Can you make a good business plan without a business plan software?

Question

Does the software just make it a lot easier and better looking? Do I need the software?

Answer 1

The software just merely guides you as to the sections of the grant, questions you need to answer to be able to write the section, and arrange the business plan in a more logical and cohesive manner.



The best part for me are the financial spreadsheets and calculations. The other parts -- the executive summary, management, marketing plan, etc -- you can just get a book or business plan outline and write it. But the financial section where you need calculations and instructions on how to fill them up for me is the most valuable part of a business plan software



Of the business plan software (and I've tested several), I like Palo Alto's the best



Here are some resources that can help you write your business plan:



- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html

- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm

- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html



You may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:



- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm

- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners

http://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html

- VFinance - View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&ToolPage=bps_main.asp

- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_m.asp

- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/

- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html

- SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html

- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/businessPlan.pdf

- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_FE/display&c=GuideFactSheet&cid

- Business Plans Index - A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/bplansindex.html

Answer 2

You really should use the software as a last resort because anyone that reads a business plan from it can easily see it was manufactured. Just go to http://sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/index.html or http://www.bplans.com/ where you will find sample business plans and instructions on how to write a business plan.

Answer 3

No, there were no good businesses before software was invented.