Starting a Business

Looking for help on how to start a business? Bplans.com offers a variety of free startup resources, all intended to guide you through the process of creating a business plan and getting financing for your new venture. Beyond these tools, we also offer Business Plan Pro software, which we recommend for new businesses, although it […]

To help you start a restaurant, we’ve listed our resources and tools that will help you effectively write a restaurant business plan and get your business off the ground.
Restaurant startup kit
Provides all the information that you need to start a food-service business such as location considerations, facility requirements, personnel needs, legal requirements, finance, marketing, operations […]

Start your business plan with a quick assessment. Even for an ongoing business, take the time to step away from the business and look at the basics. Do your business numbers make sense? One of my business school professors used to refer to this process as finding out “is there a there there?”
For a first […]

1. What kind of person makes a successful entrepreneur?

Research of successful entrepreneurs has documented that successful small business people have certain common characteristics. This checklist can not predict success, but it can give you an idea of whether you will have a head start or a handicap with which to work. How do you measure […]

Terry Levine took a European commonplace - the lingerie boutique - and made it a novelty in Kansas City. She opened “clair de lune” on October 1, 2004, and has so far heard nothing but accolades. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.” “I haven’t had so much fun buying a bra before.” “Thanks for taking […]

Most people overvalue ideas and being first. You don’t have to be first to have a good business, and you don’t have to be unique. Far more important than being the first is just the simple foundation of giving your customers good value. Give good value for every dollar spent, and that will build return […]

I strongly suggest that would-be entrepreneurs do a business plan. As a result of completing the plan you will be much better prepared and know whether or not your business idea is feasible. Try the following article for a short-cut. However, I caution you on following a short-cut unless you have substantial experience or knowledge […]

You need to explain the type of business you’re in. You’ll be expected to explain the general state of your industry and the nature of the business, especially if your plan is going outside your company to banks or investors.
Whether you’re a service business, manufacturer, retailer, or some other type of business, you should do […]

Clemen Chiang was the youngest member of his MBA class at the University of Louisville, Kentucky when he began writing his business plan for Colemen International Pte Ltd, but he didn’t let his comparative youth and inexperience stop him from achieving his dreams. Colemen was launched on April 19, 2001. The company provides business and […]

We are often asked by clients how to protect their ideas. The best way, of course, is to keep them secret. Any facetiousness aside, it is a sincere recommendation. Often people talk about their ideas to brag, to brain storm, and to make themselves feel as if they are adding to discussions. These are not […]