The starting point for all businesses is the business plan. A business plan is the roadmap for your business – it has the whys and the hows of your business goals. It outlines the business goals, and the nuts and bolts of achieving them.
As a starter entrepreneur, the business plan is usually your first DIY project. Plan2Biz is a free online tool that could make this less arduous for you by helping you along with pointers and business plan templates. The online application is still in alpha, but it is a handy resource for putting together a quick business plan.
So, put your business idea on the burner, fire up the browser and sign-up on Plan2Biz.
The Dashboard
The first screen you will see immediately after activating your registration is the Dashboard. The Dashboard is the control center for all your business plans. Some areas considered seem really useful, like – My Plan2Biz Contacts; To-Do List; and My Templates. The professional advice section though tagged as ‘coming soon’ could be a paid service, just like the professional feedback tool mentioned under Plan2Biz News.
Start a new plan
Creating your business plan with Plan2Biz is a simple three step process. You start by giving it a descriptive name and optionally inviting anyone you would like to share it with (like a mentor).
Choose your template
This is the part of the business plan where an online tool helps to floor the gears. Choosing the look of the business plan is critical because not only do you want to want to seamlessly organize your business goals but also stand out from the crowd. You can use the six templates provided as a starting point. Select a business plan by mousing over the graphic and glancing through the preview of its structure on the left. The preview of the structure gives you an idea of the information that is asked for in a business plan.
Personalize (edit) your business plan
If you start with a basic business plan template, you can add (or remove) chapters and sub-chapters to customize the layout according to your own business requirements. You can do the same thing in the editor too, but outlining the layout beforehand really makes it easy for you to organize your thoughts and enter content in the editing phase. You can save your customized layout as a new template.
Start writing your business plan
You can use the to-do list as a collaborative tool with others to frame the business plan, or you can use it as a scratchboard to draft your thoughts before your finalize them. The editor allows you to put in more than one text boxes and script your business plan. I hit a slight hitch here as it took some time for the text box to materialize.It could have been a temporary server problem.
Design your plan
You can choose from the few designs that are available or customize your own design. You might go for the latter, because it gives you the option to upload your logo with other page formatting controls. I couldn’t find a way to format the logo or even delete it. This was trifle irritating.
Finishing touches
You can preview your business plan and if you are satisfied with the look, export it as PDF or plain text.
Though there are lots of resources on business and entrepreneurship, there aren’t many free and simple tools that help you create a business plan quickly.Maybe, our previous two posts on entrepreneurship can help you out too:
3 Free Tools to Plan and Visualise Your Start-Up Business
10 Awesome & Inspiring Blogs for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
Though, Plan2Biz is still in alpha, and has a few unrefined edges, it looks like a handy tool. What do you think of Plan2Biz? Do you know any other similar free online tool that can help the wannabe entrepreneur?
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