Archive for the ‘Business Plan’ category

Tips and Traps for Writing an Effective Business Plan

February 14th, 2012

Having an effective business plan is critical to the success of any business. That is why I want us to examine this text entitled “Tips & Traps for Writing an Effective Business Plan.” It is written by Greg Balanko-Dickson, a third-generation entrepreneur, Licensed Professional Business Coach and founding member of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance.

Balanko-Dickson has clients throughout Canada, the United States, South Africa and the United Kingdom. According to the author, whether you want to start a business or grow one, buy or sell one, attract investors or obtain a loan, fine-tune your operation or restructure it, attempting to do it without a well-crafted plan is like going to the sea without a compass. He says this text arms you with the know-how and tools you need to write your own surefire business plan in a record time.

Balanko-Dickson educates that to be successful in business, you need to research and write your plan; tailor a plan for virtually any type or size of business; master the 10 key components of a successful plan; understand all your financing options; and streamline the process using worksheets, sample forms and ready-to-use templates.

This text is divided into five parts of 27 chapters. Part one is generically christened “Introduction” and contains two chapters. Chapter one borders on what a business plan is and why you need it. According to Balanko-Dickson, it is an instrument used to document the intent and plans of the owner regarding every aspect of the business. He adds that the document itself can be used to communicate plans, strategies and tactics to your managers, partners and investors.

It is also used when you are applying for credit, educates the author, explaining that the plan contains both strategic and tactical objectives, and it can be either informal or formal. » Read more: Tips and Traps for Writing an Effective Business Plan

Developing and Writing an Effective Business Plan Can Very Difficult

February 13th, 2012

While the Business Plan can be a difficult task, especially to do well, it does not mean that you do not have to do it. The benefits far outweigh the challenges. However, if you have a good planning process, then the difficulty of the task of planning is often minimized and minimized.

Business Planning is the Hard Part…

If the Biz Planning Process is Comprehensive and well executed, then the Planning Process itself will often be much harder than the actual running of the company. Wouldn’t you like to get the hard part of running the company out of the way upfront? Wouldn’t you want to ensure the absolute best chance to succeed with your company? Wouldn’t you want to be highly profitable verses marginally profitable? Of course you would. But to do so takes a lot of hard work, making the intangible (i.e. an idea, a new project, a new business venture), tangible.

Borrowing from the success of others in creating and expanding successful companies, can really give you a leg up in the difficult Process of converting the unknown into an executable, successful venture. This is why I wrote a Business Plan Workbook as it takes a lot of that guesswork out of the Biz Planning Process, giving you years of experience in not just building successful plans but actually implementing those plans into successful companies. A good business plan workbook simplifies the complicated Biz Planning and Building Process into simple, doable steps which build on one another into the building blocks of a successful company.

Knowledge and Know-How…

Good Biz Planning comes from lots of hands on experience. Overcome that experience factor by utilizing a proven Planning Process.

Define the Unknown…

Without an effective business plan in place, you are just throwing darts at a board with your eyes closed. A good Planning Process defines the unknown into an executable plan. Otherwise, you are simply guessing. Business is hard enough- take the mystery out of it. It is exceedingly hard to define the unknown without a system in place to work toward known opportunities, threats, competitors, market changes, market variables, business models and so on. An effective Planning Process embraces the unknown and creates the future- a future of probable success.

Inexactitude is a guarantee in Business…

Not everything can be predicted. However, by having a system in place to deal with this inexactness allows you to more effectively address challenges that come up. Inexactitude costs your company money. An effective Business Plan puts systems in place within your Company to quickly deal with the unexpected occurrences, minimizing your “learning curve” expenditures. Additionally, a Plan can test the merit of a Strategic Tactic or Program to deal with a potential problem before implementation, again, minimizing your learning curve resource allocation. A good business plan process or workbook will help you effectively deal with the unpredictability of a company and the inexactness inherent in business development. » Read more: Developing and Writing an Effective Business Plan Can Very Difficult