The Beast: The Business Plan

by Melissa Crawford

Students keep crossing my path inquiring about business plans, so I surfed the net a little, to see if I could provide a little inspiration to those struggling through the painstaking process.

Here's one of my favorite blog entries on the subject: Writing A Business Plan - Torture & Triumph written by one of the owners of the Metropolitan Brewing company in Chicago, IL. She said:

Learning how to write this business plan was an agonizing process of self-motivated reading, researching, sifting, guessing, doubting, crying (well, that was mainly me), arguing, and endless hours of typing. Each new section was loaded with new information to learn and new questions to ask. We learned. We asked. And, as each section was finished, we realized that we’d gained more confidence about our brewery and how we planned to run it. I’ll be damned if we weren’t actually gaining confidence in ourselves, too...In the end, you have in your hands this document that is your playbook; your strategy to succeed as a business owner.

Whether you're just starting out with your plan or looking to revise and update it, start by viewing some FREE sample plans at bplans.com or explore business plan software applications such as FastTrac or Businesss Plan Pro.

One really useful FREE planning site by the Small Business Administration is the SBA Business Planner.

Your best bet, though, is to study and hash out the details of a plan in our Business Plan Development course (BUS/PRO 208) with Professor Van Dam or look for a Business Plan course in your area.

Soon I am off to the annual conference hosted by the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) in Chicago...so maybe I'll stop by that Chicago brewing company and thank them for inspiring us to finally tackle that beast!