Creating a Business Plan For Dummies

Learn to:

Develop a smart business model that really works Understand budgets, profit margins and cashflow Assemble sales targets and marketing plans

Get inspired to build a profitable business with this essential guide

Whether you ve been in business for a while or you re starting a new business from scratch, Creating a Business Plan For Dummies explains how to formulate a winning plan and guide your business to success. From the basics of setting up a budget to working out exactly what you want to achieve with your business, this book offers practical advice every step of the way.

Identify your edge figure out what your strategic advantage is and who your competitors are Understand the ins and outs of key financials learn all you need to know about margins, gross profit, Profit & Loss Projections, break–even analysis, and more Develop a strong marketing plan explore your target market, set realistic goals, and watch sales grow Consolidate your ideas take a step back, see how everything interconnects, and bring all the pieces together Nurture your entrepreneurial spirit spark innovation and let your creativity lead the way

Open the book and find:

Step–by–step instructions to build forecasts in Excel How to work out which pricing strategy fits Help with adjusting expenses to stay on track Ways to analyse industry trends Advice on managing risk Tricks to impress with a well–presented plan Things to ask yourself before signing off on your plan Links to downloadable online resources

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started 7

Chapter 1: Letting Your Plan Take Flight 9

Chapter 2: Figuring Out What′s So Special about You (and Your Business) 27

Chapter 3: Sizing up the Competition 39

Part II: Doing the Groundwork 57

Chapter 4: Budgeting for Start–Up Expenses 59

Chapter 5: Figuring out Prices and Predicting Sales 77

Chapter 6: Calculating Costs and Gross Profit 97

Chapter 7: Planning for Expenses 119

Part III: Checking Your Idea Makes Financial Sense 145

Chapter 8: Assembling Your Profit & Loss Projection 147

Chapter 9: Calculating Your Break–Even Point 169

Chapter 10: Creating Cashflows and Building Budgets 179

Part IV: Transforming Your Idea into Reality 199

Chapter 11: Separating Yourself from Your Business 201

Chapter 12: Developing a Strong Marketing Plan 219

Chapter 13: Staying One Step Ahead 243

Chapter 14: Managing Risk 259

Chapter 15: Pulling Together Your Written Plan 275

Part V: The Part of Tens 295

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Using Excel in Your Business Plan 297

Chapter 17: Ten Ideas for a Well–Presented Plan 309

Chapter 18: Ten Questions to Ask before You′re Done 319

Appendix: Sample Business Plan 327

Index 349

Veechi Curtis is a qualified accountant and consultant who specialises in small business finance, marketing and technology. She is the author of several bestselling Australian and New Zealand business titles, including Small Business For Dummies, MYOB® Software For Dummies and Bookkeeping For Dummies.