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Electrical Contracting Business Plan

Soaring demands, high-profit margins, and a recurring revenue model make starting an electrical contracting business a lucrative and rewarding profession.

The market for electrical contractors is highly saturated. If you want to capitalize on the opportunity and make a profitable business venture out of it, you need a detailed business plan that can help raise the funds.

Need help writing a business plan for your electrical contracting business? You’re at the right place. Our electrical contracting business plan template will help you get started.

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Download our free electrical contracting business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

• Fill in the blanks – Outline
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How to Write An Electrical Contracting Business Plan?

Writing an electrical contracting business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

• Introduce your Business: Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers. This section may include the name of your electrical contracting business, its location, when it was founded, the type of electrical contracting business (E.g., residential contracting, commercial contracting, industrial contracting, maintenance and repair contracting), etc.
• Market Opportunity: Summarize your market research, including market size, growth potential, and marketing trends. Highlight the opportunities in the market and how your business will fit in to fill the gap.
• Products and Services: Highlight the electrical contracting services you offer your clients. The USPs and differentiators you offer are always a plus. For instance, you may include planning and designing, installation, maintenance, repairs, and upgrades as services and mention expertise in specialty systems and renewable energy installations as some of your USPs.
• Marketing & Sales Strategies: Outline your sales and marketing strategies—what marketing platforms you use, how you plan on acquiring customers, etc.
• Financial Highlights: Briefly summarize your financial projections for the initial years of business operations. Include any capital or investment requirements, associated startup costs, projected revenues, and profit forecasts.
• Call to Action: Summarize your executive summary section with a clear CTA, for example, inviting angel investors to discuss the potential business investment.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

• Residential contracting
• Commercial contracting
• Industrial contracting
• Specialty contracting
• Describe the legal structure of your electrical contracting company, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.
• Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.
• Owners: List the names of your electrical contracting company’s founders or owners. Describe what shares they own and their responsibilities for efficiently managing the business.
• Mission Statement: Summarize your business’ objective, core principles, and values in your mission statement. This statement needs to be memorable, clear, and brief.
• Business History: If you’re an established electrical contracting service provider, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved over time, etc. Additionally, If you have received any awards or recognition for excellent work, describe them.
• Future Goals: It’s crucial to convey your aspirations and vision. Mention your short-term and long-term goals; they can be specific targets for revenue, market share, or expanding your services.

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

• Target market: Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers. For instance, residential townships and homeowners would be an ideal target audience for a residential electrical contracting business.
• Market size and growth potential: Describe your market size and growth potential and whether you will target a niche or a much broader market. For instance, Electrical contracting is a 225-billion-dollar industry as a whole with huge growth potential. However, it’s crucial to define how narrow or broad you target your market to identify your SOM(serviceable obtainable market).
• Competitive Analysis: Identify and analyze your direct and indirect competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, and describe what differentiates your electrical contracting services from them. Point out how you have a competitive edge in the market.
• Market Trends: Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as technology disruptions, changes in customer behavior or preferences, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends. For instance, smart home electrical contracting has a booming market; explain how you plan on dealing with this potential growth opportunity.
• Regulatory Environment: List regulations and licensing requirements that may affect your electrical contracting company, such as business registration, contractor license, permits, insurance, environmental regulations, state and federal regulations, etc.

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your electrical contracting business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write products and services section should include the following:

• Electrical installations
• Electrical repairs
• Electrical design services
• Maintenance and upgrades
• Electrical systems
• Fire alarm systems
• Security systems
• Data cabling – Telecommunication
• Home automation systems
• Quality measures: This section should explain how you maintain quality standards and consistently provide the highest quality service. This may include compliance with regulations and codes, quality assurance processes, and training and education.
• Additional Services: Mention if your electrical contracting company offers any additional services. You may include services like smart home integrations, renewable energy installations, etc.

In short, this section of your electrical contracting plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

• Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies. For example, IoT and smart home integrations and energy management solutions could be some of the great USPs for a residential electrical contracting company.
• Pricing Strategy: Describe your pricing strategy—how you plan to price your contracting services and stay competitive in the local market. You can mention any entry offers you plan on offering to attract new customers to your contracting service.
• Marketing Strategies: Discuss your marketing strategies to market your services. You may include some of these marketing strategies in your business plan—social media marketing, Google ads, brochures, email marketing, content marketing, local marketing, and print marketing.
• Sales Strategies: Outline the strategies you’ll implement to maximize your sales. Your sales strategies may include direct sales calls, partnering with related businesses like real estate companies, offering referral programs, etc.
• Customer Retention: Describe your customer retention strategies and how you plan to execute them. For instance, introducing loyalty programs, discounts on annual membership, proactive service and maintenance, personalized service, etc.

Overall, this section of your electrical contractor business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your electrical contracting business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

• Staffing & Training: Mention your contracting business’s staffing requirements, including the number of employees, i.e. electrical engineers, electricians, and office administrative staff needed. Include their qualifications, the training required, and the duties they will perform.
• Operational Process: Outline the processes and procedures you will use to run your electrical contracting business. Your operational processes may include project planning, making installations, logistics, procuring materials, acquiring new clients, and billing and collection.
• Equipment & Machinery: Include the list of equipment and machinery required for electrical contracting, such as testing and measuring tools, hand and power tools, heavy machinery, safety equipment, etc. Explain how these technologies help you maintain quality standards and improve the efficiency of your business operations.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your electrical contracting business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

• Founders/CEO: Mention the founders and CEO of your electrical contracting company, and describe their roles and responsibilities in successfully running the business.
• Key managers: Introduce your management and key members of your team, and explain their roles and responsibilities. It should include, key executives(e.g. COO, CMO.), senior management, and other department managers (e.g. project managers, operations manager, customer services manager.) involved in the electrical contracting business operations, including their education, professional background, and any relevant experience in the electrical industry.
• Organizational structure: Explain the organizational structure of your management team. Include the reporting line and decision-making hierarchy.
• Compensation Plan: Describe your compensation plan for the management and staff. Include their salaries, incentives, and other benefits.
• Advisors/Consultants: Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea. So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information consisting of roles and years of experience.

This section should describe the key personnel for your electrical contracting services, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

• Profit & loss statement: Describe details such as projected revenue, operational costs, and service costs in your projected profit and loss statement . Make sure to include your business’s expected net profit or loss.
• Cash flow statement: The cash flow for the first few years of your operation should be estimated and described in this section. This may include billing invoices, payment receipts, loan payments, and any other cash flow statements.
• Balance Sheet: Create a projected balance sheet documenting your electrical contracting business’s assets, liabilities, and equity.
• Break-even point: Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal. This exercise will help you understand how much revenue you need to generate to sustain or be profitable.
• Financing Needs: Calculate costs associated with starting an electrical contracting business, and estimate your financing needs and how much capital you need to raise to operate your business. Be specific about your short-term and long-term financing requirements, such as investment capital or loans.

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the electrical contracting industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your electrical contracting business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

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This sample electrical contracting business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful electrical contracting plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our electrical contracting business plan pdf .

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you need an electrical contracting business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful electrical contracting business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your electrical contracting company.

How to get funding for your electrical contracting business?

There are several ways to get funding for your electrical contracting business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are:

• Bank loan – You may apply for a loan in government or private banks.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) loan – SBA loans and schemes are available at affordable interest rates, so check the eligibility criteria before applying for it.
• Crowdfunding – The process of supporting a project or business by getting a lot of people to invest in your business, usually online.
• Angel investors – Getting funds from angel investors is one of the most sought startup options.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

How do I write a good market analysis in an electrical contracting business plan?

Market analysis is one of the key components of your business plan that requires deep research and a thorough understanding of your industry. We can categorize the process of writing a good market analysis section into the following steps:

• Stating the objective of your market analysis—e.g., investor funding.
• Industry study—market size, growth potential, market trends, etc.
• Identifying target market—based on user behavior and demographics.
• Analyzing direct and indirect competitors.
• Calculating market share—understanding TAM, SAM, and SOM.
• Knowing regulations and restrictions
• Organizing data and writing the first draft.

Writing a marketing analysis section can be overwhelming, but using ChatGPT for market research can make things easier.

How detailed should the financial projections be in my electrical contracting business plan?

The level of detail of the financial projections of your electrical contracting business may vary considering various business aspects like direct and indirect competition, pricing, and operational efficiency. However, your financial projections must be comprehensive enough to demonstrate a comprehensive view of your financial performance.

Generally, the statements included in a business plan offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.

Can a good electrical contracting business plan help me secure funding?

Indeed. A well-crafted electrical contracting business will help your investors better understand your business domain, market trends, strategies, business financials, and growth potential—helping them make better financial decisions.

So, if you have a profitable and investable business, a comprehensive business plan can certainly help you secure your business funding.

What's the importance of a marketing strategy in an electrical contracting business plan?

Marketing strategy is a key component of your electrical contracting business plan. Whether it is about achieving certain business goals or helping your investors understand your plan to maximize their return on investment—an impactful marketing strategy is the way to do it!

Here are a few pointers to help you understand the importance of having an impactful marketing strategy:

• It provides your business an edge over your competitors.
• It helps investors better understand your business and growth potential.
• It helps you develop products with the best profit potential.
• It helps you set accurate pricing for your products or services.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Electrical Contractor Business Plan

Used 4,920 times

This Electrical Contractor Business Plan template include information about the services you offer, who your target consumers are, why they should prefer you over your opponents and how much capital you require to get started.

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Electrical Contractor Business Plan Template

Created by:

​ [Contractor.FirstName] [Contractor.LastName] ​

​ [Contractor.Company] ​

Introduction

This business plan is for an electrical contracting company, [Contractor.Company] that will offer a range of services to residential, commercial, and industrial clients. [Contractor.Company] will be owned and operated by [Contractor.FirstName] [Contractor.LastName] , who has (insert number) years of experience in the electrical industry.

Company Description

​ [Contractor.Company] will be located in [Contractor.City] , [Contractor.State] and will serve the surrounding area. The company will be registered as a (insert business structure, e.g., LLC, corporation, or partnership) and will have (insert number) employees at the start, including the owner. The company will offer services such as electrical installation, repair, and maintenance for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. The company will also provide energy efficiency consultations and solar panel installation.

Market Analysis

The electrical contracting industry is expected to grow at a rate of (percentage) over the next five years. The demand for electrical services is driven by population growth, construction activity, and the need for energy efficiency improvements. [Contractor.Company] will target residential, commercial, and industrial clients in the [Contractor.City] area, focusing on high-quality service and customer satisfaction.

Marketing Strategy

​ [Contractor.Company] will use a combination of traditional and digital marketing techniques to reach potential clients. This will include advertising in local newspapers and industry publications, as well as utilizing social media platforms and email marketing to promote services and specials. The company will also rely on word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers.

​ [Contractor. Company] will have a team of qualified electricians who will be responsible for completing projects in a timely and professional manner. The company will have a project manager who will oversee all projects and ensure that they are completed to the highest standards. The company will maintain a well-stocked warehouse with a variety of electrical supplies and equipment to ensure that projects can be completed efficiently.

Financial Plan

​ [Contractor.Company] will generate revenue through the sale of electrical services to residential, commercial, and industrial clients. The company will also generate revenue through the sale of electrical supplies and equipment. The company will have operating expenses, including payroll, rent, utilities, and insurance. The company expects to generate (Amount) in revenue in the first year, with a projected growth rate of (Percentage) per year.

​ [Contractor.Company] is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing demand for electrical services in the [Contractor.City] area. With a team of experienced electricians, a focus on high-quality service, and a commitment to customer satisfaction, the company is confident that it will be successful in the competitive electrical contracting market.

​ [Client.FirstName] [Client.LastName] ​

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Electrical Contractor Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Electrical Contractor Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their electrical contracting businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through an electrical contractor business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is an Electrical Contractor Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your electrical contractor business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for an Electrical Contracting Business

If you’re looking to start an electrical contractor business, or grow your existing electrical contractor business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your electrical contractor business in order to improve your chances of success. Your electrical contracting business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Electrical Contractor Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for an electrical contractor business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the electrical contractor will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for electrical contractor businesses.

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How to write a business plan for an electrical contracting business.

If you want to start an electrical contracting business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are the details for each section of your electrical contractor business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of electrical contractor business you are operating and its status. For example, are you a start-up, do you have an electrical contractor business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of electrical contractor businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the electrical contractor industry. Discuss the type of electrical contractor business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target market. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of electrical contractor business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of electrical contractor businesses:

• Commercial Electrical Contractor : this type of electrical contractor business will focus on developing outdoor spaces such as college campuses, parks, gardens and more.
• Residential Electrical Contractor: this type of electrical contractor business collaborates with homeowners to design and/or install electrical and electronic systems.
• Industrial Electrical Contractor: this type of electrical contractor business works on large projects for manufacturers or warehouse facilities.

In addition to explaining the type of electrical contractor business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, number of positive reviews etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the electrical contractor industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the electrical contractor industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your electrical contractor business plan:

• How big is the electrical contractor industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your electrical contractor business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your electrical contractor business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: homeowners, businesses, general contractors, developers, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of electrical contractor business you operate. Clearly, a homeowner would respond to different marketing promotions than a local government, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most electrical contractor businesses primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target audience. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other electrical contractor businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes in-house electricians and homeowners who do minor electrical work themselves. You need to mention such competition as well.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other electrical contractor businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be electrical contractors located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What types of projects do they specialize in?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide a wider array of services?
• Will you provide special discounts or perks for returning customers?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For an electrical contractor business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of electrical contracting business that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to installing traditional electrical systems, will you also install smart home control systems or fire and security systems?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your electrical contractor company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your electrical contractor business located in a growing community with a booming construction sector, etc.  Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your electrical contractor marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local websites
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your business operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your electrical contractor business, including marketing your business, working on current projects, prepare for upcoming projects, and overseeing the entire project.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to install your 500 th electrical system, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your electrical contractor business to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your electrical contractor business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing electrical contractor businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in overseeing construction projects or successfully running their own electrical contractor businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you work on 1 project at a time or will you oversee multiple projects at any given time? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your electrical contractor business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing an electrical contractor business:

• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or contracts for upcoming projects.  

Putting together a business plan for your electrical contractor business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the electrical contractor industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful electrical contractor business.

Electrical Business Plan PDF

You can download our electrical business plan PDF to help you get started on your own business plan.

If you are looking for the quickest and easiest way to complete your business plan, Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template has numerous features not available in the free template including its financial projections template which automatically calculates your complete five-year financial projections including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your electrical business plan?

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How to Write a Business Plan for a Electrical Contractor

• October 21, 2024

Whether you’re looking to raise funding from private investors or to get a loan from a bank (like a SBA loan) for your electrical contractor company, you will need to prepare a solid business plan.

In this article we go through, step-by-step, all the different sections you need in the business plan of your electrical contractor business. Use this template to create a complete, clear and solid business plan that get you funded.

1. Electrical Business Executive Summary

The executive summary of a business plan gives a sneak peek of the information about your business plan to lenders and/or investors.

If the information you provide here is not concise, informative, and scannable, potential lenders and investors will lose interest.

Though the executive summary is the first and the most important section, it should normally be the last section you write because it will have the summary of different sections included in the entire plan.

Why do you need a business plan for an electrical business?

The purpose of a business plan is to secure funding through one of the following channels:

• Obtain bank financing or secure a loan from other lenders (such as a SBA loan )
• Obtain private investments from investment funds, angel investors, etc.
• Obtain a public or a private grant

How to write an executive summary for an electrical business?

Provide a precise and high-level summary of every section that you have included in the business plan of your electrical business. The information and the data you include in this segment should grab the attention of potential investors and lenders immediately.

Also make sure that the executive summary doesn’t exceed 2 pages in total: it’s supposed to be a summary for investors and lenders who don’t have time to scroll through 40-50 pages, so keep it short and brief.

The executive summary usually consists of 5 major sub-sections:

• Business overview : start by introducing your proposed electrical contracting firm, where it is located, the services you will offer, and the pricing strategy you want to implement. Mention what sets you apart from other businesses. For example, you may be a master electrician with a decade of experience in designing electrical systems.
• Market analysis : summarise the market where you will operate and provide a brief about your target market , target audience , spending capability, etc. Also give certain data points about the electrical contractor business industry in the area where you want to operate (size and growth), as well as an overview of the main competitors, etc.
• People : introduce your electrical business’ management and employee structure. Provide a brief (no more than a couple of sentences each) of the knowledge and experience of the team. Also, mention how the company will be structured (management roles and reporting lines)
• Financial plan: how much profit and revenue do you expect in the next 5 years? When will you reach the break-even point and start making profits? You can include here a chart with your key financials (revenue, gross profit, net profit )
• Funding ask : what loan/investment/grant are you seeking? How much do you need? How long will this last?

Electrical Contractor Financial Model Template | Excel Spreadsheet

Download an expert-built 5-year Excel financial model for your business plan

2. Electrical Business Overview

In this segment of the business plan, you will provide details about your proposed electrical contracting firm.

You must answer here some important questions that potential investors and lenders often ask about your business and operations. Here are some examples of questions you must answer:

• What is the rationale behind your opening an electrical contractor business today?
• In which location will you operate and why?
• What type of services will you offer?
• Are there specific types of services and/or industries that you specialize in?
• What will be your pricing strategy and why?
• What will be the legal structure of your company?

a) History of the Project

Any business overview must start with explaining the history of the project. There are 2 components here:

• Passion & experience of the business owner
• Rationale behind starting an electrical business today

Passion & experience

You must display your passion while at the same time, you must also showcase your experience. For instance, you may have 10 years of journeyman experience, or you may be a master electrician with the ability to design ground-breaking electrical systems.

Is there a certain problem (or perhaps, a set of problems) that your electrical contracting firm will try to solve when it comes into existence?

For example, there may be a steady increase in demand for commercial electrical contracting firms but there are only a few unorganized service providers incapable of efficiently handling commercial contracts.

The rationale behind your project must be backed up by a thorough analysis of the industry in the area where you plan to open your electrical contractor business. This is what we will cover under Market Overview further below.

b) Business Model

This section of the Business Overview should explain the model you want to adopt for your electrical contractor business. For example:

• Which target audience segment you will focus on and why?
• Is there enough demand for that segment in your focus area?
• What type of services you will offer?

What are the different types of e lectrical contractor companies?

You may choose one of the following:

• Residential Electrical Contractors: They usually collaborate with homeowners to design or install electrical systems
• Commercial Electrical Contractors : They usually focus on commercial and outdoor spaces like malls, shops, college campuses, gardens, parks, etc.
• Industrial Electrical Contractors : They usually focus on larger products like industrial manufacturing areas, warehouses, etc.

No matter what you select, you must ensure that there is enough demand for the type of electrical contracting firm you want to open and the range of services you will offer.

c) Services

The services you offer will depend on the type of customers you will serve and also on the skills you have. Provide a quick list of the major services that you will offer. Some services may include things like:

• Exterior and interior lighting
• Installation of safety systems & electronic appliances
• Electrical wiring and transmission line installation
• Repairs & upgrades, etc.

d) Pricing Strategy

This is where you will provide an overview of your pricing strategy. For instance, you may charge higher than your competitors because you may have a team of highly experienced electricians and also because you use high-quality wires and other materials than your competitors.

Similarly, you may decide to charge lower than your competitors because of the bulk purchase of products like wires, switches, etc., which allows you to bring down the cost of your services.

Whatever the case is, explain your pricing strategy and the logic behind it.

Pricing table

While it may not be possible to provide a proper pricing table for all services that you will offer, it is still a great idea to provide a table that gives an overview of your pricing structure.

Providing individual pricing for all services may not be possible, however, you may provide a range. For example:

• Smart systems installation: $75 to $150 per hour (depending on the system and area)
• Repair and upgrades: $80 to $120 per hour

However, don’t go into extreme details because potential investors are not interested in the nitty-gritty of your pricing. They just need the big picture to assess the profitability, because they will tie your pricing strategy with your financial projections later on.

e) Company Legal Structure

Finally, your business overview section should specify what type of business structure you want. Is this a corporation or a partnership (LLC)? Who are the investors? How much equity percentage do they own? Is there a Board of Directors? If so, whom? Do they have experience in the industry?

3. Electrical Business Market Overview

A complete understanding of the market where you want to operate is important for the success of your business. That’s also something you must showcase in your business plan.

For example, if there is a high demand for residential and commercial electrical contractors but you want to focus on industrial customers despite a very small market size , it may not be a great business decision.

Therefore, you must cover here 3 important areas:

• Market size & growth : how big is the electrical contractor business industry in your area? What is its growth rate (or decline rate) and what are the factors contributing to its growth or decline?
• Competition overview : how many competitors are there? What type of customers do they serve? What type of projects do they specialize in? How do they compare vs. your business? How can you differentiate yourself from them?
• Customer analysis : who is your target audience? How frequently do they require electrical contractor services? What is their yearly spending on electrical contractor services?

a) Electrical Contractor Industry Size & Growth

How big is the electrical contractor industry in the us.

In 2021 there were over 70,000 electrical contracting firms in the US employing about 650,000 electrical workers.

As per the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) the industry is worth $202 billion: that’s an average annual turnover of $2,800,000 per company! 

Also, the vast majority of electrical contractors are small businesses: over 80% of all businesses had less than 10 employees.

How big is the electrical contractor industry in your area?

After getting a clear picture of the electrical contractor business industry in the US as a whole, narrow down to your location. It’s very likely that you won’t find the number anywhere (at least not for free).

In that case, you can use our guide to estimate the TAM, SAM, and SOM for your business. Here is an example of how to do it:

We already know that the average annual turnover for electrical contracting firms in the US is $2.8 million. Therefore, if the area where you will operate (a city for example) has a total of 30 electrical contractors, the electrical service industry in the area is worth approximately $84 million.

What’s the market growth of the electrical contractor industry in your area?

Next on our list is market growth: is the industry growing or declining in your area?

US market growth can be a great addition to your business plan, yet it doesn’t necessarily help to assess the industry in your area of service. For example, the industry might be growing in the US, but declining in your region for a number of reasons (for example, the large commercial market may be contracting because businesses are shutting down due to losses, resulting in the closure of electrical contractor businesses that focused on the commercial market).

As you likely won’t find this information online, you can instead rely on the number of electrical contractor businesses in the location to calculate the average growth rate of the industry in your area.

For example, if the region had only 27 electrical contractor businesses in 2019 and 30 in 2021, you can assume that the average annual growth rate of the electrical contractor businesses industry in the area is around 5-6%.

b) Competition Overview

Studying your competitors’ business models is vital. You need to understand what makes them successful or why they fail. A clear understanding of their business model, the products they sell, their marketing strategies, etc., will allow you to provide a better service.

If your competitors are offering nearly the same services, then what is their market share and how do they market their products & services to attract new customers?

It is always a good idea to do some research (if necessary, you may consider physically visiting your competitors without revealing your business intentions) and create a comparative table summarizing their service offerings, marketing strategies, target audience, etc.

Here is a sample table that you can use:

Electrical Business SWOT Analysis

SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats. This analysis will help lenders and investors better understand how you compare vs. competitors as well as the overall risk and reward profile of your business.

Here is a sample that you can use as a reference:

• Strengths : 12 years of experience as a master electrician in a popular electrical contractor company
• Weaknesses : Startup cost, no initial brand reputation
• Increased construction of residential apartments due to demand spike in rental housing and builders are looking for skilled electricians for wiring everything (backup with data for population and real estate boom)
• Growth in retail stores and malls (because of population influx), which in turn has increased the demand for electricians for installation and maintenance (provide data)
• Increased commercial warehouse construction because of increased regional distribution centers by e-commerce retailers that require electrical installations (provide data and explain why there is an increase in commercial warehouse construction – for example, increased demand and hence imports of cheaper products)
• Threats : Big brands like Helix Electric, Bergelectric, & Cupertino Electric, Inc. are all eyeing the growing market

c) Customer Analysis

Finally, we need to look at your customers.

However, the first thing you must do is clearly define the target audience. For instance, you may serve individual households, commercial establishments, or even industrial establishments.

Some important points that you must include in your customer analysis include:

• How much do your target customers spend on electrical services per year?
• How frequently do they need electrical contractors?
• What type of electrical services do they usually require (fresh installations, inspections, repairs, etc.)?
• What type of electrical contractors do they usually hire (big brands, small contractors, individual electricians, etc.)?
• What do they dislike about the existing electrical contractors in the area (for example, slow response time)?

4. Sales & Marketing Strategy

This is the section where you outline your customer acquisition strategy. Try to answer here the following questions:

What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

• What are the different marketing strategies you will use?
• How do you intend to track the success of your marketing strategy ?
• What is your CAC or customer acquisition cost?
• What is your marketing budget?
• What introductory promos and offers do you intend to provide for attracting new customers?
• What marketing channels do electrical businesses use?

What marketing strategies do electrical contractors use?

A few marketing channels that electrical businesses typically use are:

• Signages, vehicle branding
• PPC ads (Google local services ads)
• Social media platforms
• Flyers & pamphlets
• Word of mouth, recommendations

It is not necessary to use all channels. Instead, you can start by focusing on a few of them, and include other marketing strategies later.

In other words, how do you differentiate yourself vs. competitors? This is very important as you might need to win customers from competitors.

A few examples of USPs are:

• Response Time : you may respond within 30 minutes (whatever you can commit to), which is faster than any competitor 
• Emergencies : you may have years of experience dealing with electrical emergencies that can potentially cause immense damage to life and property
• Free inspection : you may offer one free inspection of wiring and other installations once every quarter

Your USP will depend on your business model, competitor analysis , and target audience. Whatever your USP be, it should be clear and appealing to your target audience.

5. Management & People

You must address two things here:

• The management team and their experience
• The organization structure : different team members and who reports to whom?

Small businesses often fail because of managerial weaknesses. Thus, having a strong management team is vital. Highlight the experience and education of senior managers that you intend to hire to oversee your electrical business.

Describe their duties, responsibilities, and roles. Also, highlight their previous experience and explain how they succeeded in their previous roles.

It is also important that you explain how their experiences and qualifications help you in implementing the electrical business you are proposing. If they have specialized training and experience (master electrician or journeyman electrician for 8 years in a reputed electrical contractor firm), add that information.

Organization Structure

Even if you haven’t already hired electricians, trainees, managers, drivers, accountants, and other relevant staff members, you must provide a flowchart of the organizational structure defining hierarchy and reporting lines.

6. Financial Plan

The financial plan is perhaps, with the executive summary, the most important section of any business plan for an electrical contractor company.

Indeed, a solid financial plan tells lenders that your business is viable and can repay the loan you need from them. If you’re looking to raise equity from private investors, a solid financial plan will prove them your electrical contractor company is an attractive investment.

There should be 2 sections to your financial plan section:

• The startup costs of your company
• The 5-year financial projections

a) Startup Costs

Before we expand on 5-year financial projections in the following section, it’s always best practice to start with listing the startup costs of your project.

For an electrical contractor company, startup costs are all the expenses you incur before you start making sales. These expenses typically are limited especially for small businesses and include:

• The lease deposit (if you rent an office and/or warehouse for your equipment)
• Electrical equipment, tools, etc.
• License & permits, business insurance, etc.

Of course, the startup costs depend on a number of factors, like the size of your business (employees), the services you plan to offer (which will dictate what equipment you may need), etc.

b) Financial Projections

In addition to startup costs, you will also need to build a solid 5-year financial model in the business plan of your electrical company.

Note that your financial projections should be built using a spreadsheet (e.g. Excel or Google Sheets) and presented in the form of tables and charts in your business plan.

As usual, keep it concise here and save details (for example detailed financial statements, financial metrics, key assumptions used for the projections) for the appendix instead.

Your financial projections should answer at least the following questions:

• How much revenue do you expect to generate over the next 5 years?
• When do you expect to break even?
• How much cash will you burn until you get there?
• What’s the impact of a change in pricing (say 10%) on your margins?
• What is your average customer acquisition cost?

You should include here your 3 financial statements (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement). This means you must forecast:

• The number of contracts (customers) over time ;
• Your expected revenue ;
• Operating costs to run the business ;
• Capex (cost to buy the equipment and vehicles, etc.)

When projecting your financials, make sure to sensitize sales volume (customers), pricing as well as the expenses (inventory, salaries, etc.). Indeed, a small change in these assumptions may have a significant impact on your revenues, and most importantly, your profits.

7. Use of Funds

This is the last section of the business plan of your electrical contractor company. Now that we have explained what your business model is, what type of services you offer, how you get customers, etc., this section must now answer the following questions:

• How much funding do you need?
• What financial instrument(s) do you need: is this equity or debt, or even a free-money public grant?
• How long will this funding last?
• Where else does the money come from? If you apply for a SBA loan for example, where does the other part of the investment come from (your own capital, private investors?)

If you raise debt:

• What percentage of the total funding the loan represents?
• What is the corresponding Debt Service Coverage Ratio ?

If you raise equity

• What percentage ownership are you selling as part of this funding round?
• What is the corresponding valuation of your business?

Use of Funds

Any business plan for an electrical contractor company should include a clear use of funds section. This is where you explain how the money will be spent.

Will you spend most of the loan / investment in paying your employees’ salaries and the COGS (inventory)? Or will it cover mostly the cost for acquiring the equipment and machines?

For the use of funds, we also recommend using a pie chart like the one we have in our financial model template where we outline the main expenses categories as shown below.

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