the format of a buisness plan

[ebonyeyez]

can a buisness plan be in a detailed bullet list, for example have intended action and list specifications, would this be too informal? has anyone done this before? it would be similar to an outline, but for a business, just short and sweet.

[Coda1108]

You really need much more detail in a good business plan. A typical business plan will have 20 to 50 pages of text, plus attachments such as financial forecasts; drawings of product if applicable, etc. The meat of it should include aspects such as market research; competitor research; strategic placement; etc.

[bubble]

So a good busines plan has to be well thought out, detailed and well researched. I had no idea that a plan had to be so fully explanitory. Do you think it has to be the same if it for your own personal use, as a sort of guidline?

[Coda1108]

The proper answer is yes, it should be just as thorough if it's for your own use. This is especially true in terms of using it to identify the best future course of action, such as which activities and/or products are most profitable; which should be abandoned or changed.

From a practical standpoint, most small business owners find themselves torn for time and efforts yielding more immediate results tend to take first priority.

Ideally, if a business owner develops a thorough plan for the use of raising money, then it is an excellent opportunity to maintain that plan on a regular basis, say 2 to 4 times a year.

[Lissy]

I would take 3-4 business plans and study them, then choose what I think is the best format. By "best" I mean clear, well written, and to the point.

[jsfarris]

The best advice anyone ever gave me on business plans was to visit my local community college. The business admin section of the college was happy to help and all I had to do was allow my business plan to be used as classroom study. It was a small price to pay in order to get it done right.