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IT Services Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

IT Services Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their IT companies.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating an IT business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write an IT business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is an IT Services Business Plan?

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

Why You Need a Business Plan for IT Company

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

Sources of Funding for IT Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for an IT business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes 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 loan officer will not only want to ensure 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 IT companies.

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How to write a business plan for an it services business.

If you want to start an IT business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your IT business plan.

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 kind of IT business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have an IT business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of IT businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

• Give a brief overview of the IT industry.
• Discuss the type of IT business you are operating.
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of IT business you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of IT businesses:

• Computer repair: This type of IT business provides computer maintenance and repair services.
• Computer training: This type of IT professional specializes in teaching others how to use computers as well as various software and computer programs.
• IT support: This type of IT professional provides services for businesses such as setting up a network, backing up data, and systems management.
• Cloud computing: This type of IT specialist helps individuals and businesses establish cloud platforms and tools, or may help to migrate their information to the cloud.

In addition to explaining the type of IT business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of new clients served, the number of repeat clients, reaching $X amount in revenue, etc.
• Your legal business Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the IT industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

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

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

The third reason 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 IT business plan:

• How big is the IT 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 target market for your IT 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 IT business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, schools, families, and corporations.

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

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize 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 IT businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes other types of IT consultants, in-house IT support, or do-it-yourself IT tutorials. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business 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 type of IT business are they?
• 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 make it easier for clients to acquire your product or service?
• Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
• 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 IT business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of IT company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide cloud computing, data center management, or network setup services?

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

Place : Place refers to the site of your IT company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your IT business located in a busy retail district, a business district, a standalone office, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your IT marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reach out to websites
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

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

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your IT business, including answering calls, meeting with new clients, billing and collecting payments from clients, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to acquire your Xth client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your IT business to a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your IT business’ potential 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 IT 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 as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing an IT business or successfully running a small IT consulting service.

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 revenue 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 charge your clients an hourly rate of $250 per hour, and will you work 5 hours per day? 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 IT 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 lender 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 ensure 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.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing an IT business:

• Cost of equipment and office supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

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 a list of your IT credentials.

Writing a business plan for your IT business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert on IT business planning. You will understand the IT industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful IT business.

IT Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my it services business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your IT services business plan.

How Do You Start an IT Services Business?

Starting an IT business is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your IT Business
• Create Your IT Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your IT Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your IT Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your [Sector] Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your IT Business
• Buy or Lease the Right IT Business Equipment
• Develop Your IT Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your IT Business
• Open for Business

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How to Write an IT Tech Startup Business Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting an IT tech startup? If YES, here is a detailed sample IT tech startup business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE . If you are a software developer or you have a background in the ICT industry and you are looking for An IT business to start, then you need to look far because there are loads of businesses in the industry and one of them is software as a service (or SaaS) company.

Software as a service (or SaaS) is an emerging paradigm business that enables software to be delivered as a service. This is an arrangement that enables companies to expand their network capacity, and run applications directly on a vendor’s network, offer a host of advantages with the most primary being radically lowering IT costs.

The lower budgetary requirements and commitments allow even smaller companies to piece together an IT project without spending on purchasing legacy server, and storage systems. However, due to the technical nature of this business, it would be wise to consult with a business consultant before starting off.

If your business concept is a great one, the business consultant would offer you tips and suggestions on the way forward. Below is a sample IT tech startup company business plan template that can help you successfully write your own with little or no stress.

A Sample IT Tech Startup Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

An IT technology company (often tech company) is a type of business entity that focuses on the development and manufacturing of technology products, or providing technology as a service. “Technology”, in this context, has come to mean electronics-based technology. This can include businesses relating to digital electronics, software, and internet-related services, such as e-commerce.

For the purpose of this business plan, we will be looking at software development as a service. Software as a service (or SaaS) is part of the Business Analytics and Enterprise Software Publishing industry and players in this industry consist of companies that are into ERP software, bi software, crm software, scm software and other software development and they may decide to strictly adopt the Software as a services (SaaS) Business model.

A recent report published by IBISWorld shows that the Business Analytics and Enterprise Software Publishing industry has grown steadily due to favorable demand conditions caused by high corporate profit and investment. Over the five years to 2018, industry revenue rose at an annualized rate of 7.1 percent, driven by businesses’ increased technological complexity and the eagerness to adopt efficiency-enhancing software.

The report also shows that many industry products, such as customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning software systems, have become basic tools in the management of large companies. In 2018, industry revenue is expected to rise 2.6 percent to $55.4 billion. The world’s largest software companies have spent the past five years acquiring high-performing enterprise software vendors, cloud companies and data.

The report further states that over the past five years, the Business Analytics & Enterprise Software Publishing in the US industry has grown by 7.1 percent to reach revenue of $55bn in 2018. In the same timeframe, the number of businesses has grown by 10.0 percent and the number of employees has grown by 10.2 percent.

The Business Analytics and Enterprise Software Publishing industry is indeed a growing industry and is gaining ground in most countries of the world. Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 2,869 registered and licensed business analytics and enterprise software publishing companies (Software as a services (SaaS) business model inclusive) responsible for employing about 139,347 people and the industry rakes $55 billion annually.

The industry is projected to grow at 7.1 percent annual growth within 2013 and 2018. The companies holding the largest market share in the Business Analytics & Enterprise Software Publishing in the US industry include SAP SE, International Business Machines Corporation, Salesforce.com Inc. and Oracle Corporation.

Some of the factors that encourage entrepreneurs to start their own Software as a service (SaaS) business could be the growing recognition of economic and operational benefits and the efficiency of this business model. As companies ease out gradually from the economic uncertainties and financial shackles, widespread adoption of Software as a service is in the offing.

The successful adoption of this technology concept will pave the way for mass enterprise adoption of Software as a service in the upcoming years. The transition of enterprises from virtual machines to the cloud will additionally extend the impetus required for strong growth of Software as a service (SaaS).

Poised to score the maximum gains will be end-to end cloud-computing solutions that offer complete functionalities ranging from integration of internal and external clouds, automation of business-critical tasks, and streamlining of business processes and workflow, among others.

Over and above, starting a software as a services (SaaS) company requires professionalism and good grasp of how the ICT industry works. Besides, you would need to get the required certifications and license and also meet the standard security expected for players in the industry in the United States.

2. Executive Summary

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is an IT tech startup that will specialize in offering software as a service (SaaS). The business will be based in Overland Park – Kansas and we were able to secure a well – positioned and standard office facility.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is a client – focused and result driven IT tech startup company that is into ERP software, bi software, crm software, scm software and other software development. We will provide broad – based software development services at an affordable fee that won’t in any way put a hole in the pocket of our clients. We will offer standard and professional services to all to our clients.

At Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc., our client’s best interest would always come first, and everything we do is guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hire professionals who are experienced in the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry in general.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a firm, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely.

Our plan is to position the business to become the leading brand in software as a service (SaaS) business in the whole of Overland Park – Kansas, and also to be amongst the top 10 IT tech startup companies in the United States of America within the first 10 years of operation. This might look too tall a dream but we are optimistic that this will surely be realized.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will be owned and managed by Joel Rogers. He has a Bachelor of Technology. He is a certified SOC 2 – Trust (SOC 2 is designed specifically for SaaS operations) and has over 10 years’ experience working in related industry as a senior software engineer prior to starting Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc.

3. Our Products and Services

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is going to offer varieties of services within the scope of the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry in the United States of America. We are well prepared to make profits from the industry and we will do all that is permitted by the law in the United States to achieve our business goals, aim and ambition.

Our business offerings are listed below;

• ERP software development
• BI software development
• CRM software development
• SCM software development
• Other software development

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our vision is to build an IT tech startup company that will be among the forerunners when it comes to offering software as a service (SaaS) in the world.
• Our mission is as an IT tech startup with bias in software as a services (SaaS) is to help a wide range of clients develop customized software that will help them simplify their businesses and operations.

Our Business Structure

Ordinarily we would have settled for two or three staff members, but as part of our plan to build a standard IT tech startup company in Overland Park – Kansas, we have perfected plans to get it right from the beginning which is why we are going to ensure that we have competent, honest and hardworking employees to occupy all the available positions in our firm.

The kind of IT tech startup company we intend building and the business goals we want to achieve is what informed the amount we are ready to pay for the best hands available in and around Overland Park – Kansas as long as they are willing and ready to work with us.

Below is the business structure that we will build Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. on;

• Chief Executive Officer
• Programmers and Software Developers

Admin and HR Manager

• Digital Marketers (Marketing and Sales Executive)
• Customer Care Executive / Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Office:

• 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

Programmers and Software Developer

• Responsible for designing, installing, testing and maintenance of software systems for the organization
• Identifying areas for modification in existing programs and subsequently developing these modifications
• Writing and implementing efficient code
• Determining operational practicality
• Developing quality assurance procedures
• Training users
• Working closely with other developers, UX designers, business and systems analysts
• Presenting ideas for system improvements, including cost proposals
• Working closely with analysts, designers and staff
• Producing detailed specifications and writing the programme codes
• Maintaining and upgrading existing systems once they are up and running
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders to review the effectiveness of HR Policies, Procedures and Processes
• Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
• Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
• Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carrying out induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
• Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.

Marketing and Sales Executive

• Identify, prioritize, and reach out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts
• Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with company policy
• Responsible for handling business research, marker surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Document all customer contact and information
• Represent the company in strategic meetings
• Help increase sales and growth for the company
• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• create reports from the information concerning the financial transactions as recorded
• Prepare the income statement and balance sheet using the trial balance and ledgers
• 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 the company
• Serves as internal auditor for the company

Technical Help Desk Officer

• Provide technical assistance and support for incoming queries and issues related to our software
• Identifies problems and issues by performing relevant research using the appropriate tools and by following established procedures.
• 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 company’s promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients

6. SWOT Analysis

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. engaged the services of a professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist the firm in building a well – structured IT tech startup company that can favorably compete in the highly competitive business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry.

Part of what the business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc.;

We can boast of a competent technical team that has analytical and critical thinking skills that can help them find creative solutions for our clients. Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected workforce, we have a very strong online presence and we are well positioned to attract loads of clients from the first day we open our doors for business.

One of the weaknesses that is obvious to us is the lack of capacity and inability to compete with big players in the industry especially as it relates to economy of scales.

• Opportunities:

The opportunities in the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry is massive considering the fact that the world is going the way of technology, and software as a service (SaaS) is indispensable in the value chain of the info tech industry.

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as an IT tech startup business operating in the United States are hosting issues, installation or upkeep troubles, piracy, unfavorable government policies , and global economic downturn which usually affects purchasing/spending power.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

The advancement we are enjoying in our world today can be attributed to the advancement of technology. Technology has indeed given leverage to all aspects of human endeavor. To start with, it is the advancement of technology that landed man in the moon.

It is the advancement of technology that made communication either via the telephone or computer easier and faster. It is the advancement of technology that made transportation faster and perhaps cheaper. It is the advancement of technology that made the manufacturing of goods faster and cheaper, etc.

The technology industry is so wide and vibrant and there is still room large enough for those who are interested in the industry to come in and create their own impact. One thing is certain, the world will always celebrate any inventor who is able to invent machines or devices that can ease the process of doing things.

8. Our Target Market

We are aware that the nature of our business is geared to words serving B2B clients, hence Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will initially serve small to medium sized business, from new ventures to well established businesses and individual clients, but that does not in any way stop us from growing to compete with the leading IT tech startup companies that offer software as a services (SaaS) in the United States.

As a standard and licensed IT tech startup company that offers software as a service (SaaS), Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will develop software apps for the following clients;

• Financial services providers
• Insurance companies
• Businesses in the health sector
• Supply chain businesses
• Other related businesses that may need software as a services (SaaS) technology

Our competitive advantage

The level of competition in the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry does not in any way depend on the location of the business since most companies that offer software as a service (SaaS), can operate from any part of the world and still effectively compete in the industry.

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry means that we should be able to develop software apps that will help simplify business and operation process for clients.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. might be a new entrant into the industry in the United States of America, but the management staff are considered gurus. They are highly qualified software programmers and developers in the United States. These are part of what will count as a competitive advantage for us.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

We are mindful of the fact that there is fast – growing competition amongst IT tech startup companies and other players in the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry in the United States of America and around the globe; hence we have been able to hire some of the best business developer cum digital marketers to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited base 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 and the overall goal of the organization. We will also ensure that our excellent job deliveries speak for us in the market place; we want to build a standard IT tech startup company that offer software as a services (SaaS), that will leverage on word of mouth advertisement from satisfied clients.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

• Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to all the companies, institutions and organizations within and outside the United States
• Promptness in bidding for software as a service (SaaS) contracts from companies, and organizations within and outside the United States
• Advertise our business in relevant programming magazines, radio and TV stations
• List our business on local directories/yellow pages
• Attend international software as a services (SaaS) developers related, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets
• Leverage on the internet to promote our business
• Join related associations around us with the main aim of networking and marketing our services; we are likely going to get referrals from such networks.

Sources of Income

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the business analytics and enterprise software publishing industry and we are going to ensure that we do all it takes to attract clients on a regular basis.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will generate income by offering the following services and products

10. Sales Forecast

We are well positioned to take on the available market in Overland Park – Kansas and in the cyberspace 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 the business and our clientele base beyond Overland Park to other cities in the United States of America and in the cyberspace.

We have been able to examine the business analytics and enterprise software publishing 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 Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc., it is based on the location of our business and the services we will be offering;

• First Fiscal Year (FY1):  $300,000
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2):  $550,000
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3):  $1.5 million

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 internet shutdown within the period stated above. 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 brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to take the software as a services (SaaS) industry by storm which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our IT tech startup company.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc.;

• Place adverts on both print (community – based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community – based events/programs
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our brand
• Install our billboards in strategic locations all around Overland Park
• Ensure that all our workers wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company’s logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

At Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. we will keep our product and service fees a little bit below the average market rate by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to startups, nonprofits, cooperatives, and small social enterprises who want to develop software apps for their business.

• Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. 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 Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will make available to her clients;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via mobile money
• Payment via Point of Sales Machines (POS Machines)
• Payment via check

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment without any stress on their part.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

These are the areas we are looking towards spending our startup capital on;

• The total fee for incorporating the Business in the United States of America – $750.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services P.O.S machines – $3,300.
• The total cost for payment of insurance policy covers (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $9,400.
• The amount needed to acquire a suitable Office facility in a business district for 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) – $40,000.
• Marketing expenses for the grand opening of Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $3,500 and as well as flyer printing (2,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $3,580.
• The total cost for hiring Business Consultant – $2,500
• The cost for equipping the office (computers, software apps and hardware such as Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) machines, internet server, printers, fax machines, furniture, telephones, filing cabins, safety gadgets and electronics et al) – $25,000
• The cost of launching our official website – $800
• Budget for paying at least two employees for 3 months and utility bills – $75,000
• Additional expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,500
• Miscellaneous – $10,000

Going by the report from the research and feasibility studies, we will need about Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars ($250,000) to set up a small scale but standard IT tech startup company in the United States of America.

Generating Funds/Startup Capital for Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is owned and managed by Joel Rogers. He may likely welcome partners later which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital for the business to just three major sources.

• Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings
• Source for soft loans from family members and friends
• Apply for loan from the bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $50,000 (Personal savings $40,000 and soft loan from family members $10,000) 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 the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business closes shop.

One of our major goals of starting Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. is to build a business that will survive off its own 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 software as a services (SaaS) a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Joel Rogers® Technologies, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, 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 of our business strategy.

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 as determined by the board of the organization. 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
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Leasing a standard and well positioned office facility in the heart of Overland Park – Kansas: Completed
• Generating part of the start up capital from the founder: Completed
• Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Printing of Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the needed software applications, internet server, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress.

More on Technology

IT Company Business Plan: Everything You Need to Know

An IT company business plan is a detailed plan for running and developing an information technology company. 3 min read updated on February 01, 2023

An IT company business plan is a detailed plan for running and developing an information technology company. It should describe all aspects of the business, including the company's description, product description, marketing strategy, and financial analysis, in a clear and precise manner.

Tips for Writing a Great Business Plan

A business plan should set out a clear roadmap for developing and expanding your business. Keep the following points in mind while writing a business plan:

• Test your idea. Avoid the temptation of jumping into a business merely on the basis of the success stories of others. Discuss your idea with prospective customers, vendors, and other people in the industry.
• Study the market to get an idea of industry trends, underlying challenges, and scope of future growth.
• Share your business plan with your employees. It is not something to be kept confidential.
• Write it in a clear and concise manner. Be specific, and cover all areas of the business.
• Put the plan to use; simply filing it away will not serve any purpose. Refer to it whenever possible.
• Revisit and revise your plan as your business grows.

Sections of a Business Plan

A typical business plan includes the following sections:

• Executive summary.
• Description of the company.
• Market research.
• Product or service description.
• Management structure.
• Sales and marketing strategy.
• Financial Analysis.

Benefits of Writing a Business Plan

Writing down your business plan offers the following benefits, among others:

• You get to understand your business better.
• It increases the chances of your business's success.
• It makes it easier to raise capital for a startup.
• Businesses with a written plan grow at a higher rate than those without any written plan.

Steps to Writing a Startup Business Plan

1. Have a Clear Objective

• Make sure that the company description is not ambiguous. The company description can also include your business's mission statement.
• State the reason for choosing that specific business. For example, you might be prompted to open a restaurant because no other restaurants in your area serve the cuisine your restaurant specializes in.
• Discuss the vision and growth prospects of your business in brief.

The summary should be concise and should not exceed four paragraphs.

2. Identify Your Target Market

Narrow down your target market based on geography, demography, psychology, and behavior. Your final target market may look like the following:

• Ages 20 to 35
• Living in the New York area
• With an annual income of $50,000-$60,000
• Who are interested in recycling and sustainable living

3. Analyze the Competition

Perform a competition analysis and differentiate your product accordingly. Price and quality can be two important differentiating factors. You should analyze the competition while simultaneously identifying your target market since both these steps are a part of the market research section of your business plan.

4. Prepare a Budget

Estimate the amount of funds you will need to start and operate the business. Many startups fail due to lack of funds. Preparing a budget beforehand will reduce this risk. When calculating your budget, consider all possible expenses, including the following:

• Cost of equipment.
• Money required for buying or leasing property.
• Legal fees.
• Employees' salaries.
• Insurance premiums.
• Inventory cost.

5. Make Financial Projections

Prepare financial projections based on the size of your target market and your expected market share. Include the expansion strategy in your projections. Keep your projections reasonable and make sure you cover three to five years of operations.

6. Define Your Business Structure

Define the organizational structure of your business. Having a clear hierarchy of power removes unnecessary doubt and debates over jobs and reporting positions. However, avoid adding too many layers in your business structure since that may create confusion and make the communication inefficient.

7. Prepare a Marketing Plan

A well-balanced marketing plan should include a strategy for customer acquisition in line with your target market, budget, and financial projections.

Some of the basic ideas for a marketing plan include the following:

• Launching a website.
• Being active on social media.
• Building a subscribers' list.
• Setting up loyalty programs.

8. Keep It Short and Simple

Although your business plan should be detailed and thorough, make it a point to keep it short and simple. Write it professionally and avoid using jargon. Proofread the plan for grammar, readability, and confusion.

If you need help with IT company business plan, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

Hire the top business lawyers and save up to 60% on legal fees

Content Approved by UpCounsel

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• Sample of a Good Business Plan
• Service Business Plan
• Business Plan for Existing Company
• Business Plan for New Company
• Do I Need a Business Plan
• Parts of Business Plan and Definition
• LLC Business Plan Template
• Business Plan Contents Page
• Business Description Outline

Technology Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Technology Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your own Technology business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Technology businesses.

Technology Business Plan Example & Template

Below is a Technology business plan template and sample to help you create each section of your own business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Kearney Tech Inc., located in Houston, Texas is a tech startup that focuses on developing and commercializing new artificial intelligence (AI) technology applications designed for small-to-medium sized businesses. The company has created proprietary technology that helps businesses improve their profitability by using AI to increase customer engagement. We offer multiple products, including AI hardware, marketing AI software, and CRM AI software. Many of our most basic services are free, but the rest can be accessed by paying a subscription fee. By providing flexible and affordable subscription options for our clients, Kearney Tech Inc. aims to be the next big technology company in the AI space for small and medium-sized businesses.

Kearney Tech Inc. was founded and is led by Abigail Kearney. Abigail has been a senior software engineer for nearly 10 years and has extensive experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In addition to her experience, she has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and an MBA. Her education and experience are sure to lead Kearney Tech Inc. to success.

Product Offering

Kearney Tech Inc. will showcase a variety of different applications for its AI technology that companies can utilize to increase their customer engagement from day one. Businesses can choose the platform package that works for them, based on a freemium subscription pricing structure.

The following are the services that Kearney Tech Inc. will provide:

• AI Hardware
• Marketing AI Software
• Customer Relationship Management AI Software
• Customer Support AI Software
• Technology Training: Training sessions on how to use our AI solutions and integrate them into their businesses

Customer Focus

Kearney Tech Inc. will serve small to medium-sized businesses within a 30-mile radius of Houston, Texas. Many of the businesses in our target demographic are startups looking to expand their reach and thus would benefit from technology that can increase their customer base.

Management Team

Kearney Tech Inc. will also employ an experienced assistant to work as a business analyst and help with various administrative duties around the office. She will also hire several developers, salesmen, and other administrative staff to assist her.

Success Factors

Kearney Tech Inc. will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Management: Abigail Kearney has been extremely successful working in the technology industry and will be able to use her previous experience to provide the best service experience. Her unique qualifications will serve customers in a much more sophisticated manner than Kearney Tech Inc.’s competitors.
• Relationships: Abigail Kearney knows many of the local leaders, business managers, and other influencers within Houston, Texas. With her 10 years of experience and good relationships with business leaders in the area, she will be able to develop an initial client base.
• Proprietary technology : The company has developed proprietary AI technology that will be used to add new data sources, expand on valuable insights, launch advanced features like benchmarking, provide predictive and prescriptive analytics, and ensure self-guided data discovery.
• Client-oriented service: Kearney Tech Inc. will have full-time customer service and sales managers to keep in contact with clients and answer their everyday questions.

Financial Highlights

Kearney Tech Inc. is seeking a total funding of $400,000 of debt capital to open its office. The funding will be dedicated to office design, software development, marketing, and working capital. Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

• Office design/build: $50,000
• Software development: $150,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
• Marketing costs: $25,000
• Working capital: $25,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Kearney Tech Inc.:

Company Overview

Who is kearney tech inc..

Abigail began researching what it would take to create her own technology company and did a thorough analysis of the costs, market, demographics, and competition. Abigail has compiled enough information to develop her business plan in order to approach investors.

Kearney Tech Inc.’s History

Once her market analysis was complete, Abigail Kearney began surveying the local vacant office space and located an ideal location to house the technology company. Abigail Kearney incorporated Kearney Tech Inc. as a Limited Liability Corporation in April 2023.

Since incorporation, the company has achieved the following milestones:

• Located available office space for rent
• Developed the company’s name, logo, and website
• Determined equipment and necessary supplies
• Began recruiting key employees

Kearney Tech Inc. Services

Industry analysis.

As of 2021, the global technology industry was valued at approximately $5.2T. Of all countries worldwide, the United States currently has the largest technology market, with 32% of the market share at $1.7T. The technology industry in the U.S. accounts for a large part of the nation’s economy.

The Information Technology market can be segmented by categories such as software, devices, infrastructure IT and business services, emerging technology, and telecom services. In the United States, IT and business services hold the greatest market share (30%), followed by software (20%) and telecom services (20%).

Market drivers include the economy, employment rates, and the digital transformation of daily life for a growing number of people and businesses worldwide. Corporations and organizations are seeking IT service providers that can help improve their software, cybersecurity, data, and infrastructure. Technology companies that can provide products and services that cater to these issues can be competitive in the constantly evolving market.

Technology is an integral part of society. Developments in AI and machine learning are essential to keep society moving forward and make businesses more efficient. Therefore, businesses will always be in need of AI solutions to bring in more customers and streamline their services and products. According to Market Watch, the Technology industry is set to grow at a CAGR of 25.73% from now until 2027. Very few industries see this growth, which shows how much demand there is for technological solutions. Therefore, we expect Kearney Tech Inc. to see great success in our local market.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Kearney Tech Inc. will serve the small and medium-sized businesses of Houston, Texas, and the surrounding areas.

Many small businesses in the community are startups or established enterprises looking to expand their reach and thus would benefit from technology that can increase their customer engagement.

Customer Segmentation

Kearney Tech Inc. will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Small businesses
• Medium-sized businesses

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Kearney Tech Inc. will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.  

Tekuserv has been a reliable technology company in Houston, Texas for more than fifteen years. The company is known for its wide range of technology solutions that serve many small-to-medium-sized businesses. With its large number of experts focused on delivering customer satisfaction, the organization maintains its high standard of developing quality products and providing exceptional customer service. Tekuserv provides business software on a freemium subscription basis. It develops enterprise technology solutions with a focus on customer relationship management.  

Prime AI Business Solutions

Prime AI Business Solutions is a technology development company in Houston, Texas. In business for several years, the company has developed highly-rated AI solutions used by many well-known businesses in a variety of industries. Prime AI Business Solutions now offers a range of AI hardware and software products geared toward helping businesses of all sizes increase their customer base. The company has also introduced a “pay-as-you-grow” pricing model that scales to provide users with more support as they scale up.  

AICE Developments

AICE stands for Artificial Intelligence for Customer Engagement. AICE Developments is also a local technology company that manufactures and distributes a variety of technology products. AICE Developments was established in 2009 in Houston, Texas, providing integrated AI applications and platform services. Its products include applications and infrastructure offerings delivered through various IT deployment models, including on-premise deployments, cloud-based deployments, and hybrid deployments. The company serves automotive, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, retail, utilities, construction, etc. It provides AI solutions for enterprise marketing and customer engagement.

Competitive Advantage

Kearney Tech Inc. will be able to offer the following advantages over the competition:

• Proprietary technology: The company has developed proprietary AI technology that will be used to add new data sources, expand on valuable insights, launch advanced features like benchmarking, provide predictive and prescriptive analytics, and ensure self-guided data discovery.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Kearney Tech Inc. will offer a unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Service built on long-term relationships
• Big-firm expertise in a small-firm environment
• Thorough knowledge of the clients and their varying needs
• Proprietary technology developed by skilled software engineers

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Kearney Tech Inc. is as follows:

Kearney Tech Inc. understands that the best promotion comes from satisfied customers. The company will encourage its clients to refer other businesses by providing economic or financial incentives for every new client produced. This strategy will increase in effectiveness after the business has already been established.

Social Media

Kearney Tech Inc. will invest heavily in a social media advertising campaign. The brand manager will create the company’s social media accounts and invest in ads on all social media platforms. It will use targeted marketing to appeal to the target demographics.

Website/SEO

Kearney Tech Inc. will invest heavily in developing a professional website that displays all of the features and benefits of the technology company. It will also invest heavily in SEO so that the brand’s website will appear at the top of search engine results.

Direct Mail

Kearney Tech Inc. will blanket businesses with direct mail pieces. These pieces will provide general information on Kearney Tech Inc., offer discounts, and/or provide other incentives for companies to use the AI platform.

Kearney Tech Inc.’s pricing will be on par with competitors so clients feel they receive great value when purchasing the technology.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Kearney Tech Inc.:

Operation Functions:

• Abigail Kearney will be the Owner and CEO of the company. She will oversee all the operations and executive functions of the company. In the beginning, she will also provide customer support and market/sell AI products to potential clients.
• Abigail will employ an experienced assistant to work as a business analyst and help with various administrative duties around the office.
• Abigail will also hire several developers to maintain and develop AI products and services.
• Abigail will also hire a solid sales team to sell our products to potential clients. As the company grows, she will also hire a team that is solely dedicated to customer service.

Milestones:

Kearney Tech Inc. will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

5/2023 – Finalize lease agreement

6/2023 – Design and build out Kearney Tech Inc.

7/2023 – Hire and train initial staff

8/2023 – Kickoff of promotional campaign

9/2023 – Launch Kearney Tech Inc.

10/2023 – Reach break-even

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

Kearney Tech Inc.’s revenues will come primarily from its technology solution subscription sales. The company will use a freemium subscription model, in which basic functions can be used by any company for free. Additional solutions and support will be available in a tiered package model based on the enterprises’ size and the number of users.

The office lease, equipment, supplies, and labor expenses will be the key cost drivers of Kearney Tech Inc. Ongoing marketing expenditures are also notable cost drivers for Kearney Tech Inc.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and pay off the startup business loan.

• Average number of clients per month
• Annual rent: $20,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, technology business plan faqs, what is a technology business plan.

A technology business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your technology business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections. You can easily complete your Technology business plan using our Technology Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Technology Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of technology businesses, some examples include: Network technology, Software technology, and Customer relationship technology.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Technology Business Plan?

Technology businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Technology Business?

Starting a technology business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Technology Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed technology business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your technology business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your technology business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Technology Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your technology business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your technology business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Technology Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your technology business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation.

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your technology business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Learn more about how to start a successful Technology business: How to Start a Tech Company

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A Guide to Writing IT Business Plans

So we've interviewed some professionals to create this guide to writing it business plans. we hope you'll learn something from their wisdom..

November 18, 2020 Adam Forziati Leave a Comment

Any IT project or business plan will obviously change based on project scope and the needs of the organization creating it. But in general, we find that many members of our audience are searching for the right way to write an IT business plan.

So we’ve interviewed some IT professionals to create this guide to writing IT business plans. We hope you’ll take something away from their wisdom.

The smarter way to define business needs

This, of all steps, is probably the most obvious: before writing an IT department business plan or project plan, you need to define your org’s needs. But this isn’t so straightforward, and it may even be the step which takes the most time.

More IT leaders are engaging with marketing leaders because new digitalization initiatives center around how companies market themselves more than anything else.

Jeff Day, North of 10 Advisors , suggests the smartest way to go about defining your business needs is to get involved with your company or organization’s marketing leaders.

“Marketing has exponentially more budget than IT departments do. IT is an operational line item in CIO budget, while marketing is a revenue generation line item in the CEO’s budget. You can learn a lot about where your business is going from the marketing department.”

Another important part of this step is to define what “technical debt” means to you.

“There’s often a gap between tech users’ expectations and what a technological investment actually does,” explains Brad Sousa, Chief Technology Officer, AVI Systems .

“This is called ‘technical debt,’ and if you accumulate enough, it impacts the ability to adopt projects in the future. Understanding what the tech debt may or may not be and being intentional about closing that debt is critical.”

Understanding it completely revolves around understanding the users’ expected experience . IT leaders tend to think about it in terms of specifications/requirements, making selections based on those. But that often doesn’t satisfy user expectation.

Many projects derail because the project plan does not take into consideration the roles and dependencies of other groups/departments, says Jeffrey Fleischman, Chief Marketing Officer at Altimetrik .

“Every team that works with IT must be included upfront in the development of a plan. This includes sales, product, finance, marketing, compliance, privacy, legal, etc. For example, a project can come to a halt by legal if regulatory or privacy needs are not addressed. Inclusion will lead to a faster and smoother implementation.”

What every IT business continuity or project plan should include

Regardless of department, any continuity or project plan should outline key contacts and core activities that must be maintained.

Think of the business continuity plan like a minimally viable product (MVP): what are the key functions and contacts that need to be activated?

The importance of communication before, during, and after an incident can’t be overstated in an IT continuity plan, says Jason Lin, CFO of Centage .

“Strategies should include detailed communication methods by which different resources can be linked, and with the re-shaping of workplace environments caused by COVID-19, these methods should be carefully reviewed.”

Outside of key functions, the “nice to have” options should be deprioritized to ensure that the lights are on and core functions are not disrupted.

Here’s what every IT business plan should include:

Data Recovery

“I can’t tell you how many companies still use physical prem-based solutions,” Day says. “Internet didn’t go down during COVID. You need to have a back-up.”

Team Collaboration

Perhaps the most important investment you could make, especially in a new, post-pandemic era which stressed the importance of smooth team communication.

CRM & Data Analytics

To ensure your systems are working smoothly over time and to collect actionable data on how to improve operations.

Business Accelerators

What’s the outcome, acceleration, adoption needs, etc.?

Emergency response procedures

“These procedures are vital in ensuring the plan creates a systematic and timely path towards resolution,” says Lin.

Disruption minimization initiatives

How to minimize disruption versus adding velocity to other infrastructure.

Some kind of adoption track

Consensus among stakeholders – maybe they sign off on each individual section? – and a thoughtful plan for implementation and training.

The future isn’t just a tech concern, it’s a generational one

What is a business plan if not a strategic vision for how to handle the future? In IT departments, that strategy almost always revolves around technology, but it should revolve even more around people.

For instance, there are major differences in generations regarding the validation of work and how different age groups solve problems.

There’s a growing body of evidence that says Gen Z and Millennials can be highly productive at home, but the value of work diminishes over time as they are more isolated from home. That could lead to a retention problem, Sousa says.

“When I, a baby boomer, was in grade school, the economic problem at the time was scaling industry. So solving a problem meant defining a problem, defining solutions, proving it is the best solution based on the facts. But younger folks are now taught community work is more valuable than individual work.

“They’ll bring their solution back based not only on facts, but on how many people agree with them.”

Related:  Building Thriving Workplace Cultures: A Manager’s Guide to Attract and Retain Millennial and Generation Z Talent

“We used to be concerned about bringing the office to the home; now we’re focused on bringing the home to the office. Creating spaces where we can restore a sense of community in the workplace. If we’re successful, it’ll help us restore the connection to community and the purpose of the work.”

This, he says, should be a driving factor for how to design any tech consideration.

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Automate Your Consultancy

How to write an it consulting business plan in 8 steps.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly transformed the world of IT consulting. Economic uncertainty, paired with an increased amount of freelance and small specialized consultancies, has resulted in a highly competitive environment. The good news for IT consultants is that their specific services are still in high demand. However, in an increasingly competitive landscape, it’s essential that IT consultants consolidate an in-depth business plan before launching. A well-structured plan must include growth, pay rates, expenses, marketing, equipment costs, training and qualifications, and technology. Like all businesses, you need to get started on the right foot. Here’s how!

Automation Benefits for Consultants

How to Write an IT Consulting Business Plan

Typically, business plans need to be written with banks and investors at top-of-mind, and small businesses generally need start-up funding to get up and running. When writing a business plan for your consultancy, you want to land on something in the middle.

Although consultants setting up their own business might not need much funding, it’s still essential to include in-depth financial components in your business plan – not only to clarify your business’s finances but also to help you understand your business’s potential risks and rewards.

A good business plan will combine elements of both finance and strategy. You may not necessarily need funding for capital equipment expenses or office rent, but you might need a loan to tide you over for the first few months until you have a regular cash flow. You may also decide that you want to make more of an impression by hiring office space, perhaps in a shared office environment. Or you might require funds to spend on marketing and advertising – which is particularly important in the highly competitive IT space. Whether you intend to apply for a bank loan, look for grants, or crowdfunding, it’s important your chosen method includes a solid estimation of what you need to grow strategically.

1. Identify the target market and sector analysis for your consulting businsess

A target market is the pool of customers to whom you want to sell your services, and it’s only made up of the people who are a good fit for your business. Basically, you want to figure out which fish in the ocean you will focus on catching. Establishing a target market will help you realize that you can’t market to everyone, and you shouldn’t waste your time, money, or resources trying to do so. There’s a famous marketing quote by Seth Godin, “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one”. Make sure you are speaking to the right people.

​​Take time to assess your new target market analysis while deciding on your consultancy pricing ranges. You could use the market data to adjust your consultancy price points to suit your potential customers better. You will also need to distinguish who your customers are and where to find them – in the form of target market segmentation. Once you’ve gathered all the relevant information you can about your customers, you can then make a plan to market to them.

2. Define your consulting business objectives and USP (unique selling proposition)

A USP (unique selling proposition) summarizes what makes your business unique and valuable to your target market. It answers the question: How do your business services benefit your clients better than anyone else can? A USP can provide a great deal of clarity to your business plan, defining your most important business goals in one powerful sentence. Also, be sure to outline your business objectives – specific steps you need to take to fulfill your goals.

3. Estimate and plan startup expenses and assets, including equipment

Like your business plan, estimating your startup costs is part of building a roadmap for your business . Having even a rough estimate can help you avoid unnecessary risks and stay on track during more volatile months. Consider your start-up expenses and assets. Depending on whether you are setting up a remote or in-person consulting business, you will need to take into account the expense.

Expense considerations when starting a Consulting Business

• FF & E (Furniture Fixtures and Equipment)
• Leasehold Improvements
• Initial Marketing Plan/launch
• Legal / Consulting
• Miscellaneous

4. Forecast overheads and fixed costs

Fixed costs are fairly predictable and fixed overhead costs are necessary to keep a company operating smoothly. Profit margins should reflect the costs of fixed overhead, which can include:

• Office rental
• Licenses for software and technology

5. Develop a marketing strategy and budget

Establishing a cohesive marketing strategy is an important component of launching your consulting business. This includes establishing your brand, determining your target audience, creating a professional website, investing in social media marketing, search marketing, and developing a strong professional network. Many businesses make basic mistakes when budgeting for marketing that lead to wasted money and missed opportunities, so it’s important to strategically determine your marketing spend , funding requirements, loan collateral and cost of interest.

Lenders want to understand the roadmap you have in place for your business. You’ll need to be ready to answer questions about your business model, sources of revenue, growth forecasts, and initial startup costs. They need to see that your business is viable and that you’ve thoroughly explored what it will take to start, operate and grow.

Having realistic startup costs laid out is a necessity in this case. And being able to show how you believe expenses will change or remain similar over time will give them a better idea of how you intend to manage your business.

6. Include pay rates, revenue and cash flow projections

Ignoring the books makes you susceptible to cash deficits. To prevent this from occurring, pay attention to your balance sheet , which lets you know how much you own and what you owe. On the assets side are your short-term or “current” assets  plus long-term or “fixed” assets. Also be sure to pay attention to your shareholders’ equity which represents the amount of money shareholders have invested into the business through investments and the cumulative profits you have reinvested in your business via retained earnings. Cash flow projections are another important area of finances that you will need to pay attention to. They are a great way of predicting future cash flows (and cash stagnations). With projections, you can plan ahead to avoid any future stunts in cash flow, and help you time your spending decisions.

7. Forecast sales in monthly intervals

Sales forecasts in monthly intervals will help you understand the future needs of your business – and allow you to fine-tune predictions accordingly. Monthly forecasts may come in the form of production forecasts, profit forecasts, balance sheet forecasts or sales forecasts for a 30-day period, in which you predict performance data for your business for the next month, or any future months. Services businesses can be particularly susceptible to revenue swings. The more predictable you can make your revenue the better.

8. Include growth projections and strategy

A concrete growth strategy is crucial to the future success of your consulting business. Without one, you are susceptible to the perils of a constantly changing consumer base and unpredictable market fluctuations. Execute on the following to determine your strategy:

• Choose your targeted area of growth
• Invest in, or conduct market and industry research
• Set growth goals, plan your course of action
• Determine your growth tools and requirements
• Execute on your plan

Set your consulting business up for success with a great USP, the right technology and a bulletproof business plan

With the increased acceleration of digital disruption in 2021, your IT consulting business plan should show that you are up-to-date with technological developments and digitalization. With virtually every consulting firm incorporating a digital layer in its offering , it’s essential that you weave your digital offerings into both your objectives and USP. Providing digital offerings will also bolster your chance of receiving adequate funding. Alongside a killer business plan, it’s essential that consultants also include the best digital transformation tools in their arsenal – to ensure future success. Technology like Olive, can be a vital differentiator in an often crowded market. To remain competitive, consultants must develop coping skills to deal with and adapt to the fast-evolving digital and technology market. Today’s business strategy is technology-enabled, consultants need to leverage technology to inform strategy instead of the reverse. When technology is used correctly, it can help consultants achieve their business goals and plan for future success.

For consultants, leveraging the benefits of digital transformation requires creating a strategy, getting the input of stakeholders, and deeply understanding business needs. Consultants with the right tools will deliver more with less effort and will see their clients reap the benefits. Olive aims to help consultants digitize their process and release time to build a successful business.

A tool created to help consultants manage and automate the software selection process, Olive allows IT, consultants, to streamline the technology evaluation process and facilitates agile collaboration with key stakeholders. Olive gives consultants an easy way to collect data and requirements from stakeholders. By offering end-to-end digital transformation services with Olive, you can take on more clients and capitalize on digital transformation trends.

Writing – and successfully executing a consulting business plan – is no easy feat. However, with planning, strategy, and foresight – you will have a clear advantage over less-prepared competitors. Utilizing the right automation technology alongside a strategic business plan offers a guaranteed avenue to success – and a better likelihood of building a business ready for a post-pandemic world.

Scale and Grow Your IT Consulting Business

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20 Best information Technology Business ideas for Startups

posted on 01/01/2021

Over the last twenty years or so, information technology has emerged as one of the crucial and transformative sectors in the socio-economic development for most, if not all, countries in the world.

Realizing the significance of information technology, companies use it to ensure their departments connect and operate as smoothly as possible. In contrast, government bodies use it to make all government services accessible to citizens.

Our researched article about the top 20 information technology business and job ideas for helping you start information technology-related businesses.

1. E-commerce solutions

There is a growing need for e-commerce solutions as a result of the increasing preference for online shopping. That means adding a web interface ( website ) isn’t any more optional, preferably a must for brick and mortar firms. Not just brick and mortar companies, even startups that keep on emerging daily require such services.

That being said, there is no better day other than today for launching a business that offers e-commerce solutions including SEO, enterprise resource planning software, shopping carts, order processing software, etc., to both startups and already established businesses.

2. Provide e-learning services

Electronic learning has won a defined place in most nations’ missions, and our country India isn’t either lagging. How e-learning helps is that it facilitates education-related services to schools, colleges, universities, etc., through electronic media.

One trained in the domain of electronic learning shouldn’t wait any more towards starting a business that provides e-learning services to such key target markets.

3. IT hardware services

With the use of IT becoming indispensable across all business domains and the growing complexity of computer networks, starting a hardware support services business to troubleshoot hardware failures, computer setup assistance, etc. to local banks, government bodies, and even to small companies has turned out a cashing cow opportunity in the information technology industry.

4. Web portal services

As internet and e-commerce industries are rising, a significant market slice in hotels, offline retail stores, tourist transport, etc., exists for internet portals dealing with shopping, travel and tourism, jobs, etc.

Furthermore, due to minimal seed capital and input cost requirements, this business can prove highly rewarding for those who are best at offering web portal services.

5. Graphic designing

With the emergence of hi-speed internet and the availability of great software platforms, anyone with the art of conjuring logos, brochures, packaging, etc., can also think about starting a graphic designing business. Throughout the whole world, there is a mature market for graphic designing services.

6. Internet cafe

Many think the internet cafe is a dead trade due to cheap internet packs and smartphones. That isn’t entirely true. Wherever you launch an internet cafe business, it probably can extensively work there provided you offer a good user experience.

7. Blogging

Blogging is one of the cheap yet mostly unexplored opportunities in the information technology field. It allows individuals, particularly those with strong knowledge, to make income from third-party advertisers like Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, etc., while running a blog that consistently publishes articles related to information technology.

8. Computer training

If you happen to be knowledgeable about computer hardware and software programs, then help other individuals grow their careers in the tech field by starting a computer training institute that offers job oriented computer courses and classes.

9. Computer maintenance

Not   every person who has a computer knows how to troubleshoot computer-related failures. Starting a computer maintenance business is an opportunity to generate part or full-time income while offering services to install software, repair faulty components, and troubleshoot various computer-related problems.

10. Cybercafe Assistant

If you have good knowledge of computer troubleshooting and software installation, then you have relatively great chances to be hired as an assistant by local cybercafe centers.

11. Cell Phone Technician

Become a mobile phone technician to diagnose and perform repairs on smartphones, tablets and even mobile accessories.

12. Computer Programmer 

Become a computer programmer or a software developer to design, install, diagnose and maintain software systems.

13. IT Training

Use multimedia classrooms to offer IT training courses to local businesses, schools(especially secondary ones), colleges and universities.

14. Sell Electronic Books

Publish and sell e-books to savvy book readers on Amazon and other virtual marketplaces that dominate the trade.

15. Antivirus Developer

Develop antivirus software to help people prevent, detect and remove malicious software from their computer or smartphone devices.

16. Desktop Publisher 

Become a desktop publisher and use your artwork, text, and images to create high-quality page layouts for books, brochures, newspapers, etc

17. Server Technician 

If you have got a degree in computer science, become a service technician to install, maintain and troubleshoot server systems.

18. Sell IT equipment 

Start offering and servicing of servers, computers, fax machines, and routers like IT gadgets and machines.

19. Data bundle seller

Enter into a deal with telecommunication companies to turn yourself into a data bundle and call card seller.

20. Data entry 

Data entry that involves feeding paper information into computer systems could be a perfect bet if you have exceptional keyboarding skills.

22. Tech Expos organizer 

Organize exhibitions to help info tech companies promote their goods and services as a tech expos organizer.

Communication Technology Business Plans

Administrative service business plan.

Everywhere Assistant is a new start-up virtual assistant business, offering administrative, accounting, marketing, and graphic design services to clients.

Cell Phones Retailer Business Plan

Garbles Cellular’s mission is to offer its customers the highest quality cell phone products and services.

Computer Laser Accessories Business Plan

Brilliant Points develops cutting edge laser/optical controls for computers used in large audience business presentations.

Computer Repair Business Plan

PC Repair will provide computer and technical consulting to local small businesses as well as home PC users.

Integrated Communications Business Plan

Aero Technologies, Ltd., is a start-up company that offers high-tech communications systems to businesses in Botswana.

Satellite Communications Business Plan

Blue Sky Satellite Communications is an ongoing comunications solutions and satellite service provider in Africa.

Telecom Wireless Business Plan

Cellular Providers is taking advantage of an opportunity to become a highly distinguished and recognized industry leader in the cellular communications industry.

Telecommunications Business Plan

TeleSpace, Inc. develops and markets programmable personal communications and unified messaging services for individuals and businesses.

Telecommunications Products Business Plan

OSS Telecom Technology is an established steel conglomerate which is now branching out into the telecommunications sector.

Telephone Sales Business Plan

University Telephones will offer State University students landline phones, cell phones, and cell phone plans.

Tracking Device Maker Business Plan

RQM Technologies (RQM) is a start-up company which will develop and distribute miniaturized Personal Locator Devices.

Wi-Fi Kiosks Business Plan

Stroll Net, a start-up company, will install Wi-Fi compatible, Internet access kiosks in public venues, offering customers casual walk-up anytime access to World Wide Web applications.

Wireless DataComm Business Plan

Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi specializes in the setup, delivery, marketing and maintenance of secure wireless communications (Wi-Fi) for individuals, businesses, and entire communities.

Communication technology, also known as information technology, involves any and all equipment, software, or devices that process and communicate information. It’s an ever-evolving industry, with opportunities for new businesses to enter the market with different, advanced, or alternative communications solutions. However, it can be a difficult industry to find success without a solid business plan to guide you.

Start your telecom provider, cell phone or computer retailer, or other communications company out on the right track with a sample business plan.

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

Discover the world’s #1 plan building software

ICT Business Continuity Plan Template

What is an ICT Business Continuity Plan?

An ICT (Information and communication technology) business continuity plan is an organized strategy designed to ensure that essential processes and services keep running during a disruption or incident. This plan focuses on the resilience of ICT infrastructure, data centers, and communication networks. It includes a comprehensive set of procedures for how to respond to a disruption or incident, how to protect critical information and assets, and how to restore operations and services as quickly as possible.

What's included in this ICT Business Continuity Plan template?

• 3 focus areas
• 6 objectives

Each focus area has its own objectives, projects, and KPIs to ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective.

Who is the ICT Business Continuity Plan template for?

This ICT Business Continuity Plan template is designed for ICT companies and organizations who want to develop a comprehensive plan to protect their business from disruptions or incidents. The plan will help organizations identify and prioritize their most critical operations and services, create a backup and recovery plan, and develop a disaster recovery plan.

1. Define clear examples of your focus areas

Focus areas are the major areas of your business that you want to address in your business continuity plan. For ICT businesses, these focus areas could include increasing the resilience of ICT infrastructure, improving data center availability, and increasing communication network resilience.

2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area

Objectives are the goals that you want to achieve for each focus area. For example, under the focus area of increasing the resilience of ICT infrastructure, you may have objectives such as creating a backup and recovery plan and developing a disaster recovery plan.

3. Set measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are measurable goals that help track progress towards an objective. For example, for the objective of creating a backup and recovery plan, you may set a KPI of decreasing recovery time from 72 hours to 24 hours.

4. Implement related projects to achieve the KPIs

Projects (or actions) are the steps needed to achieve the KPIs. For the example KPI above, you may need to research and develop a backup and recovery plan.

5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy

Cascade Strategy Execution Platform is the perfect tool to help businesses see faster results from their business continuity plans. It provides an easy-to-use platform to manage strategy, align teams, and track progress. Cascade helps organizations quickly and easily track progress toward their goals, so they can make sure their business continuity plans are being implemented effectively.

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FACT SHEET: President   Biden Takes Action to Protect American Workers and Businesses from China’s Unfair Trade   Practices

President Biden’s economic plan is supporting investments and creating good jobs in key sectors that are vital for America’s economic future and national security. China’s unfair trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are threatening American businesses and workers. China is also flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports. In response to China’s unfair trade practices and to counteract the resulting harms, today, President Biden is directing his Trade Representative to increase tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on $18 billion of imports from China to protect American workers and businesses.   The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda has already catalyzed more than $860 billion in business investments through smart, public incentives in industries of the future like electric vehicles (EVs), clean energy, and semiconductors. With support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act, these investments are creating new American jobs in manufacturing and clean energy and helping communities that have been left behind make a comeback.   As President Biden says, American workers and businesses can outcompete anyone—as long as they have fair competition. But for too long, China’s government has used unfair, non-market practices. China’s forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft have contributed to its control of 70, 80, and even 90 percent of global production for the critical inputs necessary for our technologies, infrastructure, energy, and health care—creating unacceptable risks to America’s supply chains and economic security. Furthermore, these same non-market policies and practices contribute to China’s growing overcapacity and export surges that threaten to significantly harm American workers, businesses, and communities.   Today’s actions to counter China’s unfair trade practices are carefully targeted at strategic sectors—the same sectors where the United States is making historic investments under President Biden to create and sustain good-paying jobs—unlike recent proposals by Congressional Republicans that would threaten jobs and raise costs across the board. The previous administration’s trade deal with China  failed  to increase American exports or boost American manufacturing as it had promised. Under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs have been created and new factory construction has doubled after both fell under the previous administration, and the trade deficit with China is the lowest in a decade—lower than any year under the last administration.   We will continue to work with our partners around the world to strengthen cooperation to address shared concerns about China’s unfair practices—rather than undermining our alliances or applying indiscriminate 10 percent tariffs that raise prices on all imports from all countries, regardless whether they are engaged in unfair trade. The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the benefits for our workers and businesses from strong alliances and a rules-based international trade system based on fair competition.   Following an in-depth review by the United States Trade Representative, President Biden is taking action to protect American workers and American companies from China’s unfair trade practices. To encourage China to eliminate its unfair trade practices regarding technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, the President is directing increases in tariffs across strategic sectors such as steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, and medical products.   Steel and Aluminum   The tariff rate on certain steel and aluminum products under Section 301 will increase from 0–7.5% to 25% in 2024.   Steel is a vital sector for the American economy, and American companies are leading the future of clean steel. Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $6 billion for 33 clean manufacturing projects including for steel and aluminum, including the first new primary aluminum smelter in four decades, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. These investments will make the United States one of the first nations in the world to convert clean hydrogen into clean steel, bolstering the U.S. steel industry’s competitiveness as the world’s cleanest major steel producer.   American workers continue to face unfair competition from China’s non-market overcapacity in steel and aluminum, which are among the world’s most carbon intensive. China’s policies and subsidies for their domestic steel and aluminum industries mean high-quality, low-emissions U.S. products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions. Today’s actions will shield the U.S. steel and aluminum industries from China’s unfair trade practices.   Semiconductors   The tariff rate on semiconductors will increase from 25% to 50% by 2025.   China’s policies in the legacy semiconductor sector have led to growing market share and rapid capacity expansion that risks driving out investment by market-driven firms. Over the next three to five years, China is expected to account for almost half of all new capacity coming online to manufacture certain legacy semiconductor wafers. During the pandemic, disruptions to the supply chain, including legacy chips, led to price spikes in a wide variety of products, including automobiles, consumer appliances, and medical devices, underscoring the risks of overreliance on a few markets.   Through the CHIPS and Science Act, President Biden is making a nearly $53 billion investment in American semiconductor manufacturing capacity, research, innovation, and workforce. This will help counteract decades of disinvestment and offshoring that has reduced the United States’ capacity to manufacture semiconductors domestically. The CHIPS and Science Act includes $39 billion in direct incentives to build, modernize, and expand semiconductor manufacturing fabrication facilities as well as a 25% investment tax credit for semiconductor companies. Raising the tariff rate on semiconductors is an important initial step to promote the sustainability of these investments.   Electric Vehicles (EVs)   The tariff rate on electric vehicles under Section 301 will increase from 25% to 100% in 2024.   With extensive subsidies and non-market practices leading to substantial risks of overcapacity, China’s exports of EVs grew by 70% from 2022 to 2023—jeopardizing productive investments elsewhere. A 100% tariff rate on EVs will protect American manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices.   This action advances President Biden’s vision of ensuring the future of the auto industry will be made in America by American workers. As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Administration is incentivizing the development of a robust EV market through business tax credits for manufacturing of batteries and production of critical minerals, consumer tax credits for EV adoption, smart standards, federal investments in EV charging infrastructure, and grants to supply EV and battery manufacturing. The increase in the tariff rate on electric vehicles will protect these investments and jobs from unfairly priced Chinese imports.   Batteries, Battery Components and Parts, and Critical Minerals   The tariff rate on lithium-ion EV batteries will increase from 7.5%% to 25% in 2024, while the tariff rate on lithium-ion non-EV batteries will increase from 7.5% to 25% in 2026. The tariff rate on battery parts will increase from 7.5% to 25% in 2024.   The tariff rate on natural graphite and permanent magnets will increase from zero to 25% in 2026. The tariff rate for certain other critical minerals will increase from zero to 25% in 2024.   Despite rapid and recent progress in U.S. onshoring, China currently controls over 80 percent of certain segments of the EV battery supply chain, particularly upstream nodes such as critical minerals mining, processing, and refining. Concentration of critical minerals mining and refining capacity in China leaves our supply chains vulnerable and our national security and clean energy goals at risk. In order to improve U.S. and global resiliency in these supply chains, President Biden has invested across the U.S. battery supply chain to build a sufficient domestic industrial base. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Defense Production Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested nearly $20 billion in grants and loans to expand domestic production capacity of advanced batteries and battery materials. The Inflation Reduction Act also contains manufacturing tax credits to incentivize investment in battery and battery material production in the United States. The President has also established the American Battery Materials Initiative, which will mobilize an all-of-government approach to secure a dependable, robust supply chain for batteries and their inputs.   Solar Cells   The tariff rate on solar cells (whether or not assembled into modules) will increase from 25% to 50% in 2024.   The tariff increase will protect against China’s policy-driven overcapacity that depresses prices and inhibits the development of solar capacity outside of China. China has used unfair practices to dominate upwards of 80 to 90% of certain parts of the global solar supply chain, and is trying to maintain that status quo. Chinese policies and nonmarket practices are flooding global markets with artificially cheap solar modules and panels, undermining investment in solar manufacturing outside of China.   The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in the U.S. solar supply chain, building on early U.S. government-enabled research and development that helped create solar cell technologies. The Inflation Reduction Act provides supply-side tax incentives for solar components, including polysilicon, wafers, cells, modules, and backsheet material, as well as tax credits and grant and loan programs supporting deployment of utility-scale and residential solar energy projects. As a result of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, solar manufacturers have already announced nearly $17 billion in planned investment under his Administration—an 8-fold increase in U.S. manufacturing capacity, enough to supply panels for millions of homes each year by 2030.   Ship-to-Shore Cranes   The tariff rate on ship-to-shore cranes will increase from 0% to 25% in 2024.   The Administration continues to deliver for the American people by rebuilding the United States’ industrial capacity to produce port cranes with trusted partners. A 25% tariff rate on ship-to-shore cranes will help protect U.S. manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices that have led to excessive concentration in the market. Port cranes are essential pieces of infrastructure that enable the continuous movement and flow of critical goods to, from, and within the United States, and the Administration is taking action to mitigate risks that could disrupt American supply chains. This action also builds off of ongoing work to invest in U.S. port infrastructure through the President’s Investing in America Agenda. This port security initiative includes bringing port crane manufacturing capabilities back to the United States to support U.S. supply chain security and encourages ports across the country and around the world to use trusted vendors when sourcing cranes or other heavy equipment.   Medical Products   The tariff rates on syringes and needles will increase from 0% to 50% in 2024. For certain personal protective equipment (PPE), including certain respirators and face masks, the tariff rates will increase from 0–7.5% to 25% in 2024. Tariffs on rubber medical and surgical gloves will increase from 7.5% to 25% in 2026.   These tariff rate increases will help support and sustain a strong domestic industrial base for medical supplies that were essential to the COVID-19 pandemic response, and continue to be used daily in every hospital across the country to deliver essential care. The federal government and the private sector have made substantial investments to build domestic manufacturing for these and other medical products to ensure American health care workers and patients have access to critical medical products when they need them. American businesses are now struggling to compete with underpriced Chinese-made supplies dumped on the market, sometimes of such poor quality that they may raise safety concerns for health care workers and patients.   Today’s announcement reflects President Biden’s commitment to always have the back of American workers. When faced with anticompetitive, unfair practices from abroad, the President will deploy any and all tools necessary to protect American workers and industry.  

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Star of BBC thriller returning for season 2 after 8-year hiatus is being ‘replaced’

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The Night Manager fans are in a state of ecstasy after the BBC finally announced its return to our screens after an eight-year absence, but one star is reportedly being replaced.

Last month, the broadcaster confirmed it had commissioned not one but two new series of the blockbuster crime drama.

Loki actor Tom Hiddleston , 43, will be reprising his role as Jonathan Pine, while Hugh Laurie is serving as executive producer, but it’s now been claimed The Crown ’s Elizabeth Debicki will not be returning.

Instead, the 33-year-old is said to be replaced by 26-year-old model Camila Morrone – a former girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio.

An insider said: ‘While many of the big names involved in the first series will be returning for the second, Camila is a sensational new addition.

‘Tom is now eight years older than he was when he first played the leading man in The Night Manager but Camila is the same age that Elizabeth was when she first appeared on the show in 2016.

‘She is 17 years younger than the show’s star.’

They went on to The Sun : ‘Of course, bosses could have opted for an actress who was now in their 30s or 40s but — much like DiCaprio — they seem to prefer a younger model.’

The Titanic actor reportedly dated Camila from 2017, before she went on to star in hit series Daisy Jones & The Six.

Other cast members have not been confirmed for The Night Manager’s return but the first season starred the likes of The White Lotus’ Tom Hollander , David Harewood and Olivia Colman .

The BBC is also keeping quiet on the plot but teased the show will pick up with Jonathan Pine eight years after the explosive finale of season one.

Fans on X were losing their minds over the prospect of more Night Manager when it was announced last month, with Alex exclaiming: ‘Finally took them long enough.’

Echoing Alex’s sentiment, Giovanni Lago squealed: ‘I’ve been waiting years for this. The first season of The Night Manager is exceptional television.’

Simon Ward added: ‘Wow, The Night Manager is coming back for two more series with Tom Hiddleston. It’s a co-production with BBC and Prime Video. Georgi Banks-Davies (I Hate Suzie, Paper Girls) will direct all six episodes of series two.’

Their enthusiasm was shared by lead actor Tom who described the show as ‘one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on.’

He continued: ‘The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect.

‘I’m so looking forward to reuniting with Simon and Stephen Cornwell, David Farr and  Stephen Garrett, and to working with Georgi Banks-Davies to tell the next chapter of our story. I can’t wait.’

The Night Manager is based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, the author behind espionage dramas such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

Season on followed Pine, the night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo and former British soldier, who is recruited by the British Intelligence Service to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).

The first series of The Night Manager won multiple Baftas, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globes – including Best Actor for Tom Hiddleston.

In the UK it was watched by more than 10 million viewers, making it one of 2016’s most-watched TV shows.

Metro.co.uk has approached the BBC and Camila’s reps for comment.

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The Night Manager is returning to BBC One and iPlayer.

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Late Night With ‘Hacks’: We Join Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, And Co On The Vegas Set As Season 3 Reaches Its Finale

It is three o’clock in the morning at a blackjack table inside Las Vegas’s sprawling Caesar’s Palace casino. A woman in town on business has just turned a $150 bankroll into $800, and she moves to retire to the nearby bar to buy her work family, whose fortunes at the same table have varied, a drink.

“I swear I barely know how to play,” she tells them. “But I do know the most important thing is to leave the table before your luck runs out.”

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I follow Smart to the bar — the least I can do is claim a cocktail or two to drown my sorrows — and begin to wonder if her advice was on the level. She was, after all, sat in the upstream position, very aware of the cards she needed to see from the dealer after I’d busted out.

Still, spirits are high on this first big night out in Vegas for the team behind Hacks , which includes showrunners and creators Lucia Aniello , Jen Statsky , and Paul W. Downs , and actors Hannah Einbinder and Mark Indelicato. And such is the warmth shown to the show’s mother hen, Smart, that I reluctantly decide that getting hustled by an acting icon is probably worth it, if only for the experience of it.

Probably worth it.

For three seasons now, Hacks has followed the travails of stand-up comic Deborah Vance, who we met as she attempted to spice up her material for her long-standing Vegas residency. The show debuted on HBO Max — now just Max — in 2021 and has spent much of its runtime on the Strip, or Strip-adjacent.

But Hollywood is an industry built by magicians and charlatans, so it should come as no surprise that the principal cast and crew have spent very little time here. Hacks primarily shoots further west, in Los Angeles. In fact, this is Smart’s first trip to Sin City for the show, and these three days mark the longest stretch the Hacks team has spent on location in this grown-up Disneyland.

The Hacks team is gathered outside a gaudy recreation of Rome’s Trevi fountain, right on the edge of the Strip. In Rome, the fountain spills out of the gorgeous 16 th Century Palazzo Poli. Here in Vegas, it leads from an ever-gaudier shopping mall, which is what Deborah is here to sell. The layers of artifice run deep — afront the fake fountain, a fake film crew preps to shoot an ad for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. A real film crew is set up to shoot them , but even they’re getting confused about which piece of lighting kit belongs to them and which is a prop for the scene.

At the center of all this chaos, Aniello, Statsky, and Downs seem remarkably relaxed. Downs has the added complication of starring in the scene too, in his role as Deborah’s long-suffering manager Jimmy. Megan Stalter, as Jimmy’s assistant-cum-special project Kayla, readies a parasol for Vance. Aniello, directing, pauses briefly to decide whether to wait for the crowd noise from the Strip, or the airplanes taking off from the nearby LAS airport, or the many party buses driving past blaring obnoxious 2000s dance ‘classics’. She rolls her eyes and determines to press ahead regardless. Then, Statsky has an idea for the scene. The trio huddle.

It is at that point that a mess of sequins sparkle against the sidewalk, preceding a woman with a tall beehive hairdo, who steps in front of the fountain clutching multiple bags of high-end designer goods. Deborah has arrived.

It has taken a long time for the cast and crew to reach this moment. “And part of that was my fault,” Smart tells me self-deprecatingly, referring to the season’s first significant pause in production, on February 14 2023, when Smart went in for what she later described as a successful heart procedure. She announced the news on Instagram, a little under two years after her beloved husband, actor Richard Gilliland, had passed away suddenly following heart complications. “Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor,” Smart wrote. “I’m very glad I did.”

It was a major surgery, Smart says, and her path to recovery took many weeks, but her colleagues on the show didn’t hesitate to give her the time she needed. Indeed, says Downs, “Most crew people, because it’s gig work, would move on to other jobs, but everybody waited because they love Jean and wanted to come back with her to this show.”

It has been this way for the Hacks cast and crew throughout its run to date, and on set, it’s clear to see the bonds that have been formed through years of collaboration. Downs, along with his fellow showrunners Aniello (who also directs) and Statsky, have fostered that environment from the start. Season 3 alone will have taken them nearly two years from start to finish, with the first words hitting the page in the spring of 2022, and post-production set to continue until right up to the show’s premiere date. At this point, “I feel like we’ve been 16-months pregnant,” laughs Aniello. “The baby’s baked and ready to go.”

“It’s an overwhelming sense of wanting the world to see it now,” says Statsky, with the finish line   in sight.

Further complicating matters for Hacks Season 3 were the two industry strikes of last year. The show would reschedule production for May 1, nine weeks after stopping for Smart’s procedure and recovery, and then shoot for a day before the Writers Guild of America announced its intention to strike beginning May 2. Hacks was one of the first shows in production to announce a complete halt, citing the need for the writing team to be on set as scenes come together.

“We wouldn’t want to make the show that way,” says Aniello. “You wouldn’t want to find some kind of loophole that allows you to keep making something, especially if you’re making a worse version of it.”

Downs says bosses were supportive of their decision. “When we told HBO that we didn’t think we could make the show the way we want to make it, they really understood. I don’t think every show had that luxury. Some people faced a lot of pressure.”

The message was heard, though, by the wider industry, and the Hacks team were grateful that the impact of their decision, and HBO’s amenability, helped other creative teams struggling to make their own cases to down tools. “It was a line in the sand,” says Statsky.

Though the writers’ strike came to an end in late September, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike delayed production further, with the cast and crew gathering again, finally, in December.

“What’s good about the show is that when we’re not making it, we’re usually talking about the fact that we made it, so we tend to get to be together and live in the reality of doing the show,” says Hannah Einbinder, who plays Deborah’s co-writer Ava, the Gen Z foil to Vance’s dated wit. “It sucks not to see the crew who make it every day when we’re not in production, but the show never feels far away. It does make me sad, because I wish this was my job forever, a little bit. I do prefer to be doing it than not doing it.”

It’s about 10 p.m. in Vegas before production retires for the night, and Smart, Einbinder, and the creative trio hit The Palm restaurant in the gaudy mall for dinner. Call time was 9:30 a.m., and everyone is exhausted — not least this reporter, who is blaming jetlag for his lack of stamina. But when Smart sweeps in, it’s like an injection of fresh energy. She’s already gearing up for our session at the blackjack table later, discussing the strategy she claims she’s heard about but never practiced (whatever you say, Jean).

Later, Downs will tell me that Smart brings this same energy to the set every day. “She works nonstop. She works so hard. She never phones it in.” Smart means it when she describes this cast and crew as her family. “After her surgery, she wanted to come back two weeks later, and her doctors were like, ‘Absolutely not’,” says Downs. “When she was deciding to go in for the surgery, she said, ‘But I don’t want to shut down the show.’ I happened to be with her in the hospital in that moment, and I said, ‘Jean, worry about your health only in this moment.’”

“It’s just the most wonderful work environment to be a part of,” Smart says, placing the credit for her fervor firmly at the feet of her collaborators. “I was talking to a young man who just worked on the show for a day. He might have been one of the caddies when we play golf this season. But we were sitting around, and he said this was the most welcoming set he’d ever been on, and it’s true. If they hadn’t created that environment, I just couldn’t imagine being able to do it. I would shrivel up.”

Smart remembers the Frasier set having a similar energy. It was her guest role on that show that brought her the first two of those five Emmys (the most recent two are for Hacks ). But she’s also the only one who won’t credit herself for fostering it. When Einbinder was auditioning to play Ava, the team had narrowed the field to three actresses who would screen test with Smart. She remembers receiving a call from Smart the night before, reassuring her that she would be supportive, and that Einbinder needn’t be nervous.

“Everyone always talks about building chemistry,” says Einbinder now. “‘How did you build the chemistry between you?’ But we didn’t build anything. It was there from day one.”

“I feel like Jean and I started to spend time with one another every day when there was a lot of life happening for both of us,” adds Einbinder. “We leaned on each other pretty early on. Of course, we laugh together, which is a great bonding force, but so much life has happened since we got to know each other. She’s been through so much, and I’ve been through so much. She has allowed me to be there for her, and that has felt like an honor.”

Einbinder, who is currently in post-production on her stand-up comedy special for Max, is never shy to count the blessings Hacks has brought her. “This show has made every other opportunity in my life possible,” she says. “I was a feature act for other comedians when I got cast, and it instantly made it possible for me to headline and sell tickets.”

“I told her I want 5%,” cackles Smart with a devilish glint.

When they first pitched Hacks to networks around town, the creative trio imagined a five-season arc, and even described the very final scene of the series in every pitch meeting they took — all except one, with Max’s comedy chief Suzanna Makkos, who would wind up buying the show. “It’s a really interesting thing,” says Downs, “because all of the networks knew the end of the show, and Suzanna cut us off before we got there and said, ‘I get the show, it’s bought, we don’t need to keep doing this.’”

“She’s the only one who doesn’t know how it ends,” laughs Statsky.

But neither do Smart and Einbinder, who both say they don’t want to know just yet. “They said they had five seasons of this in their heads, but that was it,” says Smart of her first meeting with the team. “Well, then it was five… it might be different now.”

“That’s still our plan,” says Aniello. “We started pitching the show in 2019, but we’ve been thinking about it since 2015, so we’ve had a great time to plot out and talk about where we wanted the show to go.”

“Yeah,” says Statsky, laughing, “But I’m in some debt, so…”

“Our fortunes at the blackjack table tonight might dictate the future of the show,” jokes Smart.

The show’s third season picks up the action about a year after we last saw Deborah and Ava. And the cast list alone was a relief for Einbinder, who remembers the moment she read the finale of Hacks ’ second season, in which Deborah cuts Ava loose and instructs her to pursue her own dreams as a writer. “I had no idea what was going to happen at the end of the season,” Einbinder laughs, recalling the memory. “So, I read this last script and I just started crying. I called Jen, Paul, and Lucia, and I said, ‘Am I fired?! Are you writing me off the show?’”

Of course, they quickly reassured her that wasn’t the case. “They didn’t know just how low my self-esteem was,” chuckles Einbinder, as Smart gives her a hug. She says she has since learned more about the show’s trajectory.

Part of that five-season plan was always going to factor in a return to the topic raised in the show’s pilot. Sometime in the past, Deborah had shot a pilot for a late-night television show, a job she had coveted from the start of her career. But it was never picked up, and Deborah had done her best to forget it had happened until Ava unearthed the tape in her voluminous archive.

In Season 3, late-night comes back. “It has been a lynchpin of the whole series in a way,” says Downs. “As we were writing the season, Chelsea Handler went on a campaign to take over from Trevor Noah, and it was still being talked about while we were making the show.”

Hacks has obsessed itself with poking at these industry hypocrisies, particularly when it comes to the roles women are forced to play. Deborah is one of the rare survivors; a woman whose career has ebbed and flowed, but who has lasted for decades in one guise or another. And yet, we first met her at the financial zenith and creative nadir of any performer’s career: a Vegas residency. Sure, Deborah’s mansion could comfortably house a small country, but the person we come to know is far from the entertainment industry overachiever we’re frequently convinced someone of her stature must be. Deborah’s victories have been hard-fought. She has been treading water her entire career, and she can’t admit to herself that she is exhausted from the effort, because to do so would be to lose everything she has built.

For Ava, too, this pressure is ever-present. Cancelled for tweeting an off-color joke, the promising career she felt she had ahead was snatched away from her before it had even begun. Writing jokes for a hack comedian — and one who has made her stock-in-trade a mean-spirited version of her comedic faux-pas, no less — is Ava’s own creative nadir. Watching the ruthlessness with which Deborah fights for her place on the stage revolts Ava. But though she couches her own fight in self-righteousness, the two are not so dissimilar. Both are forced, constantly, to become ever more wicked versions of themselves to keep afloat. Deborah is just years further down the road of making her peace with that.

“We’ve always said this show is a redemption story for them both,” says Aniello. “And that redemption takes a while, because of where we find them in the beginning; both outcasts of the entertainment industry.”

Season 3, then, will end on a higher note than the two that preceded it. “Finally,” adds Aniello, “we’ve given Deborah her white whale.” But though it might end well, things are never quite all well; Deborah has harpooned the beast, but she will have to hold onto it as it thrashes. “And that’s not something we feel like we’re ready to resolve in a single season,” hence another two seasons ahead.

“It’s giving her what she wanted for so long, but at what cost?” asks Statsky. The sting in the tail of Season 3 is that Deborah cuts Ava loose again the second she fears that fighting for her might jeopardize that prize. That’s a line too far for Ava, who has spent three years now struggling for her place at Deborah’s side.

“What we’re setting up is that Deborah is now on the biggest stage of her career,” says Statsky. “She’s got this huge gig that she now has to make work, because it’s what she’s wanted more than anything. But now she’s at odds with her closest collaborator — and closest friend, to be honest — because she has betrayed her.”

In perhaps the most electric of the season’s many charged scenes, Ava will punch back. When Deborah decides to maintain the status quo by not replacing the show’s head writer with Ava, Ava will take a leaf out of Deborah’s playbook. “Much to Deborah’s dismay,” notes Smart, “Ava has learned the lessons she taught her a little too well.”

It’s a mark of a show that has firmly ensconced itself into the creative consciousness that big name guest stars start lining up for their chance to join in. Hacks has always had an impressive roster, but Season 3 ups the ante by several notches. Among the names on the call sheet this season: Helen Hunt (“who out-Deborahs Deborah,” notes Smart), Christopher Lloyd, and J. Smith Cameron, to name just three. Even that Las Vegas mainstay Carrot Top graces the set with his presence.

“When I’m coming to work and I’m opposite Jean, I’m always coming to play,” says Einbinder. “But I definitely feel like I gotta have nerves when the big dogs come to play. All these people come in who are so iconic, and suddenly, they’re just sitting there, knitting at their chair between scenes. Everybody slots right into the environment that Paul, Jen, and Lucia built.”

J. Smith Cameron plays Deborah’s estranged sister, Kathy, and must surely be on every voters’ Guest Star ballots by now. “I’ve admired her for so long,” says Smart. “For her to come onto the show after Deborah has been talking about her horrible sister for two seasons, and then to play that person who turns out to be very sweet… She was wonderful. We have a similar approach to our work, and we had a great time together. We’re already conspiring to do a play together.”

The scenes between Deborah and Kathy hit with the kind of familial truths that have percolated the show since its premiere. Hacks is, at its most fundamental level, an uproarious comedy. That has always been the first intent of this creative team. But as a study of human nature, especially within the confines of this business of show, its third season has been particularly adept at getting to the root of what drives us. Many of this show’s characters feel like archetypes in the broadest terms, but especially this season, those archetypes have been dismantled.

In the main cast, as well as Ava and Deborah, there is Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), the fan-turned-business manager who has been forced this season to clear some more of the fanatical shine he has lathered on Deborah for so many years. There is Kayla, the nepo baby assistant who is so unaware of her blind spots that she can’t even detect when she’s being competent. And Jimmy, her boss, who has been forced to take her along for the ride because, deep down, he’s aware of his own easy walk into his career.

Jimmy and Kayla have a particularly touching moment in the season’s finale, details of which I again must skirt. “You get to understand more about where Kayla is coming from and how she became the person she is,” hints Downs. “I think we’ve really tried, with every member of our ensemble, to deepen our understanding of what their journeys are, and what they really want.”

The moment of catharsis for Jimmy and Kayla is somehow both hilarious and touching in equal measure. “It’s such strong comedy from Paul and Meg,” says Statsky. “But it’s also so sweet. It’s a testament to them as actors, that they’re able to do both in a single scene. The hardest thing to do in comedy is to elicit true empathy while being so funny. It’s a high-wire act that they both perform beautifully.”

Though I don’t witness this particular moment on set, it becomes clear very quickly that the script is a jumping off point. Take after take, this creative team finds new veins to mine. Ideas don’t just float between Aniello, Statsky and Downs; they come from everybody, and if they’re funnier than what’s on paper, they get shot.

“What’s great is that I’ve been involved in the editing, I’ve directed, and I’ve written on the show,” says Downs, “so as an actor, I feel very free to be able to live each scene on the day, and to change things. There isn’t a huge amount of improvising, to be honest with you, because we move so quickly. We shoot a lot of pages in a day. You have to be disciplined about how you change things and be really, really prepared. But having such a great scene partner like Meg, we’re able to bounce off of each other.”

Downs is right; improvisation is not the right word for it. Particularly on the bonus features of Adam McKay movies, we can see that process, as some of the funniest actors around riff altenative lines for minutes at a time, trying ceaselessly to say the right zany thing. On Hacks , alt lines are written into the script multiple times an episode. This feels almost like an invitation on the day of the shoot, to keep things open to possibility. But the luxury of throwing mud against the wall until something sticks doesn’t compute when there’s only a few short months to bank nine episodes. Changes must be more precise; and they must be earned instead of indulged.

In the scene outside Caesar’s, I witness how this is realized. The underlying gag of the scene is so subtle that it isn’t immediately apparent: the first AD on this commercial introduces himself to Deborah at the start of the scene. They roll a take on her, she yells, “Shopping!”, holding her designer bags aloft. And then the director calls cut and the same first AD announces, “That’s a wrap on Deborah Vance.” All of this production value, at one of the busiest spots on the Strip, to capture one word in a single take. We’re left to wonder just how sizable the check was that brought Deborah to this set.

The scene, as written, calls for Deborah to smile at the applause that greets her wrap announcement, curtsey theatrically, and then move to her car. At some point, the suggestion becomes: what if Deborah completely ignores the plaudits, drops the bags to the curb, and wanders off oblivious and disinterested? All of a sudden, the scene has the punch it needs.

“Sometimes, it’s only when you get something up on its feet that you realize something’s slightly off,” says Aniello. “It doesn’t feel quite right. And so, we’ll huddle together and figure out a solve. Sometimes those moments are so intense, like you’re on a game show and you have two seconds to find the answer, but the more we’ve done it, the better we get at it, and at this point, it’s like we have a gut feeling as to what our characters would do in any given moment.”

“We live for the tiny things,” adds Downs. “The tiny tweaks that you almost can’t describe, and sometimes that’s because it’s not even that something doesn’t work to begin with. It’s just like, ‘How can I tickle it a little more?’”

After a long season with many unfortunate, unavoidable gaps in production, it seemed fitting to Smart that filming should end with a proper trip to the Entertainment Capital of the World. “It was so perfect that we were wrapping up that long, long season in Vegas,” she says. “It was a chance for our entire cast and crew to party together, and overindulge slightly, and it was a real shot in the arm at the end of the season.”

Months later, I discover my six dollars’ worth of chips buried at the bottom of my luggage. “Level with me,” I ask Smart when we reconnect. “You hustled me at that blackjack table, didn’t you?”

There is that cackle again; Smart’s riotous laugh that she has gifted to Deborah Vance. At once wicked and delightful, it deserves its own place in television’s hall of fame. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that ,” she demurs. “I was only trying to help.”

The trouble is, I believe her. She really has earned every single one of those Emmys.

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