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BUSINESS PLANS


BizPlanIt Virtual Business Plan

• Sponsored by BizPlanIt
• Provides advice on basic business planning and common mistakes to avoid
• Gives sample headings for suggested "Table of Contents"
• Offers suggestions for creating the following elements of a business plan: mission/vision, company description, product/service, industry analysis, target market, marketing plan, competitive analysis, financial projections, exit strategy
• Free newsletter
• Consulting services available
• Excellent source for "the basics"; great place to begin research


Business Plan Archives

• "The Business Plan Archive is a project from: Robert H Smith School of Business (University of Maryland) in cooperation with (((echo))) at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and with the financial support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation"
• The mission of this relatively new (June 2002) collaborative venture is "... to collect business plans and related documents from the dot com era," and hopes to "... enable entrepreneurs and researchers to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research," which provides "... an unprecedented opportunity to learn from our past mistakes and successes"
• "The business plans we collect will ultimately be stored in the Archives and Manuscript Library at the University of Maryland, College Park"
• "All contributors to [the] Business Plan Archive retain control over how we treat your business plans"
• Registration required (but it's free)
• Feedback welcomed
• Although this site is very much a "work in progress," this unique site provides an excellent opportunity to examine business plans from the past.


Business Planning Research Guide

• Maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara, Library (UCSBL)
• Part of the "InfoSurf" reference guide series
• A directory of UCSBL's print, database and Internet resources, this extensive guide offers comprehensive coverage of many of the most authoritative business planning resources
• Print resources may be found in many academic libraries or large public libraries
• Databases are restricted to the UCSB academic community; they may be available at many academic libraries or large public libraries
• "Overview: Starting a Business" is primarily devoted to developing business plans
• Offers additional resources for the legal and regulatory requirements for starting a business in the U.S. (also includes market research and financing information)
• Links to comparative information for starting a business abroad
• Excellent annotations; suggests relevant search terms for maximizing productivity of database searches
• Outstanding; one of the best academic sites for all aspects of business planning


Business Plans

• Maintained by the Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNET), an affiliate of the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA); located at the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA)
• Links to "General Business Plans" and "Specific Business Plans or Guides"
• "Specific Business Plans or Guides" links to 51guides/plans (23 of which are Canadian) for 39 businesses
• Outstanding; a great place for business plans which are largely service-oriented or retail in nature; links to "General Business Plans" are not extensive but represent some of the best available


Business Plans

• Sponsored by Kaye Vivian
• Provides outlines for writing traditional and high-tech business plans
• Also discusses getting ready to write a plan, tips for writing a good plan and what to avoid in a plan
• Additional links to "tech tips," writer's resources, proposal strategy
• Consulting services available
• Not extensive, but a good place to begin research


Business Plans and Planning

• Sponsored by Venture Associates
• Provides advice for business plan preparation for the following: purpose of planning, "nine guiding principles," obtaining critical reviews, plan outline, transitioning to an operating plan
• Also links to information on entrepreneurial financing, capital sourcing and small business sites
• Consulting services available
• Not extensive, but especially well-done for what it covers


Business Plan: Road Map to Success

• Sponsored by the Small Business Association (SBA)
• This site provides detailed information on formulation of a business plan; one of the most comprehensive available on line
• Covers virtually every business planning contingency; especially useful for financial data
• Links to Small Business Administration home page
• Outstanding; a well-designed, step-by-step guide, useful for those not familiar with the topic


Center for Business Planning

• Sponsored by Business Resource Software, Inc.
• "Links to hundreds of sites offering research materials on every area of planning a business"
• Provides sample business plans including entries in the Moot Corp. Competition at the University of Texas (each plan is a winner or finalist in this contest, which is judged by venture capitalists)
• Links to articles on mission statements, marketing plans, market segmentation, pricing, financial information
• Links to various facets of business planning are extensive; sample business plans are a representative mix of different types of businesses
• Consulting services available
• Highly recommended; an outstanding "hands-on" resource which discusses all the steps for creating a business plan in a clear, forthright manner


Creating an Effective Business Plan

• Sponsored by American Express Small Business Plan Resources
• Provides advice/analysis for the following elements of a business plan: business description, the market, development/production, sales/marketing, management, financials
• "Try It Yourself" allows the user to test skills on a sample business plan
• "Tool Box" offers a variety of samples, worksheets and glossaries to facilitate the planning process
• Links to articles; FAQ feature
• Consulting and product services available
• Outstanding; interactive features are especially useful


Sample Business Plan Outline

• Sponsored by QuickMBA
• Provides business planning outline incorporating the following: company description, industry analysis, market analysis, competition, marketing and sales, operations, management and organization, capitalization and structure, development and milestones, risks and contingencies, financial projections, summary and conclusions
• Links to additional QuickMBA subjects: accounting, business law, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, management, marketing, operations, statistics, strategy


Additional related information may also be found by accessing the Johnson & Wales University Library website guides "Demographics and Population: U.S." and "Entrepreneurship and Small Business."


Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content, or stability of any websites linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh, 12/01; updated 6/04; links last checked 11/07

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