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The Business Plan

Executive Summary

Unite Websites provides accessible, professional-grade, future-proofed websites at a meager cost (less than $700). The quality of inexpensive websites is deficient. Unite comes in with a high-quality, done-for-you option built on a common platform and ready for growth with an easy-to-use dashboard. There are no recurring website fees (only hosting), and the customer owns the website outright when finished. We build these sites in less than a week.

The website industry is experiencing healthy growth of 13% over the next eight years. There’s no expectation for demand to change – even as businesses get more websites, they always need refreshed ones, and as new businesses open up, they too need a website.

Unite websites solve low-quality websites with a low-cost, high-quality future-proofed option for businesses. We walk the customer through the entire process as if it were a custom-built website. Addons make it easy to expand the site.

We provide WordPress websites and templates for $695 in 7 days or less. Our optional hosting is $329/yr. We offer several addons, including Calendly integration, appointment setting, custom portfolios, custom sliders, and e-commerce (which scales the site up to collect money and display a product catalog).

Our marketing strategy is to target using digital delivery, focusing on future-ready, high-end websites built on a common platform that is well supported. We will place ads on Social Media, PPC Ads (Google/Microsoft). We will also provide regular blog topics and information to keep customers engaged with our service and their website.

We expect modest growth in the first year with a total sales of $446,000. We’re requesting funding of $100,000 to cover our start-up costs, advertising, product development, and light staffing.

Industry

The web design services industry is in good health with expected growth of 13% into 2030. 

  • Overall Value: $40b
  • Demand: Consistently High (every business needs a website)
  • Location: United States (Targeting new businesses and businesses that need a refreshed website). 
  • Pricing: $3,500 to $7,000 equivelent.
  • Our pricing: $695 + $329.

Current Composition of the Web design industry.

The Business

Mission Statement

Unite Websites is here to deliver high-quality, future-ready, well-designed website builds at rates anyone can afford. 

Background

Unite stems as demand for fast turnaround websites becomes more necessary. It is a company born out of a digital marketing agency. Dorsay produces high-end custom websites and digital marketing services, as dorsay creates a higher focus on long-term clients, and custom website builds, Unite websites allow for a means to capture the growing market of new businesses with less capital. 

What Unite Does

The overarching business idea is to produce, in a week, a fully-functional, mobile responsive, beautiful website for under $1000. 

That’s what we do. We provide a Wix-like service, as the user can make edits, and tweaks once the site is complete. 

The user gets an inexpensive, yet robust website, with features and functionality far surpassing anything a DIY Builder can do. 

We pre-design templates that we deploy onto a WordPress instance on our web server for the user. They pay for the template once, any addons, and for the web hosting once a year. 

The Problem

One of the biggest challenges for a small business owner is finding the right web design agency. DIY Builders sell a product that the SMB can make themselves. 

Making your own website is not a good idea. If the SMB is a Bakery, they know how to bake, not necessarily how to create a stable, fast, responsive internet sales platform. 

  • Design has a 75% influence on a businesses credibility. 
  • Ugly websites will lead to 88% of users never returning.
  • 48% of people said that a website’s design is the primary factor in establishing credibility for the business. 
  • 8 out of 10 people will not engage with content that doesn’t show up well on their device. 
  • Bad UX will make 89% of users to leave your website.

 

If you don’t know how to design a website you shouldn’t. But Wix, Shopify, Square, and the like sell a pipedream to SMBs that they can make a website for pennies. The reality is nothing but – many users give up in frustration, having spent countless hours working on a website, but it’s never right. They give up, and after wasted time, and money on a premium plan they spend more on a web design firm. Anecdotal, certainly, but not untrue – nearly 90% of past clients have had this experience with Wix or a DIY Builder. 

The Business

The Team

Steven Childs, Founder, CEO

Steven Childs is also the owner of dorsay, a successful digital marketing agency out of Pontiac Michigan. With over two decades of website building experience, and as a marketing expert he’s brought Unite Websites to life. 

Rachelle Rapp, Co-Founder, COO

Rachelle works for dorsay as the project manager, and digital ads specialist. With her experience managing website projects, she’s in charge of ensuring accurate and clean turn over for each new Unite Website. 

Jon Stys, Art Director

Jon is the Art Director at Dorsay, and one of the Web Designers at Unite. With many years of experience building graphically stunning websites, his knowledge brings a uniqueness to the table for the Unite Websites. 

Organizational Structure

Unite Websites Inc. is a Delaware-based Corporation. 

Ownership Stakes (after vesting sweat equity)

  • Steven Childs – 87%
  • Rachelle Kelly – 5%
  • Raheem Kareem – 5%
  • Jon Stys – 3%
  • 15% available for investment

 

Investment Valuation: $1,000,000

Our Product

Custom configured fully responsive website. We only offer one package, with customized options and flexible payment options.

Our Package

We offer one website package. There are several addons available to enhance the websites. 

$499

Then $29.99/mo

 First month of hosting free
 1 Week Delivery*
 Easy Front-End Editing
 Robust Admin Dashboard
 We Make Your Content
 Curated Stock Imagery
 1 to 6 Pages
 Customized Color Palette
 SEO Ready
 Google Analytics Tracking
 You own the website
 Easily make more pages
 Marketing available
Get Started

Hosting is required. *Delivery time of website depends exclusively on the time it takes for us to receive your content.

Addons

Several add-ons are available to make the website better. 

  • E-Commerce: Make your website capable of selling products. +$1,000
  •  Custom Portfolio: We create an easy-edit portfolio to display your work. +$350
  • Custom Slider: A Robust instance of Revslider that we custom design with videos, or images. +$300
  • Appointments+: Users can schedule appointments through the website. +$200

Features

Base product features for all of our websites.

  • Built on WordPress
  • Built with Elementor
  • Blog Capabilities
  • Optimized for Speed
  • WebP Images
  • Forms in WPForms
  • Stripe Payments Ready
  • PayPal Ready
  • Mailchimp Ready
  • 1 Week or less deployment (with content)
  • EAsy Editing
  • We edit your copy
  • High-quality Stock Images
  • Custom Colors
  • SEO Ready
  • Google Analytics
  • Up to 6 pages
  • You Own It
  • Maintenance Plans are available.

Marketing

Target Market

Small Business Owners/Mom&Pop Type Local Businesses.

The entire premise of Unite Website is to provide a future-proofed website for under $1,000. The value for the customer is in the future-ready design and website platform they receive. Some ancillary benefits are the updates (if hosted), and a nice design that adds to credibility. 

Advertising

Delivery

Advertising will be conducted digitally. It’s the primary driver in the sale of the product. This includes Pay Per Click on Google Ads & Social Media. 

Channels

Google Ads: GA is the platform to get in front of the people looking for a high-end, inexpensive website. Using search advertising allows the user to find us, which yields a higher close rate. 

Instagram/Facebook: Many small business owners spend their time on Instagram & Facebook. With ad campaigns that are directed to specific audiences with interests in small business, and their industry, with specific business titles – we’re able to put Unite in front of people who aren’t looking, but are open to see. 

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is definitely more for the professionals, and job seekers. However, the ability to target very specific interests, and patterns – along with drilling down on the industry, gives us a huge advantage to generating interest, clicks, and ultimately revenue. 

Sales

All ad campaigns lead directly to a sales page – where they’re prompted to review their options and place a sale. There is no outgoing sales platform or associates. Sales will rely on advertising only until a referral network is established and we begin marketing to our current clients. 

Public Relations

Between press releases, local news and media – we partner with a PR agency to get the word out. 

Alternative Sales Models

Strategic Partnership Program

Strategic partnership program is designed to allow any organization to place a bulk order, receive a custom payment link, and pass out the codes as they want. The ideal partners are business mentorship programs, non-profits, chambers of commerce, business related programs like Founders Card, credit unions, tax preparers, community development organizations, and schools.

Benefits

  • Increases organizations capacity.
  • Improves their overall offers.
  • Websites start at a 10% discount.
  • Build the plan anyway they want. 
  • White label dashboard.
  • Ability to resell or include as a part of their programs.

Grant Program Technical Assistance

In many communities there are grant funds available for small business technical assistance. We will leverage our technical abilities to combine an offer of a website of any configuration for businesses that are recipients of the grant. 

Offer to the recipient.

  • Free unite website (and all offers).
  • Free hosting for 1 year.
  • Free upgrades.
  • Marketing Assistance.
  • Search Engine Optimization assistance.
  • Extensive website training.

Introduction to Market

Giveaways

Base Building is generating credibility prior to starting an ad campaign. 

Provide 3 free Unite Websites coupons to CDFIs/Non-Profits focused on small businesses, and Local Chambers. The organizations can pass them out as they desire (fundraising, member raffle, or just a free prize). The only thing Unite asks for in exchange is an honest review from the recipient on Google, Trust Pilot, and Facebook once the website is launched. The review is conditional.  

Organizations: Pontiac Chamber, Flint Genessee Chamber, Bloomfield Birmingham Chamber, and Auburn Hills Chamber. MDDBA, Metro Community Development, Main Street Pontiac, Main Street Oakland County.

Since the hosting is a separate charge, the recipient has to cover the hosting fees. 

Funding Request

Unite is seeking an initial raise of $1,000,000 for 10% of the business. 

Investment Received
Employee: $20,000 + $200,000 in sweat equity
F&F Round: $30,000 available
Other: $50,000 available

Purpose Funding
Operations/Working Capital $32,500
Product Development $22,500
Advertising/Marketing $40,000
Start-Up Costs $5000
TOTAL $100,000

FInancial Projections

Growth

Based on market growth currently at 13%.

Goals

Goal Quarter Annual
150 websites $74,850 $299,400
50 subscription sign ups $20,850 $83,400
50% addons $18,675 $74,700
50% maintenance plans $15,747 $62,991
100% hosting (new) $13,495 $53,982
100% hosting (recurring) $53,982 $40,485
TOTALS $197,599 $614,958

Costs

Item Monthly Annual
Website (Initial Build) 1 Website Framework $350
Website Launch Cost to launch 1 website $200
Licensing Fees Fees for 1 month (scales down as we generate more sales) $5.5
Cost per Acquisition Ad cost to obtain a single customer $65
1st Cost Sale $637.5
46th Sale Cost $287.5

Profit Scale

Our current revenue projections is based on standard sites and hosting fees over 6 months. 

Operating Expenses

Assumed Costs

Expense Item FQ Expense Annual Expense
Product Development $37,500 $150,000
Digital Advertising $26,000 $104,000
Marketing $20,000 $80,000
Equipment $10,000 $10,000
Office Space & Office $15,000 $60,000
Software Development $0 $100,000
TOTALS $108,500 $504,000

Net Operating Income Expectations

With cost first budgeting, and meeting sales expectations our first quarter net operating revenue is $89,599. First year net operating income is $110,958.