Business plan writing

jwhitt421

   I am in need of some guidance with writing my business plan. I have a great idea and can picture the business already up and running, but am having trouble formulate all my ideas into a real, legitimate plan. Should I write it myself or have help from a company? Any suggestions???

StartUpSmart

Hi!
 
Are you looking to raise money with your plan? My advice if you want to write it yourself is to keep it simple. You don`t need a 70 page leather bound manual. I suggest following this simple outline that Guy Kawasaki created:
 

Clarify the problem that your customer group has
State the solution you offer
Describe the business model (how your cash register rings, distribution channels, etc)
Analyze the competition
Describe your key differentiators
Discuss your sales and marketing plan
Introduce yourself and your team
Provide financials
Define your next steps or your action plan

Let me know if you have questions. Good luck!
 

jwhitt421

Hi thanks for the advice and website!
 
Yes I am looking to find capital with my plan, but I am just stuck on how to get my ideas down on paper. I am looking for a mentor basically, to help guide me through this process of writing my plan and getting it going.

StartUpSmart

Hi,
 
I`d be happy to talk with you. Feel free to send me an email offline.

robertj

   I am in need of some guidance with writing my business plan. I have a great idea and can picture the business already up and running, but am having trouble formulate all my ideas into a real, legitimate plan. Should I write it myself or have help from a company? Any suggestions???
As one who has helped many entrepreneurs develop a solid business plan - my philosophy is this: Just like an author needs to know what they want to say but an editor can help them do it better - so the entrepreneur should be an integral part of the plan development. This is especially true if you intend to seek capital because you will need to be able to talk about the plan to capital sources.
 

KevDev

As always, check out these free resources:Small Business Development Center
(SBDC)SCORE
Good luck!

aaron123

I think you can go to a consult firm for help, but it still need your own discription of your business. Maybe they have some methods to let you express well.

startuphelper

StartupSmart got it right. Keep it simple. But do follow the generally accepted outline (SBA approved). When I wanted to start my first business I totally panicked when I saw what all was involved in writing a business plan. I actually put it off for 2 years! But I wanted to start that business so bad I finally just dove right in and started researching and wrote my own plan.
 
I kept it simple but used powerful wording and included every required report and financial statements. The loan officers loved it precisely because I keep it concise and interesting.
 
I have since gone on to write many more business plans and have written the manual, "You Can Write Your Own Successful Business Plan" which is written for the new entrepreuner with no experience. It takes you step by step so you can write your own business plan.
 
Check it out below (signature).