How to Prepare a Business Plan ^{3rd Ed.}

The first step if you want to start up a business is to draw up a detailed plan. Most providers of finance for business start-ups or expansion insist on seeing a business plan before they offer the necessary funding. Apart from this, it is essential for anybody who is trying to start a new business – of whatever size – to clarify their aims and objectives. A business plan can provide a blueprint for the future of the company and a benchmark against which to measure growth.

This full updated, new edition describes the best way to go about prepapring a business plan that is tailor-made to the specific requirements of the business and one that will help to get the financial backing needed. Cash flow forecasts are also studied in detail.

Throiugh practical case studies, the author enables the reader to follow the fortunes of a number of men and women starting up, with one or two partners or on their own, or those wishing to expand. Their business plans are presented and analysed, while their progress is monitored and problems are discussed.

1. Writing a Business Plan
• Clarity
• Brevity
• Logic
• Truth
• Figures
• Designing the Business Plan
• Deciding How Much to Write
• Getting Down to It
• Tackling Each Section
2. Simple Cash Flow Forecasts
• What is a Cash Flow Forecast?
• Is a Cash Flow Forecast of Any Real Use?
• Principles to Observe When Filling in a Simple Cash Flow Form
• The Break-Even Analysis
3. The Very Small Business
4. Buying a Retail Business
5. Manufacturing
6. Expanding a Business
7. The Market
8. Planning the Borrowing
9. How Not to Write a Business Plan – or Run a Business
10. Maintaining the Plan
11. Small Business and the Trade Cycle
12. Monitoring Progress
13. Where to Go for Further Advice

Plans for new companies or rather prospective small business owners.

It could be worse.