Business Plan of

DRAGON CORPS Harrison Chan for the

2020 Fiscal Year

LONGBOWS
 I. Plan Summary
a. Dragon Corps Longbows is in the business of building custom, hand-made
traditional style longbows. The proprietor, Harrison Chan, is the primary craftsmen
and manager of Dragon Corps. He has ten years of experience building many types of
longbows, including English longbows, flatbows, Mollegabets, and Holmegaards.
Dragon Corps longbows are crafted from a variety of high quality woods, including
but not limited to Pacific yew, black locust, hickory, varieties of ash, osage orange
(also known as Bois D’Arc), and elm. The industry has been extremely appealing to
operate in because it fulfills the “fun” portion of life, while at the same time fulfilling
the “work” portion of life. Over the course of a year, assuming a bow is commissioned
on average every week at between $500 and $600, estimated year end gross profit can
reach as high as $31,200. Startup costs will require a minimal amount of capital, a mere
$1,000 would be manageable. Most tools are already owned by the proprietor, and
work and business can be conducted from home. The only additional costs would be
for the procurement of raw materials, particularly boards or bow staves. Staves or
boards of appropriate woods can be as inexpensive as $10 or over $100.
II. Business, Industry & Product Description
a. Company
i. Dragon Corps Longbow’s sole proprietor is Harrison Chan. If demand reaches a
level that one person cannot handle alone, an apprentice may be taken on.
ii. Profits go directly to Dragon Corps accounts. In the event an
employee/apprentice is hired, pay will be meted on a commission based rate.
iii. Harrison Chan is owner and master bowyer at Dragon Corps. One or two
employee/apprentice positions will be available, depending on labor requirements.
iv. Dragon Corps is operated in a manner similar to many other small bow building
companies, however, the focus on very traditional products is different from most
modern bow building companies. Where a competitor would build longbows that
more closely resemble flatbows and consist of laminates joined with a modern
adhesive, we build purely traditional style bows, and our laminates are glued with
only “primitive” adhesives such as fish or hide glue.
b. Industry
i. The bow building industry is a small, exclusive one. While there are thousands of
amateur bowyers across the country, the number of professional, traditional
bowyers in America can be numbered in the dozens.
ii. Dragon Corps has not completed any marketing studies; however it is a proven
trend that as the fall hunting season kicks in sales of hunting-power bows in the 50
to 80 pound draw weight range increases.
iii. The continued revival of the traditional archery has proven itself to consistently
support the manufacture of custom-made traditional style bows. However, the
influx of amateur bowyers tackling bow building at a professional level will
generate more competition.
iv. There are several main competitors in the traditional archery industry. Chief
among them are Richard Head Longbows, 3 Rivers Archery, Martin Archery, and
PSE.
c. Product
 i. Dragon Corps Longbows builds traditional longbows of English, flatbow,
Mollegabet, and Holmegaard designs crafted from staves or boards of yew, ash,
osage orange, black locust, hickory, and other woods at customer request.
ii. Dragon Corps’ longbows are superior to our competitors for the quality of
materials and craftsmanship that we utilize. Each bow is thoroughly “shot-in” to
ensure consistency and reliability before it is sent to the customer. Every board
and stave is carefully examined for perfection of grain. All character bows are
tillered to perfection.
iii. Dragon Corps Longbows offer a greater variety of longbows than any of our
competitors. Additionally, our bows are crafted to a higher level workmanship
than our competitor’s bows.
III. Marketing Strategy
a. Marketing & Advertising
i. No more than the cost of gasoline will be spent on marketing. Dragon Corps will
transport equipment to local and regional competitive archery meets, primitive
skills meets, and archery trade shows.
ii. Each of our longbows is tested with a minimum of 50 properly spined shafts
before shipping. Test shots are made with a shooting machine and measured with
a chronograph for consistency.
iii. Dragon Corps will draw customers by using Dragon Corps longbows at archery
meets and for personal use at local archery ranges.
iv. Dragon Corps’ target audiences are all archers, whether target, hunting, or
recreational. We also aim to provide for archers new to the sport.
v. Advertising will be conducted as described above, bringing bows and tools to
archery meets for hands on demonstrations. Advertising materials will also
include business cards and photo books that display previously built bows.
b. Pricing
i. Longbows will be available for as low as $250 for an entry-level red oak longbow,
drawing 45 to 50 pounds at 28” of draw. More complex designs crafted from more
expensive bow woods, for instance an ash Holmegaard design, might sell for as
much as $400. A laminated, reflex-deflex longbow will cost even more, selling for
over $500.
ii. Pricing will be determined at such a level as to be competitive with comparable
products from other manufacturers.
IV. Capital Goods & Facilities
a. Dragon Corps Longbows is located outside of Corvallis, Washington, central to
prime sources of Pacific yew, a prime wood for English longbows.
b. The crafting of a longbow requires no more space than the proprietor’s garage, any
fair-sized room with proper ventilation will suffice.
c. All equipment used by Dragon Corps Longbows is the personal property of the
proprietor. Equipment includes a bandsaw, heat box, a selection of rasps, a selection of
sandpapers, a bow bench, and cabinet scrapers.
d. No floor plan is necessary. During warm weather, work is conducted in the
proprietor’s yard. During cold weather, work is moved in, to the proprietor’s garage.
e. No license beyond a basic business license and tax registration is necessary.
 f. As the proprietor already owns all necessary equipment, no costs will be incurred.
In the event demand exceeds production capacity, however, basic equipment, such as
rasps, scrapers, and sandpaper, all that is necessary for an apprentice/employee, can be
acquired for less than $50.
V. Personnel Requirements
a. Employees/apprentices will be recruited when necessary by surveying attendees at
local trade shows and archery meets. Employees/apprentices must have a skill level
appropriate to journeyman level.
b. No more than two employees will be necessary at greatest. Typically, business can
be conducted in a normal manner under the sole labor of the proprietor.
c. Pay will be meted on a commission based rate. Employees/apprentices will earn
40% of the net profits for any bow they complete to a satisfactory degree.
VI. Critical Risks & Problems
a. Bows that fail during tillering will reduce morale of employees and have the
potential to cause bodily injury.
b. In the event of tree blights or other diseases, bow woods may become scarce and
very expensive.
c. Poorly designed or tillered bows may fail during customer use, inviting expensive
lawsuits.
d. For more complex commissions, procuring the appropriate woods may be difficult
based on location, supply, and demand.
e. Expensive staves and boards can be damaged irreparably by even the most skilled
craftsmen. Care must be taken when working with wood.
VII. Financing
a. No financing is necessary to fund Dragon Corps Longbows.
b. Start-up capital will come from the sale of custom, hand-made longbows crafted by
the proprietor before the formation of Dragon Corps Longbows.
c. Assuming one bow in the $400 to $500 range is commissioned every week, gross
profit can be expected to reach the $30,000 range.
Logo:

A basic, finished bow: