T
he quote at the chapter start is valuable. It sensibly recommends that if you have
something to say, you should state it three times. In this chapter, at last, you really get
down to writing the plan. Here, we will give the reader your message twice, in your first
drafts of the executive summary and in the conclusion. The third telling is covered in the
remainder of this book.
Step 1. The executive summary – tell them what you are going to tell them –
covered in this chapter.
Step 2. The main body of your business plan – tell it to them – see Chapters 4–11.
Step 3. The conclusion – tell them what you told them – also covered in this
chapter.
Right now, you are really aiming to write first drafts of the executive summary and conclu-
sion. Apart from anything else, this will help you focus your thinking. You can then move
on to the next chapters of this book and write the main body of the report. Later you will
return to the executive summary and conclusion and rewrite them in the light of what
you have learnt on your voyage through the planning process.
Why?
At last, you are ready to put fingers to keyboard and start writing the plan. But hold on.
There is one more thing that you should do first. You should define the forces that are
motivating you to write the business plan. Broad priorities (with the most important ones
listed first) are usually to:
raise funds;
obtain approvals;
document a plan;
create a management tool.
The first two may be reversed. Almost certainly your priority is funding. In some cases the
emphasis tends more towards obtaining approvals – for a longer-term strategy or next
year’s operating budget. In many large corporations, approval by the chief executive
guarantees funding – and if that is for whom you are writing, the emphasis will be differ-
ent to that of a plan written for a bank manager.
Priorities three and four may also switch places, although sadly more plans are writ-
ten than are used effectively as management tools over their full life span. Purists may
be disappointed to see these items so low on the list. This is just how it is. Plans are too
often documented only because of some ‘irritating’ external demand to do so. At certain
WHY? 41
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.