Introduction

      So, you were searching the web for something about business start-ups, or maybe you were assigned to honcho a hot new project at the office, and up pops a promo for this book. You clicked “buy now.” Sweet, we like you already! Great minds must think alike because while you may not know how to construct a business plan yet, you’re savvy enough to have surmised that a plan is important — which is exactly what we know. From years of working with numerous organizations both large and small, old and new, profit or nonprofit, local or global in scope, we concluded that a business plan is more than just another factor for goal achievement — indeed, it’s usually the single most important task prior to actually jumping in there and getting started!

      Some people visualize a business plan as something they have to put together to raise money for a new venture or convince the higher-ups to sign off on for some upcoming project — at best, a formality with lots of splashy PowerPoints in which all graph curves streak upward; at worst, a waste of everyone’s precious time and effort. But you don’t create a business plan just to secure funding or check a bureaucratic box; au contraire! Rather, you should embrace and own your plan as a powerfully performative tool — one that makes your organization a better place at which to work and your business a more successful operation for everyone it touches.

      Is a business plan a guarantee? Hardly. In today’s “VUCA” world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity), it’s increasingly hard to tell what even tomorrow will bring. But prediction is not the point of planning. Rather, planning is in fact a matter of process. A business plan works because it forces you to stop and think about what you’re doing. It prompts you to figure out what you want your company to become in the future and how you intend to make that future happen. Your plan acts as a template, guiding you through the steps required to meet your goals. And by engaging in this planning process, you are going to not only learn much more about what you’re trying to do but will also dramatically enhance your ability to both survive and thrive when the inevitable unknowns and pitfalls emerge. For example:

About This Book

      This book helps you create your business plan step by step. Along the way, you’ll discover things about your business that you never realized — information that just may help you beat the competition. Heck, we even throw in a few laughs as well — no joke.

      Business Plans For Dummies, 3rd Edition, can help your business succeed no matter who you are or what your job description says, whether you’re part of a large corporation or a one-person show. Depending on your situation, you may find yourself dipping into and out of the book in different ways:

      Just remember — no matter where you are, it’s never too late to start a business plan, and it’s never too late to make the one you have even better. In each case, you can find what you’re looking for between these bright yellow covers.

Note that you don’t have to read all the sidebars scattered throughout the book. Just because we find these little facts and fables fascinating doesn’t mean you will. You can pass over the text accompanied by the Technical Stuff icon, too. The text marked with this icon gives some fascinating but nonessential information about business plans. And you won’t hurt our feelings if you don’t read this book from cover to cover (well, maybe a little; we just love those little sidebars!). Whatever, feel free to skip around; pick and choose what you’re really interested in, and then go for it.

      One last thing: Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit