This is an article discussion thread for discussing the SitePoint article, “Write a Business Plan that Works”
Oh yeah, don’t mess with the Smorgasbord.
Great article. Keep 'em coming.
Do you have an example of a well written business plan?
Now this is what I am talking about…the scenario of market penetration is an eye opener and gives a lot more focus.
Its one thing when you know a certain 'fact, but its a different thing when someone else says it. Its soothing even. Thank you Mr. Neitlich.
Ok, I finally got to read it all in detail. Not only that, but I printed it out, and read it again. Then I cut and pasted it and began rewriting my business plan based upon it by going step-by-step through your sections and replacing the text with my own. I have a crappy anemic business plan that I wrote a couple of months ago for a board meeting, but it was sadly incomplete and created with poor effort. Your suggestions are brilliant, and have inspired me to reforge my business plan and wield it as the Excalibur of sorts of my new company!
Thank you, Andrew!
Great article! Lots of “meat” as it were.
BTW: I too thought peruse meant to look over hastily or casually??
Merriam Webster seems to hold BOTH takes on “peruse” (and in a somewhat contradictory manner according to their definitions 1a and 1b). They say:
Main Entry: pe·ruse
Etymology: Middle English, to use up, deal with in sequence, from Latin per- thoroughly + Middle English usen to use
1 a : to examine or consider with attention and in detail : STUDY b : to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner
2 : READ; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner
How funny. I did the exact same thing.
My problem is exactly the opposite. I’ve used other business plan resources that were overkill, so I end up with something overly complex and basically useless. The article has also inspired me to go back to the drawing board and create something simple that will actually work.
It also made me realize that I had neglected Part 3, the Action and Accountability portion. Since then, I’ve asked a friend and fellow business owner if he would “hold me accountable” by reading my plan. Every Monday we’ll discuss what specific action steps I intend to tackle that week.
Great info, thanks. I can also recommend Gerry Richmond’s site <a href=“http://www.business-plan-help.com”>Write a Business Plan</a>. Lots of useful business plan writing and business planning help.
wow, this is incredible my only regret is that i found it rather too late.thanks so much.
This is an excellent article. I help small business owners write business plans for a living and staying focused to complete the right things extremely well is something a lot of new owners stuggle with. Our site, Teneric Business Plans has free business plan templates and various downloads for more info…
Thanks, Peter
Thanks a lot for the wisdom so well put. It reinforced us that we are on the right track. But your details made a difference in our perspective on how accessible a bussiness plan could be.
Gratefully :),
Michelle
Yes, it’s a very good article that addresses a fundemental aspect of success that technical people are prone to relegating to the “will get around to it” pile.
It actually is the first thing that should be done. After doing it, the writer may discover that the business opportunity is not as good as it looked, or that it has been overdone.
Hi all,
Writing a business plan for small businesses requires you to focus on following points:
- Industry Analysis
- Marketing Plan
- Marketing Strategy
- Marketing Mix
- Operational Plan
- Financial Plan and many other
It is essential to provide complete details and analysis of your business to make it attractive for financial institutions like banks for obtaining loans. In my opinion, best solution is to hire a professional or a service provider who can write a custom business plan, according to the needs and requirement of your business. A professional writer or a service provider is a better option then writing a plan on your own because they posses expertise in the field, takes less time, and are more productive then any other.<snip>
I’ve been around for almost 2 months now yet it is my first time to have stumbled upon this article. I’ve read some similar posts yet yours would have to be the most concise. Priceless information, definitely bookmark worthy! 
There are tons of info on business planning all over the web. Most of them lack a good example explained at the end of the article.
Good information though, bookmarked it too. Though it’s dated 2004.
As for me, i would consider to create a few different variants of the same plan to present it to different persons/companies.
Business plan is a need when you want to start up a business, there you put what are your target market, what do you cater, where do usually people flock just to grab of what kind of product or services your putting, what marketing strategy you think you can get customer attention, how much capital will you raise, and so on. so that everything will fell into right places.
I think you missed the point of that article. Andrew describes a strategic business plan rather than one for lenders investors. A strategic business plan is your roadmap for your business.
The beauty of this article is that it will never grow old because it sets out some fundamental principles that are necessary for every business to succeed.
Hi Tsid,
You should visit following link for a sample of a good [business plan](http://www.bizplancorner.com/samples/health-club-business-plan.pdf).
This is a good intro for somebody who wants to start a business. Very useful and educative.
Truth be told, most business plans fail to make much impression on potential investors. Most aren’t even read in full. Their shortcomings tend to be obvious even in a two-page executive summary, largely because they are written before enough real work has been done to create a solid foundation.