1) Table of Contents

2) Executive Summary: The summary includes introduction, products and services description, marketing and
sales among others
3) Company Overview: this includes
Mission Statement
History and Current Status
Markets and Products
Objectives
Keys to success
Cost summary
4) Product description: Where I described the catfish products including the size, weight etc.
5) Industry and Market Analysis
Introduction
Industry analysis
Market analysis
Customer analysis
Competitor analysis
SWOT Analysis
6) Marketing Strategy
Target Market Strategy
Product/Service Strategy
Pricing Strategy
Distribution Strategy
Advertising and Promotion Strategy
Sales Strategy
Marketing and sales Forecasts
7) Operations
Operations Strategy
Scope of Operations
Operating Expenses
8) Development
Development Strategy
Development Timeline
Development Expenses
9) Management
Company Organization
Management Team
Administrative Expenses
10) Summary of Financials
Financial Assumptions
Financial Forecasts
Projected Cash Flow
Income statement
iii. Balance sheet
Profit and loss
Profit Margin, chart etc
Financial Risks
11) Appendices
Support for Product/Service Description (e.g., diagrams, pictures, etc.)
Support for Marketing and Sales Plan
Support for Development Plan
Support for Operations Plan
Resumes of Management Team
Financial Statements
Income Statement [3 years]
Balance Sheets [3 years]
Cash Flow Statements [3 years]
Ratio Analysis [3 years]
Other supporting financial statements
Sample Business Plan/Feasibility Study On How To
Start A Catfish Farming Business

Step 1:
With $500 to $750 (100,000 to 150,000 Naira), you can setup a 10ft X
10ft earth fish pond with a mild depth of about 4ft to 6ft. This
constructed dimension would be able to hold about 1,000 grown fishes.
You can also construct a concrete pond, use a plastic tank, or a drum
pond.
Step 2:
Before you start stocking your fishes, you need to disinfect your pond
with an anti-fungi and an anti-bacteria. You should also balance your
fish ponds organic and ion concentration by fertilization with banana
leaves or poultry dungs.
Step 3:
You need to purchase fingerlings and juveniles for your fish pond.
Fingerlings usually dont cost above 20 Naira per each, and Juveniles
usually dont cost above 40 Naira per each. An economic recession and
other vices can fluctuate the prices of these fingerlings.
Step 4:
Your have to feed your fishes once or twice a day. Feeding carries the
bulk of the operating cost. Catfishes in hatcheries are to be fed meals
that are properly ground, or feeds that that are flour-like, and contain
45 to 50 percent of protein. Small floating pellets ( about 1/8 inch
diameter) containing about 35 percent of protein should be fed to
larger fingerlings. Floating feed of approximately 5/32 3/16 inch in
diameter containing about 28 to 32 percent of protein should be fed to
advanced fingerlings (which are about 5 to 6 inches long). Proper
feeding intervals can get the fishes to weigh as much as 1.5kg after
five months of adequate care.
Feeding the catfishes is generally about 60% of your entire farm costs.
Most of these catfish feeds are imported into Nigeria and cost an
average of 5,500 Naira per bag 15kg bag. The way the meals are fed
to catfishes have to be carefully executed because 700 two months old
fishes can finish a 15kg feed bag in just 10 days! This high cost of
catfish feed can greatly affect your profitability.
Another alternative is to source locally made fish feeds. These usually
cost about 3,500 Naira per 15kg bag. With fewer individuals producing
locally made catfish feed, finding and gaining access to these can pose
a big challenge.
You have to feed your fishes in such a way that they you dont pollute
the water. This can be achieved by practising spot fishing. You
shouldnt also change the water immediately after feeding, to avoid the
fishes vomiting their meals. And you should constantly apply
supplements like Livestovit and Aquapro to protect your fishes from
diseases.
Step 5:
As your fishes grow, you need to constantly sort them to avoid larger
fishes feeding on the smaller ones. This is best done by putting fishes
of the same size inside a pond together to reduce their cannibalistic
instincts. This doesnt just ensure a bulk survival, but also ensures
adequate growth and development because, they can equally compete
for food, water, and space.
Step 6:
Change the ponds water on a regular basis to improve the fishes
longevity, and reduce the chances of diseases springing up on your fish
farm. Clean water should be used to replace the existing water every 2
to 3 days. Without proper water management, most of your fishes
wouldnt alive to maturity.
Step 7:
With the cost of catfishes at about 500 Naira per kilogram in Lagos,
650 Naira per kilogram in Makurdi, and 750 Naira per kilogram in Abuja,
Nigeria, you need to do a really good market feasibility study to
understand the type of buyers thatd most likely patronise your own
fish farm. Ideally, this should be the very first thing you do before even
starting a fish farm, but assuming youve already done this, contact
potentially identified buyers, and offer to sell your fishes to them on
more favourable terms. Make sure your buyers are aware of your
fishery products about 2 months before theyre fully grown, to increase
your chances of selling out most of your merchandise quickly.
The ultimate goal of every fish farmer is to grow their fishes to achieve
a body weight of 1kg within the shortest possible time. If this is
managed and done right, the fishes can achieve this size in four to six
months.

The Risks And Challenges Of Fish Farming

1). Poor Farm Site:

A poor fish farm location can impact negatively on the farms full
potential for growth. Due to its difficult inaccessibility to a city area,
sales may slow down drastically for the farm owner.
2). Poor Pond Planning And Design:
A poorly planned fish farm can lead to leakages, disorganisation, and
several other factors that eventually pile up unwanted expenses.
3). Poor Market Survey:
Without doing a proper feasibility study of the fish farming business by
estimating the size of your potential market, cost of farm products, and
a lot more, you could be headed for failure, or a major loss from the
onset.
4). Little To No Experience:
An ardent lack of experience can lead you to waste your entire
investment on your fish farm.
5). Competition From Fisher Men:
With lower costs of fishes being sold by fisher men, the revenues your
fish farm generates could be negatively impacted.