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The Entrepreneur’s Library: Business Planning Resources

Business Plan

Websites & Articles

Approaches to Writing a Business Plan

There are four basic types of business plans, each serving a different purpose. How you prepare your plan depends in part on the type you are preparing.

Bplans.com

Business plan preparation software and sample business plans. Also includes tips for writing business plans.

Build a Flexible Business Plan

How to build a flexible business plan.

Build a Strong Business Plan, Section by Section

A step-by-step collection of articles that guide you in the building of a business plan by Inc.com.

Entrepreneurship

A collection of articles, video clips and other resources for new entrepreneurs.

High Tech Startup Valuation Estimator

Wondering what your pre-money valuation will be if a VC ever puts a term sheet on the table? Answer the following questions, and we'll calculate an approximate range for you. Of course, every situation is different, so your mileage may vary.

How to Write a Business Plan 101

This guide to writing a business plan will outline the most important parts and what should be included in an effective plan.

In Defense of the Deck

Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital explains: "If you are lucky enough to grow your company from Series A to Series B to Series C, and on to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and a successful IPO, you will need to tell your company’s story in high-stakes situations over and over and over again. Because of this, venture capitalists place huge positive weight on how good you are at this skill. The great storytellers have an unfair competitive advantage."

In Pictures: The 20 Most Important Questions in Business- Forbes.com

A slideshow treatment of the top twenty points that any would-be entrepreneur or business owner absolutely must have sorted out, preferably before the capital is all spent and the customers have all left. Any entrepreneur who can't answer these questions quickly and easy has some thinking to do. A quick and easy must-read checklist for those coming up with their own business plan.

LivePlan

Online business plan preparation software for people who want to DIY.

Persuasive Projections

Predicting the future is hard. But when you're making financial projections, that's exactly what you need to do. You can avoid some of the most common mistakes by following this list of dos and don'ts.

Resources for Entrepreneurs by Gaebler Ventures

A collection of short articles on business planning, capital formation, and related topics.

SBA Business Plan Outline

Includes tips on how to complete various sections of the business plan.

SBA Learning Center

The SBA offers a variety of online courses to help you start and run your business.

The Early Pitch Decks Of 21 Startups Before They Became Billion-Dollar Companies

See the early pitch decks of 21 unicorn companies (and exited unicorns), including LinkedIn (before it had a dime of revenue) and Airbnb (when it was AirBed&Breakfast). Pitch decks don't have to be pretty to be effective.

The Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs

"Guy Kawasaki says: 'I get pitched dozens of times every year, and every pitch contains at least three or four of these lies. I provide them not because I believe I can increase the level of honesty of entrepreneurs as much as to help entrepreneurs come up with new lies. At least new lies indicate a modicum of creativity!'"

Why Business Plans Don't Get Funded

Your business plan gives the first impression potential investors get about your venture. But even if you have a great product, team, and customers, it could also be the last impression the in-vestor gets if you make any of these avoidable mistakes.

Why You Need to Write a Business Plan

Learn why writing a business plan is important -- even if you're not trying to raise money.


Disclaimer: Inclusion in this directory does not constitute an endorsement. The materials linked to from this page are copyrighted to their respective owners.

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