i hope to document with some clarity my exploration of starting a business from the initial step of writing a business plan, to research and finding investors, to implementation and creation and finally to functioning business. and here is where it shall start, Day 1 - initial exploration.
things to do today:
- start finding out what it takes to write a business plan / check
- purchase a good notebook in which to sketch out my idea in detail
taking a look around that website, there are many useful things there. the first thing i noticed was the origination of the site - the US government. i suppose there really is no better place to start than the SBA, since i'll have to work with it eventually, regardless. the second thing i noticed is the general description/outline for business plans. the third thing is the link to a large number of sample business plans.
looking ahead, i can tell this will be a very educational experience for me, even if it fails utterly. i know, for example, that i know very little about money management on a large scale (and some would argue that i know very little about it on a very small scale as well, including myself). i also know that a problem will arise on the more trivial matter of incorporating graphs into the business plan, as what i have right now is concept and implementation ideas and not so much in the way of financial ideas/knowledge. where will i break down the budget? how much will things cost?
also, on a conceptual note relating to research, i don't know if film studios maintain archives of call sheets and whatnot, but i'll need to find out sooner rather than later.
regardless, these are issues for the future. today and for the next week and a half at minimum, i imagine i'm going to be focusing on merely the basic structure of my business plan and not the technicalities.
here's to that.
oh, and as a last minute thought, i think i should add that at this moment my posts regarding my business idea will be purposefully vague. when i finish my business plan, i will most likely give a full account of what the idea actually is.
Posted by iain at September 13, 2005 03:59 PMI wish you luck, business plans are not easy! I had to do one before but I never really completed it. That was difficult because it was a business within the business and I couldn't get any input from the actual "owners" what they wanted.
Feel free to holler my way if you want. Finances are my world, it's the capricorn in me. ;)
Why do you have to create and actual business plan? For grants and things?
Posted by: Elizabeth at September 14, 2005 01:27 PMOh my god, I just said holler. I am in shock. I've been hanging out in Indiana (and probably Megan!) to long!!
Posted by: Elizabeth at September 14, 2005 01:29 PMi will probably take you up on that offer at some point. i think i might actually focus on the financial aspects first, since i imagine that will be the most difficult part.
Posted by: iain at September 14, 2005 01:53 PM