HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN

If you want to start a business and grow your company, then it's necessary to know how to write a business plan. In this article you will be able to know every stage of writing a business plan that will help you in achieving your goals.

There are following rules for writing a business plan.

• MAKE IT SHORT:

Business plans should be short and concise.

You want others to read your business plan and on one will read 100 pages or 40 pages of long paragraphs.

Your business plan should be a tool to run your business and make it grow faster, something you continue to use and refine over time.  An excessively long business plan is a huge hassle to revise.

• KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE:

You need to write a plan in the language that your audience understands.

If your company is all about complex scientific process but your prospective investors are not scientists, you should avoid jargons or acronyms that won't be familiar.

Accommodate your investors and you should keep explanations of your product simple and direct, using terms that everyone can understand.

• DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED:

Majority of business men and entrepreneurs are not business experts. Just like you, they are also learning and they do not have degrees in business.

Writing a business plan seems like a big hurdle, but it is not because you know all about your business and you are an expert in your business. For that reason alone, writing a business plan and then leveraging your plan for growth won't be nearly as challenging as you think.

You don't need to start with the full, detailed business plan.In fact, it can be much easier to start with a simple, one page business plan which is called as Lean plan and then come back and build a slightly longer, more detailed business plan later.

There are following elements that need to be included in a business plan.

This rest of article will delve into the specifics of what you should include in your business plan, what you should skip and the critical financial projections that can help jump start your plan.

''Remember, your business plan is a tool that will help you build a better business, not just a homework assignment.''

These are the basic components of the business plan yoou are going to write.

• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The executive summary is an overview of your business plans. It is the first component that comes in your business plan and it is ideally only one to two pages. Most of the people write it in the last.

• OPPORTUNITY:

The opportunity section answers some of questions: what are you selling and how are you solving a problem for market? Who is your target market and competition?

• EXECUTION:

In this section of business plan you will have to answers these questions: how are you going to take your opportunity and turn it into a business? This section will cover your marketing and sales plan, operations and your milestones.

• COMPANY AND MANAGEMENT SUMMARY:

Investors look for great teams and great ideas. The company and management chapter to explain your current team and who you need to hire. You will provide a quick overview of legal structure, location and history if you're already up and running.

• FINANCIAL PLAN:

Business plan is incomplete without financial forecast. You should start with a sales forecast, cash flow statement, income statement and your balance sheet.

• APPENDIX:

If you want more space for product images or additional information, you can use the appendix for those details.