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BPSR Home | Business Plan Manual| Table of Contents | Book Excerpt | Book Review

Business Plan Secrets Revealed
Table of Contents

Master the Art of Attracting and Convincing
Angel Investors, Venture Capitalist, Investment Bankers, or Lenders

"Business Plan Secrets Revealed leads you straight through the process of getting investors for your business. It's been a long time since I've seen such a low cost resource for such high priced content." Honor Hart, Hart Enterprise, Guffey, CO http://site-build-it-solutions.com

Learn how to write a business plan that improves your image, attracts more investors and increases funding dollars. Filled with practical advice, invaluable examples and cost-cutting tips, Business Plan Secrets Revealed is for anyone who wants to create a business plan that sells.

Table of Contents
Foreword i
How to Use This Manual i
About the Author ii
Introduction iii
1. Getting Started with BPSR 1
First Stop: Reality Check 1
Why Even Use a Business Plan? 2
Know Your Investor 5
Your Single Biggest Challenge 7
Three Steps to Bridge the Investor Confidence Gap 7
The Villains of Effective Communication and How to Stop Them 10
Identify Your Team 11
Organize Now and Save Time! 12
2. Gathering Evidence and Picking Out Talking Points 16
First, Sell Yourself on Your Idea 16
What to Gather? 17
Do Your Own Due Diligence 18
Classifying Your Material 19
Sources of Evidence 20
Web Evidence 22
Selecting Your Arguments 24
3. Show Me the Numbers 29
Start from a High-Level 30
Financial Statement Basics 33
The Statement of Earnings 33
Statement of Financial Position 37
Statement of Cash Flows 40
General Suggestions 43
Compiling Your Financial Statements 44
Valuing Your Business 46
4. Drafting Your Document 50
Take Action 50
Outline Your Plan 50
Formulate Interrupting and Engaging Openers 57
Pack in the Information 57
Incorporate Your Evidence 57
Seven Remedies When Your Writing Stalls 57
Check Your Work with Everything Together 58
Principles of Good Organization 63
5. Writing in Plain English 66
Nine Common Writing Mistakes 66
Use the Active Voice with Strong Verbs 67
Try Personal Pronouns 70
Bring Abstractions Down to Earth 71
Omit Superfluous Words 72
Write in the Positive 73
Use Short Sentences 74
6. Designing Your Document 80
Beginning the Design Process 80
Hierarchy 81;
Typography 81
Layout 84
Graphics 88
Color 92
7. Finalizing Your Document 94
Get a Fresh Set of Eyes 94
The Second Draft 94
The Third Draft 95
Final Proofing 95
8. Time to Go to Press 97
Hard Copies 97
Electronic Copies 99
Congratulations! 100
9. Preparing Your Oral 101
Arguments 101
Six Steps to Your ?Elevator Pitch? 101
What to Expect in Your First Investor Meeting 103
10. How to Find Investor Addresses 106
Use a Consulting Firm 106
Buy an Investor Database 106
Create Your Own List Off the Web 107
Use Resources at the Public Library 108
Capturing and Storing Address Information 108
11. Getting the Word Out! 109
Pitfalls to Avoid When Using E-mail 109
Utilizing the Web 110
Making Your Investor Relations Web Page Powerful 111
Press Releases & Publicity ? Overlooked Investor Relations Tools 113
Appendix A. Due Diligence Sample Request List 116
Appendix B. Companies & Resources Referred to in This Manual 123
Books/Ebooks 123
Understanding Investors 124
General Economic and Reference Information 124
Competitive, Market & Industry Research 124
Business Plan Software 125
Business Valuations 125
Writing and Layout Aids 125
Printing and Binding Tools & Information 125
Business Plan-related Services 126
Investor Databases 126
Database Programs 127
Creating a Web Site 127
Investor Relations 127
"Mike delivers what he promises on the title page: he teaches you how to quickly gather evidence, build a case for your business, and write a readable plan that attracts investors and makes your business the most appealing investment choice. Even if you already own other business planning resources, I highly recommend Business Plan Secrets Revealed." Art Tuner, http://selfemploymentstation.com

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