SMALL BUSINESS OWNER:
  ARE ALL YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW?
If not, pick up the phone and call for a free consult!

Should you make a business plan? Ideally, yes. If you need to borrow from a bank, definitely, yes! But there are other benefits.

Essentially, doing a business plan changes what you do from a hobby to a business.
The plan makes clear the details of what you are desiring to accomplish; aiming the arrow in the direction you wish to go.

Even if you don't have to involve a banker, you still benefit from the work of charting all the details. It's a trite analogy, but you wouldn't plan a cross-country driving trip without knowing your route.

A sound business plans helps you manage and grow your business. Topics include:

1. A Summary
2. Business Description
3. Your Market
4. Your Business Structure Including Legal
5. Your Product or Service
6. Your Marketing Strategy
7. Funding Needs
8. Your Sales Projections
9. Other

It's not rocket science but can be tedious and time consuming. Elements include:

1. Partnerships and other Business Relationships
2. Advantageous Activities
3. Important Resources
4. Your Unique Selling Point
5. Selling Channels
6. Your Customers
7. Costs
8. Specific Revenue Streams

There are no rules about creating a plan, however the more you put into making one the more you will benefit. Steps below depict a simple rendering.

1. What you do and what problem you are solving for customer Y.
2. You solve the problem for customer Y by creating/doing your product/service.
3. Your competition does not fill this niche, leaving you an opportunity to sell./li>
4. You specify how you will reach your customers by doing and providing what they need and/or want.
5. You know your fixed and variable costs.
6. Your team includes person a, person b, person c and the roles they will fill.
7. Future goals are listed.