How Dr. Paul Helps Mississippi Owners Plan for Their Own Town

Mississippi’s loan programs help, but they cannot invent customers. Coast demand and Jackson demand are different animals, and a good plan respects both.

  • Packaged for MDA programs. The Small Business Loan Guaranty and the Minority Business Micro Loan each need a request built their way, with use of funds and repayment spelled out.
  • Medical demand sized right. Jackson and Hattiesburg plans tie demand to UMMC, Forrest General and the payrolls around them, then cut it down to the share your business can serve.
  • Event weeks and storm season together. Cruisin’ the Coast week and Gulf hurricane season go on one calendar, so a strong October never hides a lost August.
  • A template for the Coast. The hotel and motel template gives Highway 90 owners a model with windstorm insurance set up as a fixed cost.
  • Free counseling, plus a projections guide. The Mississippi SBDC Network serves every county at no cost, and Dr. Paul’s financial projections guide helps Pine Belt owners learn the numbers.
Dr. Paul’s Insight

The Mississippi mistake Dr. Paul sees again and again is a plan copied from another town. A motel on Highway 90 and a motel off I-55 can share a template, but never a forecast. An MDA guaranty makes a bank more comfortable with risk. It does not make weak local demand strong.

Real work in Mississippi: Mississippi owners have worked with Dr. Paul before. In 2021, he wrote an investor-ready plan for an apartment rental business.

Pick the Way to Build a Plan That Fits Your Part of Mississippi

Dr. Paul can write it, you can build it from a template, or you can learn the pieces first. Consulting helps when running the business leaves no time to plan it.

Business Consulting

For Mississippi owners who are busy doing the work and short on time for cash, pricing and staffing decisions. Dr. Paul works through them with you.

See consulting options →

Business Plan Templates

Want to build it yourself? The hotel and motel template gives Coast owners a Word plan and Excel model with room for windstorm cover in fixed costs.

Browse templates →

Small Business Education

Learn to read projections before a Jackson banker asks about them, with free lessons, videos and the Fabled Forest books.

Start learning →

The Desks a Mississippi Plan Crosses

Before you write, know who will read it. These are the offices Mississippi owners deal with most.

SBA Lending

SBA Mississippi District Office

The Jackson office on East Capitol Street handles SBA lender relationships, events and outreach for most of the state.

Coast Access

SBA Virtual Gulfport Office

Owners in Harrison, Hancock, Jackson County and the rest of South Mississippi are served by a virtual Gulfport office, so Coast owners get SBA help without the drive to the capital.

State Programs

MDA Loan Programs

The Mississippi Development Authority backs bank term loans and lines of credit through its Small Business Loan Guaranty, and runs a Minority Business Micro Loan for minority- and women-owned firms.

Free Help

Mississippi SBDC Network

Hosted by the University of Mississippi’s School of Business Administration and serving every county, including the Pine Belt since the Hattiesburg center closed.

Registration

Secretary of State

Entities form online, the forms ask for a NAICS code, and LLCs file an annual report by mid-April each year. Put it on the calendar in your plan.

Local License

City and County

There is no general statewide business license in Mississippi. Check with the city or county where you open before you budget.

One State, Three Very Different Plans

A Jackson lender, a Gulfport hotel and a Hattiesburg clinic each ask a different first question. Your plan should answer the one your town is asking.

CityWhat Drives DemandThe Plan Question
JacksonUMMC, state government payrolls, Fondren and Belhaven shoppersWhat does the bank need before an MDA-backed loan?
GulfportCruisin’ the Coast, Highway 90, the Port of GulfportHow to fill rooms after October?
HattiesburgForrest General, Hattiesburg Clinic, USM, Camp ShelbyHow long until insurers pay?
JacksonFunding Question

UMMC and state government payrolls bring steady customers to the Fondren and Belhaven shops off I-55. The SBA district office and MDA loan programs sit in Jackson too.

“What do Jackson lenders want to see before an MDA-guaranteed loan?”

The Plan FixShow how the MDA Small Business Loan Guaranty lowers the bank’s risk, and tie Fondren or Belhaven demand to UMMC and state government payrolls.

GulfportEvent

Cruisin’ the Coast fills Highway 90 hotels with classic-car visitors each October. It lands inside hurricane season, which runs from June through November.

“How do I build Cruisin’ the Coast into a Gulfport hotel or restaurant plan?”

The Plan FixPrice Cruisin’ the Coast week along Highway 90 at event rates, sign room-block contracts with Port of Gulfport and Highway 49 contractors for the slow months, and budget windstorm insurance and closure days for June to November.

HattiesburgIndustry

Forrest General and Hattiesburg Clinic anchor Pine Belt health care, with USM and Camp Shelby adding steady demand.

“How do I write a plan for a Hattiesburg health services business?”

The Plan FixShow your referral sources from Forrest General and Hattiesburg Clinic along Hardy Street, spell out the payer mix, and size a cash cushion to how long insurers take to pay.

Many owners here also serve nearby markets. Dr. Paul covers neighboring Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee as well.

Start With an Example, Then the Numbers

New to business plans? Dr. Paul walks through a full example first, then the financial projections Mississippi lenders read closest.

Basic Business Plan ExampleA real plan walked through section by section, so you know what you are building.

What Goes in the Financial ProjectionsThe statements and assumptions a lender expects to find in the numbers section.

A Book for Mississippi Founders Tempted to Borrow Someone Else’s Plan

Top 5 Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs MakeDr. Paul’s Fabled ForestTop 5 Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make book cover, Dr. Paul's Fabled Forest

Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest

Top 5 Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

Copying a plan built for another Mississippi town is a classic beginner mistake, and the book walks through five of them. Each Fabled Forest story shows how to spot a mistake early, before it costs you money.

What do the creatures on your side of the forest actually need? Many young businesses borrow a plan from another clearing and wonder why their own neighbors never come.

Doctor Owl, Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School
Get the Book on Amazon →

Mississippi Business Plan Questions, Answered

What does an MDA loan guaranty change in my business plan?
It changes who carries the risk, not how strong the plan has to be. The MDA Small Business Loan Guaranty backs bank term loans and lines of credit, which makes a bank more willing to lend. The bank still wants to see the payment covered, every dollar accounted for, and an owner who knows the local market. Dr. Paul writes the plan so the guaranty supports a loan the bank already likes.
Who can help with a Pine Belt business plan now that the Hattiesburg SBDC has closed?
Dr. Paul does. He works with Pine Belt owners remotely by phone, email and shared drafts, and writes plans built around real demand from Forrest General, Hattiesburg Clinic, USM and Camp Shelby. Since the Hattiesburg center closed, the statewide Mississippi SBDC Network serves Pine Belt businesses directly with free counseling. Owners can use both: free advice to test the idea, and Dr. Paul for the written plan a lender reads.
Where do Jackson owners learn to read the financial statements lenders ask for?
Start with Dr. Paul’s free lessons on financial projections, break-even and a full business plan example, then watch the financial projections video on this page. The Fabled Forest Business School books teach the same ideas through short stories. For free personal help, the Mississippi SBDC Network counsels owners statewide. Learn the income statement, cash flow and balance sheet well enough to explain them to a banker in your own words.

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA

Business Plan Writer, Consultant & Author | 14+ Years | 1,000+ Clients Served

DBA, National UniversityMBA, Focus in Finance, Webster University

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA is the founder of Quality Business Plan. He writes business plans and financial projections for owners across the United States and Canada, works remotely with clients in every state, and has written plans behind more than $100M in funded projects. He is the author of the Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School series and has published over 1,000 business videos on YouTube. He has taught as an adjunct college instructor and teaches in Florida public schools.

14+Years Experience
1,000+Clients Served
$100M+Projects Funded
1,000+YouTube Videos

This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, lending, or financial advice. Program rules, loan sizes and local requirements change, so confirm them with the program or agency before you apply. The Fabled Forest and its characters are fictional.