If you are building a startup long enough, someone will ask for your business plan. Sometimes it is an investor. Sometimes it is a bank. Sometimes it is just you, staring at a blank Google Doc at 11 p ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Writing a business plan is like the architectural plan for a home or a brick-and-mortar building. You need to know what materials you ...

When you're contemplating starting your own company, crafting a detailed financial document that outlines your strategy and long-term goals may not be at the top of your priority list, but it should ...

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 ...

For the entrepreneur, knowing how to start writing a business plan can be as exhilarating as it is overwhelming. The business plan is a foundational document and the blueprint of your business and is ...

But the odds are greater that those entrepreneurs will fail. Does a business plan make startup success inevitable? Absolutely not. But great planning often means the difference between success and ...

A business plan can help you obtain financing by highlighting the characteristics lenders use to assess borrowers. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners ...

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 ...

Are you preparing to start your own business but uncertain about how to get started? A business plan ought to be one of the first steps in your entrepreneurial journey because it will organize the ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There are many articles about what to include in your business plan. But what about before you even start writing it? Are there things ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. When you're contemplating starting your own company, crafting a detailed financial document that outlines your strategy and ...

Matt Webber is an experienced personal finance writer, researcher, and editor. He has published widely on personal finance, marketing, and the impact of technology on contemporary arts and culture.