Business planning guide Free PDF book: creating a plan for success in your own business (1993 )









The revised and expanded edition of the Business Planning Guide is a landmark. What has been described as "an underground bestseller" (forking Woman, August 1987) has finally come into the light of day? Until now it has been difficult to find the Guide unless you were one of the fortunate entrepreneurs whose banker provided it, or you happened to attend a seminar by one of the Guide's devotees. Even so, more than 150,000 businesses have used the Guide to plan for future successes. That number tells us something: there are a lot of highly motivated business owners out there who recognize the importance of planning and will seek out the resources they need to make their businesses work.It also tells us that small business continues to be a major force economically and socially. In these deregulated days of frenzied acquisitions and investment-banker-as-culture-hero, it is reassuring to know that our foundation of independent business is still there, creating jobs, preserving freedoms, creating and maintaining prosperity.The Business Planning Guide is more useful than it's ever been. This latest edition contains *a new product/service section *an expanded marketing section *updated figures which reflect current trends *an index to make it easier to use. The Guide is not only intended for those who are opening a business, but those who are expanding an existing business, buying a going concern, or simply determined to manage their business on a more rational basis. In short, this is a handbook for those that have braved the odds and opened their own business, and for the more than 400,000 entrepreneurs who take up the challenge every year.Foreword viTo the Reader viiIntroduction 1Outline of a Business Plan 2The Cover Sheet 3The Statement of Purpose 5The Plan's Table of Contents 6Section One: The Business 9A. Description of Business 10B. Product/Service 16C. The Market 18D. Location of Business 23E. Competition 25F. Management 28G. Personnel 34H. Application and Expected Effect of Investment 36I. Summary 40Section Two: Financial Data 43A. Sources and Applications of Funding 47B. Capital Equipment List 48C. Balance Sheet 50D. Break-Even Analysis 55E. Projected Income Statement 59F. Cash Flow Projection 72G. Deviation Analysis .82H. Historical Financial Reports 88I. Summary 89Section Three: The Financing Proposal 91Section Four: Supporting Documents 97Appendix One: A Sample Partnership Agreement and Corporate Checklist 103Appendix Two: Functional Resumes 113Appendix Three: Bibliography and Resources 117Appendix Four: Glossary 123Appendix Five: Worksheets 129Appendix Six: Order Forms 143Index 149