Empress Transportation, LLC

BUSINESS PLAN

Contact: Brenda Washington

Email: bwashington@empresstransportation.com

Phone: 404-437-0468

Address: 8202 Camphill Court, Fairburn, GA 30213

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“Empress Transportation provides

comfortable van transportation to Georgia

prison institutions for visitation of family

and loved ones.”

MISSION

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1.0 Executive Summary (4)

1.1 Introduction (4)

1.2 Objectives (5)

1.3 Keys to Success (5)

1.4 Company Summary (5)

1.5 Company Ownership (5)

1.6 Products and Services (5)

2.0 Starting Up Summary (6)

2.1 State Prison map of Georgia (7 & 8)

2.2 Vehicles (9)

2.3 Marketing (9)

2.4 Personnel (9)

3.0 Strategy & Analysis Summary (10)

3.1 Marketing Strategy (10)

3.2 Service Business Analysis (10)

3.3 Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses,

and Threats Analysis (11)

4.0 Financial Summary (12)

4.1 Pro Forma Profit and Loss Statement (12)

4.2 Company Milestones (12)

4.3 Financial Assumptions Summary (13)

5.0 Exiting Strategies (14 & 15)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

There are over 30 state prisons spread across the southern state of Georgia, and within each, hundreds of inmates with limited visitation rights, are eager to see the faces and hear the voices of loved ones. For many imprisoned, Saturdays and Sundays hold them together through a long week of loneliness, with no way of checking on their children or ensuring their spouses and parents are doing well. In the northern states, such as New York and New Jersey, public transportation is a benefit easily taken for granted. However, in Georgia, where public transportation is restricted mainly to metropolitan Atlanta, family members and loved ones without the transportation means of traveling to the outstretched rural locations of state prisons are living on hope and prayers to exercise their

visitation rights.

Brenda Washington has been in law enforcement for the past fifteen years and witnessed first-hand the negative impact on inmates who were forced to rely only upon brief phone calls. Spirits are low. Tempers raging. Depression sets in at an all-time high. Brenda felt compelled to bring a method of relief to Georgia, hence the founding of Empress Transportation, LLC. Within a few months, the van shuttle service based in Atlanta will be up and running with the primary function of driving individuals without their own means of transportation to the many prison institutions in the state.

While the government has issued a plethora of excuses on why public transportation in Georgia remains minimum to none, it is perplexing as to why entrepreneurs haven’t taken this niche service and exploded the market with various shuttle services. To-date, Empress Transportation has only a handful of competitors, and even those focus primarily on metro Atlanta youth and state prison facilities, instead of venturing far south—to the cities of Albany and Valdosta for example—as Empress Transportation intends to do. Every weekend of the year, their vehicles will board pre-booked passengers at a public easily accessed location throughout Atlanta, and after announcing all safety policies, will commence its route, stopping at pre-destined institutions throughout its journey. In order to make this happen, the funding required to efficiently jumpstart this business is $75,000 for the purpose of purchasing equipment and funding operating necessities for the first three months. This one-time investment will benefit any investor due to a proposed accelerated repayment method and profit sharing on the back-end. Initiating with four buses capable of transporting fifteen passengers each, Empress Transportation will generate over $300,000 in revenue the first year and over $315,000 in all subsequent years. The new establishment is also expected to generate a net profit of 30-35% consistently each year.

The star concept behind the Empress Transportation company is to provide a safe and affordable service to a high-demand need to the metro-Atlanta community. Brenda will hire friendly, competent, commercial licensed drivers and ensure that her buses remain clean, safe, and comfortable for any age. Over the years, Brenda plans to expand the business through its gained profits in order to dispatch additional routes until Atlanta civilians can travel throughout all of Georgia knowing they can depend upon Empress Transportation to get them to their loved one.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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OBJECTIVES

Empress Transportation, LLC has established the

following goals for success with the new company:

1. Achieve full capacity of four vans within the first

three months of operation that are capable of shuttling fifteen passengers.

2. Achieve service revenue of $300,000 minimum in

the first year, and maintain revenue of $320,000

or greater in the following three years.

3. Maintaining a minimum net profit of 15%.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Professional Drivers and Transportation

Any vehicle that will be transporting up to 15

passengers requires its driver to possess a

Commercial Driver's License (CDL) rather than a

Chauffeured Limousine Services driver’s license, a

background check showing no felonies, less than (2) driving violations within the last three years, and

zero DUIs. All purchased vehicles must be well-

maintained with appropriate mileage, any warranties,

interior safety features within regulation, and overall

interior comfort.

Disciplined Route Dispatches

Prison institutions adhere to a strict visitation policy.

Because intended destinations will be approximately

three to four hours away from the Atlanta area, all

routes must include direct departing and arriving schedules. Many passengers will be dropped off and

given specific pick-up hours. Therefore all routes

must allow for deviations such as traffic, restroom

stops, police enforcer pullovers, and weather

conditions.

Reputation

Empress Transportation owner, Brenda Washington,

has a strong reputation for being ethical, honest, and

direct and wants her business to reflect a superior

personal service. Her business expects its drivers, as well as customers, to abide by all prison institution

visitation policies and procedures. She wants her

customers to rely on her company to get them to

their destination in a timely and comfortable manner,

with stable and affordable pricing.

COMPANY SUMMARY

Empress Transportation will be a Monday—Sunday

operating company that caters to all demographics of

clients without reliable transportation in the metro-

Atlanta area of Georgia. Brenda will initially be in charge of all hiring and training, purchasing, and

dispatching. She will hire an administrator

to manage all of the pre-paid tickets in addition to

providing customer service. Empress Transportation

will also hire a minimum of four part-time commercial-licensed drivers who will operate on a

hourly-rate compensation basis. Brenda will invest

time and money into training the drivers to ensure

they understand safety regulations and observe the

company’s ethical and friendly standards so that all

passengers receive the best experience possible, making it easier to turn them into long-term

customers.

COMPANY OWNERSHIP

Empress Transportation will appropriately split ownership between Brenda and her investors if they are involved. If there are no investors, Brenda will possess 100% owner-ship and the company will be founded as a Limited Liability

Corporation in the State of Georgia.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Empress Transportation is a full-service shuttle business that will provide organized routes for passengers from the Atlanta area to specific prison institutions throughout Georgia. During the weekdays, the vans will be chartered out on a rental and as-needed basis to local businesses such as daycares and food catering businesses needing transportation for a block of hours. A breakdown of the business is as follows:

70% of the business will be dedicated to small business

chartering from Monday—Friday.

30% of the business will be dedicated to mandatory

Saturday and Sunday dispatches to prison institutions throughout Georgia.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Empress Transportation Mission Statement

"Our mission is to provide a prompt, professional,

and comfortable transportation experience for our

eager customers. This mission will be carried out by

all personnel working together to foster an

organized sense of order, excitement, and well-

groomed professional image at the same time."

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STARTING UP

START-UP COSTS

20-PASSENGER SHUTTLE VANS

PURCHASE VEHICLES $20,000 6-MONTH MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE $ 3,000 LEGAL & SAFETY MODIFICATIONS TO VANS $ 2,500

TOTAL VANS COSTS $25,500 ADMINISTRATIVE

BUSINESS AND AUTO INSURANCE $12,000 NEW LOCATION 6-MONTH RENT $ 4,800

OFFICE DÉCOR AND FURNISHINGS $ 2,800 TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE $ 19,600 OPERATING CASH

6-MONTHS PAYROLL CASH $16,200

6-MONTHS UTILITIES $ 2,700 UPFRONT INSURANCE, LEGAL, & ACCOUNTING COSTS $ 5,000 TOTAL OPERATING COSTS $23,900

MARKETING

WEBSITE WITH INITIAL SEO $ 3,000

3-MONTH ATLANTA RADIO PROMOTION $ 1,200 OTHER MISC. $ 1,800

TOTAL MARKETING COSTS $ 6,000

TOTAL START-UP COSTS $75,000

34%

26%

32%

8%

VANS ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS MARKETING

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STARTING UP

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STARTING UP

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VEHICLES

We plan to purchase four 15-passenger buses. All

buses are equipped with seat belts and high back

reclinable seats for comfort and safety. All Empress

Transportation vans will be equipped with state-of-

the-art GPS and tracking systems, which will allow

them to be tracked at all times.

MARKETING

Our marketing strategy is a simple one: satisfied

clients are our best marketing tool. When a client

experiences the ease and comfort of our shuttle

service, he or she is broadcasting our name and

quality to the public. Most of our customers will be

referrals from initial customers informed of our

services before the start of the business.

No major advertising campaigns are anticipated for

the first year; instead we will utilize creativity to

spread the news of our new routes to many prison

institutions. Research has shown that word of

mouth is the best advertising for this type of

business. We will, however, run monthly incentive

programs for customers to receive affordable bundle

packages for the month. We will also ask clients for

referrals, and reward them with discounted or free

services depending on the number of customers they

bring. We will also offer discounts to the new

customers who have been referred. There are plans

for a lottery that will offer a free trip to participating

customers. A customer would simply refer new

customers to us, and we will place a card in a box

for each customer he or she brings on. The more

they bring, the more chances they have of winning

the free trip.

PERSONNEL

Drivers will be categorized as part-time employees,

but Brenda will hire only those who demonstrate the

personality qualities necessary for working under a

professional work ethic with the willingness to grow

in their careers as dedicated individuals to the

company’s mission and values. Any and all

administrative staff must equally commit themselves

to the seriousness of the company’s objectives.

Administrators will handle the clerical, dispatch,

and accounting functions of the business. Each new

hire with undergo a thorough background check and

must obtain all certifications, licenses, and

experience necessary to adequately perform his or

her duties. Extended legal, accounting, marketing,

and administrative tasks will be outsourced to

affordable vendors within the Atlanta area.

STARTING UP

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STRATEGY & ANALYSIS

MARKETING STRATEGY

Empress Transportation plans to use an aggressive online marketing campaign, free governmen-

tal publicity, and partnerships with other organizations participating in prison institution trans-

portation in order to communicate with potential and existing customers. The company's website

will be the primary tool used in the online marketing campaign. Initially, the website will

have several sections including: about us, rates and routes, list and map of GA prison institu-

tions, contact us, and frequently asked questions. Empress Transportation will also utilize

social media sites such as Facebook to access potential customers.

SERVICE BUSINESS ANALYSIS

The current economy has remained difficult over the past few years. However, because Empress

Transportation will be entering an in-demand and niche area, the business anticipates strong

revenues the first year. Georgia is an outstretched state with many locations unable to be

reached through the assistance of public transportation. This,

coupled with the affordable pricing point of our services will

ensure the continued positive cash flow in any economic envi-

ronment.

One customer well taken

care of can be more

valuable than $10,000

worth of advertising.

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STRATEGY & ANALYSIS

EMPRESS TRANSPORTATION

SWOT ANALYSIS

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= success

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FIN

AN

CIA

LS

The company intends to either secure a private loan from investors in the

amount of $75,000 to be paid back on an 18-month payment plan. In this

case the company will keep an LLC entity title. The alternative will be raising

$75,000 from investors, in which case the company will incorporate and the

investors will become shareholders of the corporation, and the principle plus

interest due will be repaid upon 4-6 years when an exit strategy commences

through future funding, a merger, or the sell of the company.

Important Financial Assumptions

The enclosed financials have a number of assumptions:

Revenues will grow at a minimum annual rate of 15%. We anticipate this increase

to stay steady throughout the following year to account for the normal flow of new

customers purchasing monthly bundle packages from our website. Estimates for

sales revenue and growth are intentionally low, while anticipated expenses are

exaggerated higher than expected to illustrate a worst case scenario.

We did not use Cost of Goods Sold in our calculations of net service sales, but

included all related recurring expenses, such as payroll and leases, in the operat-

ing expenses area of the profit and loss table.

Although the focus of the business is the prison institution shuttle transportation,

it is only 30% of the company’s services. The bulk of revenue must proceed from

weekly chartered services. In order for the company to remain profitable, the busi-

ness must obtain customers interested in chartered services. Instead of projecting

monthly revenue goals for chartered services, the company will set quarter projec-

tions to reach the annual sales presented.

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EMPRESS TRANSPORTATION

EXITING STRATEGIES

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