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plan. In his ebook, “Business Plan Secrets Revealed,” Mike Elia walks
you through the business plan process step-by-step: from gathering the
evidence you’ll use to build your plan to delivering your plan to
qualified investors.
His book provides the basic information you need to write a business
plan. But its real focus is revealing how to communicate your plan to
investors and convince them that your business is their best investment
choice.
When I first opened Business Plan Secrets Revealed, my heart sank. You
see, I had promised Mike I would read his book completely before writing
a review. And Business Plan Secrets Revealed is no ordinary ebook with
one sentence paragraphs, large fonts and hefty margins. It’s crammed
full of information!
But as I began to read, I was pleasantly surprised. Mike’s writing style
is engaging and practical, and his explanations simplify difficult
concepts. Throughout the book, I felt as though a friend was sitting
with me on the back porch, matter-of-factly explaining exactly how to do
something. It’s the kind of simple practicality that you can achieve
only when you fully understand a subject.
Mike’s clear understanding of business planning concepts results from
experience spanning more than 20 years. Mike helps business owners buy,
sell and finance their businesses. He has overseen manufacturing and
sales locations in more than nine countries. He is a CPA, holds a
Masters in Business Administration, and has served as Chief Financial
Officer of two publicly held companies.
Business Plan Secrets Revealed starts with tips for collecting and
organizing the information you’ll need. From the beginning, Mike
concentrates on overcoming your biggest single challenge–bridging the
investor confidence gap. In the chapter “Show Me the Numbers,” Mike
provides some of the clearest explanations of business financial
statements that I’ve ever read If concepts like stockholders’ equity or
statements of cash flow make your eyes glaze over, then your salvation
has arrived.
Later chapters of Business Plan Secrets Revealed really deliver on
Mike’s promise to help you communicate your business plan effectively.
There are complete instructions on writing your business plan, including
how to get your plan opened and read, and how to avoid nine common
writing mistakes. He explains how choosing the right design can make
your business plan easier to read. Mike wraps things up by telling you
how to prepare for critical face-to-face time with investors, including
developing a 60-second, to-the-point, verbal pitch for your business.
Tips on finding investors and a resources section complete the book.
I must admit that several times as I was reading, I would ask myself,
“Do I really need this much business plan?” This is not a
fill-in-the-blanks-and-print-it-out business plan solution. But then I
realized–if I’m serious about succeeding, then I do need to know as much
as possible about my business up front. Before I’ve started spending
money. Before I put myself on the line out in the market.
By the way, I did make it through the whole book. And I confirmed that
Mike delivers what he promises on the title page: he teaches you how to
quickly gather evidence, build a case for your business, and write a
readable plan that attracts investors and makes your business the most
appealing investment choice. Even if you already own other business
planning resources, I highly recommend Business Plan Secrets Revealed
