"The One Page Business Plan does something outrageous! It causes very busy people to stop and think. ‘As they start to write, it confirms both their clarity {and their confusion’ Jim Horan President The One Page Business Plan CompanyWARNING ~ DISCLAIMER ‘This book was designed to provide information in regord tothe subject mater Covered. Teis not te purpose ofthis manual to reprint al ofthe Information ‘vaiable tothe autnor/publiener But fo complement, amplify and stpplement ‘ther soures. Use of The One Page Business Plan® does natn any way guarantee the ‘Success ofan idea er organization, nor does t ensure that Rnancng wll be made avalabe. When legal or expar assistance is required, the services of @ ‘competent professional should be sought “The author/publisher shall have neither lablity nex responsibilty to any person brent wit respect to an loss or damage caused, oF alleged to be caused, Gireciy or indirectly by the Information contlned in tis book, 1¥ you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return this book to the publicher for 2 full refund. ‘THE ONE PAGE BUSINESS PLAN - PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT EDITION Copyright © 2006, The One Fage Business Plan Company, Al ights reserved ‘The One Page and The One Page Business Plan are resistered tracemarks. No part ofthis book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without lurtien permission except inthe cace of bre! quctatons ambodied in articles and Published by: ‘The One Page Business Plan Company 1796 Fi street Berkeley, CA 94710 Phone: (S10) 705-8400 Fax (S10) 705-6403 ‘ww onepagebusinenspan.com ISBN-13: 978-1-891315-04-6 ISBN-1D: 1-891315-088 Book Design by: Melodie Leiich (Cover design by: im Mecraigh Eated by: Rebeca Salome Proofed by: Lynne MeDonald Printed inthe United States of AmericaThe One Page Business Plan® The Fastest, Easiest Way to Write a Business Plan! By Jim Horan Professional Consultant EditionForeword ‘what the world’s leading author of business best-sellers | is saying about The One Page Business Plan®... “The One Page Business Plan is an out-and-out winner. Perlod It makes great sense to me as a so-called business thinker. But the ‘acid test was applying it to a start-up I co-founded, We spent several {ays drafting our one pager ~ and have been editing t ever since. Tt 's 2 powerful, living document; the very nature of which has led us to important new insights. The One Page Business Plan = Tom Peters ‘author of Leadership, Resimagine!, In Search of Excellence, Thriving on Chaos, The Pursuit of Wow!, ne proverbiel better mouse trap!” land The Circle of Innovation |What Others Are Saying ‘The One Page Business Pian® takes a complex process and makes it simple! “This i a friendly, but no nonsense aparaach to business planning that got me over my reluctance to write ‘business plan. This process got me to think out ofthe Box! Ad to actually get my plan written! One Page Plans rock! ‘Kendall Moalem, Kendall Moslem Ds 9 & Consulting ‘As business ovner and consutant, I've had a number of business plans but none of them were effective,” Having all the essentials of our plan on one page helped get me and my consulting partners get and stay on track! Norman Kurtin, Master Instructional Designer, Re: Mind 1 hod been wring the same goals and visions for my business over and over. What I wrate in March, 1 twrote im June, and again n September Aftar I heard im speak, 1 wrote my one page plan, 1 now choose ‘my opportunities more wisely and waste less time because I have my plan in place, Linda Pollock, Professional Organizer ‘The One Page Business Pan truly helps the prospective entrepreneur or existing business ower get focused and clear on one page, When they are clear on one page. they have a much beter chance for success! As a consultant I now have @ One Page Plan, and Tam much mare focused and cee. Greg Garrett, Consultant & Program Manager, One Stop Capital Sh [hs easy fora stockbroker to get wrapped up inthe market and lose perspective that you are in business for yourself. In order to be succesful forthe Jong run, one must ave a plan and The One Page Business Plan is a great too Ralph Miljanich, Sr. Financial Advisor/Consultant, Vice President, Morgan Stanley, Tne. “The One Poge Business Pan isthe business plan for independent professionals. It de-mystiies business Planning 3 that the average business professional can actually wite a business plan that makes sense! Rebecca Salome, Entrepreneurial Authors sims presentation on The One Page Business Plan wos absolutely enlightening! I finally realized that a5 2 therapist, 1am an entrepreneur and a business owner. T now have a business plan thats helping me build my practice Mia Selaverry, MECC 1 quichy glanced at The One Page Business Plan format and knew it vias what f was looking for, Within @ couple of hours, had my frst dra. Now I nave a business plan that 1 really understand. [Norman Meshriy, Career Insights, author of "Outside the Cubicle "ve written the fong business plans mere than ance and they sat gathering dust. They were to involved twhelp me stay ontrack, The One Page Business Plan makes planning dosble, Nexible, and usable Elaine Groen R.0., Nutrition Source 1 recommend The One Fage Business Plan to anyone wanting to trae themselves from the fear anc terror tf writing @ business plan. Jin’: book t totally user-friendly, highly effin, and best of al fun dan St. John, Founder of 24st Century Radio Production ‘consi eDrTTON PAGESred a ead Ee eee Ud make it work.” ara Master ArchitectAuthor's Note Mest kaly you have ® one person consuting practic. tis 2 simple business. ‘This book was rested for your ‘The problem with most planning processes is thet they are toe complex. and they take too long Tes hiahly likey you have attempted many times to {Greate @ business plan ether from Scratch or using planning software... and ‘are now more frustrated than ever because you do not have a simple plan for ‘yur consulting pace. ‘You need a simple structure and process for capturing your thought... about your business. We ae going to help yeu! ‘The One Page Business Plan® was created in 1994 for people lke you. Many lof my early clients were proprietors af know-how. They were consultants, coaches, therapists, educators, ainers, attorneys, CPAS, business process ‘experts ete! They all had lats of great ideas! So many. they were in fact paralyzed, They wanted to gat the ideas organized, priaiized and actionable. They knew they could not db everything they wanted t.. all at ‘once! They needed! @ simple pn. {In this book 1 am not going to preach onthe benef of planning. You already know them.. ou preach them to your clients, Infact, you probably fell some form of planning services on a regular basis. We are going to help you wate a clear, concise plan... simply and easy “This book has been streamlined for consultants. Ils absolutely the fastest, easiest way to create a plan fora consuting practice. Using the One Page Plan methodology, you Go net have to start witha blank page. We have ‘created templates onc examples that ree the iatest inking ond practical application of te best practices inthe Industry. We think we have done a lot ofthe nard work for you. We are gla tobe with you on this journey. By the way, yes T'do have a One Page Flan! They say we teach what we need to learn. T have been 2 full-time student of this process for twelve Years. It continues to confirm vhatI know and what I don’t know about my bosness. Jim Horan ‘Author, Consultant, Speaker CConsuLraN eDrrton PacesHow to Use This Book and CD The pri 1aFY purpose of this book is to help you get your plan onto paper. Ithas been carefully crafted | to capture the plan that Is in your head. | Carry this book with you, write Int useitasa | ‘container for capturing your thoughts as they occur. If you have multiple businesses, partners or managers, have them get their own copy. It’s not necessary to do all the exercises in this book. 1f you can write your One Page Business Plan by reviewing the samples — skip the exercises, They are there to help guide you through the process if you need help.This book does not look ike the typical business planning book — it isn't intended to ‘The exercises and examples are meant to stimulate you. Te graphics and images are ‘meant fo guide you. If they look playful, be playful and explore. If they look analytical, be ‘nalytical and focused. The examples and samles are fren real business plans. They are ‘meant to shaw you how powerful afew words ora well-costructed phrase can be. ‘De not underestimate the pawer ofthe questions that appear simple! They are simple by design. Ifyou do nat get an “aha” from them, have somebody ask you the questions. Imporeant insights may begin to flow. “This books divded into nine Eections withthe focus on the five elements of The One Page Businass Pan, You can start anywhere. 1US OK to Jurp around ‘There are many diferent ways to use and interact with this book. Exercises can be done: + by ones + with a planning partner (2 or more consultants) ‘as a management team + asa aroun, + with a paid advisor “Tne Congultant's Tool Kit CD a the back ofthe book conta the One Page Business Plan templates, onus exercises, One Page budaet varksheet, lus Scorecards for manitoring and tracking your results. It leo contains several articles on crcl sales and marketng best practices you must ‘master in order f build a successful consulting practice! ‘consucranreprrion pace?Business Plan Myths All business plans are in writing They must be long to be good. Their primary purpose is to obtain financing, I's easier for others to write business plans. You can and should do it by yourself, It takes six months, a significant amount of executive and staff's time, and expensive consultants. If completed, it will sit unused on a bookshelf My practice is too small; business plans are for much bigger organizations. 1 know where I am taking my business; I do not need a written business plan. 1 can just pay for a consultant to write the plan for me; that will be good enough. Let's dispel the myths..Table of Contents Page 11 Page 17 The Vision Statement. Page 24 The Mission Statement . Page 25 The Objectives. Page 29 The Strategies Page 35 The Action Plans, sun Page 45 Assembling & Polishing the Plan.. sample PlansPa) BVISION MH MISSION HB OBJECTIVES I STRATEGIES I ACTIONPLANSIntroduction What is a One Page Business Plan? ‘The One Page Business Plan's an Iovate approach to business planning 3 that eaptutes the essence of any busines, projector prodram on a single Planning is a page using key words and short phrases. ateidenad Most companies use the process to create not only the company’s overall not an event! plan, but ta create a plan for each sipporting department, project and program. Since the creation of The One Page Business Plan in 1994, over 50,000 companies have successfully used the process to bring structure, One Page Plans aigoment and aczountablty to ther organizations. Many of those are living, ‘ompanies were professional services Arms changing, “Te flecible methadology makes it possible for entrepreneurs, business onners, executives, managers and professionals In any organization to each have @plon. The standard format rakes easy to review, compare and Understand plans. evolving documents! (one Page Business Plans work because: + Plans actually get documented + Plans are understandable + Plans are easy to wnt, easy to update ‘Every manager or team has one “The process creates: + Abgnment + pecountablty + ResultsOur Observations, Why One Pase? Why Plan? Why Written Plans? Asking people simple ‘questions... works! ‘The Power isin 5 ‘Key Questions! You are busy; your time Is imited. You want to spend your {ime being bilable. Creating products and vervces, Marketing| fad seling your services. You are action ond results oriented Most of us are nat good at prose writing. takes Eo lng to arte 9 well-wrten sercance, paragraph, page or chapter. And far too lang to read. People zed to be able to read a plan in fbout ve minutes. They want the essence. the Key poms. ‘Ten they want to tale to ask danfying questions, come f agreement. and then tke action Some need to write plans to ost funding. however since fay consulting practices are fundable other thon By friends and family, funding isnot the primary reason consultants tite plang. Most people write plans because thay ether thant or need to achieve diferent or better reste. lane are biueprints: they describe whet is going to be Bul, now wl be done, and by whom, and te resus to be measured, The spoken word is too fd; we have a tendency to ramble. When we speak oe almost never aay # exactly the same way. frequently we forget to share some of the mast important {details or send too much time onthe unimportant ings When we write, we choase our words more careful. Writing takes tne usuelly much more thon talk. The waitlen ward Fequies a higher level af minafulpass and attention to detall The witten word also produces a contract with yourself and ‘thers that cane rereng,refined.a source fr refection and ‘minal change if necestary People love to tak about their business! They can easly ‘newer questions like, wha are You buidng, wnat wil your practoe ook lke in thee years, what Res made your ‘oneulting business successful fo date, what are the cri practice development projects and programs you have Underway oF plannes, hat do you measure to Know If you are fon track. and of course, why does your business exist? Business plan terminolegy Is preblemati. Depending on where you went to schaa, ané the companles/organtzations You have worked forthe terms Vision, Mision, Objectives, Strategies and Plane probably mean something diffrent to ‘you than the person sting nest to you. We have leamea {hat business planning 'defnitions” just don't work. We have ‘efined cur questions over twelve yeors with thousands of ‘business owners. The fve questions we will teach you are Sipe, easy to rememter ana they wil help get Your Business plan out of your head and onto paper: “THE ONE PAGE BUSINESS PLANAbout Planning Processes Starting with a blank page wastes valuable time! can and should write 1a One Page Business Plan! | Everyone on your team Final Thought: Plans are important... Execution is critical! ‘The examples and the fil-in-the-blank prompts are learning ‘aids. designed to help you learn and master the One Page Business Pan technique quleky. We have learned that most ‘people lear by secing examples, so we give you lots of them. “The dreaded “writer's block" can easy be eliminated by the Use of cur proprietary flcn-the-blank templates They make the creation of any partion of your business plan easy. Use the flrin-the-biank templates to quickly capture your thoughts land reste the fst crf. You wl alo fn thatthe extensive list of templates car spark your thinking and make sure that yeu are concerned with your “total” business. ‘The number one asue business owners and executives shore ‘uth fe that they need people to work on the right things. ‘nd achieve specinc results! Parters complain they are not fn the same page! There i a simple soluton: have your partners, associates, strategic allance partner, managers and Dale staff create One Page Business Plans for their businesses, profit centers, departments, projects oF programs. Do not assure they are execating your plan. Hove them create thelr Consulting companies invest n panning because they want fand need resus, Pons ore valuable because they provice the Blueprint for unre yau are tlung your practice and hw you wget there. but lsmately the plans are only as good as the {xecuton. Establish processes such as the scorecard tracking ‘and monthly progress reviews to monitor the implementation ‘ot your plan. PAGE 33Business Plan Terminology is Confusing ‘There are no universally acceotable defitions to the terms Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategles or Pians, How you use these terms depends entirely on what schoo! you went to and what companies you hhave worked for. Many companies never successfully complete ther business plans because they cannot ‘agree on the bosic terminology, We solved the problems! We transated the five standard business plan elements into five simple and universal questichs: Dea Reread Oe ee aes Ge Ree ee a ee ean ae i end Modify the Mission and Strategy questions by replacing the word "business" with department or program: Department Us Program Usat Mission: Why does tis department exist? Mission: Why does this program exist? ‘Strategy How val you build this department? ‘Strategy: How wll you bull this program? pace 14 THE OE PAGE BUSINESS PLAN