Veechi Curtis is a qualified accountant and consultant who specialises in small business finance, marketing and technology. She is the author of several bestselling Australian and New Zealand business titles, including Small Business For Dummies, MYOB(R) Software For Dummies and Bookkeeping For Dummies.
Introduction 1
Part I: Getting Started 7
Chapter 1: Letting Your Plan Take Flight 9
Chapter 2: Figuring Out What's So Special about You (and Your Business) 27
Chapter 3: Sizing up the Competition 39
Part II: Doing the Groundwork 57
Chapter 4: Budgeting for Start-Up Expenses 59
Chapter 5: Figuring out Prices and Predicting Sales 77
Chapter 6: Calculating Costs and Gross Profit 97
Chapter 7: Planning for Expenses 119
Part III: Checking Your Idea Makes Financial Sense 145
Chapter 8: Assembling Your Profit & Loss Projection 147
Chapter 9: Calculating Your Break-Even Point 169
Chapter 10: Creating Cashflows and Building Budgets 179
Part IV: Transforming Your Idea into Reality 199
Chapter 11: Separating Yourself from Your Business 201
Chapter 12: Developing a Strong Marketing Plan 219
Chapter 13: Staying One Step Ahead 243
Chapter 14: Managing Risk 259
Chapter 15: Pulling Together Your Written Plan 275
Part V: The Part of Tens 295
Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Using Excel in Your Business Plan 297
Chapter 17: Ten Ideas for a Well-Presented Plan 309
Chapter 18: Ten Questions to Ask before You're Done 319
Appendix: Sample Business Plan 327
Index 349
