AllBusiness.com
Business Plans Made Easy with 'Business Plan Assist'

Business Plans Made Easy with 'Business Plan Assist'

Business PlanningStarting a BusinessLegacy

Creating a business plan is critical to the success of your small business. Survey results conducted by Palo Alto Software show that companies that complete business plans are twice as likely to successfully grow their business, gain investment capital, or secure loans. Although we now know that a business plan will significantly help your business, finding the time to finish, update, or even start a business plan can be a challenge. Understanding that time can be very limited for small business owners, SCORE recently launched the Business Plan Assist program.

The Business Plan Assist program allows for current, new, and even potential business owners to have the opportunity to work with a SCORE mentor from the convenience of their computer or in-person at more than 320 chapter locations across the country. With experts in over 20 business industries, SCORE will connect you with the right mentor for your small business. In addition to the convenience of getting expert advice via email, the program will connect you with a mentor within 48-hours of submitting a request.

Cassie Green, owner of Green Grocer Chicago and a SCORE client, says getting help with her business plan from her SCORE mentors has made a real impact on the success of her business. She says, “My mentors helped me create a road map for my business and [helped me] see that I was approaching it from the wrong direction.”

Along with email mentoring to assist with business plans, Business Plan Assist includes other convenient and unique ways business owners can receive additional help online including:

  • Webinar: A live Q&A webinar will address common business planning questions
  • Tweetchat: A live 1-hour session featuring the knowledge of an expert in small business planning
  • Supplemental online resources: SCORE offers business planning templates, tools and other resources to help guide owners in the right direction

Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software says, “The bottom line is that completing a plan correlated with increased success in every one of the business objectives that came up in the study.”

The Business Plan Assist program seeks to help small business owners increase the success of their business through quick, fast and efficient guidance from mentors with extensive experience in small business planning and strategy.

Get started today; get assistance with your business plan here!

Profile: Ken Yancey

W. Kenneth Yancey, Jr., is the former CEO of the SCORE Association. During his tenure with SCORE, Mr. Yancey was responsible for developing SCORE into one of the most efficient, effective job creation and business formation engines in the nation. Prior to joining SCORE, Yancey served as Executive Director for the National Business Association. He is recognized as one of the nation's leading advocates for small business and represented SCORE nationally before the media, industry leaders, and in Congressional testimony. He speaks across the country on the topics of entrepreneurship and small business trends and serves as a member of the HuffPost Small Business Board of Directors.