How to Write a Business Plan

by Mike McKeever

Step-by-step advice on preparing a business plan
You need a sound business plan to start a business or raise money to expand an existing one. For over 30 years, How to Write a Business Plan has helped fledgling entrepreneurs from small service businesses and retailers to large manufacturing firms write winning plans and get needed financing.
This bestselling book contains clear step-by-step instructions and forms to put together a convincing business plan with realistic financial projections, effective marketing strategies, and overall business goals. You ll learn how to:

figure out if your business idea will make money
determine and forecast cash flow
create profit and loss forecasts
prepare marketing and personnel plans
find potential sources of financing, and
present your well-organized plan to lenders and other backers.


The 13th edition is updated to reflect best practices for raising money (from SBA loans to equity crowdfunding)."

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Entrepreneurship, Ebooks, Management, Reference, Economics

331 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you need to write a business plan, check this one out just to find out the basic run through of what you need to know beforehand before opening any website or doors to the public. Yes, you will have to fill out a lot of forms, do a lot of research but the whole idea is that you know exactly what you are doing before you decide to start hiring people. If you do not understand money and finances then you need to either hire someone (more money to spend) or consider stopping because finances and poor management are the two main reasons why companies go under.

The nice thing about this book is that it gives you an example to follow all the way through. The thing I didn't like, and this is for most business finance books, it doesn't explain every single math step of where they get their numbers from. So if math was never your thing then know that you will need to hire someone to do your books for you while you run your company.

The downloadable forms were great to have on hand because you could follow through on everything. This was important to have so you have an idea of how to structure your business plan. So whether you want to see if you like getting your feet wet or if starting a business is as much as as they say it is, then sit down and study this book don't just breeze through it if you are serious. It will pay off all the tips the author has to offer.

[Stephanie Pounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I come from a long line of employees, not entrepreneurs, so I know very little about starting a small business. That's one of the reasons I wanted to read this book--to see if someone with no experience could "get it." I'm pleased to say that I did. The book is well laid out in easy to understand steps with lots of great examples. The appendices contain examples of real business plans that are similar enough to help you learn what is required and different enough to make you realize that all business plans don't come from the same cookie cutter. Recommended!

[Teri Temme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough and easy to read instructions for putting together a well-thought-out business plan.

[Barth Siemens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A technical writing instructor recommended this book for developing my own business plan or writing one for a client. I browsed this resource to assess its usefulness for future opportunities. It provides helpful instructions for many topics associated with starting a business; not just writing a business plan.

[Marya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book because I am thinking of writing up a business plan for an idea I have. This book proved to be full of information that I didn't even think that I would need. It has been enlightening, and will be a very valuable resource for when I sit down to create my own document.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not relevant for what I was looking for, which was advise on how to write well composed phrases for a well presented business plan. Instead, this is a strategic guide to start your own business, with suggestions on how to find a loan and the like.

[Artem Lebedev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair primer, but so-o-o-o outdated. It is 2012 edition, right?
Calling is not the first method of contacting a stranger anymore.
You should not budget for typewriters.
There is no need to discuss PC vs Mac anymore. It's a matter of personal preference by now.

[Alex Kovalchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it very educational

[Andrea Tumblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a simple book to follow and learn how to write a business plan.

[Vaibhav Dhotre - Bhavsar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. This book is written by a American Author so it become some Jurgen to other state's reader. But overall I experienced very helpful. Next to this read "Romancing the Balance Sheet by Dr. Anil Lamba" to better understand of financial concepts to make good projections and understand accounting, costing and finance in a very easier words.

Thanks for reading my review.

[غازي · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not what I was searching for but still interesting book and useful as well.

[Danial Hasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is more tailored to the US market, however, it has some valuable insights that are applicable universally. Key takeaway is to never venture into starting a business you know little about.

[Alaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple ideas make it an excellent starting point for aspiring business readers.

[Alex Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is meant to be instructional. McKeever strikes a moderate tone, one of cautious enthusiasm. He does not want to scare off prospective business owners seeking to plan/create their businesses but he also does not want to give blind encouragement as there are many aspects of a good business plan that need to be researched.

I have worked in venture capital and have experience assisting in writing business plans. I read this book as a reminder of that activity for a future client, and for my own interests. While most of the texts I read are philosophical in nature, or at least with some academic bent, this book is purely pragmatic. McKeever provides a ton of help including links, downloadable files and emails/phone numbers for readers who have questions. He does nearly everything except writing the business plan.

What looks glaringly missing in this book is mention of tech specific businesses. There are some mentions of technology/industries including aspects of venture capitalism but much of this is not the focus as most of that activity seems to fall under IP (intellectual property) for McKeever. He does not go too far from the spine of the book -- as the focus is on business and controlling costs.

That is his focus; he doesn't go too deep into hiring or marketing as those are areas other books can cover. I wasn't really blown away by this book but neither was I expecting it to do so. Instead, it offers a very functional guide, and since it does what it sets out to do, I give it 5 stars.

[Pj]

As with all Nolo books, this one is extremely helpful and takes you through the process of writing an effective business plan. It is, however, about writing the plan and assumes you have the required skills to do the financial projections and required market research, etc.

Overall, a very helpful book.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer re: the limitations of this book. Business plans are used throughout business, but this book was limited to one sector of business. I have found much better books out there including in the Dummies series.

[Mills College Library]

658.15224 M1547 2012

[Sabbir Sabat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for writing a business plan

[The · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed it. Seems decent--basic, but decent.