Plans are Useless; Planning is
Indispensable
"Plans are useless; planning is
indispensable," according to Dwight D. Eisenhower, then Commander of the
Allied Forces in Europe during WWII. Now, you may be in total agreement with
the first part of that statement, but you are really not convinced of the truth
of the second part.
At this point, you may be tempted to
skip writing a business plan altogether, viewing it as an unnecessary exercise
in jumping-through-the-hoops, suggested by some old business professor who
probably never held down a "real" job anyway. Maybe it's okay as an
assignment for an MBA class, but it would be just too confining and irrelevant
for today's fast-paced business environment. Anyway, you're ready! You've
thought about this business venture for a long time and talked it over with
friends and everybody agrees it's a great idea. Best to strike while the
iron is hot!
Press for Success
Far be it from me to dampen your
enthusiasm, but you should give yourself every opportunity for success. That's
what the planning part of the process of creating your business plan will do.
By the time you have pressed your way through it, you will not merely have some
neatly arranged document to keep on file, you will have a working tool that
addresses the essential factors that influence your future.
Besides, your friends may be 100%
behind you in your new venture, but, in case you are hoping to involve others
who have actual money to invest, you may need to be able to make a convincing
case. Wouldn't it be nice to have anticipated possible questions and be ready
with plausible answers? If you are risking your own money, that is perhaps even
a stronger reason to do some indispensable planning.
Easy Writer
If you are one who is intimidated by
the blank page, never fear! There are several good software packages that will
guide you through the process, such as Business Plan Pro Complete from
PaloAltoSoftware. Business Plan Pro Complete walks you through the entire
planning process and generates a complete, professional and ready to distribute
plan with a proven formula for success. The planning wizard makes it a snap to
get started since you simply answer yes or no questions to create your custom
business plan framework. Bplans.com offers free business plan samples and
how-to articles as well as a wealth of other information. It is definitely
worth taking the time to checkout. Microsoft Office Online Templates also has a
variety of free templates to use with their products. The wizard indicates the
information you need and you fill it in as you go.
