Dive Shop Business Plan Template: What to Include
A dive shop business plan template gives you a structure for turning your ideas into a workable business. It helps you organise your research, identify missing information and connect your sales expectations with the costs of delivering them.
Whether you are opening a new shop, taking over an existing dive centre or expanding your services, the plan should answer three questions:
- Who will buy from you, and why?
- Can you deliver the services you intend to sell?
- Will the income support the business and its financial commitments?
Use the sections below as a copy-and-complete template. Replace the bracketed prompts with your own information, and support financial assumptions with quotes, market research or actual trading records.
1. Executive Summary
The executive summary provides a short overview of the business and your plans. Write it after completing the other sections so it reflects the decisions and figures in the full document.
Include your business model, target customers, main services, funding requirement and immediate objectives.
Complete this section:
Business name: [Name]
Location: [Town, region and country]
Business stage: [New launch, acquisition or expansion]
Main customers: [Primary customer groups]
Core services: [Services offered at launch]
Reason customers will choose us: [Specific advantage]
Total funding required: [Amount and currency]
Funding sources: [Owner investment, borrowing or other sources]
First-year objectives: [Measurable goals]
Keep the summary concise. A reader should understand the proposal without needing detailed knowledge of dive-centre operations.
2. Business Description and Ownership
Explain what you are building, who is responsible for it and how it will operate.
Be clear about the scope. A retail shop offering weekend training has different needs from a resort dive centre running daily boat departures.
Complete this section:
Business model: [Describe the operation]
Ownership and management: [Owners, responsibilities and relevant experience]
Proposed business structure: [Structure to confirm with your adviser]
Operating schedule: [Opening days, hours and seasonal changes]
Facilities: [Premises, training areas, storage and other facilities]
Services excluded at launch: [Activities planned for a later stage]
Skills or support needed: [Management, accounting, technical or other gaps]
Identifying what you will postpone helps keep the initial operation manageable.
For an introduction to dive-centre business models and management responsibilities, explore Module 1: Introduction to Dive Centre Management.
3. Target Customers and Market Research
Define the customers you expect to serve. Avoid relying on a description as broad as “people interested in diving.”
Separate your main customer groups and record the evidence supporting demand.
| Customer group | What they need | How we will reach them | Evidence of demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Local beginners] | [Convenient training] | [Local search and partnerships] | [Research or enquiries] |
| [Visiting certified divers] | [Guided dive experiences] | [Accommodation partners] | [Research or booking records] |
| [Equipment customers] | [Products and support] | [Existing diver community] | [Research or sales records] |
Add an explanation of seasonality, travel patterns and any other factors affecting demand.
Complete this section:
Primary customer group: [Who matters most at launch]
Estimated reachable market: [Estimate, method and source]
Peak and quiet periods: [Months and reasons]
Customer buying priorities: [Convenience, experience, price or other factors]
Research still needed: [Questions to resolve before committing]
Distinguish evidence from assumptions. If you have not tested demand for a service, say so and explain how you will investigate it.
4. Competitor Analysis and Positioning
Review the operators competing for your customers.
Compare services, booking processes, prices, facilities and customer feedback. Include what customers receive for the advertised price so comparisons are meaningful.
| Competitor | Main offer | Strengths | Opportunity for our business |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Business A] | [Services and inclusions] | [Established advantages] | [A need we can serve differently] |
| [Business B] | [Services and inclusions] | [Established advantages] | [A need we can serve differently] |
Complete this section:
Our position in the market: [The customers and needs we will focus on]
Our advantage: [A specific, deliverable benefit]
Resources needed to deliver it: [People, facilities, equipment and cost]
Choose an advantage you can maintain. If you promise flexible training, for example, your staffing and facility arrangements must support that flexibility.
5. Services, Pricing and Capacity
List the services you will offer and establish what each needs to operate.
| Service | Selling price | Delivery costs | Available capacity | Expected monthly sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Beginner course] | [Amount] | [Cost basis] | [Students or courses] | [Estimate] |
| [Guided dive trip] | [Amount] | [Per customer and departure] | [Places and departures] | [Estimate] |
| [Equipment rental] | [Amount] | [Handling, care and usage costs] | [Available equipment] | [Estimate] |
| [Retail products] | [Amount or category] | [Cost of stock sold] | [Stock availability] | [Estimate] |
State whether prices include applicable taxes and how those taxes are treated in the forecast.
Calculate contribution after variable costs, then assess how much remains to cover overheads. Account for costs that arise per course or departure as well as those charged per customer.
Check that expected sales fit your instructor availability, equipment sizes, facilities and operating schedule.
Module 12: Pricing Strategy & Revenue Management supports the pricing and revenue decisions behind this section.
6. Startup Budget and Funding
Your dive shop business plan template should separate pre-opening spending from working capital.
Use quotes where available, record their dates and identify costs that remain estimates.
| Budget item | Amount | Quote or estimate | Payment due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premises deposit and fit-out | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Rental and training equipment | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Opening retail stock | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Setup fees and professional advice | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Initial insurance payments | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Website and launch marketing | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Pre-opening wages and training | [Amount] | [Basis] | [Date] |
| Other essential purchases | [Amount] | [Source and date] | [Date] |
| Setup contingency | [Amount] | [Basis] | [When needed] |
| Working capital reserve | [Amount] | [Cash-flow forecast] | [Available before opening] |
Add boats, vehicles, compressors or other major assets where relevant. Include installation, preparation, delivery and applicable local costs.
Complete this section:
Total funding requirement: [Amount]
Confirmed funding: [Amount and sources]
Funding gap: [Amount still needed]
Borrowing terms: [Interest, repayments, fees and timing]
Purchases that can be deferred: [Items and conditions]
Make funding availability part of your launch schedule. Money expected later cannot cover a payment due now.
7. Financial Forecasts and Break-Even
Prepare a monthly profit forecast and a separate cash-flow forecast covering at least a full seasonal cycle.
The profit forecast should show revenue, delivery costs, operating expenses and the resulting profit or loss. The cash forecast should show when receipts and payments occur.
Complete this section:
Forecast period: [Dates]
Sales assumptions: [Volumes, prices and evidence]
Fixed operating costs: [Amounts and basis]
Variable and departure-related costs: [Amounts and basis]
Owner compensation assumption: [Treatment and amount]
Estimated break-even sales: [Calculation and assumptions]
Lowest forecast cash balance: [Amount and month]
Additional reserve required: [Amount and reasoning]
Test a slower-sales scenario and a disruption scenario. Explain which costs can change and which commitments remain.
Avoid double-counting opening stock: purchasing inventory affects cash flow, while the cost of the items sold enters the profit calculation as sales occur. Your accountant can help you treat stock, deposits, equipment purchases and financing consistently.
Explore Module 19: Accounting & Financial Management for financial reporting, budgeting, cost control and cash-flow management.
8. Operations, Staffing and Equipment
Describe how the business will deliver its planned services each day.
Complete this section:
Booking and customer-record process: [From enquiry to confirmation]
Daily activity planning: [Who coordinates staff, customers and equipment]
Staff roles and cover: [Responsibilities, competence and absence arrangements]
Equipment management: [Allocation, inspection, servicing and replacement]
Supplier and partner arrangements: [Facilities, fills, transport and other dependencies]
Operating procedures: [Documents to prepare and staff training required]
Requirements to confirm: [Local, insurance, agency and manufacturer requirements]
Record whether important arrangements are confirmed or still being discussed.
Use Module 3: Booking Systems & Reservations Management for reservation processes, and Module 4: Staff Rostering & Workforce Management for staffing coordination.
9. Marketing and Sales Plan
Connect your marketing activity to the customers and sales figures in your forecast.
| Channel | Target audience | Activity | Budget | Measure of success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Local search] | [Residents] | [Website and business listing] | [Amount] | [Qualified enquiries and bookings] |
| [Accommodation partners] | [Visitors] | [Referral arrangements] | [Amount] | [Confirmed bookings] |
| [Email follow-up] | [Past customers] | [Relevant offers and information] | [Amount] | [Repeat purchases] |
Complete this section:
Enquiry handling: [Who responds and how bookings are followed up]
Expected booking conversion: [Assumption and supporting evidence]
Customer acquisition budget: [Amount]
Repeat-business approach: [Relevant services and follow-up]
Review schedule: [When channel performance will be assessed]
Module 9: Customer Relations & Sales Management explores customer service and sales processes that support repeat business.
10. Risks, Milestones and Review
Identify the events that could prevent the plan from working and the actions available to you.
| Risk | Potential effect | Planned response |
|---|---|---|
| [Lower-than-expected bookings] | [Reduced income] | [Specific cost or sales response] |
| [Weather interruptions] | [Cancelled activities] | [Communication and operating plan] |
| [Equipment or supplier unavailable] | [Reduced capacity] | [Maintenance, backup or alternative] |
| [Staff absence] | [Delivery disruption] | [Qualified cover arrangements] |
Finish with a launch schedule.
| Milestone | Person responsible | Target date | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm funding | [Name] | [Date] | [Funds available] |
| Confirm premises and facilities | [Name] | [Date] | [Suitable arrangements completed] |
| Prepare equipment and procedures | [Name] | [Date] | [Checks and records completed] |
| Recruit and induct staff | [Name] | [Date] | [Roles and competence confirmed] |
| Test the operation | [Name] | [Date] | [Trial activities reviewed] |
| Review early trading | [Name] | [Date] | [Results compared with forecast] |
Before You Finish Your Dive Shop Business Plan
Check that the sections agree with one another.
Your marketing plan should support your sales forecast. Your staffing and equipment should support the promised capacity. Your funding should cover the payments shown in your cash forecast.
Attach supporting documents such as supplier quotes, research notes, equipment lists and detailed forecasts. Date the plan and assign responsibility for updating it.
A completed template is the starting point. Review it as new evidence arrives and use it to guide purchasing, scheduling and growth decisions.
Build the Skills to Put Your Plan Into Action
This dive shop business plan template helps you organise the proposal. Managing the resulting operation requires practical commercial, operational and leadership skills.
The Dive Centre Operations & Management Professional course brings those areas together with structured online learning and management resources.
Try the first module free as you prepare your plan and your next step in the dive industry.
