Dec 27, 2009
When Gale Research asked small business owners and business librarians what business resources they would like, the clear message was that current business planning aids were not quite what they were after. What they really wanted, they said, was examples of real business plans, not just mock-ups or artificial, untested samples. Librarians wanted to be able to point to "live" business plans that someone had actually used, to give their patrons a clear picture of what the finished product should look like. Entrepreneurs said that they wanted an idea of how to put together all the research, re-formulating, analysis, and revision. More importantly, they wanted a successful plan that would get them some money; and an example of a real plan that had been successfully used by a live business owner to get a loan was what they had in mind.
This clear vision of what people in the small business community were looking for led to the compilation Business Plans Handbook (BPH). It is designed to be used by those looking for direction…an example of where they should end up when the grueling business planning process is finally completed. After all, if you don't know where you're going, how can you get there?
BPH provides a variety of plans presented on alphabetical order by their subject (Aerospace, Biscotti Bakery, Car Wash). Some are examples of home businesses, like consulting; others will help people flesh-out that dream of owning a bed and breakfast (p. 31) or restaurant (p. 315 and 325). Also included are plans in areas that entrepreneurs are just beginning to explore, such as virtual reality applications (p. 507 and 527). Others seem a product of people's everyday experiences, such as the toy company whose business plan arose out of two parents' desire to provide educational entertainment their children (p. 485) or the elder care facility that hopes to provide a comfortable and dignified alternative to sometimes inhospitable traditional nursing home care (p. 167). One of the most notable plans is for a restaurant that doubles as a training ground for mentally ill homeless people in the hope that new job skills will help get them off the street (p. 339).
The plans contained in BPH also reflect the differences in approach to planning with their varying levels of development, detail, and length; treatment of financial data; approach to competition and marketing; and evicence of research and rigorous examination that the planning process requires. As these plans show, there is no one way to write a business plan, it is an evolutionary process that takes time and patience.
While the plans contained in BPH are real plans, the majority have been fictionalized to protect confidentiality. Personal and company names, addresses, and sometimes product names were changed to protect the contributors. Additonally, in many cases financial data or charts were removed to protect the owners' privacy. The words "available upon request" usually appear in these cases to indicate that the charts would normally appear in the plan.
BPH offers many features not provided by other business planning references including:
While there are many software packages available to assist you with compiling your business plan, none provides a single example of a real, successful business plan in the same way Business Plans Handbook does. Furthermore, lenders may find that using business planning software circumvents any valuable lessons that may be learned by researching and preparing the document relying solely on your own resourcefulness. Consequently, banks and other lenders may refuse loans to those who take this apparent short cut.
However, if you are looking for a template with which to structure your research and coordinate the approach you will take with your own plan, BPH provides 33. Each plan can be viewed as a working outline that helps to identify the crucial elements needed for a successful business plan with examples of the level of detail your competitors have used.
The BPH staff would like to express our grateful appreciation to the entrepreneurs who allowed us to use their business plans. We would like to additionally extend our sincere thanks to the Business Plans Handbook Advisory Board, which is composed of Patricia A. Peacock, Director, Regional Small Business Development Center; Dr. Raymond M. Genick, Assistant Dean, Professional Development of the School of Business Administration at Wayne State University; Frances V. LeDuke, Director of the Office of Regulatory Reform, Department of Regulatory Agencies of the State of Colorado; and Tim Dixon, Small Business Development Center, The University of Georgia; and the many people that offered their encouragement and suggestions to the project.
The editor would also like to sincerely thank Karin Koek, whose help was available whenever it was needed, and without whose contributions this project would not have been possible.
Your comments on BPH are welcome. Please direct all correspondence, suggestions for future volumes of BPH, and other recommendations to the following:
Business Plans Handbook
Gale Research Inc.
835 Penobscot Bldg.
Detroit MI 48226-4094
Phone:(313)961-2242
Fax:(313)961-6815
Toil-Free: 800-347-GALE
Telex: 810 221 7087
Email: gale@msen.com (Internet)Kristin Kahrs
©2000-2009
Enotes.com Inc.
All Rights Reserved