Business-plan

Excellent quick read for getting quick BP's. See how the experts do it. What I really like was the editing. It made disparate business plans flow as if they were written by one man. The editing was excellent, bravo!

I'm a business planning consultant and a client just gave me a copy of this book. Way too basic, not enough help on the most important part of any business plan: the financials. If you want to get funded, look for a better book.

Many people starting a business have no prior business experience and have taken no college or university courses on business. Bill Gates is a guy that comes to mind. Everyone needs a basic plan.

Unfortunately when you start you might be in a hurry. You might have a compelling technical product that customers are ordering and suddenly you are thrust into a situation where you must manage a company. It can start so fast that you are playing catch-up. So a good idea is to have a good accountant and maybe an MBA consultant that one can talk to.

But in the end you make the decisions. This book is a nice quick summary of making a plan and a place to start. For $15. it is a bargain and do not be fooled by the price. There is lots of good stuff in this book. It is one of the cheapest thing in the office as I am sure you are aware..

For what it is three or four stars.

Jack in Toronto

I've done a number of business plans in my time and bought this book as a gift for a friend who wants to start her own business. I purchased it because it includes all of the basics needed to develop a business plan that will guide you as you start and build your business and will also give you the credibility you need to secure outside financing. This is a very good step-by-step guide for those completely new to business and an excellent refresher guide for those who already know the basics.

And, by the way, you can skip the companion Dummies book called Business Plans Kit, which covers the same ground as this book but includes a CD-ROM that doesn't add much value. The truth is, this book is cheaper and offers just as much help as the larger and more expensive kit version.

I purchased this book expecting it to cater to someone beyond University level. However, the contents clearly cater for high school level learning and therefore provided little value to me. If you are looking to strengthen your technical and analytical skills look somewhere else. If you want basic training, give it a try.

This insightful book proved worth its weight in gold. A must read for any entrepreneur looking for serious funding.