Want to improve your business plan spreadsheets? We’ve created a series of excel spreadsheets for the Costs section of the Business Plan. Each spreadsheet can be easily modified, is pre-populated with sample data to get you started, and includes instructions on how to use the actual template. The Costs spreadsheets have different layouts which you […]
The Field of Dreams Guide to Starting a New Business
January 10, 2018 By
Ever wanted to start a business but can’t find the best way to begin? Like many of us, you want to run a business, you feel you can do it, but something holds you back. You’re not sure what. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what stops you from taking the first step. […]
8 Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Business Plans
April 24, 2017 By
I didn’t start writing Business Plans until about five years ago. Until then, the word Business Plan made my tummy feel slightly uncomfortable. It certainly wasn’t something I wanted to do for a living. But, as is often the way, a door opened and I stepped in. Actually, I had to write a Business Plan for […]
Troubleshooting Plan Templates for Technical Documentation
April 20, 2017 By
Samantha from New Zealand asked me last week why the Troubleshooting Guide Template wasn’t for sale on the site. While this Microsoft Word template is already part of the Technical Writing Kit, I understand that not everyone wants all those documents. So, for those who want this document, what I’ve done is create a new sales page and offer it a standalone product.
5 Step Approach to Business Plan Writing
April 16, 2017 By
You have an idea for a business. You know what you want to sell, who you can sell it to, and how much you stand to earn from it. There’s just one more thing you need: a business plan. Many people dread the idea of preparing a business plan. They think of them as complicated, unnecessary documents that exist only to make it more difficult for them to get started as an entrepreneur. They are wrong.
9 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your First Business
April 15, 2017 By
In 1996, I downloaded Netscape Navigator 2.0 and got on the web. It was incredible. If you weren’t there, it’s hard to explain the sheer excitement of getting your first AOL account, dialing up to go online, waiting for your first page to slowly download, and then going WOW!
The first day I went online—it was a lovely Sunday, I still remember it—I stayed online for 7 hours straight. I was transfixed. The world outside melted into the background. Hook, line and sinker. I was pulled in.
21 Executive Summary Writing Tips
April 14, 2017 By
Summary: An Executive Summary is one of the most challenging types of writing. This short document requires structure, planning, and persuasion. This Klariti tutorial will explain how to write an executive summary that gets your reader’s attention, highlights your unique point of view, and encourage the reader to examine the main document, typically a business […]
VIDEO: How to Write an Executive Summary for Business Plans
April 2, 2017 By
In this video Ivan explains how to write the Executive Summary for a Business Plan. You can apply these writing guidelines to any document that requires an executive summary. If you have a question, please leave it on the YouTube channel. How to Write an Executive Summary for a Business Plan Executive Summary Tutorials How […]
How Google’s ‘Micro Moments’ will affect your business
May 22, 2015 By
Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s senior vice president of ads, predicts that ‘micro moments’ will change advertising, in particular advertising on mobile devices. Usually I ignore marketing predictions. But this time I agree. Download Now – Buy Here! [Learn more about these Business Plan templates here] On the Think with Google newsletter, Mr. Ramaswamy gives an example: […]
Where in a Business Plan should the Executive Summary go?
May 20, 2015 By
Summary: The Executive Summary is the first section of a business document. It typically appears after the Table of Contents and before the Introduction. Some requirements – typically RFPs – stipulate that the Executive Summary is delivered separately. One of the questions for new business writers is whether to put the executive summary before or […]
How to Write the Conclusion Section of your Business Plan
March 30, 2015 By
This tutorial explains how to write the conclusion for a business document, for example, a report, thesis, project, or any document that needs a section to gather together the main points. The structure of the conclusion is as follows: Reviewing this conclusion, we can see that it mirrors the structure of the executive summary. This […]
How to Write a ‘Plain English’ Business Plan
August 24, 2011 By
‘Why are business plans so hard to write?’ Before I answered the email I thought about it for a moment. I used to hate writing business plans but now find them much easier to write. As business plans are still the same, maybe it’s me. So, what changed? Download Now – Buy Here! [Learn more […]
The Art of Deliberate Mistakes
July 29, 2011 By
It sounds like a contradiction to encourage others to make mistakes, doesn’t it? But if your company doesn’t allow others to do so, how are they going to challenge their assumptions about what works or what could be improved? No one criticizes a child for falling off a bike when it learns to cycle. It […]
What the Romans Taught me About… Business Planning
July 22, 2011 By
Sometimes looking back gives us a little more perspective. The Romans were the first to build roads. Real roads. Networks. They connected Constantinople to Seville and London to Carthage. All paths lead to Rome. If that isn’t impressive enough some of those roads are still in place today. Think about this. They built the roads […]
Dumb Money v Smart Money for Business Investments
February 3, 2011 By
You finished your Business Plan. Looks good. Checked the Business Case. Close the gaps and made the adjustments. Started to write the Marketing Plan. What next? Like all small businesses you need to make that step from the drawing board (business plan) to the high street and the only way to do this is to get funding.