Seven Step Business Plan

By Kenneth H. Blanchard and Sheila Holm

A succinct guide to boosting your profitability, this book provides seven simple steps to help business owners formulate a business plan that can be readily updated and adjusted according to their needs and goals. Sheila Holm, an international business advisor and coach, has created a simple fill-in-the-blanks form that narrows down the core elements of a business plan. By utilizing Holm 1/2s advice and one-page format, the business owner avoids wasting valuable time on the learning curve and can instead focus on the bottom line.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589804716
• ISBN13: 9781589804715
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 123 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A short and simple book that will tell you what you need to do before your write your business plan!

I liked this book. It's short and simple, but it covers much of what someone needs to hear when thinking in terms of starting their own small business. My favorite part was how the author explained how to create a vision statement, then a mission statement, and then elevator blurb. The book consists of 7 chapters as follows: 1. Structure (How is the business going to be set up?) 2. Placement (Where is the business going to fit in an industry, market, and compete?) 3. Leadership (Who is going to run the business?) 4. Purpose & highlights (Why does the business exist?) 5. Vision & mission statements (What is the vision for the business and how is the business going to get there?) 6. Operational & marketing plans (Self explanatory) 7. Financial & profit plans (Self explanatory) Books on writing business plans I have found fall into three categories: (1) they try to tell you exactly what to write in your plan, (2) they try to tell you how to go about writing a business plan, or (3) they tell you what you need to do before you write your business plan. The instant book falls into the third category. It tells you that you need to figure out structure and placement. It tells you to figure out what leadership ability you have. It tells you about business purpose and how to formulate vision and a mission. And lastly it tells you that you will need an operations plan, marketing plan, and a financial plan. I would have liked the book better if it had talked about the different choice of entity options. I don't think limited liability companies were mentioned. And I would have liked it more if RMA's Annual Statement Studies had been mentioned regarding the financial and profit plans. But if you get yourself a book on business plans in the other two categories I mention above, and read this book, you will probably be prepared to write a sound 25-35 page plan that will help you start a successful business. 5 stars!