The Key to a Successful Business

Where would a business be without a business plan? A business plan sets the course for the future of the business. It gives the business owner or manager a sense of direction, listing the objectives and goals of the business from the outset.

Writing a business plan requires a lot of time; a successful business plan cannot be a rush job. Once an idea for a business has been developed, researching the many facets of owning and operating a business is the next most important step. Your local county council should be able to assist you with accessing the required information of a legal nature, as should your local business enterprise center. The rest of the research will be up to you! You will need to research products for your business, at the same time as researching other enterprises that may be in direct competition to you. Furthermore, you need to research the market to determine whether there is a need for your business product or service.

With the research out of the way, sitting down to write a business plan requires focus. Your business plan will become the bible of your business for at least the next 3 to 5 years so it is important to make it clear, concise and comprehensive. Most enterprises will complete a SWOT analysis to determine their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the business. Whilst the business is in infancy, brainstorming would be the most accurate way of performing the analysis, as the business would not yet have customers and profitability would not yet have been experienced. However, it is very important to remember that a good business plan is flexible and can be changed as your business experiences growth.

After completing a SWOT analysis, you will need to determine your business name if it has not already been decided (and register it), as well as your vision and values, your business goals and long term mission and how you will achieve all of this when the business is up and running. Writing every thought down regardless of how minute you feel it is will allow you to collate everything pertinent to your business for easy reference in the future. Who knows, the thought or idea that you have today may well turn into a million dollar idea in a years time! Maintaining good records and following a strong business plan is the key to a successful business!

Rietario Daffari is the owner of Business NE which is a premier resource for business information. for more information, go to http://www.businessne.com

---

11 Things Small Business Owners Can Learn From Rudy Giuliani

1. Leadership Is Learned ? While many people appear to... Read More

How to Make Your Business Image Stand Out Above The Crowd

Traditional advertising methods are still being used for almost 90%... Read More

Franchises Offer Shortcuts, But Not Control

Q: I will be retiring this year at age 60... Read More

Concrete Cleaning Discussed at World of Concrete Expo 03

If you are in the pressure washing business and are... Read More

Computer Related Habits From Small Business Owner - Be Prepared, Avoid Despair

Aside from the fear of losing a spreadsheet or research... Read More

Reverse Merger: Have They Taken the Reverse out of Reverse Merger?

Are the promoters and consultants destroying the market for Reverse... Read More

Provide Affordable Health Care To Employees At Little To No Cost To You

You can provide affordable health care plans to your employees.... Read More

Consistency Builds Trust

You know your prospects need what you sell. You know... Read More

Your Ideal Client ? A Key Concept for Solo and Small Business Marketing

"I don't know the key to success, but the key... Read More

Start a Technical Writing Service

Technical writing services are employed to explain the details of... Read More

5 Small Business Management Questions to Help Choose Marketing Programs

As small business managers, we juggle limited resources in a... Read More

Looking into the Future for Profits

How to identify future solutions and opportunities?Your power page, if... Read More

7 Cash Flow Secrets Your Accountant Never Told You

Looking for ways to boost your cash flow? As a... Read More

How Mastering 5 Essential Money Making Ideas Can Lead Your Business to Longterm Cashflow

Essentially there are 5 tremendously powerful methods to make money... Read More

De-Ionization Decisions in Mobile Car Washing

Many mobile car wash operators would like to add de-ionized... Read More

Tell Me The Reasons Why I Should Believe You?

Have you ever heard the phrase, 'PREPONDERANCE OF PROOF'?I recently... Read More

Small Business Success - It?s a Matter of Confidence

I was floored! I couldn't believe what they were saying!... Read More

11 Benefits of Starting a House Cleaning Business

One of the biggest fears people have about starting a... Read More

Business Valuation is Critical

What is Business Valuation? The term business valuation is the... Read More

Women and Small Business

In the book Women and Small Business author gives all... Read More

Postcard Marketing ? Low Cost Visibility

You need to be visible to attract customers, right? But... Read More

Build Your Small Business by Building Relationships

-- The One Pager Shortcut Series --People do business with... Read More

Three Ways to Add Leverage to Your Small Business

Remember those drawings from science class of how a lever... Read More

5 Steps To Success for Small Business Owners

Everyone wants to succeed in life. Most people want to... Read More

Asphalt Paving: Striping Your Parking Lot

As you may already know, asphalt paved parking lots do... Read More

Is Your Success Predetermined?

Your on-line success is based on your efforts and yours... Read More

Detailing Business Options

So you want to get into the auto detailing business... Read More

Does Your Small Business Marketing Suffer From The Bulldog Effect?

If you're an entrepreneur responsible for your own small business... Read More

Technology Community Helps SMBs Focus on Their Core Business

If you're starting your own business or currently work for... Read More

Small Business Strategies - Four Critical Success Factors

Scenario OneDuring a recent presentation, a business owner was given... Read More

How To Select a Franchise

Here are some useful tips on how to select a... Read More

Buy a Flower Shop: Serious Considerations

You've always liked flowers and you think the idea of... Read More

Employee Induction - Are you Inducting your People - A Practical How To

In today's fast paced marketplace it is easy to neglect... Read More