Phillip Said:

How do one write a business plan for an already establish business that you want to buy?

We Answered:

Before you dream, please hear me out. Do a business valuation to make sure the business is worth what you are going to pay. There is no easy way to value a business, please consult professionals to do a due diligence to make sure the business has potential in the future.

The business plan or in your case a marketing Plan consists of a narrative and several financial worksheets. The narrative template is the body of the plan.
The real value of creating a business or marketing plan is not in having the finished product in hand; rather, the value lies in the process of researching and thinking about your business in a systematic way. The act of planning helps you to think things through thoroughly, study and research if you are not sure of the facts, and look at your ideas critically. It takes time now, but avoids costly, perhaps disastrous, mistakes later.
This business plan is a generic model suitable for all types of businesses. However, you should modify it to suit your particular circumstances.
You will be judged by the quality and appearance of your work as well as by your ideas.

Good luck, do not under estimate the advantages of professional help, especially in the beginning, but finance institutions also like to see some of your own input in the presentation.

Teresa Said:

How do i write a business plan?

We Answered:

Go to http://sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan… or http://www.bplans.com/ where you will find sample business plans and instructions on how to write a business plan.

Dustin Said:

How do I write a business plan to use to apply for small business grants?

We Answered:

Keep in mind that if your potential business doesn't contribute to the betterment of mankind...grants are hard to come by.

Also, SCORE is invaluable in that old school retired business people give you advice and direction.

And last but not least, the SBA stinking blows. They tout how they help small business, minorities, women, etc...
but from personal experience, you need to have mass collateral to get SBA backing.
I went to open a salon. I had an immaculate business plan that I developed with SCORE and the Small Business Development Center at the local level. My credit score was 780. I owned 2 houses with approximately $100,000 equity between the two of them. I had over $60,000 in savings, a 401k, iras, stocks, bonds, etc. Net value far exceeded what was "required". I didn't want to use my savings or refinance my houses to open a salon. I wanted to borrow $125,000.

Because I was not buying the building in which I opened my salon, I was turned down by 10 stinking banks - all telling me that if I'd buy the building (yeah right...it's a huge strip mall) that they back me because THEN and only then, would they feel as though I had the proper type of collateral to make them comfortable. Oh - and they would only lend me $250,000 or more toward buying the building to establish my salon. WTF?

Long story short, I used my own savings for my buildout, leased my equipment and told the SBA to freaking bite me. Been in business 5 years, I paid off all my leases after 2.8 years and myself back the buildout money the following year - and all profit is now mine.

When I first started my research and my business plan, an accountant told me that less than 1% of all businesses that ask for SBA backing get it. I didn't believe him then, but after being 86'd by 10 top banks, I believe him now...Phuck the SBA.

If I can do it on my own, anybody can.

Melvin Said:

How do I write a business plan?

We Answered:

Visit www.sba.com That will lead you to examples of plans already that have been written. There are programs available that allow you to fill in blanks and answer specific questions and the program will produce graphs and a completed business plan. Your business sounds like the one I'm building. We should talk and exchange some other ideas.

Francis Said:

How do you write the financial projections part of a business plan?

We Answered:

You may want to use some sort of business planning software that has financial planner built in.
For example, take iPlanner.net, it's fast and free. Also, check the sources below, I added an article about how to deal with small business sales forecasting:

Ramon Said:

How do you write a business plan for a startup?

We Answered:

According to the book “The ABC's of Writing Winning Business Plans: How to Prepare a Business Plan That Others Will Want to Read -- and Invest In” http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0… by Garrett Sutton, below are some tips to make a winning business plan that can get funding:

- Money follows management. Investors look first at the people involved in the company. If you are just starting out and don’t have relevant experience, investors expect to see that you have an experienced team of advisors and employees helping you in the business.

- Make sure you “sell” the one reason your business will become profitable.

- State clearly the strategies you will employ to get the word out about your business. Your business plan must show how you will leverage the Internet, public relations, viral marketing, and other strategies to attract customers.

- Present realistic estimates of the time, energy and costs of building a successful business. Do not underestimate or overestimate revenues. While investors know your numbers are simply guesses, they want to see that your numbers are within the “range of reality.” Be careful of your financial statements: this is one area where you can easily lose credibility if presented poorly.

- Benchmark similar companies to show that you’ve done your homework and researched the market.

- Your Executive Summary is your calling card. If it is not a winner, investors may not even read your entire plan. Emphasize your own as well as your team’s track record in the Executive Summary.

- Before sending your business plan to lenders and investors, send it out first to a few in order to get feedback. You’d want to correct your plan if someone tells you that you’re way off mark, rather than have a potential investor tell it to you and lose the chance to get the funding you need.

Here are some resources that can help you write your business plan:

- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/pla…
- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/busi…
- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,72…

You may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:

- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.c…
- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners
http://www.businessplans.org/businesspla…
- VFinance - View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&T…
- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_…
- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/
- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html
- SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/pla…
- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/b…
- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServe…
- Business Plans Index - A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/b…

Some recommended books are :

- Business Plans Kit for Dummies
- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan
- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide
- Business Plans For Dummies®
- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan