Business plans

Spinouts rarely take off; most, in fact, fall into one or more of four traps that doom them from the start. Some companies spin out ventures that are...

As a manager, people are your most important asset. If the team isn't right, even a perfect business plan can't succeed.

A well-conceived business plan is essential to the success of an enterprise. Whether you are starting up a venture, seeking additional capital for an...

Sometimes a business plan on paper is no match for reality. Figure out how your idea needs to be adapted to the market.

Glossy descriptions of fantasy markets should not be confused with real customers.

A great and flexible business plan has just the right balance of doing and thinking. Create one in just five steps.

You want to start a business. So you need a plan, right? No. Not really. As part of the research for a book I'm co-authoring - Heart, Smarts, Guts, and...

Your proposal won't win or lose strictly on the merits of your idea; it has to solve a problem for the other party.

Without an appropriate business plan, an investment can crash and burn.

The realities of your business will inform you when it's time to adapt or change your plan.

Entrepreneurs can play a central role in finding solutions to the world's toughest social problems. The failure rate for start-ups, however, is high....

Here’s how to build one.

Building a business is not a linear process. Know your direction, but be alert to different paths.

As a 100-year-old cooperative of dairy farms with shared production and distribution resources, Cabot has long championed a different kind of capitalism:...

A business plan that asks -- and answers -- the right questions is a powerful tool.

A proposal will only flourish with a strong, clear business case - so where do you start?

People make business plans for all sorts of reasons — to attract funding, evaluate future growth, build partnerships, or guide development. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these plans are usually out of date by the time the printer ink dries. Business moves fast: the product’s features morph, new competitors emerge, or the economic climate shifts. […]

It's particularly important if you plan to raise money.

Don't write a plan before you understand your customer.

Which information belongs—and which doesn’t—may surprise you.