How to Prepare a Business Plan

by Blackwell, Edward

• ISBN13: 9780749462529
• ISBN10: 0749462523
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-28
• Publisher: Kogan Page Ltd

Summary

a good business plan should impress potential financial backers by clarifying aims, providing a blueprint for the future of your company and a benchmark against which to measure growth. how to prepare a business planexplains the whole process in accessible language and includes guidance on: producing cash flow forecasts and sample business plans; expanding a business; planning the borrowing; and monitoring business progress. the author introduces several small businesses as case studies, analyses their business plans, monitors their progress and discusses their problems. whether looking to start up or expand, this practical advice will help anyone to prepare a plan that is tailored to the requirements of their business one that will get the financial backing you need.

Author Biography

Edward Blackwell is a consultant on small business affairs. A former accountant, he ran his own business for many years.  How to Prepare a Business Plan has been translated into several different languages.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Writing a business plan	p. 4
Clarity	p. 4
Brevity	p. 5
Logic	p. 5
Truth	p. 5
Figures	p. 5
Designing the business plan	p. 5
Deciding how much to write	p. 6
Getting down to it	p. 6
How to set about it	p. 7
Tackling each section	p. 7
Simple cash flow forecasts	p. 17
Is a cash flow forecast of any real use?	p. 18
Principles to observe when filling in a simple cash flow form	p. 19
The break-even analysis	p. 31
The very small business	p. 34
	p. 36
	p. 50
Retail and catering	p. 54
	p. 59
	p. 63
Catering	p. 72
	p. 73
Manufacturing	p. 79
	p. 80
	p. 81
	p. 92
Expanding a business	p. 99
	p. 103
	p. 109
	p. 113
The market	p. 118
	p. 123
Planning the borrowing	p. 124
How not to write a business plan - or run a business	p. 133
Maintaining the plan	p. 140
Small business and the trade cycle	p. 148
Monitoring progress	p. 154
	p. 156
	p. 159
	p. 165
	p. 165
	p. 169
	p. 170
Turbotte Manufacturing Company	p. 171
Postscript	p. 172
Where to go for further advice	p. 173
Help for small businesses	p. 177
Useful names, addresses and websites	p. 182
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.