The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies

I was so scared of writing a business plan that I put it off for as long as I could (nearly a year!). But my potential investor made it clear that I would have to bite the bullet. I owe Abrams a huge "thank-you" for making the business plan writing process something that could be done thoroughly, efficiently, and done well--and didn't take me too long at all. But the best part is that you can download finacial spreadsheet templates from the publisher's website!! I am the kind of person who has an idea and just wants to run with it; I have a hard time figuring out specifics and financial realities. Between the book (which explained exactly what I needed to know about target markets, competition, cost-benefit analysis and the like) and the downloadable spreadsheets (which did all of the math, and carried the numbers through to all of the projection sheets and balance sheets and income statements and such, and took care of all of the formatting--just print and go!), I was able to write a top-notch, professional-looking business plan (if I do say so myself!) to present to my potential investor, and to the bank when I go to apply for a loan! And I won't feel embarassed by my lack of experience--at least, my business plan won't convey it. Plus, it's really important to go through the process of writing a business plan (and Abrams addresses this in the book) so you can really get a good, clear, structured idea of what you're doing, how you need to do it, and why you're starting a business in the first place.

This book was well organized and some of the worksheets were a little hard to use but its still one of the better books I've looked at. The worksheets I had problems with were the financial planners. Some of them were not well explained and therefore hard to use. Overall, the book was very thorough and hopefully it will help my plans for starting a business go through.Pros: -The sample plans were the strongest part of the book because it allowed you to see how the worksheets were put together. -Very thorough book.-Leaves nothing out in terms of how to write a business plan and then how to get the money.Cons: -The book fell apart on me after reading through it a few times. For such a high quality text I expect a better put together book. -Some of the financials were not matching other sections of the sample plan to see how it was put together overall.-Some of the worksheets especially the financials were not well explained.

I'm only three-fifths of the way through the plan I'm writing with this book, but I had to stop and praise it highly. Abrams forces you to go find numerical evidence for statements (I'm using the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau for starters), and to back up what you say with solid numbers. Thanks to her, I discovered highly lucrative, related fields to the business I was originally intending to start! By adding some simple enhancements to my original vision, I will probably double my income. Had I not done the research this book recommends, I never would have known.There are some drawbacks to this book. For one thing, the fill-in charts don't always match the sample plan sections at the end of the chapter. And sometimes they ask questions without telling you where or how to find the answer. But those are minor quibbles. Overall, it is an excellent book that makes you work hard (as in 40 hours or more), and think about who you are as a corporate entity.The best "proof of the pudding" was when I took a draft of my business plan into a meeting with an accountant today. Abrams warns you not to use draft plans (they can seem half-baked), but I had no choice... the accountant had to look at something. She was highly impressed, and instantly grasped the basics about my business based on this tight, well-focused, statistically sound presentation.Thank you, Ms. Abrams. And to potential readers, what's thirty bucks if you can earn many tens or hundreds of thousands more by planning right?

I have read a lot of them and written a lot of them... business plans and bus planning books. This is BY FAR the best book available. It has depth and the detail needed to write a SERIOUS business plan. The only reason it has been criticized in reviews here is that it has a lot of detail and requires WORK. If you want the Daffy Duck business plan book (don't want to work), go elsewhere. If you want to get money (are willing to work), buy this book and do it from cover to cover. A MUST HAVE BOOK.

I have been doing business plans for several years now and Abrams' book is the best out there. It is clearly written, informative without being overly detailed and it walks the reader step-by-step through the business plan writing process. The book provides methods and items to perform research and does a solid job of explaining the difficult job of preparing projected financial statements. I cannot understand why anyone would give this book a dissapointing review. The few bad reviews that I've read criticize the book for everything that makes it such a strong read. If you are writing a business plan you should have this book. If you are experienced in writing business plans, you should have this book for reference.