| Nov. 30 2008 at 4:27 PM |
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I am self employed have been for 3 years now, I don't have a business plan, I just know that I need to get customers , do a good Job get the money, that is my formula , But I have a friend who is also in similar business keep telling I have to get a business plan as if I was committing some kind of crime, If I did not have one, do I have to have a business plan?
http://www.bobsonconsulting.com/
Edited by: Bobson8788 - Nov. 30 2008 at 4:28 PMBobson Consulting Services
http://www.bobsonconsulting.com
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| Dec. 01 2008 at 4:49 AM |
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IMHO, there is no need to have a written business plan to get started. You need one only if you are expanding and/or requested by others (investors). The business plan is in your mind if you already started to make money, that is the most important one, :).
I prefer "bottom up" approach, which is get the customer first. No customer, No business.
Monte Yang
No 1. employee and 1/4 owner
at Cislinked.Com
http://www.cislinked.com
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| Dec. 01 2008 at 6:05 PM |
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I agree with Monte. If you are not looking for outside funding you do not need a business plan to start a business. In fact, I have seen many people spend too much time on the business plan, and not enough time on the business!
Kathleen
The Work From Home Pro
My CFO on the Go!
KatalinaMau.com
~Be Wonderful!~
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| Dec. 01 2008 at 6:37 PM |
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We keep a sort of diary or journal, where we write down what it is
we're doing now and what we expect to get done in 1 year. Another
component is our database of operations. We have one for actual orders
and customers, and another for materials tracking.
Every couple of months we'll query the database for a report on where
we stand. How much have we grossed, and how much is it costing. Then
we'll glance at the journal to see how reality compares to our hopes.
By doing that, we unexpectedly come up with interesting new ideas.
Sometimes they're driven by ways to reduce costs, increase quality, or
improve manufacturing efficiencies (we make our own products). Other
times, ideas come about as we talk about possible new and related
products.
But by having a record of what we've accomplished, and a record of what
we'd hoped to accomplish, we have a better sense of how the business is
evolving, growing, developing, and changing.
Craig Landes
---
Defining the undefinable. "There are 10 kinds of people in the world---those who understand binary numbers and those who don't." - Unknown
International Society of Curmudgeons
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| Dec. 03 2008 at 5:16 PM |
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I am entirely bootstrapped and credit-free and I couldn't imagine doing my thing without a business plan.
My plan, however, is not a 20-page monster with graphs and charts and all that. It's about 5 pages long and is essentially a series of bullet lists. I refer back to it once a month or so, usually to take stock of milestone accomplishments. I think it's dangerous and crazy to charge forth without at least doing the cursory research a stripped-down business plan requires. The planning process forces you account for things you otherwise might not think of, and can reveal fatal flaws before you're out ten thousand dollars in startup costs... especially as it relates to target market, pro forma financials, and market conditions. It can also reveal opportunities you might have overlooked otherwise.
There's a great little book I use extensively called "Business plan in a day." You can find it at Amazon used for cheap. Seriously... starting a business without at least something resembling a plan is like taking off for a wilderness trek without map or compass.
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| Dec. 04 2008 at 7:00 AM |
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Great to know about you who have the tactics of business which is consider to be important aspect pf business marketing.
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| Dec. 05 2008 at 2:32 PM |
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Most business plans are used by your banker when you need to get funding. They want to see your business case and direction. Check out our FREE entrepreneur guide with well over a 100 links, including sites where you can get FREE templates of business plans.
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| Dec. 08 2008 at 12:53 AM |
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you dont have to do anything really. but it is a good idea to draft a solid business plan. it forces you to think about the difficult questions you may have overlooked. you will learn so much about your own business and what is required to start and succeed once you go through this process.
good luck
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