Cash Flow 101: Building a Cash Flow Statement
By Anna Eschenburg
To stay on top of your cash flow, you'll need to build a cash flow statement. It's easier than it sounds, and we'll walk you through the process here. Read more »
How to Land a $5m Investment by Getting Product-Market Fit
By Amir Emadi
You’ll notice I don’t have to tell you about our product for you to understand the impact it has on the world. I don’t have to tell you the inner workings of our technology or that it’s patented. Instead, what you read is how to communicate product-market fit. Read more »
The 11 Slides You Need to Have in Your Pitch Deck [Updated for 2020]
By Noah Parsons
An impressive pitch deck is a key part of your fundraising toolkit. Use this detailed guide to figure out exactly what you need to include in your pitch deck to get the attention of investors. Read more »
How to Write a Business Plan [Updated for 2020]
By Noah Parsons
Everything you need to know about how to write a business plan, from the executive summary to appendix. Start writing your business plan today. Read more »
How Starting a Podcast Can Benefit Small Businesses
By Drew Gula
It’s clear that podcasting is here to stay. And as someone looking to start and grow a company, you can use a podcast to establish your brand, make important connections, and grow your audience. Read more »
Do This One Thing Before You Write Your Business Plan
By Noah Parsons
I’m going to walk you through an easier way to get your business plan started, and show you how to develop a winning strategy. We call it the One Page Pitch. Read more »
85 Essential Startup Resources You Should Know About
By Noah Parsons
These are the tools that we know, love, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend—many of them we use ourselves. Use them to propel your startup into success and growth. Read more »
How to Finance Your Startup: Advice from 10 Entrepreneurs
By Scott Gerber
One of the most important decisions a new business owner can make is how they're going to finance their venture. To help you better understand your choices — and learn how others have tackled the challenge — we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members the following questions: Read more »
8 Ways to Build a Great Brand
By Madeline Pratt
Because businesses that are remembered for something more than just the things they sell are the ones that take the time to craft that story into something that their customers truly connect with. They become more than just a business; having a story makes them a brand. Read more »
5 Reasons Attending Trade Shows Can Be Valuable for Small Businesses
By Matt Shealy
Attending trade shows might sound like something only large companies or multinational enterprises can pull off. But in fact, it can be a cost-effective way to build your small business quickly. Read more »
12 Ways to Stay on Top of Your Business Finances
By Scott Gerber
However, it can be difficult to find room on your to-do list for this tedious but important task. To find out more about how actual business owners approach monitoring their financials, we asked Young Entrepreneur Council members this question: Read more »
Celebrate National Write a Business Plan Month in December
By Kateri Kosta
Did you know that December is National Write a Business Plan Month? It’s not too late to cross writing your business plan off your list before the new year! Read more »
How Long Should a Business Plan Be?
By Tim Berry
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 »
Franchising: 7 things you may not know
By Cian Murray
Here are just seven things you might not know about the franchising world; from the brands that are currently sitting at the top, to the experience an entrepreneur will need to run one of these businesses. Read more »
6 Brand Must-Haves for Your Small Businesses
By Madeline Pratt
While there are many different ways a brand can stand, there are six essential things that every business should have in order to achieve success in their space. Read more »
Ignore Elon Musk’s Bad Advice on Market Research
By Nina Bamberger
While Musk is known for his fresh take on traditional approaches to business, his aversion to the hard cold facts of market research still came as a big surprise. Read more »
Mission statements: a strategic business communication tool
By Chuck Bamford
Missions statements tend to fall into one of five categories based on both the senior management’s goals and the employees’ reaction. These include: Read more »
Bplans How-to Videos
By Bplans Glossary
Explore Bplans' gallery of how-to videos to help you start writing your business plan. Read more »
Small Business Saturday: How to Jump-Start Your Holiday Sales
By Quint Studer
There are some small, high-impact things you can do to connect with new customers on Small Business Saturday and also shore up your relationship with your regulars. All in service of jump-starting your annual holiday sales, and laying the groundwork for the new year. Here are a few tips you may want to try: Read more »
3 Key Business Plan Components That Forever 21 Fatally Missed
By Nina Bamberger
The fashion retailer that recently filed for bankruptcy has an interesting history that reveals a flawed business plan. The three components that Forever 21 overlooked are essential to the success of your business. Read more »
