This book is not a how-to, handholding, write your business plan from A-Z. Although it does show some basic business plans and structure. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Writing Business Plans and Proposals is more of a roadmap to reaching your goal of writing a good business plan. K. Dennis Chambers is a writer first and foremost. He is secondarily a business plan writer. This book provides good insight to the mechanics of conveying your message properly, identifying with your audience. Tailoring your writing to the recipient(s).Quotable Quotes:
If you can't outplay 'em outwork 'em - Ben Hogan(pro golfer)
My three Secrets of Success: Get up early. Work Hard. Find oil. - J. Paul Getty
Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home Plate don't move - Satchel Paige(Hall of Fame Pitcher)
The best headlines are those that appeal to the readers self interest, that is, headlines based on the readers' benefits. They offer the readers something they want-and can get from you. - John Caples(Copywriter's Hall of Fame)
It's supposed to he hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great. - Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own
Its not money that brings happiness. It's lots of money. - Russian Proverb
Just hold them for a few innings fellas. I'll think of something. - Charlie Dressen(Former Brooklyn Dodgers Manager)
When you play this game for 20 years, go to bat 10,000 times, and get 3,000 hits, do you know what that means? You've gone 0 for 7,000. - Pete Rose
If things seem under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti
Writing a Business Plan:
Whats in it for me?
-Your plan is only going to be as good as your excitement for the plan.
-Identify why you are writing it and for whom
-Planning is valuable
-Your mission statement is the foundation on which to build your company
Whats in it for them?
-Create your reader profile
-What does your reader need to know. Focus on being succinct.
-We are in a new era, the business plan needs a new order
1. Customized Cover Letter
2. Table Of Contents
3. Executive Summary
4. The Financials
5. The Company
6. The Landscape
7. The Market
8. The Competition
9. Personnel
10. Sales and Promotion
11. Appendix
The First Draft
-Writing in general should follow the approx timeline
--Preparation 50 percent
--First Draft 20 percent
--Clean Up 30 percent
-Cover letter examples
-Subheadings guide the reader to the major points and make summary easier for the reviewer.
Editing: The Hard Part
-An editing checklist
-Active vs Passive voice
-Transitions for Flow and polish
-Parallel sentence structures
-Cliches and other writing pitfalls
-Graphics to enhance the reader's understanding of your ideas
Develop a Realistic Marketing Plan:
-SWOT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
-Market Segments
-Prospects
-Competition
-Products/Services
-Pricing
-Promotion
-Objectives
Demonstrate Financial Credibility:
-How much money do I need?
-What type of financing do I need?
-How do I pay back my creditors?
-Think monthly
-Forecasting
-A fairly in depth look at how to create a P&L and balance sheet
Todays Mechanics in writing:
-Utilize a style guide
-Utilize handbooks to help with Punctuation and Grammar
-Dictionary
-Say what you want to say succinctly.
Writing a Business Proposal:
What are you really proposing?
-Number one secret about writing a proposal--Write about them.
Why your proposal makes the Prospect so nervous
-Dictionary definition:
An offer or suggestion of marriage.
-For a company to bring in big ticket propositions is just like getting married.
-Ten Commandments for writing a killer proposal
1. No Boilerplate. Not even one paragraph.
2. Begin with the assurance of compliance.
3. Describe in your own words, the exact outcome that the prospect is seeking in vocabulary the prospect understands.
4. Deal with Money up front.
5. Avoid writing about your company for ten pages longer than you can stand.
6. Follow all my rules for twenty-first century grammar and punctuation.
7. Let one writer create the entire first draft, and let it be original to this project.
8. Avoid all cliches
9. Create a work breakdown structure or Gantt chart for your proposal project.
10. Do not delegate a proposal to junior people.
Convince your readers to see it your way
-The price has to be right
-Success in the life of your company depends on how the customer feels about you.
Will you read this book again? Yes
Would you suggest this book be added to a personal library or leave it at the public library? Personal. This book is a great reference for the current times and more relaxed writing style that has evolved since the internet revolution.
Reviewed By Mike W - Twin Cities, MN
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