So you want to know something you don’t know. Here’s one way to find out.
Get on the phone. Think of somebody to call first. Come on, you can think of somebody. Somebody who might have some idea. No ideas at all? Then call up the local Small Business Development Center, if you have one near you, or the equivalent development agency, if you’re not in the United States. Or call a local bank and ask for somebody who works with business loans. Call the nearest business school. Call your cousin who owns her own business. Call somebody. 
Unless you’re really lucky, that first person won’t have the answers you need. Don’t worry. Ask her whom she knows who might know.
Every person you call, you ask who else might know.
Eventually, you’ll find out as much as you’re going to. It’s not magic. You may not get to know everything about every subject. Particularly with business planning, even after a long search, sometimes you still have to guess.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and Bplans.com. Follow him on Twitter @Timberry.
