A business plan serves many objectives: It…

• helps you determine the feasibility of your business idea;
• serves as a roadmap for you as your business progresses; and
• is a tool for communicating with potential lenders and investors.

A good business plan must be well written, well organized, and thorough-providing all of the details necessary for someone unfamiliar with you and your business concept to make informed decisions. Further, it will help you stay on target and self-evaluate-have you been meeting your financial goals? have you done everything you set out to do?

There is no set format for your business plan. The content will depend on the nature of your business, and no one will be able to tell you off hand if it is right or wrong. Nevertheless, some plans are better than others. We believe that our educational program will help you develop the best possible plan. But, we realize that not everyone will be able to attend, so we provide the following resources for you to work with:

• Business plan outline
• Links to further internet resources
• Other organizations that provide technical assistance