> Business Plans

Do I Need to Write a Business Plan?
Writing a business plan is especially critical when you’re starting a business. Here’s why writing a business plan should be one of the first things you do once you’ve decided to start a business with information on how to write a business plan.

Why You Need to Write a Business Plan
Five reasons to write a business plan, whether you're just starting a business or running an established business. (Money is only one reason to write a business plan!)

What Type of Business Plan Do You Need?
The type of business plan you need depends on your purpose. What type of business plan do you need? This guide, which matches different types of business plans to different purposes, will help you choose.

Business Plan Definition
A definition of the business plan and an explanation of how the business plan differs from the investment proposal with related resources.

Quick-Start Business Plan
Maybe you don’t need to work through an entire business plan. You can use this quick-start business plan whether you’re starting a business from scratch or thinking of buying an existing business to see if a business idea is worth pursuing.

Business Plan Outline
Conveniently broken into eight sections, this outline of the business plan links to detailed articles that explain how to research and write each section of the plan.

Executive Summary Definition
What is an executive summary? This executive summary definition includes information on writing a business plan executive summary and a link to an executive summary example.

Executive Summary Example
Writing an executive summary for your business plan? Here’s an executive summary example that you can use as a model.

How to Write an Executive Summary for the Business Plan
The executive summary will be the first thing the readers of the business plan read. If your business plan’s executive summary is poorly written, it will also be the last, as they set the rest of your business plan aside unread! Here’s how to write an executive summary that will get the rest of your business plan read.

Writing The Business Plan - The Competitive Analysis
How do you gather information about your competitors and analyze that information to find your competitive advantage? Here's a guide to putting together the competitive analysis section of the business plan.

Writing The Business Plan - The Financial Plan
This four part article explains how to create the three types of financial statements that need to be included with your business plan; the Income Statement, Cash Flow Projections, and the Balance Sheet. Templates of each financial statement are included.

Writing The Business Plan - The Industry Overview Section
Questions to guide your research for this section of the business plan, how to put the industry overview section together, and where to find the Canadian industry information you need.

Writing The Business Plan - The Management Plan
Impress the people reading your business plan with a management plan section that outlines your Internal Management Team, External Management Resources, and Human Resources Needs. Here's how.

Writing The Business Plan - The Market Analysis
An explanation of how to define your target market and how to research and write the market analysis section of the business plan.

Writing The Business Plan - The Marketing Plan
Your marketing plan is the blueprint for communicating the worth of your products or services to your customers. Use this step by step guide to develop a successful marketing plan, either as part of a business plan, or as a stand alone.

Writing The Business Plan - The Operating Plan
Once you've worked through this business plan section, you'll have a detailed operating plan to show potential creditors and investors, and a convenient list of what needs to be done next to make your business a reality.

Quick-Start Business Planning
Business planning doesn’t have to be a time-consuming ordeal. In just a pair of two to three hour business planning sessions, you can put together the basics of a business plan that will invigorate your business for the course of a year.

A “Knock Their Socks Off” Online Business Plan
The online business plan can give you a huge advantage when you’re trying to persuade lenders and/or investors to take an interest in your business. MaryAnn Shank explains how to put together an online business plan that will knock their socks off.

Prepare an Investor Ready Business Plan
Your business plan needs to be tailored to the needs of angel investors and venture capitalists if you want to use it to attract investors. Howard Schwartz explains how to put together an investor ready business plan.

The Un-Business Plan
The standard business plan is boring and predictable, says MaryAnn Shank. Instead, why not create a business plan that presents the information needed and truly stands out? Here’s how.

3 Methods of Sales Forecasting
Sales forecasting is especially difficult when you don’t have any previous sales history to guide you, as is the case when you’re working on preparing cash flow projections as part of writing a business plan. Terry Elliott provides a detailed explanation of how to use three methods of sales forecasting.

Business Plan FAQ
Get the answers to your questions about business plans with this business plan FAQ by About's Small Business Information Guide Darrell Zahorsky.

Creating Business Plans for Independent Inventors
About Inventor's Guide Mary Bellis details how to write a business plan to raise money for manufacturing or selling your own invention. Her series of articles includes a completed business plan sample.

Why Business Plans Don't Get Funded
Akira Hirai explains how to avoid the most common errors found in business plans - mistakes that will cause potential investors to say no to your business plan (About Entrepreneurs).

Business Plans Planning Guide
An outline of the purposes of a business plan, and an excellent step by step guide through the 7 parts of a business plan, with business plan examples (Royal Bank).

How to Prepare a Business Plan
Document by ACOA outlines how to write a business plan, and includes appendices explaining how to determine Return on Investment, and how to prepare balance sheets, cash flows, and a break even analysis (Canadian).

Interactive Business Planner
Use this online software to prepare a three year business plan for your new or existing small business. The Interactive Business Planner includes sample plans, and does financial projections using the information you provide. Highly recommended.

Preparing a Business Plan
A business plan outline and information about preparing your business plan to approach lenders and attract investors (Business Service Centre Online Small Business Workshop).

Sample Business Plans
This page has links to eight sample business plans in pdf format that can be used as a guide when preparing your own business plan (part of the Online Small Business Workshop: Canadian).

Sample Business Plan - Light Guard
This sample business plan from Canada Business Service Centres is based on a fictitious manufacturing company called Light Guard.

Sample Plans
If you're writing a business plan, there's nothing better than seeing examples of plans to help you work through yours. Here's a large, searchable collection of plans for all kinds of businesses (from bplans.com).

Virtual Business Plan
Outstanding online resource leads you through the information you need to write and improve your business plan (from Bizplanit.com).

Writing The Business Plan
A business plan outline from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Web site. Follow the link at the bottom to see business plan samples.

Your Business Plan
This business plan primer from Alberta First includes tips on how to present your business plan, the key elements of a business plan, and how to find help to complete your business plan.