Business Plan Wizards

A wizard-based business plan application uses rules and logic to guide you through the development of a business plan. Usually wizard-based software includes everything you need to develop a plan. However, check the requirements closely, since some will still require third-party software, most commonly MS Word and Excel.

The wizard approach will be easier to use than a template-based system if you have little familiarity using a spreadsheet. All you need do is follow the steps to create your plan.

See if you can export the business plan created by the wizard into another application. This can help if you want to tweak the look of the plan before you distribute it. For example, you may want to include some graphics for eye candy, such as a company logo or photographs of products.

Example: Venture Planning System Pro from Advantage Venture Systems (vpspro.com) is an Internet-based service which requires nothing more than a Web browser and the free Adobe PDF reader for reports. There is a 10-day free trial of the service available, but you cannot print reports during the free trial.

A six-month subscription to the service, which permits creation of one business plan, costs $49.95. The service limits financial projections to just three years, which may be a little too short for some businesses which have larger investment requirements. Optional extra-cost services, including tele-coaching, are available.