Recent Articles Published by Tim Berry
How Long Should a Business Plan Be?
Don’t make your business plan longer than necessary; think about the reason you’re writing the plan in the first place. If you want to revise it regularly, the shorter it is, the more manageable it will be. Read more »
Tools and Resources to Help You Write Your Business Plan
Working on writing your business plan and looking for some tools or resources to make it easier? You don’t have to start from zero or reinvent any wheels. Here are some tools and resources that can help. Read more »
How to Write About Sourcing and Fulfillment in Your Business Plan
The sourcing and fulfillment section of your business plan explains how you build that product. Here's why this section matters, and how to write it. Read more »
How to Land Funding From Angel Investors
If you're starting a business with high-growth potential, finding investment may be an important item on your to do list. Here's how to find angel investors. Read more »
Ask Yourself These 5 Things Before You Seek Angel Investment
Not all businesses are good candidates for angel investment. If you're wondering how to get angel investment, ask yourself these 5 questions first. Read more »
10 Tips for Finding Outside Investors for Your Business
Do you know how to get outside funding? Here are 10 tips to maximize your chances of success and figure out what kind of funding is best for your business. Read more »
Why Bootstrapping Might Be the Best Way to Fund Your Startup
Most startup funding resources focus on getting investment or loans—but the reality is that the majority of startups are bootstrapped. Here's what bootstrapping looks like, why it's a good thing for startups, and where the money actually comes from. Read more »
Is Cash or Accrual Accounting Best for Small Businesses?
Would you rather keep track with records in your books, or just in your head? That, in a nutshell, is the difference between cash-basis and accrual accounting. Here's an overview of cash accounting and accrual accounting, to help you decide which is best for your business. Read more »
Why SWOT Analysis Belongs in Your Business Plan
Why add SWOT analysis into your business plan and the strategic planning process? The SWOT phase was vital to the planning process for Palo Alto Software, and helped the company grow from zero to over $5 million in annual sales. Here's how SWOT analysis helped PAS scale, and how to add SWOT analysis to your planning process. Read more »
5 Things Startups Can Learn From Angel Investors
Angel investors can teach you a lot about what it takes to start a successful business. Whether you're seeking angel investment or just looking to grow a better, stronger business, they're people worth listening to—and here's their best advice for startups. Read more »
10 Things I Hated About Your Business Pitch
Business planning expert Tim Berry has over 20 years of hearing business pitches as a judge of business plan competitions and as an angel investor. Here are the things he hates to see in a business pitch, so you can avoid making these key mistakes. Read more »
Industry Analysis: Know Your Industry Before You Start Your Business
You need to know the industry you're starting a business in and the kind of business you want to start before you begin. Plus, if you're writing a business plan to present to outsiders, you'll need to explain the type of business you're in. Here's how to get to know your industry by conducting industry analysis. Read more »
How to Create an Expense Budget
Being right on budget is usually a good thing, but good management involves regularly reviewing your budget to check on the timing, efficiency, and results of what your business spends. Read more »
How to Define Your Target Market
One of the most powerful tools of small business marketing strategy is defining and addressing your target market—the audience that you think is most likely to buy your product or service. Here's how to define your target market for your business. Read more »
Start With an Initial Assessment
Start the business planning process with a quick initial assessment. Even for an ongoing business, take the time to step away from the business and assess your business opportunity. Read more »
Should You Stick to the Business Plan or Change It?
One of the hardest parts of business planning is answering this question: Do we stick to the business plan, or do we change it? Here's how to decide if you should stay the course, or revise your business plan. Read more »
The Different Types of Business Plans
Business plans go by many names: Strategic plans, operational plans, internal plans, and many others. Here's a rundown of the different types of business plans, so you can decide which one is right for you. Read more »
A Simpler Plan for Startups
What kind of business plan do you need? It depends on the size of your business, and what you're using the business plan for. Here's how to determine what kind of business plan is right for your startup. Read more »
How to Develop a Market Analysis for Your Business Plan
The sales and marketing section of the standard business plan includes three parts—the market analysis, the marketing plan, and the sales plan. Keep it short and simple—just big enough to cover your actual business need. Here's how to develop your market analysis for your business plan. Read more »
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 »
