How Long Should a Business Plan Be?
By Palo Alto Software, Inc.
Page count is not a good way to measure length. A 20-page plan with dense text and no graphics is much longer than a 35-page plan broken up into readable bullet points, useful illustrations of locations or products, and business charts to illustrate important projections.
Measure a plan by readability and summarization. [...]
How Will You Use Your Plan
By Palo Alto Software, Inc.
The classics are seeking investment, applying for a loan. There are also the obvious communications with employees, partners, family members, consultants. And there is valuation, sometimes for tax purposes, sometimes for growth, divorce, estates.
Too many people think of business plans as something you do to start a company, apply for a [...]
Start with an Initial Assessment
By Palo Alto Software, Inc.
Start your business plan with a quick assessment. Even for an ongoing business, take the time to step away from the business and look at the basics. Do your business numbers make sense? One of my business school professors used to refer to this process as finding out “is there a [...]