Business Plans That Work: For Your Small Business (Business Owner's Toolkit series) [Paperback]

Alice H. Magos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008 | Series: Business Owner's Toolkit series

The essential elements of a professional business plan have been updated in accordance with new laws and regulations in this revised guide that translates complicated marketing and financial concepts into down-to-earth, practical advice. Five updated sample business plans are included with instructions that provide a wealth of detailed information about the operation of a successful small business. Plans are presented for simple one-person operations, as well as for corporations with many employees. Aspiring business owners can learn how to create a professional plan, describe the mission and objectives, analyze the competition, target market, create sales and marketing plans, generate financial statements, and use the business plan as a management tool long after it is completed.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alice H. Magos is an accountant, a Certified Financial Planner, and the author of Small Business Financing: How and Where to Get It. She has more than 35 years of experience running numerous small businesses. She lives in Riverwoods, Illinois.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Toolkit Media Group; 3rd edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0808017934
• ISBN-13: 978-0808017936
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Business Plans

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite business plan books, and I read many., August 13, 2006

By 

Jeff Lippincott "JLIPPIN" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Business Plans That Work for Your Small Business (Business Owner's Toolkit series) (Paperback)

I've put together both an Amazon.com guide and booklist regarding business plans, and this book is included in both. In fact, it is listed as one of the top 3 business plan books in my guide. And it would be listed higher in the booklist if the list were not ranked by copyright date rather than content quality. If you are serious about writing a sound business plan for your small business, then definitely get a copy of this book to help you in your endeavor.

Business plans help a small business get off the ground, get financing, and to expand-grow. To do a business plan correctly requires much research and planning, not to mention the effort to write it all up. The book is split into two parts. Part I is an 86-page treatise on the nuts and bolts of business plans. It is really very well written and covers the full range of topics:

1. Product and service description
2. Market analysis, including industry, competition, target customers, and SWOT
3. Marketing and sales plans
4. Financial plans, including balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, breakeven analysis, sales volumes, and profit margins
5. The company summary
6. Operations and management plans
7. How to write it up in 20-30 pages

Part II is comprised of five sample business plans that include:

1. The plan of a young female entrepreneur who wants to start a video production company
2. The plan of a young female entrepreneur who wants to start a coffee cart business
3. Some guys who want to take their knowledge as sprinkler system installers and build a sprinkler installer business of their own and expand upon that into a complete yard-care business that might someday become a home improvement business
4. Some guys who want to be retailers of commercial fitness equipment in a big way
5. Some guys who want to be retailers and service providers for building elevator systems

The first two business plans require minimal start up costs. The third plan requires more than minimal start up costs. And the last two business plans require significant start up costs.

I really liked the book. As a SCORE counselor I recommend it regularly to my "clients." I would have liked the book better if the sample business plans had appeared to be better researched. I also was turned off a bit by the extent of copy and pasting done in the sample business plans. But for all I know, real-world business plans at the entrepreneurial level have a certain "homegrown" feel rather than the polished ones I am used to seeing in large corporate merger and acquisition files.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice, November 6, 2011

By 

Painkiller - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Business Plans That Work: For Your Small Business (Business Owner's Toolkit series) (Paperback)

It is very nice, very useful, very cool for students and business men.
If you plan to start a business or write a business plan, just buy this book, it will teach you a lot.