www.bplanresources.com

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Starting a business is similar to starting a relationship; the best time to start a business is when you have the time to devote your attention to it. During Recessions however, there are on average more business start-ups than during other times.

This isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with starting a part-time business or starting a business when you are still working at a job. People have different energy levels and different capabilities. It’s just to say that to give yourself the best shot at starting a business, you have to be able to focus on it.

So it’s the wrong time for starting a business if you are already experiencing a lot of turmoil or stress in your life. (Starting a business will be stressful in itself, even if everything goes smoothly.) If you are in the process of getting a divorce, have just lost your job, or are moving, for instance, it’s wise to put off starting a business until your life is once again on a more even keel.

It fundamentally is a matter of where you are in your life and whether you’re ready and able to face new challenges.

Think you’re ready for starting a business but are concerned about whether or not you have the roadmap or plan? Try working through your thoughts in the Business Plan Workbook- or for other ideas consider http://www.bplanresources.com

Answer:

Visit www.bplanresources.com for common sources of templates, workbooks and financial calculators …

 ”Challenging economic times can serve as a motivational boost to individuals who have been laid-off to become their own employers and future job creators,”said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “Because entrepreneurs drive the economy, the growth in 2009 business startups is encouraging and hopefully points to a hopeful trend in terms of our economic recovery.”

Harness the potential- small businesses mostly grow from the existence of other small businesses and relationships.  Building a vision for your venture if you are currently employed, unemployed or just plain inspired- is a critical success factor.  Mold that inspiration into an roadmap and action plan with a quick excercise.  For templates visit www.bplanresources.com and find the one that is right for you.

For full view of the article see http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/despite-recession-us-entrepreneurial-activity-rate-rises-in-2009.aspx

The ambition and drive are certainly there – the challenge, however, is finding and feeling confident about the right business concept.

Since you’ve come to this website, our guess is that you’ve dreamed of starting your own small business for quite some time now.

Maybe a friend has succeeded in her own business. Perhaps small business ownership runs in your family. Or is it the fact that you’re just bored with the daily grind?

Why haven’t you pulled the trigger? What’s holding you back?

Based on our research, the three primary reasons that people who want to start a business but haven’t are:

Fear of Failure – The fear of not succeeding simply paralyzes the potential entrepreneur. A lack of confidence “freezes” any chance of getting started.

Lack of Capital – Not having enough money to fund a startup or sustain one’s family during the beginning phases of the business are concerns that keep many of us locked behind our desk in a nine-to-five grind.

Limited Ideas – Believe it or not, many potential business owners never get started because they have trouble coming up with small business ideas. They lack that special creative spark that ignites the business flame.

While all three of the above startup concerns are valid (and need to all be addressed), the purpose of this website is to help you with the last point – coming up with profitable small business ideas.

A key component is to work through them simply, and quickly by organizing your thoughts.  A tool such as www.bplanresources.com offers business plan templates to work through and wittle down to winning approaches.

One final note…exciting ideas are great but proper research pays the bills. If you’re excited about a business concept, take the next step and do some market research… 

• Is there a demand for your product or service?
• How much money do you need to start your business?  Multiply by three!
• How will you differentiate your business from your competition?

The best way to “prove” out your business idea is to formulate a business plan. Business planning is really important since it provides an operational blueprint for your business.  Not to worry, if you’re excited about your small business ideas, researching and writing a business plan isn’t all that hard.

 Case Study Example:

 Greg Harding was looking to start up a venture with some fellow colleagues within telecom, and wanted to pencil in a quick plan to use for guidance.  He was looking to start an online cell phone gps tracking service for businesses.  In order to remain on track for his venture- he wanted a road map for focus to ensure success.  He realized that his venture (http://www.blackberrytracking.com) was something that was going to be very involved and would potentially pull in a million different directions just to get it off the ground.

 Greg and his colleagues download the BplanWorkbook template, and in an afternoon built out a concise road map by walking through the different sections and answering the guides with point form notes.

 After 2 weeks once they better scoped tech requirements and funding needs for development, they re-adjusted their launch foecasts as well as break-even analysis to ensure they were all on the same page.

 The document continues to be a living piece that is visited, re-visited and re-adjusted and serves as a template for the partners as a road map of where they are taking the business forward to.

 To download your own copy of a business plan template, visit www.bplanresources.com

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A key insight to start small, low funding, but with a plan that you can and should use to direct your ideas/ aspiration to create a new business.

 To To download a business plan template go to: http://www.bplanresources.com/bplanwoorkbook.html

Indeed there are many options available from various sources. A dizzying plethora of options and business plan software is available. Usually simple business plans are the best. Searching for business plans online is the best option. As it allows you to compare templates, academic papers, insights from financiers, as well as business plan samples- usually more efficiently than via hard copy at libraries or business resource centres.

When one has done all the footwork, consider using a one stop shop online. An example of an online business plan resource is www.bplanresources.com

They offer a structured business plan development process.

1) Consider Business Plan Workbooks as the resource that allows you to think through your idea. From start to finish. A simple exercise that can take from a few hours to a few days depending on the detail and complexity you are looking to provide.

2) Business Templates are used to take the direction and insights developed from the workbook and into a formal structure and layout of a business plan. Simple business plan templates tools ranging from $15 are available online. The comparison with others, and your own can all be completed online.

3) Business Plan Financial Worksheets are used as a resource with built in calculators and functional formats to add zing to your longer term view for your business. They are excel based programs and configurable quite easily with help files.

Always know your audience and their expectations whenever building your business or plan. It will be better received if it is written with the end user in mind, versus simply following format.