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A business plan is essential to your company’s success. After all, seven out of ten businesses fail within five years. We know you’re starting a new business or moving to expand and want to stay focused on the positive and the last thing you want to talk about is failure.But for 70% of business companies, failure is the reality, and the primary cause is a lack of planning. Whether it is insufficient market research, financial planning, management, lack of social media presence, website or something else, these mistakes all boil down to a lack of planning that can be traced back to the roots of your company: the business plan.What is a business plan?Before we detail how to write a business plan, we should figure out what a business plan is. Then, we can cover the basics of how to write a business plan.A business plan in any company is a document with every crucial detail. It covers the following information: what you are going to sell or produce, the structure of your business, your vision on how to sell the product, how much funding you need, information on financial projections, among other details.Before you begin to implement your company’s business plan, it’s necessary to brainstorm to make sure your team is prepared to answer some questions:Why are we starting/ready to expand the business?What makes our company different? How can we differentiate ourselves?What solution are we providing? How do we offer it?Who are we? Be ready to introduce your management team, any key players, and advisors.Who are your customers? Target business?What needs to happen to break even?How can we make a profit? In one year? In five years?However, there are dozens of other questions, industry-specific or otherwise, you should be asking. When first getting started, pay attention to those questions. Your business plan must address them in a clear, concise, strategic, and realistic way.See also:Understanding the basics of a business proposalThe 10 essential elements every sales proposal must haveWhy is a business plan necessary?The critical perception of a business plan of any company is to show you that your business is worth starting and the idea is worth pursuing. It provides you with the possibilities to get a detailed look at your goals. In case there is something to change and improve, it’s high time to do it before the business plan of your company becomes implemented.A business plan is integral in selling your company to potential investors and bankers. But as important, the process of writing involves you and your partners taking a real look at what you want the future of your company to look like and how you’re going to make it happen.Who is responsible for writing a business plan?An individual or a group of individuals who start a business are responsible for writing a plan. In most scenarios, it is up to the founders of the company.It’s important to remember that this is not a document for internal use only. On the contrary, it’s a promotional document that will undergo constant updates and changes. Keep in mind whom you write it for (investors, customers, etc.) and do it in an easy-to-read language without challenging to understand words and terms.When should you write a business plan?It is evident that a business plan of your company should be documented before your business starts. Though this step is the first one, this is only one of those many steps to create and run a business. Even if you have prepared the best plan ever, it is worth nothing if you fail to implement it successfully.Piece by pieceA business plan can be rather long — make sure it’s not too long. You want to make sure you include every vital piece of information, so organization is crucial. With that in mind, we are going to break down each component. There is no hard-fast rule for private business plans.However, remember to follow whatever example a bank or loan agency gives you down to the letter. For a regular plan, as long as you address all the key points, there can be room for some creativity. We are sharing with you the most common headlines and sections found in well-received plans.Step 1. Executive summaryThe summary is where you (succinctly) introduce your vision. Try to make sure your exec summary answers these questions:What sector are you in?What products/services do you provide?Who is your target audience?What does the future of your industry look like?How is your company scaleable?What are the next steps?Who are the owners of your company? Backgrounds? Experience in sector/business?What motivated you to start your company? Why now?Use our genius, free executive summary template to dive deeper into how to craft an excellent summary.See also:5 crucial elements of an executive summaryStep 2. Mission statementYes, this part is important to you and your team. However, this isn’t quite as important to your audience as you think it is.Follow the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid.Your mission statement should include your goal and the objectives that will lead you toward it; your industry, how you see it evolving in the short and long term, and who your customers are. Your mission statement also says who you are, and talks about the strengths of you and your team. This is where you, in part (and in brief), sell the features and benefits of your company.Step 3. Products and/or servicesThis part includes information on what you do and what you plan to sell it for. This is also where you sell the benefits of your business.This being a business plan and all, it’s important to list the cost of the products/services you are providing:How much does it cost to produce? Versus How much will you sell each piece for?Is there packaging?How will the client purchase the product?What system will you use to bill them?Are there extra costs in getting it to the customer? How will it be transported?The products/services section should also differentiate your new business:What makes your business different?What gives your company’s product or service an edge in the marketplace?What distinguishes it from competitors?If you are selling a product, sell the general idea and its benefits in this section, but don’t get too technical. Leave any diagrams or intricate designs for the addendum, while inserting the phrase: “For more detail, visit the addendum Page #.”Step 4. Marketing planNow that you’ve proven what you want to do and how you will make it happen, next you will need to detail how you’re going to spread the word. This is where you prove you know what you’re talking about and that your company is ready to provide a service to a proven audience.Your marketing plan should be the result of a blend of first- and (reputable) second-hand research into your marketplace. Break it down into sections, grouping by market topic. We suggest these seven:Your customers: Are you B2B or B2C? Who are your customers? How do you plan to reach them? Where will you sell your product/service? How will you garner feedback from them? How will they know you care?Your competition: Who are your direct/indirect competitors? What’s your advantage? Don’t be shy — tell them you are better and why.Your niche: Or market or sector. Again, what separates your business from your competitors — how will you make yourself known in the niche?Your distribution: Of course, this is a marketing plan, so they’ll want to know your tricks for promoting within the said niche. How are you selling it — directly to clients, to a vendor, online, at a store, an office, freelance, etc.Your advertising: Are you advertising already? Where? When you have more funding, where do you advertise? How will you use advertising to retain customers? Get new ones? Make sure you outline your marketing budget either here or within the financial plan. How much will be spent on print, TV/radio, Internet, direct mail, external ads, etc?Your sales strategy: Depending on the industry, this could be one of the most important parts — how are you going to sell your product/service? Online? A sales team? Telesales? How will you incentivize sales? Will you offer a free sample or trial? Host a free workshop?Your face: You’ve described how you will market, what, to whom, on where. Now it’s time to explain the image you’re going to project. This can include your slogan, images, logos, website, social media channels, etc.Step 5. Operational planThis part takes a reader through the day-to-day of your company, explaining the:Location/Logistics of your businessTransportation (if you’re selling a product)Legal — Do you need a permit? License? Do you need to join a union or other professional organization?Inventory — if you’re selling a product, where will you need to store it?Providers/Suppliers/Freelancers — Detailed contact info/pricing for anyone you’re outsourcing to.This is a lot of solid, concrete info, but don’t be afraid to add a short lyrical introduction, painting a more visual picture of how your company will work, briefly walking them through your day-to-day operations. You can even include a photo or video showing it.Writing a business plan isn’t just about including all important information. It’s also about capturing the attention of a reader and convincing him or her that you are a solid team. Show them why you make a good team, and then add some candid shots of your company team happily working together.Step 6. Management organizationThis part includes a hierarchical chart of your company and how the operations we talked about above flow through it. List the positions and briefly describe the functions of each integral member of your business, including but not limited to: board of directors, advisors, technical specialists, accomplished salespeople, accountants, and lawyers.The critical role of sales operations — fueling the success of your sales teamThen describe any steps for your staff to expand. Also, reflecting it in your financial plan, discuss any new hires you want to make and why. Your business plan isn’t just about where your company is, but where it’s future is headed.Step 7. Fiscal planningThe fiscal piece of your business plan puzzle is the piece investors and loan managers are going to spend the most time looking at. Without proper capitalization and financial planning, even the most excellent business idea that fulfills an urgent need is at high risk for failing.We offer you a free and open business plan template, which includes a step-by-step, annotated guide and spreadsheet templates for each of the following charts. What must this most-looked-at part of your business plan include?Cash-flow analysisThis reflects what you are going to sell versus your business expenses. This analysis projects your profit margin.Profits & Losses analysisDone in conjunction with the cash-flow, this looks ahead at least a year and includes revenue predictions, including graphical representations of those numbers.Break-even analysisThis breaks down how much you have to, well, break even.Seriously, this is the part they are going to spend the most time looking at, make sure it’s thorough and realistic.Step 8. AddendumAs you can probably guess, this is where you talk about the rest, the boring, the things that you probably won’t need to include. But the addendum shows you did your research. Also, this is where you add any technical diagrams of your business plan. The addendum is also a great place to put references and press about your company, as well as resumes/CVs, adding proof of your awesomeness.The business plan project manager’s job is to organize things most pervasively. Anything that’s not essential and is interrupting the flow of information should be added to the addendum.How to write a business plan for your industryA business plan for an industry consists of common points that we discussed above plus a few industry-specific ones. But in general, its goals remains the same – to show anyone who is interested how serious you are about your undertakings. Stakeholders, investors, bankers, etc. should have a clear answer to the question “Why do people need this business?“So, if you have questions like “How to write a business plan for a restaurant?“, “How to write a hotel business plan?” or “How to write a business plan for a startup company?“, Refer to the sections above.But also, keep in mind that you will need to consult specialists in the fields and should read professional literature to help craft your plan.How to build an online business planWe can do tons of different things online. Are we able to create an online business plan? We sure can!Benefits of building an online business plan are boundlessFirst and foremost, you want to spend your time making your business, not creating documents. Develop your business plan online allows you to be more productive, moving past unnecessary struggles like layout and formatting to stay focused on the message and vision of your business.Bring stakeholders/investors closerBy inviting investors into your environment to view your plan, you are bringing them closer to your company, staying engaged throughout the process, and putting forth a much better brand image in the process.Give a rocking presentationHaving an online business plan also allows you to give a dynamic presentation to investors. We all know PowerPoint is passé, so why not instead take them on a journey inside your interactive online presentation?Keep up with technologyIf your business or sector involves any technology, an old stagnant business plan will make you look, well, old-fashioned and stagnant. However, if those adjectives describe your investors, you still have the option of turning your online plan into a simple PDF to print it out for them and their red pens.Moreover, multimedia assets allow you to include a portfolio, video testimonials, an introduction to your staff and much more about your undertakings.Better collaborateCreating an online business plan is made easier because it’s inherently more collaborative. You, your teammates and your advisors can all work together within the cloud-based business plan at the same time.This is important because your technical experts sure know what they’re talking about, but then your marketing and sales guys can help them buff it up, rephrasing everything more compellingly.These were the benefits. But what about the real steps to build an online business plan? There is one simple answer — business plan software. The majority of other actions can quickly be taken from the advice above.Business plan software helps you organize your plan, taking you step-by-step through the creation process. It provides sample headers and templates, so all have to do is fill in the blanks, eliminating the chance you’ll forget something important.PandaDoc has an extensive series of business plan templates for you to customize for your needs. Moreover, with this cloud-based software, you don’t have to worry about fussy plugins or downloads. You can collaborate with teammates across offices or create a multimedia business plan with links to your official website, press, videos and photos. And you can do it in seconds.In the endWriting a plan can be a tedious exercise, but it’s a crucial one for the future of your business. It’s not just about attracting investors. Creating a business plan helps you and your team organize your business better, with one eye on its present state and the other on building a future together.

Here’s my Definitive Guide to Creating and Publishing Your Own eBook this 2019Now, I know there are many articles about this subject on the internet. So, I have decided to give my personal insights on how to go about creating a quality eBook and selling one.We all know that creating an eBook can be quite challenging. You can’t just sit on your laptop and start writing away about any random topic for your ebook publication and thinking you will hit the jackpot.Before I give you some effective strategies on how to go about creating your and writing your own compelling ebook, I want to take a few minutes explaining you the basics of what exactly is an eBook?An eBook is a book published in an electronic format that gives us instant access to a book by being able to download the book over the internet. It can be downloaded on various device platforms, such as, computer, smartphone, tablets or any other kind of reading devices, such as, Amazon kindle device.We may wish to download an eBook in various file formats. But, the most common way of downloading these eBooks is in PDF file format.There are two ways of downloading eBooks. One is a free downloadable version and the other one is the paid version. It’s very simple to purchase and download an ebook through the internet. If you decided to download a paid version ebook, the only difference is that after payment you will either be directed to a download page or receive the download link in an email.You need to ensure as a publisher that your ebook is going to be a profitable ebook for your business or for personal branding.That all being said, let me now dive into the main core aspect of how you should go about creating a compelling ebook report and making some good sales out it.Planning Your eBookThe main reason for writing an ebook for your readers is to provide them with some sort of solution. I would say majority of publishers publishing ebooks are catered to providing a solution. Some may write an ebook purely for entertainment purposes.This is the part were you really to do some serious brainstorming. Start to brainstorm ideas and always ask this question to yourself, what’s your purpose for writing your ebook, what type of solution will you provide to your readers, what presentation style you would be incorporating for your ebook and what types of topics you would like to cover.Do Your ResearchRemember you main intention for writing an ebook is to provide a solution for your target audience and also to fill in the information gaps.It’s always a good idea to quantify your ebook. Personally for me, I always write a few pages of my ebook report and then share it with my friends or other publishers. It’s always a good idea to find out how well worth is your ebook by getting feedbacks from your friends, relatives, other publishers, etc.Getting these valuable feedbacks shall help you as an ebook writer to determine how well worth is your ebook.Development Stage of Your eBookDevelopment Stage Process diagramNow, I have seen a few videos talking about creating your ebook using a free tool called as Canva. Many of the templates from Canva are free and a few of them require you to pay.Sample Design Templates from CanvaHonestly speaking, I really find canva to be useful if you are designing some banner ads, social media post ads, brochures and magazine or even an ebook cover.However, I have never found canva to be very comforting when it comes to writing an ebook.So, what tool do I use to write my ebook?It’s simple! I use Google Docs to write my ebooks. Using Google Docs is very simple and you can easily drag and drop images and insert links to promote your affiliate offers.Here are a few links included in my ebook draft report using Google DocsImagine yourself writing a blog post article. That’s how easy it is to use Google docs to write any compelling ebook.You also have the liberty to choose different templates using Google Docs. It’s that simple and there is no fuss about it!It’s always a good idea to proofread your ebook report before you decide to upload and publish it. If you’re not much of a proofreader, then you don’t have to worry much about it. Just go on to Fiverr and pay as low as $5 for a professional proofreader to go through your ebook content.Finally,The Execution Stage of Your eBookNow that you have your ebook ready to be uploaded and published to the world, you would need to carry out a small checklist.The following aspects of your ebook need to be taken into consideration (how to strategize marketing your ebook?), which are –Does you ebook provide a solution to a problem?Does it provide value to your target audience?Does it have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?Is you ebook value for money? Will your readers be happy reading you ebook report after they purchase it?Will your ebook have a good standing in the market?If your ebook complies with all the above criteria's, then it’s time to publish it.For uploading and publishing my ebooks, I generally stick with 2-3 publishing platforms, they are as follows –PayhipPayloadzE-JunkieAmazon Kindle Direct PublishingMost of these ebook publishing platforms provide you a secure automated payment process, i.e. readers can buy your downloadable ebook using PayPal, Skrill, Stripe, etc. To add, you really don’t need to waste your time with the entire selling process (it’s all automated and customizable), i.e. sending the download link of your ebook, collecting the payment, monitoring your sales analytics, etc.Most of them provide you a complete automated selling process framework. To add, many of these online ebook publishing stores offer you an affiliate partnership program to help you earn extra money. Isn’t that awesome?ConclusionCreating an eBook can be a lot challenging. But if you have a good sound knowledge about your niche topic, then sky is the limit. It’s important to note that most readers like to see quality when they read an ebook report NOT the quantity, i.e. number of pages on your ebook.If you follow the above steps, then it should not be very difficult for you to publish you first ebook. It’s fairly straightforward!Hope this helps.

I suggest Houzez [1]real estate wordpress themeGeneral FeaturesEasy to Get StartedDo you like the demo? Import the provided sample content in a few clicks and start editing it right away.Fully ResponsiveWe have tested our code on a multitude of phones and tablets to ensure smooth user experience on all platformsRetina ReadyAll of the graphics in our theme are of high resolution to ensure that your website looks crisp on modern displaysVisual ComposerNot experienced in web design? Get instant visual feedback by dragging and dropping elements to build pagesRevolution SliderThis slider plugin allows you to build advanced layered sliders with a myriad of options for style and effectsContact FormsCreate advanced contact forms and implement them on any page you like with MailChimp and Contact Form 7Powerful Admin PanelProvide your agents and clients with an easy way to manage their profile, properties for sale and other settingsParallax BackgroundsAppeal to the trendier segment of your market by using visually-impressive parallax backgrounds on your siteVideo BackgroundsImpress your audience even further by placing stunning videos as your header backgrounds. Houzez makes it easyHeader OptionsGrab your visitors’ attention with an attractive header. Choose between a slider, video, image or Google mapsUnlimited TemplatesNothing is set in stone: you can structure your pages exactly how you want without having to write any codeBlog LayoutsChoose between Default or Masonry blog layouts and make your blog pages beautiful and functionalGoogle MapGive your visitors an option to browse through properties with a map, so they can search within places they likeCustom ColorsChoose from one of our predefined color schemes or set up a custom one to maintain a unique brand identityCustom ModulesChoose from a number of pre-designed Visual Composer modules and lay out your pages in mere minutesMultiple SidbarsCreate and configure as many sidebars as you like and display the right sidebar(s) on the right pageTypography OptionsChoose from any of the Google fonts and style your type to match your brand identity without compromiseWPML SupportOur theme fully supports the WPML plugin in case you want to display your content in multiple languagesGoogle GeolocationNow you have the ability to see the geographic location of your website’s visitorsRadius SearchSearch properties by their proximity to you in kilometers or miles on all search pagesGeo Autocomplete OptionsControl the autocomplete for geo locations by optionally drop-down results to a specific countrySimilar PropertiesKeep visitors on your site by showing properties similar to the one they’re viewingUser RolesControl the capabilities of each individual user by choosing from the Buyer and Agent rolesReal Estate AgenciesDisplay real estate companies profiles on your site by using a dedicated custom post typeNearby PlacesMake property information more complete by showing what’s around them powered by YelpProperty FeaturesChoice of Listing TemplatesChoose from 8 different listing templates and lay them out as lists or grids, full-width, video or parallaxProperty TemplatesChoose between 3 listing layouts that let your visitors assess your offers and easily get in touch with your agentAgent Details TemplateProvide your sales agents with attractive profile pages where they can display their contact info and listingsProperty SettingsCreate property listings with all the features you’d expect: area size, price range, amenities and moreAdvanced SearchHelp your visitors find the right property by letting them set various search criteria such as size and price rangePowerful FiltersOur advanced filters allow your clients to fine-tune their search results and focus on the details that matter the mostHouzez LightboxMake it easy for your visitors to contact your agent and view property photos with our custom lightboxProperty PDFAllow your visitors to print paper-friendly versions of property pages so they can refer to them later offlineFloor PlansUse the theme’s built-in functionality to display floor plans and give your visitors a complete picture of your propertiesAgent Contact FormsHelp your agents make more sales by placing an easy-to-use contact form in the header of each listingFavorite PropertiesHelp your visitors stay organized by letting them favorite the properties they like or want to book a visit forAttachmentsInclude a downloadable brochure with your listings so that your visitors can print the information they needCurrency SwitcherAllow your clients to switch to different currencies and get property prices converted in real timeMortgage CalculatorQuickly calculate mortgage payments for properties with our easy-to-use Mortgage Calculator widgetProperty StatsDisplay the stats of your property page views by using one of the provided chart layoutsAgent’s Sticky SidebarGlue your agents’ contact form to a fixed spot on the screen making it permanently visible while scrolling up and down360° Virtual TourCreate interactive virtual tours and simulations for your properties and show off as much as possible before a real-life viewingPrint PropertiesExport your property detail pages in a well organized and easy to read PDF file that is ready to be printed or sharedWalkscoreProvide your users with extensive walkability data within your property pages (powered by the Walkscore API)Property Layout ManagerSort, enable and disable property page sections as you see fit with a simple drag-and-drop panelCompare PropertiesLet your users compare different properties based on their features and parametersGallery ImagesPromote your properties with image galleries that are easy to create, nice to look at and a breeze to scroll throughProperty VideoMake your property pages even more informative by including a video that will work on all modern browsersSocial SharingAdd an extra kick to your marketing efforts by letting anyone share your properties on social media outletsMembership FeaturesMembership SystemOffer your agents custom subscription levels by varying the number of featured and regular listingsPaid or Free MembershipsCharge per listing submission, offer monthly packages or don’t charge anything at all – the choice is yoursPayment Gateways IntegrationReceive payments with PayPal, Stripe or bank transfer – the theme fully supports popular payment solutions.PayPal IntegrationConnect to your PayPal account (with just a few clicks) and you are ready to receive money with no hassleStripe IntegrationStart accepting payments with Stripe and start processing credit and debit cards professionallyFront-end Property SubmissionBoth you and your agents are able to login and submit property listings from the front of your websiteFront-end Property SubmissionBoth you and your agents are able to login and submit property listings from the front of your websiteInvoices and BillingIssue invoices, bill your members, track all the necessary financial data and be at ease with bookkeepingEmail Alerts for Saved SearchesLet your visitors configure their searches with a range of criteria and automatically notify them of new matchesSocial LoginAllow your members to use their social media accounts so they can subscribe and login to your website fastBuilt-in Monetization SystemNo need to install additional plugins to handle money. Send and receive payments straight out of the boxYour Own MarketplaceCreate a professional-grade realty marketplace and manage it from the backend of your website with easeFootnotes[1] Houzez - Real Estate WordPress Theme