Recommendations on Writing a Business Plan 2

[Senselessticker]

Hey Folks,

I have an opportunity to put together a business plan that involves growing an existing construction company into a Design/Build type of company. I have a couple years to develop the plan. I’ll probably take some business classes, and perhaps even go after an MBA during the meantime. As I develop the plan, I’ll have support of lawyers/accountants who represent the existing company.

I’m looking for suggested reading (especially autobiography) recommendations from any entrepreneurs here that have found particular small-business-to-big-business success stories (or failure stories) inspiring.

Many thanks for any recommendations!

Sense

 

[DaveVikingPE]

I purchased "Start Your Own Business" by Rieva Lesonsky, who's part of Entrepreneur Magazine. There's some good advice and some outlines of business plans. What should go into a business plan, etc.

 

[coolbreeze]

The "Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship" is one that I have read. There are references to a financial worksheets that is worth the price of the book. Although it is a bit academic, it's full of good information. There is even a companion guide with case studies.

Just so you know, Entrepreneurship is one of the last courses that you will take in an MBA curriculum. This class gels together what you learned in previous course work. Writing a complete and usable business plan is typically the focus of the course. So be careful, get as much feedback as you can on it before risking the loss of a potential investor.

 

[Senselessticker]

Thanks for the posts DaveVikingPE and coolbreeze. Although the oppurtunity is very real, I want the process itself to be a learning experience.

I would also like to know if getting an MBA is worth the effort assuming all I'm really after is the business knowledge. Is it possible to simply read the books and learn what you need to know? Or does attaining an MBA degree actually increase the practical business sense of someone trying to start a new business or, as mentioned above, try to aggressively grow an existing business?

 

[HVACctrl]

Check out

http://www.score.org

. It is funded some way by the SBA and actually links up entrepeneurs with successful business owners and executives. The website has tons of info, links, advice papers, business plans, etc...

Plus you get to start a relationship with someone who can point you in the right direction.

I tried it out. The guy I got was awesome. I learned that I am not ready to get into the game just yet, but I now have a good roadmap for getting there.

Ed

http://www.engineerboards.com

 

[Beggar]

Regarding the business plan, I haven't read any books on the subject so I have no advice except to say that I have often found the reviews on Amazon to be quite good so that's where I'd be looking if I were doing the same as you.

Regarding the MBA, that's a question that I've been wrestling with myself and here are my thoughts:

1) A directed course of study will almost certainly provide curriculum that you would never have come accross yourself.

2) I find myself to be more efficient in my studies when I'm being evaluated on a regular schedule.

3) The interactions between a student and his/her fellow students and their teachers and their guests are sometimes very beneficial and often hard to replicate outside of school.

4) The networking opportunities are outstanding.

5) The certification is worth a ton if you're interested in applying that kind of knowledge and find yourself not able to continue on with the company with which you're currently affiliated.

6) The feedback that you get from your teacher and others in response to projects and papers can be invaluable.

If you have the interest (which you do) as well as the time, energy and money, I'd pursue the formal education in addition to your self-study.

It really depends on whether you want to focus on the subset of information that's directly applicable to your present situation and opportunity or if you would value the broader survey that would come from a whole program.

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How much do YOU owe?

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

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[jmw]

Look around for some short courses at college.
I did a set of Cambridge Business Unit classes here in the UK and they included Accounting for managers, Customer Services and business start-up which included at the core writing a business plan.
The courses were directed by business professionals.
You may also want to try your local bank.
Several here have a business start-up pack which includes a program for writing a business plan... i.e. they reflect the way they want business plans set out for finiancing (a bit academic, it seemed to me, since banks don't actually seem to want to lend money to anyone who hasn't got any).


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com