(How)Book Review Business Plan Secrets Revealed

The key to successfully starting any business is a good business plan. In his e-book, Business Plan Secrets Revealed, Mike Elias walks you step-by-step through the business plan process: from gathering the evidence you use to build your plan to pitching your plan to qualified investors. His book provides the basic information you need to write a business plan. But his real goal is to figure out how to communicate your plan to investors and convince them that your business is their best investment choice. When I first opened Business Plan Secrets Revealed, my heart sank. You see, I promised Mike that I would read his book in its entirety before writing a review. And Business Plan Secrets Revealed is no ordinary e-book with one-sentence paragraphs, large print, and hefty margins. It is packed with information! But when I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised. Mike's writing style is engaging and practical, and his explanations simplify difficult concepts. Throughout the book, I felt as if I had a friend sitting on my back porch with me, matter-of-factly explaining exactly how to do something. It's the kind of simple practicality that you can only achieve when you fully understand the subject. Mike's clear understanding of business planning concepts stems from over 20 years of experience. Mike helps business owners buy, sell and finance their businesses. He oversaw production and sales sites in more than nine countries. He is a CPA, has a Master's in Business Administration and has served as CFO of two publicly held companies. Business Plan Secrets Revealed begins with tips for gathering and organizing the information you'll need. From the beginning, Mike has been focused on overcoming your biggest challenge – bridging the investor confidence gap. In Show Me the Numbers, Mike provides some of the clearest explanations of business financial statements I've ever read If concepts like equity or cash flow statements make your eyes water, then you've come to the rescue. The later chapters of Business Plan Secrets Revealed really deliver on Mike's promise to help you communicate your business plan effectively. Here are complete instructions for writing a business plan, including how to open and read a plan and how to avoid nine common writing mistakes. It explains how choosing the right design can make your business plan easier to read. Mike wraps things up by telling you how to prepare for the critical one-on-one investor contact, including crafting a 60-second pitch and verbal pitch for your business. Tips for finding investors and a resource section complete the book. I have to admit that I asked myself several times while reading, Do I really need that much of a business plan? This is not a fill-in-the-blanks and print-out business plan solution. But then I realized - if I'm serious about being successful, then I need to know as much as possible about my business in advance. Before I started spending money. Before I hit the market. By the way, I went through the whole book. And I confirmed that Mike delivers what he promises on the front page: he will teach you how to quickly gather evidence, build a case for your business, and write an understandable plan that will attract investors and make your business the most attractive investment option. Even if you already own other business planning resources, I highly recommend Business Plan Secrets Revealed.