Business Planning
Is direct to consumer the best strategy?
Direct to consumer distribution will not work for all companies, but for those it does it means they do not need to add the cost of intermediaries like wholesalers and retailers.
Business Planning
Should I offer new customers a better deal?
Many businesses try to attract new customers by offering them a better deal. Is this a good idea? The strategy works on the assumption that most existing customers will not invest the time to continuously check for better deals. There is also a degree of friction in switching some products and services, Read more…
Business Planning
Who uses a Business Plan?
This is our response to a recent Quota question that we thought readers of our blog might find helpful. Two groups that particularly benefit from a business plan are: Those setting the strategic direction of the business, whether that be the owners, partners or board of directors. Stakeholders who invest or make Read more…
Business Planning
What is a Business Pivot?
As the developer of www.businessplanquickbuilder.com, I am often asked about the reasons for business pivots. Here is our response to a recent question on Quota. A business pivot, is where change is made in the strategy and direction of the business. During stable environmental conditions business pivots should not be required, incremental Read more…
Business Planning
Will my startup scale to meet growing demand?
Problems with scaling As the developer of www.businessplanquickbuilder.com, the issue of scalability often comes up with our users. Many small startups take pride in the personal touch and the intimate involvement of the owner in the day to day operation of the business. This pride is to be congratulated and Read more…
Business Planning
Quench Your Startups Burn Rate
As the developer of Business Plan Quick Builder, I am often asked about business burn rates and the early stages of business startup. Your ‘burn rate’ is how quickly your startup uses the money invested to get things going. The term became popular in internet startups in the 2000s that Read more…
Business Planning
Key Performance Indicators
As the developer of Business Plan Quick Builder I am often asked by entrepreneurs “what measures should I monitor in my business”. Key Performance Indicators are the equivalent of the petrol, temperature and speed gauges in your car; they should give real-time information on how the business is performing in Read more…
Business Planning
Balanced Scorecard
Kaplan and Norton’s Balanced Scorecard is a reaction against only measuring the financial performance of firms. They proposed four key performance areas: Customer Perspective – goals to delight customers Internal Business Perspective – goals for world class operations Innovation and Learning – goals to drive improvement Financial Perspective – goals Read more…
Business Planning
Picking your business name
A key decision when starting your business is deciding on the name. Even when using a business plan generator like Business Plan Quick Builder you still have to make your own decision on the name. Many entrepreneurs spend hours thinking about options and trying to come up with some sort Read more…
Business Planning
How we made: Business Plan Quick Builder
When developing Business Plan Quick Builder the aim was to keep the plan as succinct as possible for input on mobile devices, so tradeoffs had to be made between being comprehensive and having a usable app. The Business This section is driven by what is termed the Resourced Based View of strategy, Read more…