Description
Book SynopsisA guide to writing a successful business planin just one hour A strong business plan greatly increases a business chance of success, especially in an economic environment in which more than 50 percent of businesses fail within three years. Your business plan can serve as a foundation for your successful business. The One-Hour Business Plan, written by seasoned entrepreneur and business instructor John McAdam, helps you lay that foundation. With the help of this book, aspiring entrepreneurs can write a viable business plan in just one hour.
- Offers step-by-step guidance on the process of writing a business plan, with field-tested instructional techniques that are simple, strong, and easy to implement
- Written by John McAdam, a been there, done that hired CEO and serial entrepreneur with decades of real-world experience, who helps ordinary people become entrepreneurs and helps entrepreneurs become successful
The One-Hour Busin
Table of Contents
Setting the Tone ix
Introduction xi
Why These Cornerstones Build the Best Foundation for Any Business Plan xvi
Module 1
What Are You Offering? 1
Create a Value Proposition That Makes a Stronger Business Model
The Need 5
The Solution 8
Features versus Benefits 10
Advantages 14
Written Exercise: Write Your Value Proposition 19
Value Proposition Exercise #1—The Value Proposition Building Blocks 20
Value Proposition Exercise #2—‘‘What Do You Do?’’ 22
Value Proposition Exercise #3—‘‘What Do You Want?’’ 24
Module 2
Who Are You Offering To?
The Customer Target Market 27
The Only Sustainable Source of Business Funding for the Long Term
Customer Target Market Introduction 29
Market Size: The Addressable Market 31
Customer Demographics and Demographic Profiles 33
Customer Categories 34
Second-Phase Customers 35
The Customer Target Market Funnel 35
Public Relations 38
Advertising 41
Marketing 44
Sales 47
Written Exercise Preparation 51
Customer Target Market Exercise: Methods and Lists 52
Module 3
Who Are Your Competitors? Competitive Positioning 55
Viewing Your Offering Through Your Customers’ Eyes
Competitive Positioning Table Exercise 64
Module 4
What’s Next? Next Steps 69
What Milestones and Action Plans Do for Your Business
Milestone Introduction 72
Business Milestone Definition 76
Essential Elements of a Business Milestone 78
Examples of Business Milestones 79
Milestones in Practice: Sandbagging, Overstatement, and Balance 81
Action Plan and Goals Defined 84
Milestone Quality Control Check: ‘‘Stiflegoal’’ and ‘‘Stiflestone’’ 86
Milestone and Action Planning Worksheets 89
Module 5
How Much Money Will You Make?
The New Offering to Cash Mini-Budget 93
A Simple Way to Predict How Much Money You Will Likely Make
How Much Money Will Your Business Model Make? 96
Selling Price 102
Average Sales Cycle Time/Customer Acquisition Time 105
Unit Sales Forecast 107
The New Offering to Cash Mini-Budget Worksheet Exercise 112
Conclusion: Pulling It All Together 117
Using Your One-Hour Business Plan to Earn Customers Today
I Love Beta Users of Innovations and You Should, Too 127
CEOs and Entrepreneurs Have a Lot in Common 130
Other Applications of the One-Hour Business Plan 132
On the One-Hour Business Plan Concept— Is It a Gimmick? 137
Get Feedback on Your Plan Foundation from Advisors, Colleagues, and Mentors with Successful Exits 139
Benefits of Sending Us Your Worksheets 142
Help Us Get the Word Out—This Works! 143
Final Thoughts 147
Acknowledgments 153
Index 159
