Virtually Yours Personal Assistants

One of the first steps in starting a business is developing a business plan. It’s a pretty scary step but one that is vital in helping to determine the future direction of your venture. Here’s a list of resources we recommend:

FREE

SCORE Business Plan Template: http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html

BPlans.com also has a number of free plans available online in several categories: http://www.bplans.com/Sample_Business_Plans/index.cfm 

LOW COST

Check your local community college for a continuing education course on business plan writing. For a relatively small fee you’ll meet other aspiring entrepreneurs, get low cost classroom materials, and have an instructor who can answer questions and refer you to other resources.

MODERATE COST

Review Amazon.com to find highly reviewed books on business plans (or save a few bucks by borrowing them from your local library). If you insist on spending money, one book we personally recommend is New Venture Creation - Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century by Timmons and Spinelli. At 700 pages its no quick read but the CD that accompanies the book is an excellent resource for thinking through every aspect of your new venture.

Once written, you should revisit your business plan periodically to review and, if necessary, reevaluate your direction.

What other business plan writing resources would you recommend?

A few years ago I had the pleasure of attending the Oprah Live Your Best Life Tour in DC. Her message was about living your life on purpose. I still reference my notes when I need inspiration. Here are a few nuggets on passion from “O”:

Passion is your spirit seeking expression - it is what gives you juice. Your purpose in life is to find out what your calling is. Start looking at the things in your life that really fill you up and that will give your life purpose. Find out what you love and find a way to get paid for it. Realize that you are not your circumstances, you are your possibilities.

O my!

I’m sure we all have resolutions for 2008. Maybe yours is related to your health or your family or to that dream deferred.

I hit the nail on the head didn’t I? You once had big dreams but the spouse, the kids, and life in general just got in the way. Besides, you’ve got a decent job that pays the bills and consumes what’s left of your life.  But deep down you can’t help but feel that you aren’t investing in your skills, talents, or dreams.

My resolution for 2008 is to inspire and to be inspired. The focus of this blog for 2008 will be to inspire others to follow their dreams.

OK, so you have a great idea and you wanna start a business. Great!

Where do you start? Well, at the beginning of course! Built and maintained by the federal government, this site http://www.business.gov is one of the most concise resources for anyone in the United States who wants to start a business. It lists the licensing and regulation requirements for each state as well as tons of useful information for new and existing businesses. Just select your state and the type of business you want to start. It will direct you to the websites and locations in your area to get all the information you need. Many states have forms available online so all your filing can be completed from your desktop.

Know any other great sites for licensing and registrating your business? Share the wealth!