How to Write a Winning Business Plan

The founder of 18-employee Seahorse Power details the process behind the company's award-winning business plan—and uses an annotated version of it to offer advice

Where Big Ideas Win Big Bucks

Business plan competitions are raising their profiles with bigger cash prizes, and some even throw in office space and site hosting

Building a Better Business Plan

By all means try to communicate something of your personality, if it's important to your startup, but don't skimp on hard data

How to Win a B-School Competition

As business-plan contests proliferate, the competition is getting stiffer. Here are some tips to grab, and hold, the judges' attention

Begin with the End in Mind

A reader asks: "Once I do get started, do I really need a formal business plan?" Our guest expert offers her answer

The Right Business Plan for the Job

When entrepreneurs seek funding for a new venture, potential investors often want to see a business plan. The question is: What kind?

Impress Potential Investors in 12 Steps

To convince investors to fund your business, you'll need to address their chief concerns. Here's how to craft a presentation to do just that

Before You Write a Business Plan

First, you need to test your product or service with potential customers, and define your business model

Slide Show: The Best Business Plan Tools

We asked 10 startup gurus to each name a favorite resource, excluding their own books or Web sites, to help readers create a winning business plan

Tip Sheet: The 10 Biggest Business Plan Mistakes

Former venture capitalist and angel investor Christine Comaford-Lynch explains where many entrepreneurs go wrong

Video: What the Business Plan Expert Knows

Dave Lavinsky, co-founder of business plan developer Growthink, has helped write over 1,000 business plans. He describes common misconceptions and what potential investors want to see