About Entrepreneurs: More Ways to Plan Than Just a Business Plan

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	from Scott Allen Congratulations! You've completed your business plan. Once you get your financing done, you can file it neatly away and never do any formal planning again, right? Wrong! First of all, the business plan itself should be a dynamic document, updated as your situation changes. But there are many other tools you can use to do strategic planning for your business on an ongoing basis.
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The Ten-Step, One-Day Strategic Plan As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, plan to fail." Strategic planning is an essential part of every business, whether a Fortune 500 company, a 50-person company, or a sole proprietorship. Even if you don't have a large organization, regular strategic planning will help you keep your business on course (and make sure you have a course!) and be prepared when circumstances change, as they inevitably do. Fortunately, the basic process of strategic planning is neither particularly long or difficult. You and your team can develop a strategic plan in just one day following this simple ten-step process.              More Topics Famous Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs in Action - Case Studies, Success Stories and Interviews General Resources for Entrepreneurs Becoming an Entrepreneur Business Ideas & Business Opportunities Choosing a Business to Start Business Ideas on a Budget SWOT Analysis Can Prevent Costly Mistakes SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Weaknesses. It's a useful tool for business planning because in a very short space it gives a clear picture of both the internal and external factors you need to consider as you decide how to move forward.   Using Financial Statements As a Management Tool OK, we all know that we have to have those financial statements to present to lenders or as part of the business plan. But for those of us without a background in finance, we often use them as nothing more than an item on those checklists. Fortunately, you don't have to have an MBA to turn those financial statements from a jumble of numbers into a useful management tool -- something with a little more depth than whether or not you're going to have money for next month's bills. Here's a three-part series on how to interpret your basic financial statements and use them as a valuable planning tool.     Sponsored Links   Lose Weight Together Calorie Count Groups Join a group on Calorie Count today and track your progress with people like you. Find groups by age, location, weight loss interests and much more!

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