Customer Reviews

Business PlanPro 2003

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There are too many non-intuitive things about this software program. You are better off creating a template in Word, and using excel for forecasting, especially if you offer more than 5 products in services-since you are going to have to export them to excel anyway.

Sales forecasting does not take into consideration real world data such as maximum output, or a high low analysis, so you are literally pulling numbers out of your .... Not only that but if you spend 45 minutes tweaking your chart, and you don't have sales in the first month, and you hit the project buttion, it resets itself...sorry there is no 'undo' button, you have to cancel and start again.

Chart displays are [messed] up if you have more than a couple of products and services, even though there are custom formatting properties, they are designed with the premise that you have knowledge and a whole vocablulary full of chart words, and terms, and descriptions, otherwise yo have guess the format that works best, then hit 'apply'. Note that there are hundreds of possible settings.

I am no idiot when comes to software programs since I myself have developed programs, and have been developing them for years. Although to the Palo Alto software support, this one will be classified as a "user error", rather than a features suggestion.

The program lockups up in xp pro and ... of course they blame this on microsoft.

With the elimination of any 'feature suggestions' from customers and blaming the flawed product design on the user, Palo Alto software offers no room for improving their Business Plan Pro Software...what a pity.

Start your Business plan using Word, and Excel. Then just get a book of business formula's and business plan layouts, both books are less than Busines Plan Pro 2003. You will have a lot more control over what your charts look like, you'll have more control over how accurate your sales forecasting is, and more control over what your text displays, a lot more features, and reliability.
At first business planning seems like an overwhelming taks, and one might think that you can go through the plan easier with this software, and this may seem true at first, but to do accurate sales forecasting you have to actually go out of the business plan (which defeats the purpose of it in the first place) and use a normal spreadsheet like excel, or quattro pro.

I would not have written this software review if Palo Alto Software would not have pointed all the software flaws at me, and just admitted their software has bugs and flaws.

As a first timer - new to biz plans - I found it an immense help, especially with the financial wizards. I was rushing on a deadline, and since my plan was relatively simple for a small business, this software helped me set it up and prepare the financial statements in a fraction of the time than if I had to do from scratch.

I would advise anyone trying it, to first just go through it quickly by typing simple answers in each section, and then review how it prints out. This way you can see how the final report is organized, and you can go back and edit. You will also avoid repetition by doing this first. I spent more time than they estimated, but if I had done the above, I would have completed it even faster.

All the charts and graphs are optional. What I liked is that they provided the ideas and information that I needed to begin, and then I could create my own and insert them where I wanted. The table evaluations were fantastic for me because they indicated where I stand finanicially, and gave me feedback on the areas that I had to work on and develop better.

I couldn't readily format it the way I wanted to cut down on the number of pages and spaces, and I didn't have the time to try to learn that with the software, so I exported it to Word, where I know how to format. Being able to export it into Word was a huge help. I was delighted to see that the Table of Contents kept its functions when I exported it to Word, so even though I changed pages, the table adjusted itself.

Bottom line, it saved me time, helped me understand what needed to be included, helped communicate it in a way that anyone can read (not overly technical), and best of all, set up and calculated all those financial statements for me.

I've had some various problems with software products on XP before, so with every new product I buy I like to check it out thoroughly. Business Plan Pro passed my initial tests with flying colors, and I've since written two different complex business plans without a single problem.

The best thing about Business Plan Pro for me is the financials. I was a business minor in college, so I have some business accounting background, but the financial help and pre-defined tables in Business Plan Pro blew me away. What would've taken me days only took me an hour or two. Talk about saving time! And for me, time is money. I highly recommend this product to XP users, and anyone else looking to write their business plan.

I read through a negative review obviously written by a consultant interested in pitching their services, and felt compelled to respond. I saw no obvious bugs in the 2003 version. No problem with the wizard, or any other major component. for [$$$] you simply can't go wrong. Granted, not all samples in this software are equal, but the ones that I've seen provide a good starting point and the financials make sense.

It helps you through the logistics of writing the plan, and guides you along with content. Naturally you have to be willing to show moxie and research a little deeper (interview people, trade magazines, case studies, etc). Success isn't found in any software package, but good ones can help by saving you time and money.

All in all, a plan should take you a week with this program, whereas a consultant may cost you a month and $5000 and they probably use this program too. For some, a consultant makes sense, and that's fine if you don't have the time to write one yourself and have the money to buy a consultant. For me, this [$$$] program made sense, and still does.

I bought Business Plan Pro because i needed to write a business plan before i sold my business. I wanted to have a document that showed how successful my business was to make it attractive to potential buyers. I had never written a business plan before, and I was dreading the process. I bought Business Plan Pro and I am thrilled. It walks you through all the steps and helps you write a plan that is YOURS. It's not one of these lame cookie-cutter tools that make all plans look the same. I came out with a business plan that printed with color charts and tables, and clearly showed the value of my business for a potential buyer. I only wish I had known about Business Plan Pro sooner - what a great tool to help you understand the financials of your business, and plan your business accordingly.

The software promises free links to various resources. When I tried the links I was asked to pay. I contacted online support, but they came back with an answer unrelated to my question which they oviously didn't read. Other attempts to contact customer support were ignored. I gave the software 3 stars because I did get a good looking plan out of it.

As I approached the task of writing a business plan for a new business venture I was getting involved in, I debated trying to write the plan just using Microsoft Office or using a software product. Boy am I glad I found Business Plan Pro. It's excellent instructions, examples, and wizard-driven process had me breezing through my plan quickly and easily. I could see my progress as I went along, and it took all my questions about what makes a good business plan away.

I'm so glad I chose this product instead of trying to do it all on my own. Don't make the mistake I almost made!

I found this software to be a great resource. This was the first time that I had tired to do a business plan. It lead me through the process, has some great examples, and gave me some good coaching. I had no problems with the software at all (XP) and things went from start to finish. Bottom Line: It saved me alot of time and I got my money's worth.

I have been running my own business for 7 years and I never thought I needed a business plan, then my bank manager told me he wanted to see one as part of a loan application. ...mentioned Business Plan Pro and how much time I would save if I used it, so I believed the hype and forked out the [money]. It was well worth it!

The software had simple instructions at every section, and best of all the spreadsheets made it almost impossible for me to mess up my financials! This software probably saved me a weeks' work!

Glad I bought it and would HIGHLY recommend it to others!

I just had to take the time to write a review of this software. Business Plan Pro is so easy to work with! Between the Hurdle book and the software's instructions and examples throughout it, I was amazed to finish an elaborate business plan from start to finish in one week!

I learned so much more about our company during this process and made many business decisions that I would have never learned until the mistakes were made. The print out was beautiful and it uses a format that everyone can understand (i.e., text, charts, tables). Thanks Palo Alto Software!