How to Write a Great Business Plan

by William A. Sahlman

In  How to Write a Great Business Plan,  Harvard Business School professor William A. Sahlman provides a framework that assess the four interdependent factors critical to every entrepreneur and  new business venture.
Judging by all the hoopla surrounding business plans, you'd think the only things standing between would-be entrepreneurs and spectacular success are glossy five-color charts, bundles of meticulous-looking spreadsheets, and decades of month-by-month financial projections. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, often the more elaborately crafted a business plan, the more likely the venture is to flop.

Why? Most plans waste too much ink on numbers and devote too little to information that really matters to investors. The result? Investors discount them.

In How to Write a Great Business Plan , William A. Sahlman shows how to avoid this all-too-common mistake by ensuring that your plan assesses the factors critical to every new
Timely in this age of innovation, How to Write a Great Business Plan helps you give your new venture the best possible chances for success.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Entrepreneurship, Economics

72 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2008

Reviews

[Matthew]

Enjoyable and very useful.

[Héctor Iván Patricio Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustaron los consejos que da sobre escribir un buen plan de negocios, enfocados sobre todo endar a entender que no eres un novato en el negocio y que eres realista.

También disfruté del estilo de escritura del autor, más directo, divertido y para nada almidonado o con demasiada jerga de negocio.

De este libro, además de un buen plan para escribir un plan de negocios cuando lo necesite, me llevo los siguientes pensamientos cuando necesite emprender:

- Importa más a quién suba al barco y su experiencia, que la idea puramente
- Conocer el contexto en el que el negocio se desarrollará es importante
- Saber cómo se moverá el dinero en el negocio es una muestra de que has pensado profundamente en él
-No existe negocio sin riesgo y tu labor como emprendedor es mitigar el riesgo

Todo lo anterior se debe poner en el plan de negocios, pero el autor repite que los planes a largo plazo no son más que fantasías, esto sólo le sirve a los inversionistas para conocerte mejor y ver qué tanto podrás actuar cuando las cosas cambien.

[Mountainroot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new to this one. Basically it says that you have to have an actual plan before starting your business plan and be detailed about it.

The only good part was the last 2-3 pages where there is a series of questions and a some kind of joke/reality as to what people write into a business plan and what they actually mean. That part saved the book.

[Renee M Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT THOUGHT-PROVOKING BOOK ON BUSINESS START-UPS!

The book presented many questions that should be asked before and during the start-up of the business. Many of these questions should be an integral part of the business plan.

[Knowledge Rivendell]

哈佛商业评论经典文献。
• 出处：《Harvard Business Review》，最初发表于 1997 年，后续多次收入 HBR 精选合集
• 大致篇幅：单篇文章，约 20~30 页（也有后续单行本扩展版本）
• 推荐理由：
• 虽然篇幅不长，但这篇哈佛商业评论文章可谓“浓缩精华”，侧重阐述：团队、机会、环境与风险是商业计划的核心要素。
• 适合快速了解投资人真正看重哪些关键点，也能帮助你用更高维度去审视项目。

[Morenno Alves · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a snapshot of the dos and don'ts when writing a business plan. Regardless of your field of expertise, all entrepreneurs should consider reading this book ("let").

[Grant De Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful idea-generator and useful guide. Perhaps not tactical enough to give someone clear direction in their business planning process.

[Mehran · Rating 4 out of 5]

برای کسانی که به دنبال سرمایه گذار برای رشد استارت آپشون هستن خیلی میتونه مفید باشه

[German Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buen libro

Este libro te explica las falacias qué hay a la hora de escribir un plan de negocios,indispensable para cualquier emprendedor o inversor serio

[Ercüment UZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but effective manual. Sahlman had reflected his experiences on business plans. I think this advice is the best one you can find. I strongly recommend it.

[Jessica Carver · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you own a business you need it.

[Daniel Astacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. This compact book contains valuable insights and questions on writing a great business plan.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing a business plan was not something I expected to have to do again after leaving the business world behind 8 years ago to become an author, but life had other plans... Now I find myself taking a project management course in Canada, and writing a business plan is a requirement for one of my classes.

Basically, I read this book as a refresher (dipping in and out over the last two months or so), to remind myself of the key points that are important when attempting to develop a plan for a new business. At only sixty pages of content (including a short glossary of terms), this article (in book form) is short and to the point. It touches on the most essential objectives and elements needed for an effective plan, without going into too many details.

Recommended for anyone who needs a refresher, people who are new to the topic and wants a short summary without much jargon, and those who want to know what an executive or venture capitalist might look for when presented with a business plan.

[Bassel · Rating 5 out of 5]

its a great article, should be know as the greatest .

[Mohammad]

its weak...

[Soorya Narayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and clear!

[Jessel Badal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The People, the Opportunity, the Context, the Risk and Reward.

[Paul Bard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sensible summary of business planning. The best bit is the two visualisations of the relationship between risk and reward.