Brightpath Home Energy Solutions

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Brightpath Home Energy Solutions is a home energy audit and weatherization company in Detroit, Michigan, owned by Anthony and Grace Lewis. We test homes, recommend the fixes that matter most, complete air sealing and insulation and help owners with utility and government rebates.

Why this fits. Energy costs and rebate programs have made efficiency upgrades more attractive, and many homes in the region are old and leaky. Owners want an honest audit and a clear list of what to fix first.

Here is what our numbers show. In Year 1 we plan about 120 audits, 30 air sealing and weatherization jobs and 12 larger upgrade projects. That brings in sales of $222,000, growing to $927,268 by Year 5. We expect a loss of about $10,100 in Year 1, a profit of about $30,200 in Year 2, a profit of about $71,700 in Year 3 and a profit of about $180,700 by Year 5. Crew pay, fuel and insurance, and the truck and equipment paid for before the first job, are our largest costs, and the plan counts all of them.

We need $75,000 in total. Of that, $38,500 is startup costs (a blower door, a thermal camera, a work van and tools, licensing and insurance, marketing and supplier deposits), and the rest is cash for the first months. We are putting in $15,000 of our own savings and asking for a $60,000 SBA 7(a) loan.

We are Anthony and Grace Lewis, owners of Brightpath Home Energy Solutions. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Brightpath Home Energy Solutions will be a limited liability company (LLC) in Detroit, Michigan, owned and run by Anthony and Grace Lewis. Anthony is a certified energy auditor who has worked on weatherization crews. Grace handles scheduling, program paperwork and the books.

What we do:
- Whole-home energy audits with blower door and thermal imaging.
- Air sealing and attic and wall insulation.
- Weatherization and draft-proofing.
- Coordination of heat pump, furnace and window upgrades with partner contractors.
- Help applying for utility and government rebates.

Who we serve: Homeowners, landlords and small property owners in the Detroit area.

Licensing and insurance. We will register the LLC, carry general liability and workers compensation insurance, hold the energy auditor certifications and contractor registrations Michigan and local programs require and follow lead-safe and health and safety rules on older homes. We give customers copies of our certifications and reports.

Our promise. Honest audits, clear priorities and work that actually lowers your bills.

Where things stand today. The business plan, pricing and equipment list are written. The next steps are the license and insurance, the truck and equipment and the first customers.

Problem & Opportunity

Many homes in Detroit lose heat through leaks and thin insulation, and owners are not sure what to fix first.

What customers run into:
1. High utility bills that do not match the home's size.
2. Contractors who sell windows or furnaces without testing the house.
3. Confusing rebate programs and paperwork.
4. Drafts, cold rooms and moisture problems.

Why it matters. Fixing air leaks and insulation usually saves more than new windows and costs far less. Without testing, owners spend money on the wrong upgrades.

Products & Services

Brightpath Home Energy Solutions will be the dependable choice in Detroit for this work.

What makes us different:
1. Testing with a blower door and thermal camera before recommending work.
2. A ranked list of fixes with costs and expected savings.
3. One company for the audit and the air sealing and insulation.
4. Help with utility and government rebates.
5. Respect for older homes and moisture and safety limits.

How a job works:
1. We schedule an audit and test the house.
2. We deliver a written report with priorities, costs and rebates.
3. We complete air sealing and insulation work or coordinate partners.
4. We retest the house and show the results.

Why customers stay. Homeowners refer neighbors and landlords return for each property.

Market Analysis

Who we serve:
- Homeowners with high bills or comfort problems.
- Landlords and small property owners.
- Utility and city programs that need qualified contractors.
- Realtors who refer clients before a sale.

How we sized the market. Our Year 1 plan is about 120 audits, 30 weatherization jobs and 12 larger upgrade projects, a small share of the homes in a region with many older houses. Replace this estimate with your own count of homes and programs near you.

Why now. Energy costs and rebate programs have made efficiency upgrades more attractive, and many homes in the region are old and leaky.

Competitive Landscape

What customers can do today:

1. Utility audit programs. Valuable and slow to schedule.
2. Large home performance companies. Skilled and costly.
3. General contractors who sell upgrades without testing. Convenient and risky.
4. Window and furnace sales firms. High-pressure and narrow.
5. Do-it-yourself weatherization. Cheap and inconsistent.

Where we fit. Brightpath will be a locally owned, test-first energy company that helps owners choose the right fixes and handle rebates.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How customers will find us.

Before opening:
- Meet utility program staff and community groups.
- Prepare a sample audit report.
- Set up a website and Google Business Profile.
- Offer a free first consultation and a clear price for audits.

After opening:
- Ask every customer for a review.
- Offer referral credits.
- Hold neighborhood workshops on saving energy.
- Visit landlords and realtors monthly.
- Share before-and-after results with permission.

What we will measure. How customers heard about us, how many estimates become jobs and how many customers call us back.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Season and schedule. Audits and weatherization run all year, with the busiest months in fall and winter. We schedule attic and exterior work in good weather and use summer for audits and training.

Crew. Anthony performs audits and supervises the work. One technician handles air sealing and insulation in Year 1. We add technicians as bookings grow.

Quality and safety. Technicians wear protective gear and respirators, follow lead-safe and moisture rules on older homes, test combustion appliances for safe operation and complete safety training.

Equipment. We will buy a blower door and duct tester, a thermal camera, a used work van and hand tools and insulation equipment. Materials are bought on account.

Paperwork and money. Every job starts with a written estimate, and we collect a deposit when the work needs materials. We invoice the day the work is finished and follow up on anything unpaid after two weeks. We keep the books in simple accounting software and set aside money for taxes and insurance every month.

Management & Organization

The people who will run Brightpath Home Energy Solutions.

Anthony Lewis, owner and certified energy auditor. He tests homes, writes reports and supervises the work. Grace Lewis, owner and office manager. She handles scheduling, rebate paperwork and the books. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Crew. One technician in Year 1, growing to five, each trained on safety and installation.

Office. Grace handles the office with part-time help as bookings grow.

Outside advisors. An accountant, an insurance broker, an attorney who reviews contracts and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner / Certified Energy Auditor $56,000; weatherization Technician $38,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before opening (2 months ahead): register the LLC, buy the testing equipment and van, set up insurance and meet the first utility program contacts.
- Year 1: about 162 jobs with Anthony and one technician; $222,000 in sales and a loss of about $10,100.
- Year 2: about 260 jobs and a second technician; $376,560 in sales and a profit of about $30,200.
- Year 3: about 358 jobs and a third technician; $539,890 in sales and a profit of about $71,700.
- Year 4: about 458 jobs and a second van; $720,100 in sales and a profit of about $121,400.
- Year 5: about 561 jobs and a fifth technician; $927,268 in sales and a profit of about $180,700.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: jobs booked and finished, estimates sent and won, crew hours, materials cost per job, unpaid invoices and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $75,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $38,500, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $8,500 for blower door and duct tester, $4,500 for thermal imaging camera, $12,000 for used work van, $3,000 for hand tools and insulation equipment, $1,800 for LLC filing and attorney review of contracts, $3,200 for general liability and workers compensation insurance, first payment, $2,500 for van lettering, flyers and website, $1,500 for supplier account deposit, $1,500 for certification renewals and safety training.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $3,700. Jobs are won over the first months, so the business pays for crew, fuel and insurance before sales catch up.
- A cash cushion of about $31,500: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together, the cash used before break even and the cushion come to about $35,200, and the three pieces add up to about $73,700, rounded up to the nearest $500: $74,000.
We are raising $1,000 more than that, $75,000 in all, to cover a slower first season than planned. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $33,700, at the end of Year 1.

Where the money comes from:
- Our own money: $15,000.
- SBA 7(a) loan: $60,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An SBA 7(a) loan from a lender that finances trade and construction businesses, backed by our savings and the equipment as collateral.

How we will pay it back. We expect a loss of about $10,100 in Year 1, a profit of about $30,200 in Year 2, a profit of about $71,700 in Year 3, a profit of about $121,400 in Year 4 and a profit of about $180,700 in Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. Our loan is the SBA 7(a) loan at 10.5% over 10 years, $810 a month. That payment is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: the equipment and a personal guarantee.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: open with the truck, the core equipment and one crew, which lowers the startup costs and the loan.
- Phase 2: once the first jobs are steady, add the second crew and the next piece of equipment and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume and a personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- Your auditor certifications and proof of insurance.
- A sample audit report and estimate.
- Quotes for the blower door, camera and van.
- A list of utility programs you can serve.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Home Energy Audits: about $450 in Year 1, rising to $506; about $80 in direct costs, rising to $90; about 120 in Year 1, growing to 400.
- Air Sealing and Weatherization: about $3,200 in Year 1, rising to $3,602; about $1,300 in direct costs, rising to $1,463; about 30 in Year 1, growing to 115.
- Efficiency Upgrade Projects: about $6,000 in Year 1, rising to $6,753; about $3,800 in direct costs, rising to $4,277; about 12 in Year 1, growing to 46.
- An audit averages about $450, a weatherization job about $3,200 and a larger upgrade project about $6,000.
- Prices rise about 3% a year.
- Equipment ($28,000 in Year 1) covers a blower door and duct tester, a thermal camera, a used work van and hand tools, and later years ($3,000, $5,000, $4,000 and $5,000) replace and add equipment.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner / Certified Energy Auditor $56,000; weatherization Technician $38,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: vehicle and Fuel $8,000, insurance $6,000, software and Certifications $6,000, marketing $8,000, admin $4,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Customers and payers pay about 15 days after service, so at the end of Year 1 about $8,880 is still owed to us. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs