Writing a Winning Business Plan

A business plan is a tool for thinking more clearly about your business idea. It helps you stay organized and on track, gain a better understanding of your market, confirm that your financial model is realistic, and create a long term vision and strategy. We will introduce you to the essential elements for preparing a plan for business success. This workshop will provide general and individual guidance for preparing a business plan utilizing essential elements. Your presenter will identify content and format for a business plan--including sources of information to aid in the development of your business plan.  You should understand that a business plan is a valuable internal tool, even when not required for the benefit of investors or loan officers. A business plan may force you to think about your idea in new ways and to question the validity of your product/service target markets. It can serve as a guide or benchmark to allow you to track your progress and to stay committed to your long-term goals. If you have partners, it can help avoid misunderstandings. It will help you to better describe and to speak more concisely about your company. All these elements of a business plan can contribute to successful implementation of your business idea.

  Speaker: Carleton Smith

Carleton is a SCORE volunteer with forty years of experience in management of sales, marketing, and engineering for high tech companies. He was Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for a Fortune 500 company with global operations and has management experience in sales, marketing, business turnarounds, manufacturing, engineering, acquisitions, and mergers.