What is your role?
You and your business partner Susan now have a detailed sense of your market opportunity, your competition, and how you’re going to reach your target consumers. It’s time to start thinking in detail about how much money it will take to get Petopia off the ground and to operate the business day to day. In this assignment, you will help Susan explore some key decisions related to Petopia’s operations to try to maximize the potential profitability of the business.

Why is this assignment important?
A thorough understanding of day-to-day operations is an essential part of planning a business. Any number of decisions you make about the operation of your business will impact its overall financial picture. You’ll need to consider such things as the number of employees you will hire, where your office will be located, the hours and days of operation of the business, and where you will obtain equipment and supplies.

Ultimately, a robust model of your business' operations will tell you whether or not the business, as planned, is likely to meet your personal and/or your investor’s goals for profitability. As with every step of the planning process, you can take what you learn from this exercise and use it to help optimize the plan for your business.

How will this assignment work?
In this assignment, you’ll:

• Review information from Susan about the operation of a mobile dog grooming business.
• Reference this information to complete an operational model for Petopia’s first year using an Excel workbook.
• Share information on your key decisions by completing worksheet questions.

What Next: Click What's involved in creating an operating model?