Business Plans For Dummies - Softcover

Tiffany, Paul; Peterson, Steven D.

3.42

186 ratings by Goodreads

9781568848686: Business Plans For Dummies

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1568848684 ISBN 13: 9781568848686

Publisher: For Dummies, 1997

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For some people, a business plan is a map to success that they're required to put together to raise money for a startup company. At best, it's a formality; at worst, it's a sizable pain in the neck. But a business plan doesn't exist just to garner financial support; it's also a powerful tool – one that's bound to make your company a better place to work and your business a more successful operation.

Business Plans For Dummies can guide your business in the right direction no matter who you are or how your job description reads, whether you're part of a large corporation or a one-person show. If you've struggled through the planning process before – or if you're brand new to plotting out goals and objectives – this expert reference will show you how to

Create a right-on mission statement
Pinpoint the needs of your customers
Scope out the competition
Simplify all the financial stuff
Stay on top of trends
Foster a winning atmosphere for your staff

Packing the greatest value into a business plan calls for a look back at where your company's been and how it's changed over the years, a look forward to where and how you'll compete in the marketplace, and a look around at what you want to show and tell the world about your enterprise. This down-to-earth guide steps you through every milestone in business planning, including

Determining where you want to go with your business
Checking out the business environment: customers and competition
Assessing your capabilities and resources
Getting into strategic thinking mode
Facing the facts about product life cycles
Motivating and appreciating the people who make it all happen in-house

Riding marketplace tides isn't the sport of amateurs these days; only 25% of new businesses survive beyond their first three years of operation. This invaluable resource gives you a no-nonsense approach to staying afloat, rising above the risks, and enjoying the rewards as you take care of business.

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From the Back Cover:

"This guide...is, quite frankly, the best work that you'll find on this subject." —Inc. Magazine

"The best book I've found for comprehensive and successful planning.... Every type of organization will find it invaluable. It really gets the job done and will help you get the job done, too!" —Rick Oliver, Consultant and Professor of Management, Vanderbilt University

"Comprehensive and knowing, this book will help anyone who is thinking about running a business." —Tom Ehrenfeld, Business and Financial Journalist

The fun and Easy Way to Create a Winning Business Plan
Your First Aid Kit for Identifying Customers, Understanding the Competition, and Putting Together a Plan that Works!
Business Planning Blunders to Avoid — Explained in Plain English

Create an Innovative Business Plan with Expert Tips and Strategies!

Are you an entrepreneur, executive, or a manager charged with creating a business plan, but don't know where to begin? Don't worry! With Business Plans For Dummies as your handy reference, you'll find quick, easy solutions to all your planning dilemmas. Equipped with tips, techniques, and expert advice, you'll develop a dynamic business plan like a pro in no time!

Inside, you'll discover how to:

Assess your company's goals and objectives
Create a mission statement that clearly positions and identifies your business
Identify and understand the needs of your customers and clients
Scope out the competition and differentiate your business from the crowd
Understand the financial stuff — from number crunching to budgets to forecasting
Develop a plan conducive to marketplace changes and advancements
Shape your organization and invest in your company's people

About the Author:

Paul Tiffany, Ph.D., is a professor of management at the Haas Business School, U.C. Berkeley, and an Adjunct Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is a management consultant to numerous firms and agencies all over the world focusing on the art and science of business strategy, planning, and management concepts. He has worked with General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, U.S. Steel, Dean Witter, NYNEX, and may others.

Steven Peterson, Ph.D., is the senior partner and founder of Home Planet Technologies, a company devoted to developing advanced management tools. He created and developed The Protean Strategist, and award-winning computer-based business planning and strategy simulation that has been used by companies around the world.

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