ImagineNations Network

Stefanie Harrington S

Industry: Nonprofit/Social Enterprise
Washington, United States

My advice would be to work out an outline of your current or future business idea and to begin working with a mentor by sending out a mentoring request through this site. There are many experienced mentors on this site who can offer you good advice on writing a business plan.

on 7/5/10

Seth Burstein E

Industry: Entertainment/Recreation/Events
Boston, United States

I agree with Stefanie.

To start, you may want to check out this link and start with a business plan template:

http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html

Once you get started, go ahead and make a mentor request and you will have something to talk about.

on 8/5/10

Muhammad Zulpakar Omar E

Industry: Construction/Contracting/Handiwork
Tangerang, Indonesia

@Stefanie & Seth...thanks for the advice, I want to write a business plan please suggest, how we can adjust the plan with the implementation of it. I mean plan vs action. How many time should we adjust the plan? pls advise.

on 31/5/10

Venkata Vadlamani S

Industry: Computer Services/Information Technology
Austin, United States

For starters, keep it simple!! Start with an action plan, then make a business plan and come back to improve your action place. The first action plan before the business plan is to actually write your thoughts about your business "idea"..do not attempt to write an essay. Just bullet points will suffice. Then move to a business plan template ( you can find many by just google search). Score template mentioned in this forum is good, however there are simpler versions. Just fill in the blanks in the template (you can also refer to "business plan examples". If you do not know the answer to different sections (like pro form finance statements) dont worry. Running a business is a process.

Once you complete the ver 1.0 business plan, go back to your action plan and start implementing each point on your action plan aka "to-do list". Revisit your business plan after a month, check your progress with goals of your business. 

Its just like, you imagine building your own house. You list all the features such as 2 bathroom, 3 bedroom, big windows, granite sink, European shower heads..etc...then you draw your floor plan on a piece of paper..etc etc. 

Ref:   static.howstuffworks.com/pdf/sample-business-plan.pdf 

hint: just pay attention to section titles such as Executive summary, business idea, market analysis (SWOT), financial plan (most intimidating for beginners)..you can also google for similar ones..

Hope it helps!!

Good luck!

- Venky Vadlamani

on 1/6/10

Api Perdana E

Industry: Computer Services/Information Technology
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia

Taha, I have several years of experience in the business plan industry. First of all, what is the purpose of the business plan? Is it for funding or internal use only? This will depend on the extent of the details you should put in the business plan. 

A complete business plan consists of the following points: executive summary, company information, description of products/services, market (analysis, segmentation, competition), production/service capabilities (process, HR), marketing plan & sales strategy,  financial plan, and cashflow & profit/loss projections.

on 6/6/10