Whether you want to get your company up and running as best as possible or develop a new plan for your existing business, business plan consultants can really help you to set out your aims and objectives. This is an extremely important document for any business, so taking on expert advice can really help get your business off to the very best start possible.

There are a number of areas in which a consultant can help a business with their plans, including new businesses as well as those who want to develop what they currently do. They can take into consideration all of your ideas and ambitions, and put it together into a plan that really works and will ensure your business is on the road to success. They will do all the work for you, such as the market research as well as working out the strengths and weaknesses of your business.

Getting a consultant to help you with your plan can really ensure your business has a road-map to success. This can ensure that your finances are never at risk, as well as helping you to secure funding if you require it. It is notoriously hard for new businesses to get the funds they need, which is why a solid business plan is absolutely essential for your new venture.

Business plan consultants will have years of experience which is absolutely invaluable for your business. When you hire them, their cost will be more than outweighed by the benefits your business will reap for years to come. It can save both time and money!

We now come to probably the most feared, most avoided but the most important task in beginning a business. Many believe that a business plan is only for those seeking outside financial help like from a bank or investors. Others believe that this is just unnecessary paperwork and that the best business plan is in their heads. Some who believe in it do so only half-heartedly and come up with a one or two page plan of how they see their business progressing. All these approaches are misguided and without proper direction, the business is more likely to sink than grow.

The most important point to remember about a business plan is that it is first and foremost for you! It is to layout a concrete plan to successfully start, manage and then grow your company. It will force you to think and invest in strategy planning, market research, financial planning, operational details and marketing plans.

However, we will concede that it is not easy to immediately start out working on a business plan and every business plan will need working and reworking. We will try to provide you first with some general guidelines on what a good business plan should include and once we have you thinking in that direction, we will start helping you fill out all the details in the business plan.

Let us first outline what a well written business plan will contain:

- An attractive statement of purpose – when people ask you what your business does, this is the first statement you will be using.

- Complete description of who you believe your customers will be, any special niche you are aiming for as well as a general strategy for winning over that niche.

- Complete description of your product or service. Mention what are the highlights and what could be its challenges, production or selling wise.

- A well compiled list of people who will be working with your or advising you in various aspects. Mention clearly what their skills and areas of expertise are.

- Details of financial plans that will show how you plan to finance the first few years and expected revenues and expenses

- Major risks that you may face before your business settles down and major advantages that may help it grow well.

As you can see, your business plan is more like a map to guide you through, at any point in time. If you have given sufficient thought to planning and written down the steps in sufficient detail in your business plan, no matter how many ups or downs there are, you should be able to stay on course. In fact, one expert likes to compare a business plan to the centerboard of a sailboat. Irrespective of how the wind is blowing, your business plan will always help you stay on course, headed in the right direction.

If you would like to look at some samples before you begin on one, you can speak to banks or business websites, which can help you by showing samples of a few business plans. You could also look up one of the thousands of books in your local library, which should contain a sample. However, treat the sample as just that. It is meant to give you an idea of what are the essentials that should go in a business plan. Do not worry if your plan is too long or short, simple or complicated. What should matter to you is that it is written in a manner that you can follow easily, contains information that is helpful to your business, identified possible challenges that could arise and outlined plans for overcoming them.

One piece of advice that is given to people regardless of the type of business or industry they want to get into is to create, and stick to, a business plan. Your business plan helps keep you on track, organized, and gives you written goals to work toward as you make decisions for your business.

When writing business plans, many people focus on the long-term, and write plans that span five years, or even longer. However, your plan can be shorter. You can write 30 60 90 day business plans to give you short-term goals for your business and help you to be more successful.

Regardless of the length of time your business plan covers, there are key elements in plans that make it comprehensive and successful.

Your business plan should start with an executive summary. This is an overview of your entire plan, and a history of your company. Next is a marketing analysis and strategies, which is your knowledge about your business’s industry, any market research highlights and conclusions you have, and your marketing strategies for your company. This section may be shorter in 30 60 90 day business plans. Following the marketing analysis is a company description, including your service or product line, and the organization and management of your company. The business plan will end with your funding request, your financial statements, and an appendix that includes any other relevant information.

Though many people prefer to write longer business plans, there are advantages to writing 30 60 90 day business plans for your company. Shorter business plans allow you to take smaller steps toward your goals, which is more effective for some people. Sometimes, having bigger long-term goals can be a bit overwhelming, especially if owning a business is new to you. It can also help you keep better track of where you are in your plan, as well as where you’re going.

On the other hand, there are also advantages to writing more long-term business plans. A five-year business plan, for example, allows you to think a little further into the future and think about where your company is going and your goals for its success instead of simply getting through your 30 60 90 day business plans. Some people work better if they have long-term goals they can move toward instead of feeling intimidated by the close deadlines of shorter business plans.

The important thing is to find a plan that works for your company and can help your business be successful, whether that be five-year or 30, 60, 90-day business plans.

The easiest way to write a business plan is to break it into small parts and work on each part so the project seems less overwhelming. The best way to accomplish this is to start with a plan template that only includes the parts that you need and not every possible bit and piece of information you could possibly use but very likely don’t need.

For example, many plan templates ask you to write a mission statement, a vision statement, a list of key objectives and a list of goals. This is a waste of time and you don’t need to keep repeating yourself. Concentrate n the core of what the business is about, what its edge is and who the customers are and that should cover 90% of what matters in the plan.

Once you are suing a reasonable plan template then you begin filling in the sections by researching the various components of the business. Start with what makes the business unique and describe briefly but succinctly what it is about the business that will allow it to win over customers compared to the competition.

The next section to tackle is the market research where you determine who the customers are, how many of them there are and what they are spending on your product or service category.

The final main consideration of the plan is to determine how you will reach these customers whether by having a storefront, selling online or by using a direct sales force or some combination of the above (or any of a million other ways to market).

The remainder of the plan deals with the qualifications of the people behind the business and business details such as the location, form of business, hours of operation, vendors and other info that is easy to gather and write.

As we have discussed, many formats can be used to develop your personal business plan. However you choose to present it, it is important to have a well structured plan that provides thorough information and research to your potential lenders, financiers, or partners. The following is the conclusion of a ten-segment business plan that can be used to help you better understand what your readers will be looking for. The first four sections included the executive summary, product or service description, market research, and marketing and advertising strategy.

5. Competition- The old saying, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” surely applies to the process of starting and running a company. In this section of your business plan, you may want to include a separate file for each competitor in your area. Include in each competitor’s file their location, revenues, date opened, and other such pieces of information. Is their company growing, declining, or stable? Your readers will be looking for evidence that your enterprise will be able to stand its ground in your local market. Include your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, and describe how you will approach these aspects. Also include a diagram of each competitor’s share of the market. This is also another good place to emphasize the differences between your product and your competitors’.

6. Operations- The operations section of your business plan should describe the logistical requirements of your business’ operation. Break this section down into segments addressing products and raw materials required, staffing, facilities, equipment, and production strategy. These are all pretty much clear-cut. Production strategy should include a description of how your product will be manufactured, as well as any potential problems that may arise, with solutions. Also include your company’s hours of operations in this section. Your lenders will be looking for what you have done so far to get your venture off the ground and that you have a thorough understanding of the manufacturing process.

7. Management- Here you will provide a complete profile of each member of your upper management team. Include duties and responsibilities of each position, as well as salaries and benefits. If any of the positions are already filled, include personal background information of each of these individuals.

8. Personnel- This section will describe employee information. Include amount of employees needed, as well as future projections. Detail a list of all positions required to operate your business. Describe what skills your employees will need to possess. Also include how you plan to pay these employees, such as hourly, salary, overtime, etc.

9. Financial Data- Here you will include all financial data pertaining to your business. If you are not financially acute, find someone who is to help you with this section of your business plan, as this section is crucial as to whether or not you will be considered for loans. Include a balance sheet, break-even analysis, income statement, and a cash-flow sheet.

10. Supporting Documents- This is where you will include any other documentation or research that has not already been included. It is basically an appendix of resumes, credit info, quotes and estimates, leases or buy/sell agreements, census/demographic data, and any other legal documents that are relevant to your business plan. It is also a good idea to include any credible references you may have.