below are the sales projections for Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC it is based on the location of our business and of course the wide range of our services and products we offer and our target market;
- First Fiscal Year (FY1): $240,000
- Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $350,000
- Third Fiscal Year: $550,000
N.B: This projection was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same services as we do. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
We have been able to work with our publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the hearts of our target market. We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate and individual clients in the whole of the United States and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our private email company.
Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC;
- Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
- Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
- List our private email services company in local directories/yellow pages
- Advertise our private email services company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
- Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo et al.
12. Our Pricing Strategy
At Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC we will keep our subscription fees below the average market rate for all of our customers by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance for our services. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to our customers at regular intervals.
- Payment Options
The payment policy adopted by Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.
Here are the payment options that Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC will make available to her clients;
- Payment via bank transfer
- Payment with cash
- Payment via Point of Sales Machines (POS Machines)
- Payment via mobile money platform
- Payment via online bank transfer
- Payment via check
In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our clients make payment for our services without any stress on their part.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
In setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you need substantial capital to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.
This is what it would cost us to setup Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC in the United States of America;
- The total fee for registering the business in the United States of America – $750.
- Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – $1,500.
- Marketing promotion expenses (8,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of – $10,000.
- The total cost for hiring business consultant – $5,000.
- The amount needed for the purchase of insurance policy covers (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $30,800.
- The total cost for the purchase of accounting software, CRM software and Payroll Software – $3,000
- The total cost for leasing facility for the business – $150,000.
- The total cost for facility remodeling – $50,000
- Other start-up expenses including stationery, business cards and signage et al – $2000
- Phone and utility deposits – $3,500
- Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $40,000
- The cost for purchase of standard internet servers- $100,000
- The cost for the purchase of furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Projectors, Telephone, TVs, Sound System, tables and chairs et al) – $4,000.
- The cost of Launching a Website – $600
- Miscellaneous – $5,000
Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need about three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) U.S. dollars to successfully set – up a medium scale but standard private email services company in the United States of America.
Generating Funds/Startup Capital for Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC
Finance is a very important factor when it comes to starting a business. No doubt raising startup capital for a business might not come cheap, but it is a task that an entrepreneur must go through.
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is a private – partnership business that is owned and financed by Eric Justin and Cain McGregor. They do not intend to welcome any external business partner which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital to 3 major sources.
- Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings and sale of stocks
- Generate part of the startup capital from friends and other extended family members
- Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).
N.B: We have been able to generate about $150,000 (Personal savings $100,000 and soft loan from family members $50,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $200,000 from our bank. All the papers and documents have been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
The future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers that they have, the capacity and competence of their employees, their investment strategy and business structure. If all these factors are missing from a business, then it won’t be too long before the business closes shop.
One of our major goals of starting Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC is to build a business that will survive off its cash flow without injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running. We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer our private email services a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.
Light Wave® Private Email Services, LLC will make sure that the right foundations, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.
Check List/Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Incorporation: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Securing a standard office facility for our company: Completed
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
- Generating part of the startup capital from the founders: Completed
- Writing of Business Plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
- Design of Logo for the business: Completed
- Secure trademark for our products: In Progress
- Printing of Promotional Materials: Completed
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Purchase of the needed furniture, office equipment, software applications, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
- Building a standard and world-class internet server: In Progress
- Creating Official Website for the business: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
- Establishing business relationship with key players in various industries: In Progress.