3.    The executive summary is the most important part of the business plan:
Because the purpose of the business plan is to sell your business idea to the reader, you have to grab their attention right away. Just like when you write a newspaper story, after the headline the first paragraph will contain the “who, what, when, where, and how much.” Then the details are filled in as the story progresses.
Like a newspaper story, the executive summary should grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more. The first paragraph in the executive summary is to get the reader’s attention, and tell them what the business is about, why it is needed and necessary, what the business will do, and why the reader should be an investor. When he finishes reading the first paragraph, he should know what the business plan is about and want to read more.

Once you capture the reader’s interest, follow that with a more detailed description of the business. What the need of the business is, what the business is, what it does, and how it operates. When the reader finishes reading this section he should have a clearer picture of what the business is.

Posting Objectives

1.    Learn the importance of a good business plan
2.    How to make your business plan sell an investor
3.    Learn the different parts of a business plan
4.    Learn why the executive summary is the most important section
5.    Learn how to wow the potential investors
6.    What a S.W.O.T. analysis is

1.    What a business plan is:
A business plan is a report that tells the reader what your business is about. It includes several different sections like the executive summary, operating statement, mission statement, important documents, market analysis, situational analysis, and marketing plan.

2.    Why a good business plan is necessary and valuable:
A good, well written business plan can be used for several important things. First, it can be used to raise money from investors or bankers, and second to help the business owner plan the details of the business and be clear on what it will take to be successful.

Some general rules:
Business plans can be in many different formats, but as long as it has the important information, the format will be fine. Don’t put the business plan in a fancy leather binder. The investor or banker reading the business plan will not be impressed. Just use a nice folder or binder. Use a cover sheet with the name of the investor or banker and his title and company he represents, and a table of contents.

Don’t make your business plan 50 pages. No one wants to plod through 50 pages. Make it long enough to explain your business plan but no longer. The investor or banker will usually read the executive summary first and then turn to the financial section. If those numbers look OK, they will turn back to the second section in the business plan and start reading there.

How to make your business plan sell an investor:
As I said earlier, most business plans are written to inform the reader. To create a business plan that sells the reader, it should be written as a selling document from the beginning.

Now small solar power sustems are aattractive,  reliab le and pollution-free, and they are becoming more  and more affordable all the time. Solar technology uses both direct and scattered sunlight and there is plenty across the nation. While solar energy works well across the nation, itworks best in areas where there is more sunlight such as the southwest. Installing a solar water heater should reduce your water heating bill by 50%-80% on average. If you build a solar system into a new house, the 30 year mortgage will increase around $15 a month, but tax incentives you receive will reduce that amount.
Solar energy is here to stay and 2008 is a good time to look into the detail to see if solar energy will benefit your home or business.

www.dsire.org is a website that gives all the incentives, tax credits, and exemptions available for installing solar systems. Check out your state. Below are some resources for more information:

•  Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)
•  American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
•  American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE)
•  American Public Power Association (APPA)
•  American Solar Energy Society (ASES)
•  American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
•  Center for Resource Solutions (CRS)
•  Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA)
•  Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)
•  Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC)
•  Geothermal Energy Association (GEA)
•  Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)
•  National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
•  National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
•  National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates

I talked about the how 1973 was America’s first critical energy crsis and how as the lack of supply eased up we went back to our previous oil use. I reviewed that in 1973 we imported 32% of our oil, and today it is over 70%. I also discussed the fact that the current energy crsis is serious for small businesses and here to stay. In addition I reviewed the different alternative, renewable energy sources available to small business. I also identified solar energy as the best and most practical energy source to implement in businesses and homes.

Because the idea of using solar energy has been around for decades, the public has an antiquated perception of how solar energy was used in the past. Remember the few houses in your city that had awful-looking huge solar panels on the roof? They were usually old looking and generally trashy. Well solar energy has come a long way today and the technology is much better and it looks much, much better.

What is the best solution for small businesses? We have limited capital, a slowing economy, and a problem we haven’t faced before. Is wind energy our answer, solar energy, natural gas, clean coal? I believe solar is the best alternative to help small businesses reduce energy costs. We have the technology, the manufacturing and supply of all components needed to implement solar energy use. But we will also need to wind and other sources available.

Right now solar energy is the best, most affordable and easiest choice to begin with. There are a number of ways solar energy can be used. Heating water for buildings and home use is one use. Homes that have swimming pools and Jacuzzis will also benefit greatly from solar energy. You can also light your business and home inside and out, and heat your business and home.

How easy and how practical is installing and using solar energy in your business and home? I’ll explore that in the next string of postings.

Now that everyone’s attention has shifted from the Beijing Olympics to politics, we have a chance to gain yet more insight into the crazy world of marketing. Make no mistake the Olympics was, is, and will continue to be a fantastic platform for marketing and branding, but for many people “Politics” is a more tactical view of positioning oneself.

Isn’t that what campaigning is all about? You try to establish a “platform”, or Unique Selling Proposition (USP). What makes you different, better, and special? And at the same time, how does that apply to me, and why should I care? While in the same sentence, politicians also must try to carve out a niche for them, where voters (aka customers) must try to associate the name with a brand. This race should yield some very interesting insight into personal and business branding. For those info-preneurs out there…you may want to check out the underpinnings of campaigns and perhaps get a leg up on the competition.

The current oil crisis in the United States has affected every kind of business. The bigger the business, the bigger the problems. What has been the effect on your business? In the 1993 oil crisis the country was astounded at the lack of gas for vehicles. Remember waiting in line at the gas station for an hour to fill up your car or truck? I do and you probably do too.

As concerned as the public was and as vocal the Congress was blaming everybody else for the crisis, concern eased up and we all forgot about it. Supply went back up and it was business as usual. In 1973 we were importing 32% of our oil from foreign countries. Today it’s over 70% and the entire supply and demand of world oil has changed dramatically.

This time the crisis is here to stay and businesses in America will never be the same. What’s the answer? That’s a question that has a variety of answers from a variety of sources. It’s interesting that the solution is clear to the American people. Drill more now, develop renewable sources of energy, and improve conservation in a major way. Politians on the other hand use this issue for political gain putting their careers first and the welfare for the country second.