How to write a business plan

How to write a business plan

Need help preparing a business plan?

Writing a business plan is a critical requirement for any entrepreneur or business looking to grow. Read an article from the list or view a sample business plan to help you produce a winning business plan.

• The Easiest Way to Write a Business Plan
• Top 10 UK Resources to Help You Write a Winning Business Plan
• Securing Funding – The Dragons’ Perspective
• Top 10 Business Plan Mistakes to Avoid
• Why Business Planning Is Not Just for Startups
• Top 10 Tips for Writing a Business Plan

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Starting a business

Are you starting a business?

Starting a new business can be both rewarding and challenging in equal measure. Kick-start your business with advice and articles on everything from business plans to strategy to finance.

• Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur?
• Top 10 Internet Products for Starting a New Business
• Five Reasons You Need a Business Plan
• Forecasting Your Sales

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Growing a business

Are you growing a business?

Need real-world advice on how to take your small business to the next level? Make sure you have an up-to-date business plan, then check out our selection of articles on small business growth strategy.

• New Years Resolutions for Entrepreneurs
• Successful Budgeting Involves People
• Business Ratios
• Cash is King

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Marketing a business

Are you marketing a business?

Every successful business is in the business of marketing. You must understand what makes you different from your competitors, what benefits you offer your customers, and how to turn that knowledge into great client relationships. Get started with the marketing related articles below.

• How to Perform SWOT Analysis
• Porter’s Five Forces
• How to Write a Marketing Plan
• How to forecast sales more accurately

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Financing a business

Are you looking for financing?

Is it better to finance a business with outside investment or bootstrapping? What are the best ways to get funding to start or grow a business? Get help with these questions and more in our articles on small business finance.

• An Inconvenient Truth – Lessons for Entrepreneurs
• Delivering a winning business plan pitch
• Dragons’ Master Class – the numbers you need to know!
• Do You Need Funding

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Buying a business

Are you buying a business?

Interested in buying a business but not sure where to start? Get a practical introduction to the art of acquisition with our articles below on how to buy a business. We can help jump-start the purchasing process with real-world advice on business valuation, the steps in the buying process, and more.

• Buying a Business
• The ABCs of Buying a Business
• Planning for Purchasing a Business
• Questions to Ask When Buying a Business

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Small business legal issues

Legal information and resources

Should you structure your new startup as a Limited Company, a sole trader, or a private partnership? What impact will that decision have on your tax situation? What are the must-have components of a partnership agreement? Get up to speed quickly with our selection of articles on incorporation, company structure, and other small business legal issues.

• Protect Your Ideas*
• Simple and Enforceable Contracts*
• Sole Trader Basics*
• Getting Investors and Protecting Your Idea*

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Running an online business

Are you running an online business?

The Internet provides great opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, but doing business online presents unique challenges and requires new skills. Get the knowledge you need with hands-on advice from experienced e-business experts in our Internet marketing articles.

• Top 10 Internet Products for Starting a New Business
• What Makes a Good Business Plan?
• If You Publish It, Will They Come?
• Online Marketing Without Spam

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More articles:

Business Model vs. Business Plan

This is the third of a three-part series. Read Part I and Part II. A business plan is essentially a more detailed version of your business model. A business plan has been traditionally understood as a physical document, although increasingly this view has changed as business plans have migrated online. The business plan format very much [...]

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Examples of Well-Known Business Models

This is the second of a three-part series. Read Part I and Part III. The following are some examples of business models that are used by various businesses. The list is by no means exhaustive and is designed to give you a feel for some of the models that exist (business models evolve constantly). In [...]

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Have you Optimised Your Business Model?

This is Part I of a three part series. Read Part II and Part III. What is a business model? A business model is a description of how your business intends to operate and make money. At the most basic level, it involves a producer making something and selling it directly to customers at a [...]

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Financing your Start up Business

Decisions regarding how you finance your business should be taken very seriously as it is one of the most critical decisions you will make at the start-up phase and forms a key part of any business plan. When considering the different financing options, you need to spend some time learning about the conditions that come [...]

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The Business Plan Process

The business plan process is simply the steps you go through and actions you take when producing a business plan. In effect, it describes how you produce your business plan. While most people focus on the ‘final output’, i.e. the business plan itself, the business planning process is extremely important for entrepreneurs. The process of [...]

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The Definitive Guide to Writing a Business Plan

What is a Business Plan? A business plan is not just a document. It is a holistic analysis of your company, the environment it operates in, and a route map to achieving success based on the resources available. Unfortunately, the image most of us have is of a 30-page bound document. While the business-planning process [...]

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Business Planning in established businesses

Business Planning is synonymous with start-up’s, however its use is more prevalent amongst established companies than is typically understood. Planning is about looking to the future and making decisions today based on your assessments of likely future events. It is also about trying to minimise risks by using information available today to help you make [...]

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The Franchise Business Plan

Business planning is very important for all businesses, and franchise businesses are no different. The business planning process helps ensure that sufficient thought is put into all aspects of the franchise. While it is tempting to assume that because a franchise is based on a successful, proven business model, it is guaranteed to deliver results [...]

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A Simpler Plan for Startups

Business advisors, experienced entrepreneurs, bankers, and investors generally agree that you should develop a business plan before you start a business. A plan can help you move forward, make decisions, and make your business successful. However, not all business plans are the same, not every business needs the same level of detail. You might develop [...]

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The Simple Business Plan

In a world of increasing complexity and one with growing demands on our time, it can be challenging to create a business plan. In recent years, however, there has been a growing trend in the production of simple business plans. What is a simple business plan? A simple business plan is a business plan typically [...]

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