Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future

From envisioning the organizational structure to creating the marketing plan that powers growth to building for the future with airtight financial documents, this guide provides the tools to create well-constructed business plans. Beginning with the initial considerations, this handbook offers proven, step-by-step advice for developing and packaging the components of a business plan—cover sheet, table of contents, executive summary, description of the business, organizational and marketing plans, and financial and supporting documents—and for keeping the plan up-to-date. Four real-life business plans and blank forms and worksheets provide readers with additional user-friendly guidelines for the creation of the plans. This updated seventh edition features new chapters on financing resources and business planning for nonprofits as well as a sample restaurant business plan.

Linda Pinson is the author of nine entrepreneurial books, including Keeping the Books and Steps to Small Business Start-Up, and the developer and publisher of the bestselling business plan software program, Automate Your Business Plan. She also served as a delegate and tax issue chair at the White House Conference on Small Business. She lives in Tustin, California.