BUSINESS SELECTION LISTS
Benefits: Those who are interested in starting a new business are often told that they should select a business that takes advantage of their skills and experience. But that often leaves them perplexed because they don't really know how to go about doing that. The attached file will clarify some of the confusion by allowing you to rate your interests and compare them to various business possibilities. Once you've completed the "test," you should be well on your way to choosing the business that's right for you.
File Description: The file contains a two-page document in rich text format (RTF) that is suitable for use with most word processing programs used in the Windows environment.
Special Features: Included are the following:
a place for you to rank all of the business you're currently considering
an exercise for rating those various business ideas
a means for interpreting the results of the exercise and a method for selecting the business that's right for you or at least for narrowing your list
CHECKLIST FOR ASSESSING PERSONAL STRENGHTS AND WEAKNESSES
Benefits: The attached document will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses by asking you to rate yourself in several areas that are important to small business ownership. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important because (1) it can tell you whether you're ready to start a small business, (2) in choosing a new business, it can help you match your skills to the right business, and (3) it can tell you whether you need to consider adding a partner who can bring skills to the business that you lack.
File Description: The file contains a three-page document in rich text format (RTF). Since there is text that has been formatted as a table in Microsoft Word 6.0, you need Microsoft Word version 6.0 or above to use this form.
Special Features: Included are the following:
a chart listing the skills that are the most essential to starting and running a new business
a rating system for determining your strengths and weaknesses, as well as a scale for interpreting your answers, such as "you're ready to start a new business now" to "you should reconsider whether owning a business is right for you
CHECKLIST FOR STARTING A NEW BUSINES
Benefits: The attached file contains a checklist for all the steps you should take before you start a new business. It's a "to do" list for starting a new business in much the same way that a grocery list is a "to do" for grocery shopping.
It contains a general, high-level listing of the tasks you need to complete in starting your new business. So, for example, while it lists "prepare a business plan" as one of the tasks, it does not list every step you need to take to create a business plan.
File Description: The file contains a one-page document in rich text format (RTF) that is suitable for use with most word processing programs used in the Windows environment.
Special Features: Included are the following:
a listing of all the background steps you need to take, including establishing business goals, determining the best location for your business, and assessing your financial situation
a listing of all the business transactions you need to take, such as hiring a lawyer, establishing a line of credit, and getting business insurance
a listing of all the pre-opening steps you need to take, including reviewing building codes, obtaining business licenses, and joining professional organizations
Benefits: Its always easier to write if you have a clear picture of what the finished product should look like. The attached files contain the component elements of sample business plans for three fictitious companies. Taken together, they illustrate the type of information that is essential to the creation of a high quality business plan. These documents are not complete plans; they are not templates into which you can cut and paste information about your business. Instead, these documents demonstrate how the nature of a business and the target audience for the plan affect the content. After looking over one or more of these business plans, a business owner should have a handle on what information his or her business plan needs to contain to make it the best possible plan.
File Description: There are five documents available for download:
Two files are in rich text format (RTF) that is suitable for use with most word processing programs used in the Windows environment.
One file contains text formatted as tables in Microsoft Word 6.0. To use these forms, you need Microsoft Word version 6.0 or above.
Two files are Microsoft Excel spreadsheets suitable for use with Excel versions 4.0 and above.
Special Features:
The service provider's business plan contains both text and spreadsheet components that illustrate the type of information that a new start-up business should include in a business plan.
The manufacturer's business plan provides additional financial information to reflect its status as a going concern with a track record of financial results available.
The retailer's business plan combines financial and textual components in order to demonstrate how a plan document might be simplified based on its intended audience.
Taken together, the three plans provide insight into the differing concerns that must be addressed based upon the nature of the product or service that a business will provide.
