9780764553653

Summary

While Business Plans For Dummies covers the strategy of putting a business plan together, Business Plans Kit For Dummies covers how to put a business plan to work! This kit covers business plans for every stage (and every type) of business: e-business, sole proprietorships, small businesses, service companies, high-tech companies, non-profits -- even business plans for middle managers and restructuring a company. It emphasizes methods for obtaining funding and sources to tap for capital, and explains how to formulate business plans according to the planned business model -- bricks-and-mortar vs. e-business. It also includes updated terminology and jargon from the business planning and venture capital industries, and shows you how to gear specific plans for businesses in different phases of development (i.e., startup, expansion, etc.).

Author Biography

Steven Peterson is founder and CEO of Strategic Play, a management training company specializing in hands-on software tools designed to enhance business strategy, business planning, and general management skills. He is the creator and developer of the Protean Strategist, a business simulation that reproduces a dynamic business environment where participant teams run companies and compete against each other in a fast-changing marketplace. Each team is responsible for developing a business plan along with the strategies and programs to put it to work. For more information, check out the Web site at www.StrategicPlay.com. Steven has worked with both large and small companies around the world on strategy and business planning, strategic marketing, new product development, and product management. He uses the Protean Strategist simulation to help managers improve their skills in teamwork and collaboration across functional areas and even across cultures. Prior to founding Strategic Play, Steven served for many years as a consultant to companies in the United States and abroad. He holds advanced degrees in mathematics and physics and received his doctorate from Cornell University. Peter Jaret is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Newsweek, National Geographic, Health, Men's Journal, Reader's Digest, and dozens of other magazines. He is the author of In Self-Defense: The Human Immune System and Active Living Every Day. Over the past 15 years, Peter has also consulted with a wide variety of companies to develop marketing brochures, informational white papers, and annual reports. His clients include the Electric Power Research Institute, Lucas Arts, The California Endowment, WebMD, BabyCenter, Stanford University, Collabria, and Home Planet Technologies. In 1992, Peter received the American Medical Association's first-place award for medical reporting, and in 1997, he won the prestigious James Beard Award for food and nutrition writing. Peter holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Virginia.

Introduction

(4)

Part I: Doing Your Planning Homework

(66)

Beginning with a Brainstorm

(18)

Starting Your Planning Engine

(22)

Laying Down the Ground Rules

(24)

Part II: Building Your Plan's Components

(102)

Assessing the Business Environment

(30)

Explaining Your Strategy

103

(24)

Describing Your Company

127

(18)

Examining Your Financial Situation

145

(28)

Part III: Adjusting Your Plan to Fit Your Needs

173

(62)

Planning for the Self-Employed

175

(16)

Planning for a Small Business

191

(12)

Planning in the New Economy

203

(16)

Planning a Not-for-Profit Organization

219

(16)

Part IV: Making the Most of Your Plan

235

(54)

Putting Your Plan Together

237

(24)

Putting Your Plan to Work

261

(28)

Part V: The Part of Tens

289

(18)

Ten Ways to Evaluate a New Business Idea

291

(4)

Ten Things a Business Plan Does for You

295

(4)

Ten Ways to Fund Your Business Plan

299

(4)

Ten Possible Signs That Your Plan Needs An Overhaul

303

(4)

Appendix: About the CD

307

(10)

Index

317

(17)

Hungry Minds End-User License Agreement

334

(2)

Installation Instructions

336

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.