Getting Started

To start the outline for the business plan (or business case) do the following.

Print the pages from your browser screen. 75% page size is best, or..
Download the screen source and cut out the HTML code, or..
Left click and drag-select the text on the screen, then..
Copy text to your favorite word processing package.
On the detail pages you should be left with a set of headers and instructions.
Add start dates and end dates to each subsection.
The final end date will be the date you set for finishing the section.
Leave the instructions in the document until you finish the section.
Cut the instructions and dates out when each section is finished.
Sections "not required" should be marked "NR" and you should be able to explain "Why they are not required."
Put them together and you have the finished document.

Notes:

Today much of your research can be done on the Internet. Gather as much as you can. Your goal will be to edit as much as 50% out of the rough copy when preparing the draft copy. This helps to avoid false or erroneous information. Many sources will have duplicate informaton which will help confirm the validity of the information.

Use spell check, grammar check and the thesaurus to produce a quality document.

The process of writing the plan provides the discipline and goal setting required to start and run a business. Do not have an "expert" write YOUR business plan. The writing exercise summarizes the business and how you (the management) will make it grow and prosper.

A business plan is not a one time document to raise money or start a business, although these are two of its uses. The plan is a vital living document that will be used month to month on start up, quarterly for 1-2 years and annually thereafter. Lack of planning and monitoring the business health result in business failure.

In the future the Business Plan will be a part of the analysis process in looking at problems, growth and making changes in many aspects of the company's life.

The Internet has dramatically changed the market place and you must adjust your thinking to include the impact of the Internet on the market and on business. In the past, scarcity made things valuable (i.e. gold). In the new economy quantity drives the value up. (i.e. The more computers on the net the more valuable the net becomes, hence the more valuable your connection to it.)

Being on the net is not like opening a store in a neighborhood. You must be patient. Your business presence on the web will go unnoticed at first. But as your business becomes known, through YOUR promotion, the traffic (contacts) will begin small and then explode. The key to success (besides a good product or service) is to let the Internet and everyone else know you're on the web.

How do you let the web know you're here?