Articles Index

Writing a Business Plan - Planning Your Exit Strategy
The final portion of your business plan outlines your exit strategy. It may seem odd to develop a strategy this soon to leave your business, but potential investors will want to know your long-term plans. Your exit plans need to be clear in your own mind because they will dictate how you operate the company.

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.

Writing a Business Plan - Market Analysis
You may possess all the confidence in the world that yours is a perfect product with a clearly defined customer base. If that’s the case, you’ll need to figure out how you’re going to get your product into the hands of those customers. That’s where the marketing analysis section of your business plan comes into play.

Writing a Business Plan - Management and Human Resources Plan
Your business plan should include a description of your organizational structure, including your management and human resources capabilities, philosophy and needs, the number of employees you intend to hire, how you will manage them and your estimated personnel costs.

Writing a Business Plan - Implementation Plan
Even the most well-thought-out business plan is just a stack of paper if it isn’t coupled with a plan for implementation. This is the portion of the business plan where you’ll clarify objectives, assign tasks with deadlines, and chart your progress in reaching goals and milestones. Here are some guidelines for successful business plan implementation.

Writing a Business Plan - Deal Structure
If you plan to make the rounds of venture capital firms or approach potential angel investors, you need to keep the lender’s interests firmly in mind. Simply put, these institutions or individuals want to protect their investment and generate a high return. With that in mind, here are some things to remember when structuring an investment deal.

Writing a Business Plan - Resource Planning
Identifying business resources you will bring to the venture and those you’ll need to acquire in order to start operating, such as staff, equipment and the cash to finance these necessities is another key element of the business plan.

Writing a Business Plan - Outlining a Growth Strategy
Potential investors who read your business plan will want to know how you plan to grow your business once it is off the ground. This entails more than just demonstrating how your revenue will grow. The growth strategy section of your business plan is about proving to others that you have a plan for bringing your product to new customers and new markets, and perhaps even introducing new products.

Writing a Business Plan - Survival Strategy
A strong business is one that can ride out the tough times. Your business plan should be able to account for a soft economy or an industry slump and should have the built-in flexibility you’ll need in order to react quickly and nimbly in the face of change. Take these business survival measures to insulate your company in the event of an unexpected downturn.

Writing a Business Plan - Operations Strategy
A business plan should include an assessment of your production and operations strategy. Operations have a steep learning curve, but many successful companies, such as Wal-Mart, have grown by leveraging their operational infrastructure.

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 - 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.

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.

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
The Ten-Step, One-Day Strategic Plan

The "Defendable Swag"
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.