All marketers need to know how to write and, more importantly, write in a compelling way. In sales, nothing happens until someone starts writing. Even a spoken sales pitch usually begins as a script of some sort and will often be accompanied by written materials. Maybe it’s just a catchy headline you’re looking for but more often than not, you’re also writing copy for an ad, a brochure or a website. Sometimes it’s a blog post such as this. If you don’t like to write, you should seriously reconsider any thoughts of having a career in sales and marketing.
But there is one large writing task that, sooner or later, will confront any serious business owner. That assignment is a Business Plan. I say “assignment” because they are often as long as a scholarly thesis or term paper. I must confess, I have written several versions of what one might call a plan or an outline. But the fact is, I had put off writing a REAL Business Plan for a long time and had done pretty well without one. While some small businesses can be run with just the plan that is inside the owner’s head, real growth usually doesn’t happen until tangible goals and a course of action are written down. The act of writing is very powerful as it clarifiers exactly what it is you are trying to do, both in your mind and in the minds of those of whom you are trying to make an impression.
A business plan can be used for many things and they should be tailored depending on who your audience is. A business plan that is only for internal use among company employees might look very different from one that is assembled for a bank or for major investors. There are countless books, templates and resources available to help with writing a business plan but I also strongly recommend getting “real world” advice from a business counselor or mentor. Here at ChopSaver, we have been very fortunate to have enlisted the assistance of some of the great minds from the Purdue Technology Center and Research Park to assist with our plan.
It has always been my goal to take ChopSaver from a successful niche product to mass market success. It is why our tag line changed from “For Musicians with Lips!” to “For People with Lips!” It will take new investments to accomplish this so we knew it was time for a formal business plan. A detailed busin