A business plan is a tool for thinking more clearly about your business idea. It helps you stay organized and on track, gain a better understanding of your market, confirm that your financial model is realistic, and create a long-term vision and strategy. You will understand the essential elements for preparing a plan for business success. Grant will identify content and format for a business plan--including sources of information to aid in the development of your business plan. You should understand that a business plan is a valuable internal tool, even when not required for the benefit of investors or loan officers. A business plan may force you to think about your idea in new ways and to question the validity of your product/service target markets. It can serve as a guide or benchmark to allow you to track your progress and to stay committed to your long-term goals. If you have partners, it can help avoid misunderstandings. It will help you to better describe and to speak more concisely about your company. All these elements of a business plan can contribute to successful implementation of your business idea.

After earning a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Grant Wilson spent 42 years in industrial automation product development and application. He is an experienced leader of large product development programs - software, hardware, test and support with special focus on innovative process improvement in all areas, and organization/leadership development. He was engaged with all aspects of a business from strategy development to ongoing customer support at all levels from individual contributor to executive. I spent much of the later years engaged in organizational and personal development--particularly mentoring.