A
t last, you have everything that you need to complete your business plan. We have
covered many topics to arrive here, and for good reason – the more effectively you
do your groundwork, the more easily you will gain approval for your business plan.
Frankly you should find it very easy to win internal corporate approval for your plan,
unless you have made some fundamental error or you have been particularly creative
with the facts. You have enough information in this book to produce an impressive plan
and if you have read this far I know that you also have the drive to see it through. That
said, the corridors of power sometimes conceal menaces waiting to knock down an excel-
lent plan. I have one or two suggestions to help you through this.
If you are looking for external approval for funding, I have to warn you not to underes-
timate the obstacles that might still be in your path. It can sometimes be very frustrating
trying to persuade a banker or backer to share your vision. Not to worry. Share my experi-
ences, persevere, and you will make it through the labyrinth.
Pulling it all together
The hard work is over. Or is it? As you worked through this book, you developed an
appraisal of your current situation, looking both inwards and out to the world at large.
You built a strategy, turned it into a plan, costed it and forecast the end result in terms of
profits, assets, cash flow and funding requirements. You assessed risks and produced vari-
ations on your plan. You now have a bullet-proof operating plan and budget to work with.
All you need is a rubber stamp or perhaps a more-considered approval. Either way, you
want to get on with the business. The approval process is not always as straightforward as
you might expect. And even if it is, you still want to make the best possible job of present-
ing your plan. Let me share my experiences.
PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER 285
Definitions
To avoid long complex sentences the terms internal plan and external plan are used
here.
An internal plan is for use within an enterprise – such as a small firm, a
company, a charity, a government department, or any of the above forming
part of a larger undertaking.
An external plan is one that is going outside for funding.
t
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