Recent Articles Published by Tim Berry
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 »
How to Write the Competition Section of Your Business Plan
No matter how new your business, you do have competition. If you say you don’t have competition, your audience is rolling its collective eyes and dismissing you as naive. So, how do you evaluate your competition and present this information to your team and to outsiders? Read more »
How to Use the Competitive Matrix to Explain Your Position in the Market
Take the time to create a competitive matrix and you'll reap the rewards. It will help you figure out strategy, your positioning in the market, and it's a great, visual mainstay for pitch presenations—investors love it! Here's how to use it. Read more »
3 Things to Look for When Hiring a Business Plan Writer
Because a business plan is not a one-time task—it’s an ongoing practice—it's best to write and maintain your business plan in-house. However, if you'd still like to outsource the writing, here's how to do it and avoid the mistakes others make. Read more »
How to Write a Business Plan for an Artist’s Business
Similar to a professional, like a bookkeeper or consultant, artists are faced with the idea of doing what they love, in conjunction with a plan. Read more »
Use Milestones and Metrics to Turn Planning into Business GPS
I often use steering as a metaphor for business planning. Even when you have a steady highway, steering takes attention and constant small corrections. So too will running your own business, or starting a new one. Read more »
How to Make People Care About Your Business Plan
Your business plan should clearly articulate the problem that your business solves. But, don't just describe the problem and solution. Make people care. Read more »
Tim Berry Advises Aspiring Business Owners on What to Do When Your Plan Gets Rejected
Your plan just got rejected. Welcome to the club. Reality check: You’re the rule, not the exception. So, how do you bounce back? Read more »
5 Invaluable Lessons Angel Investors Can Teach You
Angel investors can teach you a lot about money; whether or not you’re seeking funding from them, they're people worth listening to. Read more »
