I am putting together a business plan, something I’ve never done before, I want it to be as professional of a plan as possible. What should go in the plan, how much detail should the plan have? Any help would be great!

Here are some resources that can help you write your business plan:

- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html
- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm
- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html

You may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:

- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm
- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners

http://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html

- VFinance – View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&ToolPage=bps_main.asp
- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_m.asp
- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/
- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html
-SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html
- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/businessPlan.pdf
- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_FE/display&c=GuideFactSheet&cid
- Business Plans Index – A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/bplansindex.html

Some recommended books are :

- Business Plans Kit for Dummies
- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan
- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide
- Business Plans For Dummies®
- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan

Hope that the above resources help

Duration : 0:6:37

Technorati Tags: Armchair, business, DVD, how, Perfect, plan, Services, to, Workshop, write, writing

However, not all new entrepreneurs prepare a business plan: many find the process too tedious or they lack the knowledge to make one. Your most probable clients will be those entrepreneurs who are seeking loans, attracting investors, looking for franchises, or businesses at the point of being acquired.
To start in this business, you need a strong business background, good knowledge of financial statements, good business writing style and the ability to see a business both from the perspective of the owner and the financial source. It would help if you have already put together business plans before so you know what questions to ask and what information to find. Study the various business plan software available in the market, but learn to adopt it to your client’s particular situation.

Start-up costs for this business can be low particularly if you already have equipment like computer, fax, and Internet access. Your biggest cost may be professional liability insurance to help protect you when your recommendations for the future direction of the business turn south. Earnings, on the other hand, can range from $2,500 to $5,000 per project depending on the time it takes to write the plan (usually three to four weeks) and the amount of research you need to do. Your price can increase to as much as $25,000 per project, particularly for big corporations seeking new funding. You can also supplement your income through business editing and revising existing plans because of the change in your client’s circumstance.

Like any new business, finding the first client is the hardest. Networking and referrals are the most effective ways of finding clients. Join chambers of commerce and economic development groups. Make contacts with bankers, venture capitalists, angel investors and organizations that offer business mentor programs or entrepreneurship centers. Hone your skills by preparing business plans free of charge at the beginning, in order to have a portfolio of plans you can show to prospective clients.

Recommended Books:

How to Write a Business Plan (5th Ed) by Mike P. McKeever
The Prentice Hall Encyclopedia of Model Business Plans by Wilbur Cross, Alice M. Richey
The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan (Small Business Sourcebooks) by Joseph A. Covello, Brian J. Hazelgren

Duration : 0:2:15

Technorati Tags: business, create a business plan, plan, planning, sba, tim berry