Customer Reviews

Business Plan Pro 2002

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

After already being very satisfied with the previous version of Business Plan Pro, I was blown away by how good the 2002 version is. The 200 sample plans are an unbelievable help, as well as all the slick features of the software, and the built in web resources and industry data.

I can't imagine writing a business plan without it!

If you're a beginner then this is your product although a very slow-running product with some bugs. It gets your thoughts together and coaches you through each section.

There are a number of compatibility issues with their charts and Word export. Formating is locked and you are forced to reformat your complete document with new styles. Don't even think that you can use any templates like the Word standards. Charts allow some row to be added but that crashes occationally. Certain rows are locked and data that feeds cells is not clear about where it comes from.

The other Research Data they provide is bogus. Industry insight information is horrible and not even close. When I called to get an explanation, the companay passed me onto the research company which in turn got me in touch with a newbie that had no idea and made up a description of the data.

I've done a lot of business plans with a lot of different software and this is by far the best, easy to use, but powerful enough to give you a real plan, with real cash flow, good enough to get financed. The outline is flexible so you can add or subtract what you want, and the financials are very strong, with also a lot of flexibility. I've also done a number of them using just Word and Excel, and this is much better because you don't sacrifice quality of plan at all, just get ease of use and a lot of built-in help.

I am a small business owner who was not experienced in writing business plans. I bought the last version of Business Plan Pro and was very happy with it - in fact I took the plan that I wrote in Business Plan Pro to the bank and they were so impressed with the quality of my plan and my research that they awarded me the $50,000 loan I applied for.

I just upgraded to Business Plan Pro 2002 and it did take a little while to get used to. It's so different to the last version. But I am really impressed with the new layout, and there is tons more industry information in this one. In fact if I had used this new version to write my plan originally, I would have saved hours of time in researching numbers for my plan.

I would recommend this software to anyone needing to write a Business Plan - its one of the best investments I have made for my small business.

I've used Business Plan Pro several versions now, the key is that whether you're a pro or not, you have a lot to gain and nothing to lose by using this software. You get important built-in information now with the new version, plus a flexible outline and tons of content information, and complete financials that are solid and well-documented.

Beginners can just follow the wizard to complete a plan without losing site of instructions and examples, and if you're more experienced, the new version has expanded the ability to add Excel-compatible worksheets. And the new manual is a great addition.

It is backward compatible, by the way ... this version reads the previous version's files without problems ... and the previous version read the one before that without problems.

If you want to do a business plan, use this, it's worth the price many times over.

After spending some time reviewing various software packages for preparing business plans, I settled on this one. I think this is a wonderful piece of software that is far superior to the rest on the market. It's exceptionally easy to use, and the look of the plan is great.
I can't claim, as of yet, that I've used a generated business plan to seek VC funding but I'm certain that I won't be rejected on the merits of the "look" of the document. I guess that puts all the weight on my shoulders to write good content. But then again that's the point isn't it!

I began using this product, glad to see that careful thought and utility of the product. But then there were bugs that caused the program to crash, and then I was saving often, and still crashing. Then I updated the software from the website, and that didn't do it. Then I contact customer support. They suggested another update, and that one I have never been able to recover from. The program will not open or run. I dare you to see if you have better luck...

I have just upgraded to the latest version of Business Plan Pro and am very pleased with it. I have been using Business Plan Pro since I started my business last year, and thought I would only use my business plan to get a loan and never look at it again. Instead I have found myself keeping it updated monthly, cos its so easy to jump into the program and make changes to it.

The newest version has a new interface that is more user friendly and I the whole program a lot more manageable. My only criticism of the last version is that there was so much on the screen you didn't know where to start.

I would recommend any business owner or wannabe business owner to get themselves a copy of this software.

To start a business, you DO need a business plan. You DON'T need this software.

I bought the boxed version Business Plan Pro and found it to be a waste of money. The best thing about it was the outline of the plan itself, which was a checklist of the elements that make up a good plan. The software, however, was difficult to use, and seemed oriented toward manufacturing businesses rather than service businesses. The book that came with the package was ok, but similar books can be found at the library. Save the bucks and put them into your start-up fund.

Business Plan Pro 2002 offered me everything that I was looking for to create a business plan.

This dynamic wizard-driven experience has the most extensive library of sample plans that I have ever seen. I selected a plan that best matched my business concept (and there is a very cool tool to help with that) and the wizards stepped me through the process. After I put in my sales and expense numbers in, the calculations were done for me complete with all of the expected pro-forma statements. It could not have been any easier and the plan looked incredible--better than I could have ever done on my own.

Business Plan Pro 2002 saved me hours and, at this price, I got my money's worth and more.