Sample Outlines ●  Sample Business Plans  ●  Related Articles
Related Books at MU Ellis Library  ●  Related Books at Amazon.com

Business Plans

"If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail."
-Tariq Saddique

"You got to be careful if you don't know where you are going,
because you might not get there."
-Yogi Berra

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a document that summarizes the operational and financial objectives of a business and contains the detailed plans and budgets showing how the objectives are to be realized.  A well-written business plan is a detailed description, a blueprint or roadmap, of a company’s future. 

Business Plans are used as:

• An outlet to define and communicate the strategic vision of the company

• A document to obtain working capital and/or investments – Creditors want to know where your business is going and how it will get there

• A working document that can be used to measure as well as improve on performance

• A basis for sound decision making (always keeping the company goals and key initiatives in mind)

• A tool to attract key employees – entrepreneurial employees are attracted to solid business models with high potential for growth

• A business prospecting tool – Cooperative business agreements are, most often, based on inter-company synergies.  A business plan is a great tool for identifying such synergies

• A management development tool – High level managers use business plans to effectively communicate company goals and visions to lower level managers

• An opportunity to predict possible problems or hurdles and prepare for them in advance

There are many resources that are available to help you format and author your company’s business plan.  We have included some links below to help you.

Sample Outlines/Full Business Plan Examples:

Howard University Small Business Center
This site has an example of a detailed outline to follow when creating business plans

Small Business Administration
This site offers a high level look at a basic business plan outline

bplans.com
Offers 60 free sample business plans from a variety industries

morebusiness.com
Example of a detailed business plan for a fictional consulting company

Bulletproof Business Plans
Free sample business plan divided into sections for the cover, executive summary, the enterprise, the organization, the market, financial projections, and the risk/timeline aspects of the plan

Business Services
Offers 8 free business plan samples from the retail, manufacturing, service, publishing and tourism industries

Related Articles:

“The Basics of Business Plans: Sell, Sell, Sell” from inc.com
Discusses the importance of designing a business plan to be sales oriented, a way to market your business, as opposed to a dry and theoretical document

“The Bulletproof Business Plan” from inc.com
How to bulletproof your business plan during a slumping economy – making sure the basic concepts are streamlined

“I don’t Need a Business Plan” from morebusiness.com
Why every business needs a solid business plan that is a working document

“The Finer Points of a Business Plan” from inc.com
Basic overview of the different sections of a business plan including definitions and what to include as well as what not to include

“Why you Need to Write a Business Plan” from nolo.com
Why writing a business plan is important even if you are not trying to raise money

“How Can You Keep your Business Plan Confidential?” from allbusiness.com
Some hints for keeping your business’s secrets from competitors

“What is a Business Plan?” from Women’s Online Business Center
Describes the goal of a business plan and why the plan is important

“Writing Your Business Plan” from US Chamber
Detailed description of how to write the textbook business plan

“The Business Plan for Independent Inventors” from What You Need To Know About
Great resource if your business is to grow around a product you are inventing

Related Books Available at the MU Ellis Library

Developing the Business Plan for a Small Business
Authors: Bruce M. Bradway, Robert E. Pritchard

How to Prepare and Present a Business Plan
Author: Joseph R. Mancuso

Business Plan for America: An Entrepreneur’s Manifesto
Author: Don Gevirtz

How to Create a Really Successful Business Plan
Author: David E. Gumpert

Preparing you Business Plan with Excel
Authors: William R. Osgood, William Fletcher, Dennis P. Curtin

How to Develop a Business Plan in 15 days
Author: William M. Luther

The Arthur Young Business Plan Guide
Authors: Eric S. Siegel, Loren A. Schultz, Brian R. Ford

Related Books Available at amazon.com

How to Really Create a Successful Business Plan: Step by Step Guide

Business Plans that Work for Your Small Business

Writing a Convincing Business Plan

Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step by step Guide to building a Business and securing Your Company’s Future

Business Plan Kits for Dummies (with CD-ROM)

"Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you'll be surprised how successful you can be.
Most people don't have a plan. That's why it's is easy to beat most folks."
- Paul "Bear" Bryant