Many readers contact me every week, asking for help with their business planning and marketing processes. I get regular requests for marketing plan samples, business plan templates and other "cheat-sheet" documents. I understand what it's like to be strapped for time and overwhelmed by the process, so I always try to help. Plus, business plans and marketing plans may be two of the most powerful documents you will ever prepare for your business, so I certainly understand why they are hot topics.
The problem with sample documents or pre-filled templates, though, is that they aren't universal. Sure, you could modify some of the information, but unless you're willing to do the research and the legwork to really make those sample plans relevant for your business, they are very limited in their usefulness. They may even hurt your planning process and contribute to you missing key information.
That's why I created a marketing plan tutorial and a streamlined (and less stressful) business plan tutorial. These step-by-step guides will help you create your own plans, based on the information that is most important to your business. These are the kinds of documents that will grow with your business and become your most important tools that you use on a daily basis.
So, I urge you to ditch the marketing plan samples and business plan templates, and put some time into these tutorials. I streamlined and broke down the process into easy-to-follow steps so you can create your own documents that will become blueprints for your small business.
Business Planning and Marketing Tutorials:
- How to Write a Small Business Marketing Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Write a Simple Business Plan
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