Business Plan Resources

In its most general sense, business planning is about taking your dream and turning it into reality. A business plan is the document you create when you take an idea for a commercial endeavor and work through all the factors that will have an impact on the successful startup, operation, and management of the business. Smart entrepreneurs plan, not because accountants or business advisors tell them to, but because they understand that it increases their chances for success. Sure, there are successful businesses whose owners fly by the seat of their pants and never create a written plan. But they succeeded despite the lack of a formal plan, not because of it. How much better might they have done had their good ideas been coupled with some solid planning?

Online Resources

BizPlanit.com
"This unique and free online resource mirrors the major sections of a business plan, and enables you to learn the fundamentals of writing a business plan."

CCH Business Planner's Toolkit
URL: http://www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P02_0001.asp

Small Business Administration (SBA) - Small Business Planner
URL: http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html

Small Business Lending Corporation
Online tutorial for developing a business plan
URL: https://www.smallbizlending.com/resources/workshop/main.asp

Small Business Plan Guide
URL: http://www.smallbusinessplanguide.com/

Sample Business Plans

You Belong in Connecticut - Department of Economic and Community Development Sample Business Plans
URL: http://www.youbelonginct.com/user-cgi/pages.cgi?dbkey=107

SBA - Sample Business Plans
URL: http://www.bplans.com/samples/sba.cfm#

Books

Abrams and Kleiner: The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies, (1999)

Bangs: The Business Planning Guide: Creating a Plan for Success in Your Own Business, (1998)

Bewsey: Home Cleaning Business: Your Step by Step Business Plan, (1999)

Covello and Hazelgren: Your First Business Plan: A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your First Business Plan, (1997)

Dethomas and Grensing-Pophal: Writing a Convincing Business Plan, (2001)

Eglash: How to Write a .com Business Plan: The Internet Entrepreneur's Guide to Everything You Need to Know about Business Plans and Financing Options, (2000)

Fallek: Business Plan Example, (1997)

Horan, Horan, Peters and Shaw: The One Page Business Plan: Start with a Vision, Build a Company! (1998)

Kapron: BizPlan Express: Provides the Tools to Write a Winning Business Plan, (1998)

Manning: Businessplan.com: How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan, (2000)

McKeever: How to Write a Business Plan, (1999)

Patsula and Nowik: Successful Business Planning in 30 Days: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing a Business Plan and Starting Your Own Business, (2000)

Tiffany: Business Plans for Dummies, (1997)

Williams and Thompson: The New York Times Pocket MBA Series: Business Planning, (2000)

Software

BPlans.com
URL: http://www.bplans.com/

BRS
URL: http://www.brs-inc.com/index.asp

Business Planning Freeware (It's free to download)
URL: http://www.planware.org/freeware.htm

Quicken Small Business Center
URL: http://www.quicken.com/small_business/

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