|
|
|
7 Essential Elements of Leading Change
In my practice as an organizational effectiveness consultant, the most frequent phone call I receive involves clients and prospective clients asking how to overcome resistance to change in their organizations.
Throughout my book, Strategic...
Business Growth Through Strategic Merger and Acquisition
Successful growing companies usually grow through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. For purposes of this article, a strategic acquisition is defined as an acquisition where the result of the combination is far greater than...
Business Plans- What Consultants Don’t tell You!
Copyright 2005 Empower Business Solutions Do you have a Business Plan? Congratulations, but you are in a small minority. And if you have a plan, is it integral to your business, and instrumental to its growth? If the answer to this question is yes,...
Useful Tips for Evaluating Your Meeting Venue Options
However, large or small the meeting, location is key. Your environment, formal or informal, helps set the necessary mood and ambiance for the meeting to take place. Think about choosing a comfortable, yet stimulating environment that encourages...
When and Where the Affluent Shop for December Holiday Gifts
The majority of the affluent will do most of their shopping for
holiday gifts during the first two weeks of December, and
traditional department stores will be the most important source
of gifts, based on dollars spent, according to a recent...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
How to Use Graphs and Charts in Your Business Plan
I often hear the question, “how many graphs or charts should I have in my business plan?” As with most other business planning questions, the answer is “it depends.” This article discusses the key factors influencing the number of graphs and charts to include in your business plan.
To begin, the key point to consider in developing your business plan is the time restraints of your audience. If your audience is a retired angel investor, he may have few obligations and can spend an hour reviewing your business plan. However, the more likely scenario is that a venture capitalist, corporate investor or loan officer will review your plan while sitting at a desk topped with fifty other business plans. As such, it is critical that your plan conveys its key points quickly and easily – this is where graphs or charts come in.
In determining whether to use a graph or chart, consider the old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The point here is that the picture should save a thousand words. That is, the graph or chart should supplement the text; it should not be explained ad naseum in the text, or that defeats its purpose. Likewise, the graph or chart must be relevant and support the text, rather than detract from it.
In addition to respecting the time constraints of the audience, the business plan must respect the audience’s energy level. That is, after reading seven business plans, an investor is likely to skip a page with 400 words of straight text. Even if no charts are applicable to support
the page, Growthink suggests using appropriate spacing and/or callout boxes (e.g., key text phrases highlighted in boxes) to make the page more readable.
Finally, if the business plan is only being presented to a single or a small number of investors, the amount of graphs and charts should reflect the wants, needs and sophistication of those few readers. For instance, if the plan is being presented only to strategic investors who understand the market, graphs can be used to convey information for which these investors may already have background knowledge.
Conversely, always keep in mind that the plan is not a slide presentation, and too many graphs and charts may position the company as one that is too lazy to complete the process of developing a formal business plan.
To summarize, the amount of charts and graphs used in the business plan must reflect the audience for the plan; an audience that is usually time and energy constrained. The charts and graphs must complement the text, enable the audience to quickly and easily digest the information, and as always, interest the audience in taking the next step (e.g., scheduling an in-person meeting) in the investment process.
About the Author
As President of Growthink, Dave Lavinsky leads a company that develops strategic business plans, conducts market research, and builds financial models for growing ventures. To date, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans for clients who have raised over $750 million in venture capital.
|
|
|
|
|
| Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations) |
| Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation. ... First, a Point About For-Profit and Nonprofit Strategic Planning ... |
| www.managementhelp.org |
|
| Basic Description of Strategic Planning (including key terms to know) |
| Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation. ... Strategic planning often includes use of several key terms. ... |
| www.managementhelp.org |
|
| Strategic Planning, Strategic Plan, Business Strategy, Strategic ... |
| Strategic planning advice with free strategic planner & sample strategic plan covering mission statement, SWOT analysis with business plan software for cash ... |
| www.planware.org |
|
| Strategic Planning |
| FAQs regarding strategic planning - geared primarily toward non-profit organizations but with enough detail and general information to provide useful ... |
| www.allianceonline.org |
|
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Strategic Planning · Fundraising · Financial Management · Risk Management · Credit Card Acceptance. The FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) listed on this ... |
| www.allianceonline.org |
|
| Strategic planning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Strategic planning involves defining objectives and developing ... Strategic planning uses "the big picture" to pursue large scale, long term objectives. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| 08/26/96 STRATEGIC PLANNING |
| You guessed it: strategic planning. Suddenly, the idea of rising above the ... But if strategic planning is back with a vengeance, it's also back with a ... |
| www.businessweek.com |
|
| Dr. Strategy - Dr. Pete Johnson, Keynote Speaker, Marketing ... |
| StrategicPlanning.com “Turning Change Into A Competitive Advantage”. Dr. Pete's Preview Video Click Here. Take-Away Value Sample Program Handouts ... |
| strategicplanning.com |
|
| Strategic Planning Society: Strategy Development and Implementation |
| Strategic Planning Society: Strategy Development and Implementation. |
| www.sps.org.uk |
|
| Guide 7 |
| Strategic Planning in Smaller Nonprofit Organizations ... In short, as a result of a strategic planning process, an organization will have a clearer idea of ... |
| www.wmich.edu |
|
| STRATEGIC PLANNING MANUAL |
| File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML |
| Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google recommends visiting our text version of this document. |
|
| BPubs.com: Strategic Planning & Business Planning Articles |
| Business Publications related to Corporate Strategic Planning. |
| www.bpubs.com |
|
| Strategic Planning Tools |
| Strategic Planning is a method for positioning an organization to take ... A strategic planning process incorporates an in-depth planning model that takes ... |
| www.nsba.org |
|
| Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. |
| The Center for Simplified Strategic Planning offers training, seminars, consulting, speakers, workshops, a book and a newsletter on strategic management for ... |
| www.cssp.com |
|
| LEADERSHIP: Strategic Planning and Strategic Management |
| Introduction: Is strategic planning really worth it? ... The purpose of strategic planning is to encourage thinking about your organization's "big ... |
| vskn.ca |
|
| The CEO Refresher Archives - Strategic Planning |
| When done right, the integrated strategic planning process can take a ... Strategic Planning and Project Management: The Key to Successful Implementation ... |
| www.refresher.com |
|
| HEFCE : Publications : 2000 : 00/24 - Strategic planning in higher ... |
| This guide reviews good practice in strategic planning in higher education (HE). It originated in a consultation exercise which we held in 1998 to review ... |
| www.hefce.ac.uk |
|
| The Association for Strategic Planning |
| The Association for Strategic Planning (ASP), is a non-profit professional society whose mission is to enable people and organizations to succeed through ... |
| www.strategyplus.org |
|
| Amazon.com: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A ... |
| Amazon.com: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook: Books: Michael Allison,Jude Kaye by Michael Allison,Jude Kaye. |
| www.amazon.com |
|
| Amazon.com: Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for ... |
| Amazon.com: Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast!: Books: Robert W. Bradford,Robert W. Bradford,J. Peter ... |
| www.amazon.com |
|
|