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<content><id>20660</id><type><name><![CDATA[Guide]]></name><id>67</id></type><production>1</production><masterinstance/><instance><id>41798</id><url>http://old.inc.com/writing_a_business_plan/guides/20660.html</url><encodedurl>http%3A%2F%2Fold.inc.com%2Fwriting_a_business_plan%2Fguides%2F20660.html</encodedurl><stylesheet>/xsl/guides/details.xsl</stylesheet><tagline/><description/><weight>0</weight><contentid>20660</contentid></instance><instance><id>41799</id><url>http://old.inc.com/starting_a_business/guides/20660.html</url><encodedurl>http%3A%2F%2Fold.inc.com%2Fstarting_a_business%2Fguides%2F20660.html</encodedurl><stylesheet>/xsl/guides/details.xsl</stylesheet><tagline/><description/><weight>0</weight><contentid>20660</contentid></instance><instance><id>41800</id><url>http://old.inc.com/spider/20660.html</url><encodedurl>http%3A%2F%2Fold.inc.com%2Fspider%2F20660.html</encodedurl><stylesheet>/xsl/spider/details.xsl</stylesheet><tagline/><description/><weight>0</weight><contentid>20660</contentid></instance><instance><id>41801</id><url>http://old.inc.com/search/20660.html</url><encodedurl>http%3A%2F%2Fold.inc.com%2Fsearch%2F20660.html</encodedurl><stylesheet>/xsl/guides/details.xsl</stylesheet><tagline/><description/><weight>0</weight><contentid>20660</contentid></instance><instance><id>114292</id><url>http://www.inc.com/guides/write_biz_plan/20660.html</url><encodedurl>http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inc.com%2Fguides%2Fwrite_biz_plan%2F20660.html</encodedurl><stylesheet>/xsl/guides/config.xsl</stylesheet><tagline/><description/><weight>0</weight><contentid>20660</contentid></instance><instance><id>114293</id><url>http://www.inc.com/guides/start_biz/20660.html</url><encodedurl>http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inc.com%2Fguides%2Fstart_biz%2F20660.html</encodedurl><stylesheet>/xsl/guides/config.xsl</stylesheet><tagline/><description/><weight>0</weight><contentid>20660</contentid></instance><source><company><id>15</id><production>1</production><name>Inc.com</name><address/><city/><state/><country/><url>http://www.inc.com</url><ticker/><relationship><name>No Relationship Exists</name><id>1</id><bizrel>no</bizrel></relationship><companytype><name>Division</name><id>6</id></companytype><image><name>No Image</name><id>14</id><width>1</width><height>1</height></image><imageurl/><bodycopy/></company></source><related><guides/><discussions>   <item>      <name>Starting a Business</name>      <url>http://www.inc.com/discussions?14@@/Starting%20a Business</url>   </item>   <item>      <name>Writing a Business Plan</name>      <url>http://www.inc.com/discussions?14@@/Writing%20a Business Plan</url>   </item></discussions><tools/><content/></related><configurator><id>21660</id><section><id>297</id><name><![CDATA[Mastering the Basics]]></name><style>full</style><brief/><bodycolor/><headercolor/><link/><region><id>4468</id><production>1</production><name>Business Plan Outline</name><brief><![CDATA[Begin by sorting out what topics should be covered in each section. Consult this outline of a complete business plan for answers.]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/18470.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region><region><id>4469</id><production>1</production><name>Filling In Your Plan: What to Say Where</name><brief><![CDATA[Once you understand the skeletal outline of your business plan, you need to know what to say in each section.  David E. Gumpert, author of <i>How to Really Create a Successful Business Plan</i>, fills in the details.]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/20061.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region></section><section><id>293</id><name><![CDATA[Crafting a Winning Company Description]]></name><style>full</style><brief/><bodycolor/><headercolor/><link/><region><id>4462</id><production>1</production><name>Cover All the Bases in Your Business Description</name><brief><![CDATA[Describing your business in the plan                      may sound deceptively simple.  In reality, a nuanced company explanation is needed, and will serve as a strong foundation for your entire plan. ]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/19082.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region></section><section><id>295</id><name><![CDATA[Writing a First-Class Executive Summary]]></name><style>full</style><brief/><bodycolor/><headercolor/><link/><region><id>4465</id><production>1</production><name>Executive Summary as a Guiding Light</name><brief><![CDATA[It's not an abstract, preface, or introduction, but the executive summary is one of the most critical parts of any business plan.  David E. Gumpert argues that an effective executive summary should be the entire plan in miniature.]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/14875.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region><region><id>4466</id><production>1</production><name>All Summary, No Substance</name><brief><![CDATA[Through this annotated example, learn what <I>not</I> to write in your executive summary.<p>]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/16191.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region></section><section><id>294</id><name><![CDATA[Creating a Comprehensive Marketing Section]]></name><style>full</style><brief/><bodycolor/><headercolor/><link/><region><id>4464</id><production>1</production><name>Segment the Target Market in Your Business Plan</name><brief><![CDATA[It's a big market out there, so how can you break it down for your business plan?  Learn the simple principles of segmenting your market and drilling down to a more precise view of your target audience.<p>]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/15966.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region><region><id>4463</id><production>1</production><name>Write a Marketing Analysis that Will Simply Dazzle</name><brief><![CDATA[After you've crunched the data and analyzed the market, you need a succinct and clear approach to best communicate that information in your plan. This article will help you decide what to include in your marketing section and offers a step-by-step format for doing so.<p>]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/15964.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region></section><section><id>296</id><name><![CDATA[Positioning Your Entrepreneurial Team]]></name><style>full</style><brief/><bodycolor/><headercolor/><link/><region><id>4467</id><production>1</production><name>Personnel and Business Plans: Making the Most of Your Management Team</name><brief><![CDATA[It's not just <I>what</I> you're doing in your business, but <I>who</I> will be doing it.  In the management section of your plan, you'll need to describe your organizational structure and put your team in the best possible light. <p>]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/16189.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region></section><section><id>298</id><name><![CDATA[Getting the Financials Right]]></name><style>full</style><brief/><bodycolor/><headercolor/><link/><region><id>4470</id><production>1</production><name>Making It All Add Up: The Financial Section of a Business Plan  </name><brief><![CDATA[Even if you find finances intimidating or tedious, they're critical. The financial section of a business plan is not the time to add creative flourishes; instead, this author advises, stick to a conventional approach.<p>]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/14877.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region><region><id>4471</id><production>1</production><name>Persuasive Projections</name><brief><![CDATA[Financial forecasting is tricky, but it's a necessity for any  successful plan.  Reflecting on 10 years of experience as a banker and financial consultant, the author writes that the most common mistakes with projections are easily preventable.]]></brief><keywords/><url>/search/18118.html</url><purchaseUrl/></region></section>   <list>      <id>1554</id>      <title>Build a Strong Business Plan, Section by Section</title>      <style>full</style>   </list></configurator><meta><channel><name>Starting a Business</name><id>12</id></channel><channel><name>Writing a Business Plan</name><id>11</id></channel><keywords/><editor><id>479</id><firstname>Nick</firstname><lastname>Colletta</lastname><username/><email/><phone/><url/><image><name>No Image</name><id>14</id><width>1</width><height>1</height></image><company><id>0</id><production>0</production><name/><address/><city/><state/><country/><url/><ticker/><relationship><name/><id>0</id><bizrel/></relationship><companytype><name/><id>0</id></companytype><image><name/><id>0</id><width>0</width><height>0</height></image><imageurl/><bodycopy/></company><title>unknown</title></editor></meta><document><pubdate>February 14, 2003</pubdate><pubdateYMD>20030214</pubdateYMD><moddate>February 20, 2003</moddate><startdate>October 16, 2000</startdate><expiredate>January 01, 2005</expiredate><postdate>October 16, 2000</postdate><title><![CDATA[Build a Strong Business Plan, Section by Section]]></title><title-nohtml><![CDATA[Build a Strong Business Plan, Section by Section]]></title-nohtml><brief><![CDATA[This Inc.com guide directs you to resources that can help you construct and improve each section of your business plan.]]></brief><brief-nohtml><![CDATA[This Inc.com guide directs you to resources that can help you construct and improve each section of your business plan.]]></brief-nohtml><owner><id>15</id><production>1</production><name>Inc.com</name><address/><city/><state/><country/><url>http://www.inc.com</url><ticker/><relationship><name>No Relationship Exists</name><id>1</id><bizrel/></relationship><companytype><name>Division</name><id>6</id></companytype><image><name>No Image</name><id>14</id><width>1</width><height>1</height></image><imageurl/><bodycopy><![CDATA[Inc.com is an Internet company serving the small-business market. Inc.com's mission is to select and present the best information, Web-based applications, products, and research available to the small-business market, regardless of source. Inc.com has relationships with more than 80 Solutions Providers and content providers (including <i>Inc</i> magazine).<p/>Inc.com LLC is a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Boston, Mass.<p/><b><font color="#993300">Inc.com: Where to start and run your business.</font></b>]]></bodycopy></owner><pagetitle><![CDATA[Inc.com:Guide:Build a Strong Business Plan, Section by Section]]></pagetitle><articletype><id>0</id><name/></articletype><pagenumber>0</pagenumber><legacyid/><byline><author><id>0</id><firstname/><lastname/><username/><email/><phone/><url/><image><name/><id>0</id><width>0</width><height>0</height></image><company><id>0</id><production>0</production><name/><address/><city/><state/><country/><url/><ticker/><relationship><name/><id>0</id><bizrel/></relationship><companytype><name/><id>0</id></companytype><image><name/><id>0</id><width>0</width><height>0</height></image><imageurl/><bodycopy/></company><title/></author><author><id>0</id><firstname/><lastname/><username/><email/><phone/><url/><image><name/><id>0</id><width>0</width><height>0</height></image><company><id>0</id><production>0</production><name/><address/><city/><state/><country/><url/><ticker/><relationship><name/><id>0</id><bizrel/></relationship><companytype><name/><id>0</id></companytype><image><name/><id>0</id><width>0</width><height>0</height></image><imageurl/><bodycopy/></company><title/></author></byline><bodycopy style="simple"><text><![CDATA[<p>Though many successful companies have been started without the benefit of a formal business plan (see "<a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/20021015/24772.html">Seat of the Pants,</a>" <em>Inc</em> 500 2002), it can be an essential factor in the birth and growth of your company.  A good business plan will help you obtain financing, arrange strategic alliances, attract key employees, and boost your confidence. It sells your company to the world and gives you direction as the world answers back.</p><p>From the table of contents to the financial tables, a business plan covers a lot of ground. How can you make your executive summary stand out?  How much detail is appropriate when outlining your marketing strategy?  What is the best way to present the financial projections? Here are Inc.com's best resources to help you create each part of your business plan.</p>]]></text></bodycopy><subjects/></document></content>