Everything you need to know about preparing and writing a business plan. To get any new business idea off the ground you must have a plan- and if you need to raise finance to fund the business or get the approval of senior management, it must be a convincing plan. This comprehensive guide covers every aspect of preparing a business plan: * how you analyse the market, customers and competitors, and the business environment* how you model the business and prepare the financial statements* how you examine and explain strategic options* the analysis of risk and the assessment of both the upside and potential downside* funding issues* the all-important executive summary - often the only part of a business plan that is read* how you use a business plan to help put your plans into practice and to monitor and measure the performance of the business.