Having trouble getting the backing you need for your business plan? Waiting for calls to be returned that never are? Are the people you need to talk to always “in meetings”?
You’re not alone. Too many business owners have been sold the myth that business plans are all about finance. But if you’re not getting the cash you need, odds are it’s nothing to do with your financial numbers. Any halfway competent accountant will have made sure those pass muster.
Here’s what’s really happening – either investors and lenders don’t believe your plan, or it just isn’t compelling enough for them.
That’s why How To Build A Better Business Plan isn’t about numbers or financial models. Instead, it focuses on exactly how to create a compelling and evidence-backed business plan which gives investors and lenders the confidence to say “yes”. Inside, you’ll discover:
- How investors and lenders really read a business plan…page 31 (spoiler: it’s not how you think)
- The real value of preparing a business plan – and this has nothing to do with raising finance…page 13
- How to handle the “awkward questions” you’d rather gloss over…page 36
- The one question on the mind of every potential investor or lender…page 156
- If you don’t have enough of this you can kiss your business plan goodbye…page 83
- This is the biggest source of competition for most businesses…yet very few business plans set out what they’re going to do about it…page 111
- And much, much more.
You also get a free, downloadable “fill-in-the-blanks” business plan template, making sure you cover all the bases and don’t miss any opportunities to give investors and lenders the confidence they need to back you. You’ll have them on your side right out of the starting gate.
That way, you make it easy for investors and lenders to say “yes”. Why not start building your better business plan today?
About the author
Alastair Thomson has compiled, reviewed, advised on, presented or approved business plans for over 25 years as a CFO, CEO, Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director, giving him a rare perspective on how to build compelling business plans that get results.
Amazon Reviews
A business model that works. A roadmap for execution.
Andrew Everett
Similar to the author’s book on Cash Flow which I also recommend, this is a wonderful A-Z resource that teaches you step-by-step what needs to be done in building a business plan. The best part? Its the template that’s included that literally walks you through as you put your plan together.
I highly recommend this book to any business that knows they need a business plan (really, every business does) yet doesn’t know how to get there. This will show you exactly how to do it. The rest is up to you. Go do it!
Thomas Elmer
How To Build A Better Business Plan is a no-nonsense and easily understandable guide to creating a banging business plan, whatever stage you’re at in your business, from idea conception to getting prepped to exit.
Sophie Cross
It is so very, very good!
The book is an invaluable resource for all kinds of organisations, irrespective of sector, size, stage, or other factors.
This book has value:
– To corporates. I’ve spent decades searching through my clients’ strategies, plans, proposals etc, looking for the “meat” of what they think they’re doing. This remind practitioners that clarity of both thought and expression is the goal of any Business Plan.
– To start-ups. Helping them overcome cynicism/fear of business plans. Gently showing them how the pieces fit together, and the pitfalls to avoid.
– And to every business in between!
It’s rare to find a business book like this. Written in a way that demonstrates how knowledgeable about, and comfortable with, the subject matter the writer is.
And that makes the reader feel informed and comfortable too.I shall be dipping in and out of this book when I’ve finished. There are many things I often forget! Will recommend it liberally too.
Congratulations to the author on having written a fine, easily-read and practical business book!
Lisl MacDonald