BUSINESS PLAN

Most businesses find the task of business planning a little daunting, simply because they've never done one. It's probably not as bad as you think! The good news for you is that we deal with plans all the time, and lenders all the time, so this is familiar to us and we can coach you through the process. Also, lenders do not want to wade through a 40 page narrative, so it's probably not as bad as you think from that standpoint either.

We recommend that you DO NOT use business planning software. From our experience, we find that few people can work through those packages well. Most people end up with too many pages that say the same thing. Keep it as simple as possible. You may want to download our guide which includes leading questions and a short example to help you start the process. Most of our clients use the business plan for financing, so our material is geared that way rather than for a strategic plan.

If you can visit the OSBDC with your "best effort" draft - remember, we know that you probably don't write plans for a living - you will speed up the process. It would also be helpful in speeding up the process if you can bring in the last three years personal tax returns and a balance sheet (listing of assets and liabilities - what you own and what you owe).

Download Business Plan Guide

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