Business startup advice from the former president of the Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation and cofounder of Global Entrepreneurship Week and StartUp America, this “thoughtful study of ‘how businesses really start, grow, and prosper’...dispels quite a few business myths along the way” (Publishers Weekly). Carl Schramm, the man described by The Economist as “The Evangelist of Entrepreneurship,” has written a myth-busting guide packed with tools and techniques to help you get your big idea off the ground. Schramm believes that entrepreneurship has been misrepresented by the media, business books, university programs, and MBA courses. For example, despite the emphasis on the business plan in most business schools, some of the most successful companies in history—Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and hundreds of others—achieved success before they ever had a business plan. Burn the Business Plan punctures the myth of the cool, tech-savvy twenty-something entrepreneur with nothing to lose and venture capital to burn. In fact most people who start businesses are juggling careers and mortgages just like you. The average entrepreneur is actually thirty-nine years old, and the success rate of entrepreneurs over forty is five times higher than that of those under age thirty. Entrepreneurs who come out of the corporate world often have discovered a need for a product or service and have valuable contacts to help them get started. Filled with stories of successful entrepreneurs who drew on real-life experience rather than academic coursework, Burn the Business Plan is the guide to starting and running a business that will actually work for the rest of us.

David E. Gumpert maintains that writing a business plan not only takes too much time, but distracts entrepreneurs from tasks that mean more to potential investors, like preparing a presentation, developing a Web site, obtaining publicity, and making sales. You'll learn a totally new approach to starting and building a business and impressing investors

Starting a business of any size can be overwhelming. This book provides straight answers and expert advice on creating the right business plan for any type of business. The accompanying CD contains 60 sample business plans created for a variety of popular ventures.

"Includes sample business plans, resources, and worksheets."

Readers have turned to The Complete Book of Business Plans for almost 10 years for advice and information, making it one of the bestselling business planning books of our time. Authors Brian Hazelgren and Joseph Covello have gone back to the drawing board on this updated edition, providing you with more than a dozen brand-new business plans that will help you attract the financing and investment you need. The Complete Book of Business Plans also includes revised and updated information on how to get started, what questions to ask and how to finalize a business plan that will get you off the ground and running. For business owners just starting out or seasoned veterans that want to bring their business to the next level, The Complete Book of Business Plans is the only reference they need to get the funding they're looking for.

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Business Plansoffers both the tactical and economic considerations to start and sustain your company-- and keep ahead of the competition. The book explores the crucial elements of a business plan-- with examples, information about credit and hot is perceived by investors, expert marketing suggestions, and effective strategies for putting together operational and sales plans.

A guide to writing a successful business plan—in just one hour A strong business plan greatly increases a business chance of success, especially in an economic environment in which more than 50 percent of businesses fail within three years. Your business plan can serve as a foundation for your successful business. The One-Hour Business Plan, written by seasoned entrepreneur and business instructor John McAdam, helps you lay that foundation. With the help of this book, aspiring entrepreneurs can write a viable business plan in just one hour. Offers step-by-step guidance on the process of writing a business plan, with field-tested instructional techniques that are simple, strong, and easy to implement Written by John McAdam, a "been there, done that" hired CEO and serial entrepreneur with decades of real-world experience, who helps ordinary people become entrepreneurs and helps entrepreneurs become successful The One-Hour Business Plan outlines a process and a framework for creating a business plan that sets you up for success. Give your business the best odds for success, in just one hour of your time.