Recent Articles Published by Tim Berry
How to Use Your Business Plan to Be a Better Manager
Use your business plan to set milestones, tasks, performance measurements, and numbers to track. Then get the people together once a month (or so) to review results. The outcome? The management "magic" of business planning. Read more »
8 Common Business Plan Mistakes
What are the most common business plan mistakes? While including the necessary items in a business plan is important, you also want to make sure you don’t make any of these common errors. Here's what to avoid. Read more »
How to Develop Your Business Strategy
Business strategy doesn't have to be complex—it's all about assessing the problem, your solution, the market, and your business identity. Here's your guide to easily creating a solid strategy that will help grow your business. Read more »
What Is a Business Plan?
In its simplest form, a business plan is a guide—a roadmap for your business that outlines goals and details how you plan to achieve those goals. Here's what a business plan entails, and how to choose what type is right for your business. Read more »
Strategy Is Useless Without Execution
Strategy is useless without tactics for execution. The plan was brilliant on the whiteboard, but never got to the real world. What happened? Don’t leave that whiteboard without developing key tactics. Read more »
4 Essentials of the Growth-Oriented Business Plan
Strategy in your growth-oriented business plan serves as a reminder of what’s most important. Hint: It's not about what you're doing; it's all about what you're not doing. Read more »
Forecasting Models: What You Need to Know
Forecasting should be a regular part of your process—not something you do once, or once a year. But how do you know if your forecast is reliable? Read more »
SWOT Analysis Examples
Conducting a SWOT analysis on your business? One of the best ways to prepare yourself is to turn to SWOT analysis examples, which can provide both help and inspiration. Read more »
What Is a SWOT Analysis?
Conducting a SWOT analysis of your business will enable you to make a solid strategic plan for your business's growth. Here's how to get started. Read more »
A Standard Business Plan Outline [Updated for 2019]
To make the best impression on banks and investors, your plan should be presented using the standard business plan outline format. This guide gives you an outline to follow and explains what each section should entail. Read more »
How to Write a Mission Statement in 5 Easy Steps
Your company’s mission statement is your opportunity to define your goals, ethics, culture, and norms for decision-making. Here are the steps to writing a great mission statement. Read more »
How to Write an Executive Summary
Your executive summary is the doorway to your business plan—after looking it over, your prospective investor is either going to throw your business plan away, or keep reading. Here's how to write an executive summary that sets your business plan apart. Read more »
The Indirect Cash Flow Method: How to Use It and Why It Matters
By now, you probably know that paying attention to your cash flow is vital to the health of your business. This article looks at an alternative cash flow method, often called the indirect cash flow method. Read more »
What You Really Need to Know About Cash Flow
Cash is the single most important resource in any business—and also one that is frequently misunderstood. Here's what you really need to know about cash flow. Read more »
Top Startup Mistake: Unrealistic Forecasts
A growth forecast works for investors when it’s built on realistic assumptions, laid out transparently. The problem? Most forecasts are unrealistic, overly optimistic, and built without real basis. Here's how to fix that. Read more »
Don’t Want to Plan? Just Do a Sales Forecast
Not interested in writing a business plan? Do a sales forecast instead. With regular review, a sales forecast will prove an invaluable tool to help you manage and grow your business easily. Read more »
How to Write About Sourcing and Fulfillment in Your Business Plan
The sourcing and fulfillment section of your business plan can be confusing. Not only that, but you might be unsure whether or not you really need one in the first place! Here, we make it easy to understand and show you what to include. Read more »
How to Develop a Positioning Statement for the Marketing Section of Your Business Plan
Having a good product or service just isn't enough. With a strong positioning statement, you'll be able to highlight how your business stands out from the crowd. Read more »
How to Tell Your Company’s History in Your Business Plan
Company history in a business plan? It's a good addition to some business plans, but not all. Whether or not you include your company's history in your business plan will depend on your business itself, and who you're writing the plan for. Read more »
How and Where to Write About Technology in Your Business Plan
Often, a business plan introduces a new technology that requires some explaining. However, you don't want to run the risk of including too much, and turning investors off. Here's how to fill everyone in, without overloading them with information. Read more »
