Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This comprehensive book will ensure your business plan is robust enough to start, run or revitalise any business enterprise.

Whether your goal is raising start-up finance for a new business, requesting venture funding from a corporate parent or directing operational management, The Definitive Business Plan will help you deliver the information the decision-makers are really looking for.

Accessible to the newcomer and detailed enough for the experienced planner, the third edition of this international bestseller explains how to tailor a plan for specific readerships and meet specific objectives, helping you to focus your attention on strategic planning as well as on operational controls.

This new edition has been completely updated throughout.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• About the author (p. v)
• Acknowledgements (p. vi)
• Foreword (p. xii)
• Introduction to the First Edition (p. xvii)
• Introduction to the Revised Second Edition (p. xx)
• Introduction to the Third Edition (p. xxii)
• Symbols used (p. xxiv)
• 1 What's it all about? (p. 1)
• Have you heard the one about (p. 3)
• Who should read this book (p. 5)
• A quick fix or a longer-term tool? (p. 6)
• What is a plan anyway? (p. 8)
• Why bother? (p. 9)
• Key objectives for your plan (p. 10)
• Your target audience (p. 12)
• Ten steps to a successful business plan (p. 13)
• Don't trust consultants (p. 17)
• Who writes the business plan? (p. 18)
• How to use this book (p. 19)
• 2 A winning presentation (p. 23)
• A concise communication (p. 25)
• Computer software (p. 25)
• Make it feel good (p. 27)
• First thoughts on layout (p. 27)
• Creating an outline document (p. 30)
• 3 Getting down to it (p. 39)
• Why? (p. 41)
• When you don't want to be a big fish (p. 42)
• What to do if you have several businesses (p. 44)
• Your list of contents (p. 45)
• The executive summary (p. 47)
• The conclusion (p. 50)
• Responsibilities - and the timetable (p. 50)
• Be a SWOT (p. 52)
• Where now? (p. 54)
• 4 Know yourself (p. 55)
• Taking stock (p. 57)
• Start with the basics (p. 57)
• The central objective (p. 59)
• Are you visionary? (p. 61)
• How did you arrive here? (p. 65)
• Some numbers to please the bankers (p. 65)
• Building up value (p. 67)
• The all-important management team (p. 70)
• Business organisation (p. 71)
• Business infrastructure (p. 76)
• Products and services (p. 77)
• Core competencies (p. 78)
• The next step (p. 80)
• 5 Know the world (p. 81)
• For or against you? (p. 83)
• The next steps (p. 84)
• Collecting information (p. 85)
• Understanding the world at large (p. 89)
• Business partners (p. 94)
• The market - what you are fighting for (p. 96)
• The industry - what you are up against (p. 100)
• Competitive advantages (p. 103)
• Now write about it (p. 105)
• Moving on (p. 105)
• 6 The core of your plan (p. 107)
• A strategy and an operating plan (p. 109)
• What is strategy? (p. 110)
• Portfolio strategy - what businesses should you have? (p. 111)
• Business strategies to satisfy your desires (p. 114)
• Strategies for department managers (p. 119)
• Resource requirements (p. 127)
• Strategic objectives (p. 127)
• Documenting the strategy (p. 129)
• Creating an operating plan (p. 129)
• Documenting the operating plan (p. 134)
• Onwards (p. 135)
• 7 About these numbers (p. 137)
• 'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to speak of other things' (p. 139)
• Varying views of the same numbers (p. 140)
• The way that bean counters think (p. 144)
• The planning horizon (p. 149)
• Looking back (p. 152)
• Estimating the present (p. 152)
• Crystal ball gazing (p. 153)
• Software tools (p. 154)
• Putting it to good use (p. 156)
• 8 Getting to gross profit (p. 159)
• Breathe easily (p. 161)
• Forecasting sales volumes (p. 162)
• The big picture - the economy (p. 165)
• Up close and personal - industry and product demand (p. 170)
• Pulling it all together (p. 174)
• Cost of sales (p. 176)
• Gross profit (p. 184)
• Writing it up (p. 184)
• 9 Getting to net profit (p. 189)
• Where the money goes (p. 191)
• Capital spending (p. 192)
• Capital assets that you already own (p. 193)
• Capital assets that you want (p. 195)
• Accounting for fixed assets (p. 198)
• Operating expenditure (p. 202)
• Net profit (p. 211)
• Other income and expenditure (p. 216)
• Moving on (p. 218)
• 10 Funding the business (p. 219)
• Balancing your cheque book (p. 221)
• Balance sheets and cash flow mechanics (p. 222)
• Balance sheet headings (p. 228)
• Producing the paper (p. 232)
• Watching cash flow (p. 233)
• Using a surplus (p. 239)
• Getting it funded (p. 239)
• Debt or equity? (p. 240)
• What's the deal? (p. 247)
• Putting a price on success (p. 248)
• Does it all hold together? (p. 249)
• 11 Managing risks (p. 251)
• Identify risks and improve planning (p. 253)
• It's normally like this (p. 256)
• How many coconuts do you need to sell? (p. 264)
• Marginal likelihood of shutting down? (p. 267)
• What you need, when you need it (p. 270)
• Will it pay off? (p. 271)
• What if? (p. 279)
• The economy (p. 281)
• If the worst comes to the worst... (p. 281)
• Grand finale (p. 282)
• 12 Getting it approved (p. 283)
• Pulling it all together (p. 285)
• Focus (p. 286)
• What readers of the plan will look for (p. 288)
• Those financials again (p. 293)
• Final check on the plan (p. 303)
• They don't know what's coming to them (p. 303)
• Preparing for the meeting (p. 307)
• At last, the first meeting (p. 308)
• Meeting post-mortems (p. 311)
• Follow up (p. 311)
• Back to the drawing board (p. 312)
• Due diligence (p. 313)
• The contract (p. 314)
• Cash in the bank (p. 315)
• 13 Now make it happen (p. 317)
• Time for a break? (p. 319)
• From plan to reality (p. 319)
• A change of focus (p. 322)
• Communicating the plan (p. 323)
• Where do you draw the line? (p. 324)
• Policies, rules and procedures (p. 325)
• Who does what? (p. 328)
• Employee objectives (p. 329)
• How much freedom? (p. 331)
• Financial objectives (p. 331)
• Monitoring other objectives (p. 337)
• Monitoring the world (p. 338)
• Confirming and revising strategy and plans (p. 338)
• Don't forget the carrots (p. 339)
• And into the next business plan (p. 340)
• Trying to catch the tail (p. 340)
• Appendix A Tetrylus Inc business plan (p. 341)
• Index (p. 347)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Richard Stutely has handled business plans on every scale - as a manager with HM Treasury (the UK finance ministry); a stockbroker and member of the London Stock Exchange; and subsequently as general manager of an international bank, where he saw business planning from a financial and funding perspective. Richard runs training courses, workshops, seminars and lectures for MBA students and corporate audiences. His books include The Definitive Guide to Business Finance, Brilliant Business The Economist Guide to Economic Indicators and The Economist Numbers Guide.