Here Are Some Simple Business Plan Writing Guidelines to Follow

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Writing a Business Plan

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Business Plan Guidelines

Business Plan Outline

Executive Summary

Company Summary

Product Summary

Market Analysis Summary

Marketing Strategy

Management Summary

Financial Statements

Business Plan Software

Writing a business plan is not as
overwhelming a task as it might
appear at first.

To help you pull your thoughts and ideas together, use the business plan guidelines below to ensure you cover ALL the important bases.

Keep the plan simple.
Remain flexible so that you can deal with the unexpected.
Know your strengths and weaknesses.
Know your competition's strengths and weaknesses.
Know your industry.
Know what you need to do to keep from failing.
Set specific objectives that you can measure.

Key Points LENDERS Look For When Reading Your Business Plan

Demand For Your Product or Service -- You'll need to provide evidence that there is a target market for the product or service you want to offer.

If the product exists today, provide market potential data, market share breakdown, sales history and sales projections for the product/service.

If this is a new concept, you'll want to conduct some market research and present results of surveys, focus groups, or test markets.

Competitive Advantage -- Your product or the process for manufacturing your product may be unique enough to apply for and be awarded a patent that provides you with protection from "copy cats" for a maximum of seventeen years.

Maybe your location is protected from allowing additional competition. Or perhaps you provide your service in such a way that makes you the COST LEADER.

Realistic Objectives -- Although investors and lenders look for businesses with high growth potential, be cautious about showing projections that seem too good to be true.

To the keen investor, an unrealistic projection throws up a red flag that you may be overly optimistic, naive, or worse yet, deceitful. Make sure you have reliable data to back up your projections.

One more thing..., you will want to communicate often and honestly with your funding providers, and let them know how things are progressing.

Consider these business plan guidelines as you prepare to write. They are important areas that you do not want to overlook in preparing your plan.