Business plans are for more than just getting your startup off the ground. A good one helps keep established businesses running smoothly and focused on their mission. We test ten of the top business plan software packages to help you get your plan in order.
Business plans have a lot of elements, some of which won’t occur to someone who hasn’t written one before. Ideally, the business planning software solution will walk you through each section that is appropriate for your class of business, ensuring you answer all of the relevant questions. These solutions may prompt you to respond to issues that you might not have thought to address. These business plan software solutions must be relevant for everyone, from a solo entrepreneur trying to open a retail quilt shop to an established manufacturing company aiming to fund a new factory. To judge suitability to task, I used data from two real business plans: a New Jersey restaurant start-up and a nine-year-old horror film festival. I also measured the software against the business plan I once wrote with the help of professional advisors (back when I sought significant VC) .
