Ohhh, boy! This is where I got my first stomach-ache during the planning stages of setting up my business.
The more I read, the more daunting this task of writing a business plan looked, and I was about ready to just skip this part and wing it. Of course, I didn't, because this is one of the most important documents you will write for your business, but if that stomach-ache becomes unbearable, you do have two options. No...shooting yourself is not one of them, though it certainly did feel like a good option at the time.
One is to use a software program. There are lots of software programs available which will either give you a fill-in-the-blanks outline, or ask interactive questions and then write the plan for you. Planware not only has an excellent tutorial, but also offers both software for sale and freeware that you can use.
The other is to hire a consultant. I guess there are lots of people who don't get stomach-aches when they think about writing a business plan, so you can employ one of them to do it for you.
I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself. First, I read as many outlines and plan samples as I could find. Did you know that some people even write business plans for sport? You can see the winning plans of the Moot Corp. Competition here.
The simplest outline I could find was at the SBA website. Hey, this actually looks do-able now! The SBA also offers two-hour classroom workshops on writing a business plan. You can obtain a schedule online, or at the local office closest to you.
Tomorrow: First things don't always come first
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