Business Plans

While templates and samples can be helpful, the key to a good plan is making your own argument—for your unique business—as convincingly as you can. Don't be constrained by hewing too closely to what others have done.

Web Resources

Free:

• Businessplans.org
  Summary
  Information about all aspect of developing a business plan including sample plans.
• Plan Your Business - Write a Business Plan
  Summary
  By Small Business Administration. A comprehensive outline and advice for preparing a business plan.
• Moot Corp's Guide to Creating Fundable Business Plans
  Summary
  The University of Texas/Austin guide includes modules on "Attention Getting Openings, The Executive Summary, The Right Team Makes All the Difference, The Financials and Funding"
• Wicked Start
  Summary
  An online guide for starting a business with concrete action items for aspiring business owners customized to their business ideas and access to a community of experts and resources for business planning, funding, hiring, structuring a business, and marketing.

Articles

• "Evaluating New Venture Opportunities Conversations with Venture Capitalist"

Books & ebooks

• How to Write a Great Business Plan
  Summary
  In print in Baker Library Stacks, Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, HD30.28 .S234 2008 William Sahlman (HBS) defines the primary factors that should be included when writing a business plan.
• Executive Summary Toolkit
  Summary
  Write a more powerful business plan executive summary.

Login Required:

• Creating a Business Plan
  Summary
  In print in Baker Library Stacks, Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, HD30.28 .C73 2007 This book demonstrates how to most effectively review every facet of the business plan.

Videos

Free:

• The 2008 Entrepreneurship Conference: Business Plan
  Summary
  The Conference is held in Stanford. The presenter discusses what to include and how to distribute the business plan.

Cases & Teaching Notes

For Purchase:

• How Venture Capitalists Evaluate Potential Venture Opportunities Case
• Note on Business Model Analysis for the Entrepreneur Note
• Business Plan Note
• Some Thoughts on Business Plans Note
• Finale (Room for Dessert) Case

Financing

Web Resources

Free:

• Getting Started - Financial Management
  Summary
  By Small Business Administration. A checklist for Financial issues before the business plan writing.
• Entrepreneur.com
  Summary
  Money Management and Financial Analysis. Provides articles on practical advices and tips, such as "Forecasting Your Sales Revenue."
• Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati: Term Sheet Generator
  Summary
  This tool will generate a venture financing term sheet based on your responses to an online questionnaire. It also has an informational component, with basic tutorials and annotations on financing terms.

Books & ebooks

• Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures
  Summary
  In print in Baker Library Stacks, Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, HG4027.6 .F56 1998 William Sahlman
• HOLLIS Catalog
  Summary
  Provides access to the collections in the Harvard University Libraries. Use expanded, subject word, or exact spelling searches.

Articles

Login Required:

• "How Much Money Does Your New Venture Need"

Databases

Login Required:

• Business Source Complete
  Summary
  Provides full-text articles from various journal publications.

Cases & Teaching Notes

For Purchase:

• Note on Acquiring Bank Credit Note

What Investors Want

Articles

Free:

• "I'm A VC. Here's What I Want to Know"
  Summary
  2003. MIT's Enterprise Forum of Cambridge has published a checklist of questions that VC firms may ask of entrepreneurs. (PDF)
• MagPortal (Hot Neuron LLC)
  Summary
  Offers free access to articles. Use the search function and try keywords: investors want.
• "Courting Investors? The Best Management Team Wins"
  Summary
  2001. Published in Mass High Tech, Barbara Finer explains how a start-up led by an untested team can attract investors.

Business Plan Samples

Web Resources

Free:

• The Center for Business Planning has links to several business plans that have won various business plan contests.
• Entrepreneurship - Business Plans
  Summary
  A guide by the Baker Library Services of Harvard Business School, listing selected resources including business plan samples.
• Bplans.com
  Summary
  This website provides over 100 free examples of business and marketing plans. The website also promotes Business Plan Pro software.

Tools

Web Resources

Free:

• Wall Street Journal MiniPlan
  Summary
  The Wall Street Journal business plan builder allows entrepreneurs to design a plan that will include a mission statement, company objectives, and market analysis. The MiniPlan also includes a cash flow calculator and sample business plans.