Business Plans For Dummies^®

by Paul Tiffany; Steven D. Peterson; Foreword by: John B. Schulze

• ISBN13: 9780764527913
• ISBN10: 0764527916
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: JOHN WILEY & SONS

Summary

For some people, a business plan is a map to success that they're required to put together to raise money for a startup company. At best, it's a formality; at worst, it's a sizable pain in the neck. But a business plan doesn't exist just to garner financial support; it's also a powerful tool - one that's bound to make your company a better place to work and your business a more successful operation.Business Plans For Dummies can guide your business in the right direction no matter who you are or how your job description reads, whether you're part of a large corporation or a one-person show. If you've struggled through the planning process before - or if you're brand new to plotting out goals and objectives - this expert reference will show you how to Create a right-on mission statement Pinpoint the needs of your customers Scope out the competition Simplify all the financial stuff Stay on top of trends Foster a winning atmosphere for your staff Packing the greatest value into a business plan calls for a look back at where your company's been and how it's changed over the years, a look forward to where and how you'll compete in the marketplace, and a look around at what you want to show and tell the world about your enterprise. This down-to-earth guide steps you through every milestone in business planning, including Determining where you want to go with your business Checking out the business environment: customers and competition Assessing your capabilities and resources Getting into strategic thinking mode Facing the facts about product life cycles Motivating and appreciating the people who make it all happen in-house Riding marketplace tides isn't the sport of amateurs these days; only 250f new businesses survive beyond their first three years of operation. This invaluable resource gives you a no-nonsense approach to staying afloat, rising above the risks, and enjoying the rewards as you take care of business.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Determining Where You Want to Go

Starting Your Business Plan

Charting the Proper Course

Setting Off in the Right Direction

Sizing Up Your Marketplace

Checking Out the Business Environment

Taking a Closer Look at Customers

Dividing Customers into Groups

Scoping Out Your Competition

Weighing Your Company's Prospects

Establishing Your Starting Position

Focusing On What You Do Best

Figuring Out Financials

Forecasting and Budgeting

Looking to the Future

Preparing for Change

Thinking Strategically

Managing More than One Product

A Planner's Toolkit

Making Your Business Plan Work

Learning From Others: A Sample Business Plan

The Part of Tens

Ten Questions to Ask about Your Plan

Top Ten Business-Planning Never-Evers

Ten of the Best-Planned Organizations Around

Index

Book Registration Information

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