The opening section of your business plan -- typically called the executive summary -- can be an immediate turn on or turn off to potential investors in your business. As the saying goes: You only get ...

All business plans must include a personal greeting of some sort. Here are some suggestions of what you should say. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Your business plan is ...

Coming up with a good idea for a business is just one step toward becoming an entrepreneur. Another part of the journey is making sure you have a solid plan to back up your business. A business plan ...

A strong, well-thought-out business plan is crucial for a business's success. Without one, it's tough to maintain a vision of the future and what the next steps for your business should be. Think of ...

An important facet of any business plan is the marketing plan. The process of marketing includes finding, understanding and meeting the needs of the customer, as well as building the public awareness ...

Business plan is a pre-requisite for every entrepreneur that wants to succeed in business. It has been said that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Business plan is translating your idea into a ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about the franchising, restaurant and food services industry. An executive summary is a short but powerful document that ...

The primary value of your business plan is to create a written resource that evaluates most aspects of your new business including a description of your target customers and markets, profitability, ...

A business plan outlines the what, why, when, and how of business operations. The “what” represents the products or services the business will offer to the market. The “why” denotes the purpose of the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Melissa Houston covers financial issues that affect women in business. Creating a business plan is a critical first step for any ...