Business Planning Essentials for Dummies

Whether you're starting your first business or you're a serial entrepreneur, you know how important a good business plan is to your business's ultimate success. Bad or non-existent business plans are a primary cause of business failure. But don’t fret! Business Planning Essentials For Dummies gives you all the essential, practical information you need to succeed—from deciding what your business is really all about to building a long-term vision of where your company will go. In between, the book covers budgeting and finance, pricing, predicting sales, and much more.

• Covers all the essentials of writing a business plan and getting on the road to turn your plan into a reality
• Serves as an ideal refresher or introduction to the topic in an affordable small-format edition
• Intended for anyone starting their first business or even just thinking about it

Business Planning Essentials For Dummies is packed with everything you need to know to get started on building your dream business. So what are you waiting for?

Veechi Curtis is a qualified accountant and consultant who specialises in teaching small businesses about technology and finance. She is the author of several bestselling For Dummies business titles.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go From Here 3

Chapter 1: Letting Your Plan Take Flight 7

Chapter 2: Figuring Out What’s So Special about You 19

Chapter 3: Sizing Up the Competition 27

Chapter 4: Spotting Opportunities, Dodging Threats 39

Chapter 5: Separating Yourself from Your Business 49

Chapter 6: Budgeting for Start-Up Expenses 65

Chapter 7: Figuring Out Prices and Predicting Sales 77

Chapter 8: Calculating Costs and Gross Profit 91

Chapter 9: Planning for Expenses 107

Chapter 10: Assembling Your Profit & Loss Projection 119

Chapter 11: Developing a Strong Marketing Plan 133

Chapter 12: Pulling Together Your Written Plan 147

Chapter 13: Ten (Almost!) Questions to Ask before You’re Done 161

Index 167

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.