Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Want to Start a Business? Start with the Business Plan: Part 2


In my last post, I expressed that I am currently taking a class in Business Plan Development and nearing the end of my Post-Graduate studies at Full Sail University. I also told of my desire to become a successful entrepreneur within the entertainment industry and wanting to develop the best possible business plan that I can for my company. In desiring to develop the best business plan for my company I researched two individuals, Mr. Nathan Furr and Mr. Paul Heyworth that emphasize the importance of developing a fully established business plan.

Mr. Furr caught my attention because he speaks about focusing primarily on developing a business model process for my company before focusing on the business plan itself. I found this piece of information to be very valuable because how else would I be able to create my business plan if I am not sure how my business will operate. So I began constructing my business model and its process of
operation to give me a better sense of my business. By doing this, it was very easy to develop my business plan.

Mr. Heyworth deals with the finance side of the business sector but endorses the importance of having a business plan just the same. He also expresses that having a business plan cannot be overlooked even if a person is not seeking finance and is important if only benefiting oneself. After reading this, I began to develop a business plan with every section from the executive summary to the budget to the fullest extent and as if my life depended upon it (just a statement). Mr. Heyworth also made the point about business plan giving possible investors the confidence to invest in my business. I find this very important because it relates the business plan to my business as a resume to myself. I wrote my business plan with an outline to give it an identity to be precisely and clearly recognized by the possible investors.

Lastly, after developing my business plan I believe that possible investors will be interested in the identity and originality of my company. They will be most interested in the Company’s mission, Industry Analysis & Trends, and the budget of the operation. Investors will want to have a clear understanding of my company through the company’s Mission. They will want to know that I have a clear understanding of the industry and how my company will fit within it from the Industry Analysis and Trends. Lastly, the investor will want to inquire about how their money will be spent and paid back via the budget of my business plan. I believe that the sections will be what the investor will desire to view most of all.

In conclusion, I have learned much more than I ever possible imagined. Not only have I learned persistent amounts of information for developing a business plan but gained a large amount of understanding for it as well. I feel confident about my company and myself from my business plan.

This has been Real to Reel and I’m KB bringing you another informative post.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Want to Start a Business? Start with the Business Plan.


So I am nearing the end of my Post-graduate studies at Full Sail University and I am currently studying “Business Plan Development”. Although I am fairly excited about nearing the end of my learning process, I am much more interested in developing my business plan to become a successful entrepreneur within the entertainment industry at this time. I have been reviewing “experts” takes on having a well-documented business plan for the past week and chose two established people to blog about this week; Mr. Nathan Furr and Mr. Paul Heyworth.

            I want to focus on their feelings on the importance of having business plans being that both have been in the realm of business for quite an extended period of time. In short, I want to know what simple fundamentals of business they carry around with themselves on a daily basis.

            I discovered Mr. Nathan Furr because I am an avid Forbes.com reader and came across his published blog about, you guessed it, “business plans”. Mr. Nathan Furr currently teaches entrepreneurship at BYU and received his doctorate from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University. In his blog, “Burn Your Business Plan!” Mr. Furr speaks strongly about having a business model process before having a business plan. According to (Furr, 2012), the business model process is more important because it recognizes all business aspects, which should be tested and learned, to become and stay successful.  After which should the business plan be produced to reflect the business structure derived from the business model process. He does not state that the business plan is useless but rather that it should be done after reflecting upon the important aspects of one’s business pros and cons.

            Mr. Paul Heyworth, Director of Business at Orvia Group Limited and Director of the Business Venture Group Limited, provides my second source on the importance of having a business plan. Mr. Heyworth has over 40 years of experience within the business industry with 32 years in the Financial Services Industry and 9 years in the Management Consulting Industry. He feels the “importance of business planning cannot be overlooked even if your business is not seeking finance” (Heyworth, 2009). Heyworth states that it is also useful to have a business plan even if it only benefits oneself. Also that a business plan should clearly recognize a businesses goals and targets because without them, how do you measure what has been achieved? Lastly, Mr. Heyworth conveys how a “business plan gives investors the confidence to invest in your business” (Heyworth, 2009). All of which are very important points to have an established business plan.

            In conclusion, these two experts have given me additional sense as to why I should development my business plan(s) as much as I can. My business plan and processes will give me the ins and outs, pros and cons, and plan of action to run the successful business that I desire.

This is KB and this has been Real to Reel. Now get planning!!!

References:
Furr, N. (2012, February 24). Burn your business plan!. Retrieved from http://blogs.forbes.com/nathanfurr/

Furr, N. (2012). Retrieved from http://blogs.forbes.com/people/nathanfurr/


Heyworth, P. (2009). Expert view: Do I need a business plan?. Retrieved from http://www.lancashirebusinessview.co.uk/news-details.htm?news_id=212

Heyworth, P. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-heyworth/19/74b/a61