The Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN) recently released a small business planning guide for small scale meat processors.

The short guide walks readers through a basic business plan, and provides financial projections for different types of processing facilities, from a mobile slaughter unit to a facility with a full service retail meat counter.  Different types of custom exemptions are also explained, such as custom processing for hunters.

The guide gives entrepreneurs advice on how to tailor a business plan to the eyes of potential investors and loan officers, and provides examples of write-ups for new businesses.  It also contains a number of spreadsheets with cash flow projection and financial history based on the sample business plan.

The guide is available for download under “Tools for Businesses,” at www.nichemeatprocessing.org, or at http://www.extension.org/pages/17166/meat-processor-business-development.