Your First Business Plan: A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan, 5th Edition

The first business plan is often the most difficult to write. A company may have little or no history, and often may not know lender requirements, what to stress and what to avoid. Your First Business Plan simplifies the process by outlining the different parts of a business plan and, in an uncomplicated question-and-answer style, helps the business owner create a winning plan for their business.

The easy-to-follow chapters show entrepreneurs how to:

• Think through strategies and balance enthusiasm with facts
• Capture and hold the interest of potential lenders and investors
• Understand and develop their financial statements
• Recognize the unique selling advantage of their products or services
• Avoid potentially disastrous errors like undercapitalization and negative cash flow

Also included in this book:

• A glossary of planning and financial terms
• A complete sample business plan

Brian Hazelgren founded goStrategy to focus on all aspects of strategic consulting for small and medium enterprises. Brian has a degree in marketing from Western International University, with a minor in finance. Brian has authored and coauthored five books, including Your First Business Plan and The Complete Book of Business Plans, and has produced two business CDs. His latest work, Power Planning: The New Era in Strategic Thinking is the manual used in the goStrategy strategic planning courses. Brian is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah where he is one of four professors chosen to start the new Entrepreneurship program at the University. He is also a frequent guest on radio talk shows throughout the country. He has 17 years in the business/strategic planning and technology fields.

Brian has been a radio talk show host on the No. 1 station in the Phoenix, AZ market. His show was called "All About Business" and he focused on topics geared towards assisting business owners and managers in running a better organization.

Brian has owned and operated a successful manufacturing and distribution company, which produced the popular Gumball Wizard and Gumball Mania vending machines. His products were frequently featured on The Price is Right, as the number one product in the Sharper Image Catalog and in three Hollywood movies (Richie Rich, First Kid and Monolith).

Brian spent four years with Sprint Paranet, a division of Sprint, as a Regional Director. While at Sprint, Brian received several awards, including the first ever Outstanding Achievement Award, the Division Managers Award, the Marketing Aptitude Award, the 120% of Goal Award, Para 100 and the Fast Start Award. As a start-up under Brian's leadership, Sprint Paranet Utah was awarded the No. 1 IT Consulting Firm Award in the State of Utah. This was accomplished after only 2 years in the Intermountain market.

During the early phases of the Internet, Brian started a Phoenix, AZ based ISP that was soon voted the No. 3 ISP in the state of Arizona. He sold his interests in this business.

Brian was a member of the BYU national championship football team in 1984. He was a sprinter in track and field and has held five records in track and field in the state of Utah. He was drafted to play professional baseball out of high school, but chose to play football.

Brian is the father of six children, with two sets of twins. He and his lovely wife of 15 years, Ann Christensen Hazelgren, live in Riverton, Utah.