Business Plans Handbook, Vol. 9

Review by Jeff Lippincott (Prin ceton, NJ USA)
VOLUME 9. I love this resource. I cannot say enough positive things about it. I am a SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) volunteer who provides business coaching services via email and in-person. I have recommended on almost every occasion that my "clients" who are starting a business and need to prepare a business plan search out for this volume and the others that follow it at their public library, community college library, or university library.

A business plan is a 25-35 page written document that includes the following ten sections:

1. Business History and Outlook
2. Description of Product or Services
3. Market Examination (target market)
4. Description and analysis of Competition (competitors serving target market)
5. Marketing (various options and a plan)
6. Operations
7. Administration and Management
8. Key Personnel
9. Potential Problems and Solutions to those Problems
10. Financial Information (BS, IS, Stmt of Cash Flows)

Included in this volume are the following sample business plans:

1. Airline Company
2. Business Development Firm
3. Caviar Company
4. Computer Training Company
5. Concert Promotions Company
6. Counseling Center
7. Dollar Store
8. Electronic Document Security Company
9. Financial Services Company
10. Food Distributor (template)
11. Golf Driving Range
12. Grocery Store
13. Hardware Store (template)
14. Import/Export Store
15. Internet Service Provider
16. Internet Software Company
17. Internet Travel Agency
18. Marble Quarry
19. Nonprofit Youth Outreach Ministry
20. Online Publishing System
21. Retail Business Incubator
22. Retail Clothing Store
23. Science Information Web Site
24. Skin Cream Formulator
25. Video Production and Distribution Company
26. Wireless Systems Integrator

None of the above plans are 25-35 pages long. And few if any have good Financial Information. But what they do provide the reader is examples of how business plans are supposed to present information. You will no doubt see big holes in the sample plans. It is those holes you need to be aware of so you can fill them in when you prepare your own business plan.

Read the plans as if you were going to use them to start a similar business. Ask yourself what you still need to know after reading each plan that you must have an answer for in order to use the plan as a blueprint for actually running your own business. As you do this for each of the plans you will become expert at analyzing and critiquing business plans. And that is what you need to be able to do well when you write your own business plan. 5 stars!