15 Steps to Writing a Winning Business Plan – Grow Smart Business e-Book
October 12, 2009 :: Steve FisherMany of you who follow this blog are small business owners and you have either wrote your first business plan or about to start on the journey. For some it might seem like an easy task but I will bet that it seems easier to summit Mt. Ranier that finish your business plan. It is [...]
Just Because You Give It Away…
June 1, 2009 :: Mike DoughertyThe campaign was clear, very honorable in its intentions, and was giving something away a gift thanks. And this wasn’t just a cheap give away item. It had value both financially and use. The campaign had all the makings of a successful campaign if the appropriate effort was put into it, but what happened?
Business Plan Financials in Plain English – Cash Flow Statement – Part 15 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 27, 2009 :: Steve FisherThe cash flow statement reports the cash generated and used during the time interval specified in its heading. The period of time that the statement covers is chosen by the company. For example, the heading may state “For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2007″ or “The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2008″. For many, [...]
Business Plan Financials in Plain English – The Balance Sheet – Part 14 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 27, 2009 :: Steve FisherIn the last business plan post we did our best to explain the Income Statement in Plain English. Hopefully we didn’t sound like a “quant-jock” and cleared away the haze and confusion that can sometimes come with financial statements.
So this is why someone like myself who has started a few business, has an accounting degree [...]
Business Plan Financials in Plain English – The Income Statement – Part 13 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 26, 2009 :: Steve FisherThe previous 12 parts of the business plan focused on the written sections and as we reach the back of the plan the critically important financial statement section comes into view. However, the view doesn’t look so clear because to many it looks like a dense cloud of numbers and characters that only a “quant-jock” [...]
Scaling to Win. The Operations Plan. – Part 12 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 26, 2009 :: Steve Fisher“The Best-Laid plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry” is a great statement that sums up that no matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. This is because humans are involved and to build out a business you need people to operate it. You also need a [...]
Overall Sales Strategy – Part 11 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 25, 2009 :: Steve FisherWhat is marketing without sales? In Part 10 we talked about the marketing plan which lays all the ground work so that sales can close and the business may grow. But sales is the place were people must execute. Many say sales is marketing with actually asking for the close. I disagree and while they [...]
Overall Marketing Plan – Part 10 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 25, 2009 :: Steve FisherWhen writing the business plan, the Marketing Plan section explains how you’re going to get your customers to buy your products and/or services. This is an OVERALL view of the Marketing Plan section of the business plan. I will be explored in depth in future posts. The Marketing Plan separated into four distinct areas and [...]
Why do some management teams win and others just suck? – Part 9 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 24, 2009 :: Steve FisherThere is a well known investing slogan, “Fund an A-Grade team with a B-Grade idea over a B-Grade Team with an A-Grade idea”. Did you get that tongue twister?
I am not talking pedigree or a minimum number of years of experience but it is the results that make the team. You want people that can [...]
Know Your Competition Better than They Do – Part 8 of the 2009 Business Plan Series
February 23, 2009 :: Steve FisherYou have been living and breathing this thing called your business for some time now. You have been writing for a while and there are so many ideas and details swimming around in your head. Now you have to think hard about how you measure up against the competition. The competitive analysis section covers how [...]
