Business Plan Help

10 Things to Do Before You Write a Business Plan

Before you actually sit down to write your business plan there are a number of hurdles you need to have already cleared. Follow the advice and guidance given by the excellent 10 Things to Do Before You Write a Business Plan article and you’ll be fully prepared when you come to write up your business plan.

Advice on Starting a Business and Writing a Business Plan

Choose Enterprise – a website for young people thinking about starting a business – has a range of helpful advice for anybody at the business plan stage. There’s advice on what makes a good entrepreneur (so you can see whether running your own business is for you), pointers on how to spot a good business idea and a selection of tips to help you write a business plan.

6 Business Plan Tips When Raising Money from Angel Investors

The UK Angel Investment Network offers entrepreneurs 6 Business Plan Tips. Their advice is perfect if you’re writing a business plan for angel investors or VCs – helping you to see the business plan from their perspective. If you’re targeting angel investors with your business plan the UK Angel Investment Network provide a facility for you to get your business plan in front of prospective angel investors for a one-off fee of £99.

Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail

The Wells Partnership has very clear advice when it comes to planning your business – Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail. Their business planning advice highlights 7 key benefits of writing a business plan and takes you through the 10 steps to follow when you're producing your own plan.

Their business planning survey revealed that 81% of business owners reported that producing a business plan had increased their profits. Proof, if you need it, that writing a business plan is worth it!

5 Tips for Getting Your Business Plan Noticed

Connect Yorkshire, a body that aims to unlock the full potential of the wealth of technology business in the Yorkshire region, provides 5 Tips for Getting Your Business Plan Noticed on their website. The tips are written by a venture capitalist and provide an interesting insight into what they look for in a typical business plan.

10 Essential Tips on Writing a Business Plan

Business Link 4 London provides 10 Essential Tips on Writing a Business Plan. They believe that a well-constructed plan can make a huge difference when it comes to raising finance or expanding your business. Follow their ten steps and write a business plan that should help you to raise funding and expand your business. You can also download a free factsheet on writing a business plan from the Business Link4London website.

Business Planning Guide from Pie Business

The Pie Business website aims to provide everything you need to produce a professional and dynamic business plan. It helps you to understand what a business plan is, why you need to plan (to maximise your chances of success) and how you go about it. There is a mass of practical help for anyone writing a business plan and it’s delivered in a refreshingly honest and no-nonsense style.

Writing a business plan for your small company

This guide from Business Ignition aims to help you to produce a business plan that is meaningful, internally and externally. Good advice offered includes, ‘cut out the flowery stuff – keep it factual and balanced’ and ‘make it an attractive presentation and an interesting read’.

How to Write a Killer Business Plan

Small Business Success has a useful article on 'How to Write a Killer Business Plan’. There are ten tips to help you research, develop, write and present your ‘killer’ business plan. As the site name suggests, the advice is pitched at small businesses and start-ups.

How NOT to write a business plan

There are reams of advice about what to include in your business plan but sometimes what you leave out is as important as what you include. This article runs through a list of classic mistakes. Read it to make sure you don’t make any of these howlers.

Business Link guide: Preparing a Business Plan

Business Link, the Government-funded agency, has a handy online guide to Preparing a Business Plan. The guide is full of useful, sensible pointers and will be useful for most small businesses preparing a business plan.

You can either print the entire guide, or just individual sections covering each chapter of the business plan, from the Business Link website.

Ernst & Young’s Guide to Producing a Business Plan

Accountancy firm Ernst & Young's Guide to Producing a Business Plan is a comprehensive 20-page document that you can download from their website. It focuses on business plans for early stage technology and other high-tech businesses and the examples provided relate to the issues typically facing these businesses. The guide includes a range of useful tips to write a winning business plan.