• Let your business plan be a road map during the start-up phase."The Mexican War: A Reenactment -- Polk contemplates lands to the south" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: WorldIslandInfo.com under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Business Overview

• It is essential that you and everyone involved understand your complete business, not just its products and services. The business overview provides a detailed look inside the company, including mission statement, legal structure, product overviews and bio information on all principle partners. This overview offers a capsule view of the detailed information gleaned from researching and creating you overall plan.
  
  

Market Research

• As much as you need to know the insides of your company, you also need to know the outside business world you're stepping into. Researching your existing market will give you insight into your potential customers and competition while providing a deeper understanding of your industry. You'll better understand your company's unique selling points, strengths and weaknesses and be able to make more informed choices.
  
  

Financial Overview

• How much will this business cost to get off the ground? What are your financial resources and liabilities? Are you personally footing the bill, borrowing from a bank or enlisting the help of friends and investors? How much money do you intend to make in what amount of time? These are the types of questions that need answering before most banks or investors will consider lending you money. And perhaps more importantly, drafting a realistic financial forecast gives you a better understanding of your money and how you'd like to see it grow right along with your business.
  
  

Business Outlook

• Now that you understand your company inside out, know your customers and competition like the back of your hand and conduct an airtight financial assessment. It's time to make an educated guess. Where do you see your business in a year? In five years? Drafting a business outlook, broken down into smaller milestones, gives business owners a metric to measure their business's success. But it is also important to keep an open mind, because business trajectories have a tendency to shift and reorganize from one goal to the next. Be prepared, and also be flexible.
  
  

Facilitation

• Now that your prep work and resection are complete, it's time to jump in. Your planning has provided you with a detailed look at your business, complete with milestones, competitive analysis and a long-term outlook. Let this plan be your guide as you set up and grow your venture, but remember to leave room for change. It is also a good idea to work with a professional business facilitator who can measure your efforts and progress while providing encouraging tips and information. The first few years of business are tough, and having a knowledgeable guide can make a world of difference.