Whether you are starting a business or already own a business, you need a business plan and you have a choice to make!

Over the years, business publications like the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Inc. Magazine have stated that the average venture capital firm receives between 200 and 400 business plans each year. Of that number, only 1 or 2 ever get funded! That's one-half of one percent!

Think about that for a minute!

Now there are three questions you're probably asking yourself:

1. Is that the best I can hope for?
2. How can I improve my chances?
3. Where can I go to find out how to make my plan stand out from the rest?

Let me answer these questions for you.

1. Is that the best I can hope for?

Absolutely not!

Let's pretend for a moment that you want to fix the brakes on your car. You know this could lead to serious problems if not done correctly! You decide to go to the library and you find a repair manual for your make of car. Now imagine that right there on the cover, in the lower right corner, is this bold warning:

Warning! These repairs work properly only 1/2% of the time!

Well, how useful would those instructions be? How confident would you feel in your work using that guide?

Now you may think this little analogy is silly, but wait just a minute! How different is it from the fact that there is an abundance of books and magazine articles in the library, lot's of software on the market, and loads of free advice from the SBA and universities, all telling you how to write a business plan? Everybody gets and uses the same advice. And ... only about 1/2% succeed!

Is that what you want? Do you want to spend your time, effort, and money on a system that doesn't work?

Myth:	I will do the same thing as everyone else, but I will get different results because I have a better idea.
Truth:	A good definition of insanity is doing the same old stuff in the same old way and expecting different results.
— Rita Mae Brown

Believe me, there are tons of sample plans out there that you can get real cheap. But, do they work? Are they what you really want?

It reminds me of the story of the man on his hands and knees looking for a quarter he dropped. A passerby saw him and offered to help. “Exactly where were you when you dropped the quarter?” asked the passerby. The man replied, “Oh, I was about half a block down the street.” The passerby asked, “Then why in the world are you looking here?” The man answered, “Because the light is better here?”

The moral of the story is: Don't settle for a useless system just because it is cheaper, easier, simpler, or because everyone else does it that way.

Since 1984, my brother, Chuck, worked with me to market my business plan writing services. He and I took a different approach than everyone else.

Yes, we read the books and magazine articles. Yes, we talked to people at the SBA and in the universities. We even looked at the software. Then we did something more. We talked directly to investors, financial analysts, securities attorneys, investment bankers, and venture capitalists. We asked them why they rejected plans and what they wanted to see in business plans.

Why did we ask them why they rejected plans? Because we believe that if you eliminate the causes of failure you are bound to succeed.

Success is the natural byproduct of the elimination of failure!

Then we did one more thing - CONNECT THE DOTS! We saw what they were really after and made sure our plans “connected the dots” for them.

By applying a skeptical common-sense approach to what we learned, we developed a model for a business plan that meets the needs of investors. Our approach was to put ourselves in the shoes of the investor and look at things from his or her perspective.

The result is that over 87% of the plans I have written or helped entrepreneurs write have been funded. Companies across the United States and around the world have used my plans. Major accounting and law firms have regarded my plans as the best in the business - the “Cadillac of Business Plans”!

Do you see how this expertise can help you? I hope so.

2. How can I improve my chances?

There are a lot of things you can do that most other people don't do. Just as importantly, there are many things other people do that you shouldn't do. This website will tell you that and more. In addition, you can get help whenever you need. I will tell you what will hurt your chances and what will improve your chances.

3. Where can I find out how to make my plan stand out from the rest?

Good News! You're there! BETTER NEWS!! IT'S FREE!!

Let's face it! You came to my website because you are looking for advice on writing the best business plan you can. Right?

Now you can obtain all the tools, templates, guides, forms, and help you need to do the job right.

Please take your time and explore the site. If you have any questions, contact me.

Len Stillman
Founder & Managing Member