Introduction 1

Part1: Getting Started 5

Chapter 1: Letting Your Plan Take Flight 7

Chapter 2: Figuring Out What’s So Special about You (And Your Business) 25


Part2: Looking to the World Outside 37

Chapter 3: Sizing up the Competition 39

Chapter 4: Separating Yourself from Your Business 55

Chapter 5: Exploiting Opportunities and Avoiding Threats 73


Part3: Laying the Groundwork 87

Chapter 6: Developing a Smart Marketing Plan 89

Chapter 7: Budgeting for Start-Up Expenses 105

Chapter 8: Figuring out Prices and Predicting Sales 123

Chapter 9: Calculating Costs and Gross Profit 141

Chapter 10: Managing Expenses 161


Part4: Checking Your Idea Makes Financial Sense 179

Chapter 11: Assembling Your First Financial Forecast 181

Chapter 12: Calculating Your Break-Even Point 199

Chapter 13: Creating Cashflows and Building Budgets 209


Part5: Joining the Dots and Writing a Plan 227

Chapter 14: Managing - and Taking Advantage of - Risk 229

Chapter 15: Perfecting the Final Pitch 243


Part6: The Part of Tens 259

Chapter 16: Ten Questions to Ask before You’re Done 261

Chapter 17: Ten Suggestions for a Plan that’s Not Shaping Up 269

Index 277