How to Write a Business Plan in a Few Hours

Rise early, work hard, strike oil. ~ J. Paul Getty

Automaker Henry Ford observed, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” That’s the reason, too, why 90 percent of new businesses fail within the first five years. Not a good sign.

That’s where the process of thinking through the business of either starting a new business, or running one that’s already existing, is an art and a science. Not a luxury to forgo, indeed.

It’s not as hard an exercise as some may think. Insights gleaned from creating and developing a business plan unique to your company? Priceless. Many entrepreneurs say the best quality of being in business is—nothing is etched in stone. And, working through your business plan is an ongoing tool that helps refine and evolve your business successfully.

Creative spirits that business owners are, they relish opportunities to go with the flow of market demands and the guidance business plans give in innovating rapidly to keep up with market forces of demand, or non-demand.

So, put on your thinking cap to envision all the possibilities out there with a business plan that’s inimitably suited to your company. It’s similar to an adventurer exploring new terrain and new ideas, scooping out threats (or competition) and becoming a successful business warrior who is also a happy and prosperous survivor.

Best of all, you can write a business plan easily and effortlessly. Think out loud to yourself and others. Or, reflect and contemplate in silence, as some prefer to do.

Our guide will show you how you can write a compelling business plan in a few hours. However, thinking about your business plan is the essential prelude to writing it.