Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Business Plans

A well-thought business plan is an essential must-do for startup ventures. It'll be required for any credit or other financing, but even if you're flying solo on a shoestring, a business plan will help keep you focused on what you know will create success. Explore these guidelines and samples to create your own top-notch business plan.

Writing a Business Plan - Financial Projections

Creating financial projections for your startup is both an art and a science. Although investors want to see cold, hard numbers, it is tough to predict your financial performance three years down the road, especially if you are still raising seed money. Regardless, a short- and medium-term financial projection is a required part of your business plan if you want serious investors’ attention. Here are some tips for crafting solid financial projections.

Writing a Business Plan - Company History

The business plan background, which follows the executive summary, should detail your company’s history. This part will vary, depending on how developed your business is. Overall, this section of your business plan should give an interested investor a better idea of who you are and how this business idea came about.

Writing a Business Plan - Business Concept and Value Proposition

It is crucial that your business plan states your business concept and value proposition. Since this part of the business plan follows the executive summary and company history, readers already should have a general idea of your company. The business concept, however, comprises your vision of the company, explaining the value your product or service will bring to the customer, why you are especially qualified to offer it, as well describing your offering's uniqueness and growth potential.

Writing a Business Plan - The Executive Summary

The executive summary is the introduction to a formal business plan. It summarizes the business proposition, key financial projections, where the business stands at present and elements that are critical for success. Remember this is the first thing a potential investor will read. If your executive summary doesn't grab his or her attention, then he or she probably won't bother reading the rest of your package.

How to Do a Breakeven Analysis

If you can accurately forecast your costs and sales, conducting a breakeven analysis is a matter of simple math. A company has broken even when its total sales or revenues equal its total expenses. At the breakeven point, no profit has been made, nor have any losses been incurred. This calculation is critical for any business owner, because the breakeven point is the lower limit of profit when determining margins.

SWOT Analysis - A Peek Behind the Curtain

Nearly any company or individual can benefit from utilizing a SWOT analysis. If nothing else, you will likely come away with some newfound insights and valuable data that should help in solidifying your next step. And in many cases, a look behind the curtain may fundamentally alter how you perceive the situation.

The Ten-Step, One-Day Strategic Plan

You can use these link to learn about business, One-Day Strategic Plan

The Business Plan: Not just a blueprint

Business planning is a vital component of starting and growing a successful enterprise. Many different templates and variations of business plans exist, so you must choose the right one for your purpose and your enterprise. Having a business and knowing what to do with it are very separate issues and creating a well-executed business plan for the right reasons will enhance the odds that your venture will be one of the ones to succeed.

The "Defendable Swag" -- How to Realistically Estimate Your Market Potential

There is a fundamental flaw in the thinking process of many entrepreneurs out there in the midst of building their companies and seeking angel or venture capitalist investment: simply put, their market projections cannot be defended. The total available market (TAM), around which the typical entrepreneur plans to build their pro forma business model, is often defined by figures pulled from some random analyst report off the Internet.

Why Business Plans Don't Get Funded

There are plenty of business plan resources available on the Web. Most of them focus on what to do, but many times the best lessons are learned from mistakes and seeing how to avoid them. Guest author Akira Hirai takes a look at the most common, easily avoidable mistakes that will keep investors from funding your project.

Business Plan FAQ

Our Small Business Information Guide answers common questions about business plans, from whether or not you really need one to the most common mistakes people make when writing them.

Critical Steps to Writing a Business Plan

Writing a business plan can be an overwhelming task. These feelings often translate into immobilization or confusion as to how to start the business plan. Learn the critical steps to start your plan on the right foot.

Interactive Business Planner

This exceptional online software will guide you through the creation of a 3 year business plan--for free!

Business Plan Outline

The SBA steps you through the elements of a business plan in an easy-to-follow format and provides you a template.

Business Plan for Home-based Business

This in-depth guide to creating a business plan for home-based business was created at the University of Central Arkansas' Small Business Advancement National Center, which appears to no longer be online. Fortunately, archive.org has a copy still.

Business Plans Planning Guide

A complete planning guide to the process of developing and writing a business plan, including three sample plans.

cited from http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/businessplan/Business_Plans.htm

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