(1) a plan is something very specific and detailed, which, according to make, makes sense only in the very short term. what can be crucial though is a business strategy – a brief document, outlining the basic directions the organisation would follow, the major milestones to be on its way, “plan B”, etc. That is, keep the perspective, do have answers for the important questions applicable to any business, but do not go into too great detail. Think of the business strategy as a map (which you can correct anytime you wish) and think of the business plan as of weekly schedule. You need the map, I think.

(2) I guess it must be natural for many aspiring entrepreneurs to feel aversion to writing any sort of document. After all they have the great idea, they are impatient to work on it and they may be more inclined to action, to doing things, to dealing with what is here and now rather than analyzing, outlining and considering what can be in the future. I can almost feel the torment such type of people have to go through while writing any business document. For them I think it would be best to find a partner or ask a third party to write the document together – that must be easier.

(1) a plan is something very specific and detailed, which, according to make, makes sense only in the very short term. what can be crucial though is a business strategy – a brief document, outlining the basic directions the organisation would follow, the major milestones to be on its way, “plan B”, etc. That is, keep the perspective, do have answers for the important questions applicable to any business, but do not go into too great detail. Think of the business strategy as a map (which you can correct anytime you wish) and think of the business plan as of weekly schedule. You need the map, I think.

(2) I guess it must be natural for many aspiring entrepreneurs to feel aversion to writing any sort of document. After all they have the great idea, they are impatient to work on it and they may be more inclined to action, to doing things, to dealing with what is here and now rather than analyzing, outlining and considering what can be in the future. I can almost feel the torment such type of people have to go through while writing any business document. For them I think it would be best to find a partner or ask a third party to write the document together – that must be easier.

After building your first prototype, if it gain some momentum, it will evolve and adapt to the market needs.

Then, depending to your goal (making money, exit strategy, fun/marketing project) you should write your BP.

It also is a way to persuade YOURSELF of the idea and not necessarily for someone else to read.

I spent 3 times what I had put in my business plan. But I also made even more profit. The next time I have a start-up, I would have learned from my mistakes.

I have had dozens of ideas I thought I wanted to pursue. Only the current company I run was good enough for me to endure the painful process of writing a business plan for it.

If you don’t want to think about the business aspect of things, get a salaried job instead.

Nevertheless, i have wrote a couple of business plans already for previous ventures, and i found out that you end up spending too much time and effort on something that is so volitile and changes very frequently.

As for me, i much prefer creating a quick version of of the application (either by myself, or with friends), then throwing it up online and trying to gain some momentum. If the signs indicate that the idea is getting a good reception, then it is time to talk about the other “businessy” type of things. Otherwise, i think you would have wasted your time and effort on something worthless. (Ofcourse though, writing a business plan does help solidify your idea .. so your time is not 100% wasted, i’d say about 80%) .. but then again .. this is just my amateur opinion.

At some point, with going to VC’s and all, a more formal version is needed, though the point should lie in getting things up and running.

-m1ke

1- it’s painful to write

2- it’s quickly outdated

If a VC asks me for a business plan I have to make a new one from scratch. my business plan is 6 months old.

I think this kind of things is for business people. And since I think only tech guys should make a tech startups. I think it’s useless and VCs should stop asking about it.

on one hand, a business plan sure helps you figure out if your idea is good or not, on the other hand, a prototype would also help a lot for the same thing (even more)

I say, putting time and effort in a BP is only needed at start if you’ve got to convince someone, ie if you absolutlely need funding, even for a prototype