The Standout Business Plan: Make It Irresistible--and Get the Funds You Need for Your Startup or Growing Business - Paperback

by Vaughan Evans (Author), Brian Tracy (Author)

The Standout Business Plan is an immensely practical and readable guide that shows you how to create a business plan that not only speaks directly to investors and lenders but also makes it easy for them to say yes.

At the beginning of every successful business is a well-thought-out and exceptionally prepared business plan that was written with one audience in mind--investors. However, too many budding entrepreneurs have written their business's bible with a focus on details most important to managers or employees or even themselves, completely avoiding the questions most crucial to those who determine the fate of the business's genesis...its potential backers.

Renowned leadership expert Brian Tracy and business strategy consultant Vaughan Evans share case studies and examples of both what to do and what not to do when developing a plan for your business.

In The Standout Business Plan, Tracy and Evans reveal how to:

• Include the vital information backers need, while leaving out extraneous fillers that gets in the way
• Address key factors such as market demand, competition, and strategy
• Spell out the essence of your business proposition
• Outline resources and financial forecasts
• Assess risk from the backer's perspective
• Evaluate and improve the plan to ensure its success

Your business plan is too important to not get exactly right from the beginning. With the easy-to-follow guidance in The Standout Business Plan, now anyone can present a clear, concise, and convincing case that will win them the funding they need to succeed.

Front Jacket

Entrepreneurs and business leaders love to tell stories--about their company's founding, its vision and values, its awesome products and stellar services. They're compelling narratives, but they lack the gravitas and objectivity needed to sway financial backers.

To land funding, you've got to extend beyond emo-tional appeal and think like a financier. You need to deliver solid evidence and a convincing argument that your business startup or expansion is a low-risk, high-reward proposition. Step by step, The Standout Business Plan will help you craft a winning plan that attracts investors. Exceptionally clear and practical, this book explains how to: - Gather key data and survey existing or prospec-tive customers - Prepare an executive summary that paints a vivid picture of your business, your markets, and potential risks - Structure your business plan in the most logical way (e.g., market analysis before marketing plans) - Analyze market demand, competition, strategy, resources, financials, risks, and opportunities--and assemble them into a coherent, consis-tent, and credible whole - Pay special attention to four kinds of risk, delivering a credible strategy for mitigating each - Remove excessive detail, unsupported boasting, and vague claims. And much more! Real-world examples, clear instructions, and a steady focus on what investors need to know will help transform even a flimsy or unremarkable document into a compelling, backable business plan.

Back Jacket

From my private equity perspective, a plan sub-mitted along these guidelines will stand out from the rest. It will speak the language of potential investors.

-- James Pitt, Partner, Lexington Partners "This guide cuts to the heart of what needs to go into a business plan." -- James Brocklebank, Managing Director, Advent International "At last! A book that explains how to write the kind of business plan that investors and lenders actually want to read." -- James Courtenay, Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank Vaughan Evans is a highly experienced consultant specializing in strategy and business planning for corporate clients, and strategic due diligence for private equity firms. He previously worked for Arthur D. Little and Bankers Trust Co., and has authored several books, including Key Strategy Tools. Brian Tracy is the chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International and one of the top business speakers and authorities in the world today.

Author Biography

VAUGHAN EVANS is a highly experienced consultant specializing in strategy and business planning for corporate clients and strategic due diligence for private equity. BRIAN TRACY is the Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International and one of the top business speakers and authorities in the world today.