Creating a Business Plan For Dummies Resource Center

This resource center is an addition to Creating a Business Plan For Dummies, with bonus material created to help you better understand the concepts and techniques from the book. You can navigate to your desired content by selecting individual download links below. The video clips are available in the player, by clicking on the relevant video clip from the playlist menu.

Please note that the downloads may be in .zip format, so be sure to download to your computer first, then unzip the files.

Downloads by Chapter

Chapter 2: Figuring Out What's So Special about You (and Your Business)

Strategic Advantage Scorecard

Chapter 3: Sizing up the Competition

Future Competitor worksheet Competitor Analysis worksheet

Current Competitor Analysis Preparing an Elevator Speech Hair of the Dog

Preparing an Elevator Speech Smiling Assassin

Preparing an Elevator Speech Songbird Notes

Chapter 4:Budgeting for Start-Up Expenses

Start-Up Expenses Budget as an Excel spreadsheet

Loan Calculator template

Chapter 5: Figuring out Prices and Predicting Sales

Calculating Billable Hours Excel worksheet spreadsheet

12-month Sales Forecast - Service worksheet

12-month Sales Forecast - Retail or Products worksheet

Detailed Sales Forecast worksheet

Chapter 6: Calculating Costs and Gross Profit

Identifying Variable Costs checklist

Service Business With Employees template

Sales Business With Different Products template

Gross Profit Projection Many Products worksheet

Gross Profit Projection Sales Business Few Products worksheet

Gross Profit Projection Service Business worksheet

See video player below to watch Relating Costs to Income

Chapter 7: Planning for Expenses

Business Expenses worksheet

Personal Expenses worksheet

Chapter 8: Assembling Your Profit & Loss Projection

See video player below to watch Naming Cells

Building Scenarios worksheet

See video player below to watch Building Scenarios

Chapter 9: Calculating Your Break-Even Point

12-Month Break-Even worksheet template

Chapter 10: Creating Cashflows and Building Budgets

Cashflow Projection worksheet

See video player below to watch Cashflow Projection

Chapter 11: Separating Yourself from Your Business 293

Task Allocation template

Calculating the True Cost of Labour template: UK

Calculating the True Cost of Labour template: US

Calculating the True Cost of Labour template: Canada

Calculating the True Cost of Labour template: Australia

Chapter 12: Developing a Strong Marketing Plan

Customer Analysis template

Building a Customer Service Plan article

Chapter 13: Staying One Step Ahead

Industry Analysis worksheet

Business Performance quiz

SWOT Analysis template

Chapter 14: Managing Risk

Risk Action Plan template

Chapter 15: Pulling Together Your Written Plan

Business Plan Checklist

Non-Disclosure Agreement template

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Using Excel in Your Business Plan

See video player below to watch clips on:

  • Using Names Rather Than Cell References
  • Linking One Worksheet to Another
  • Hiding Rows Video
  • Freezing Rows and Columns
  • Creating Charts Video
  • Copying Formula and Text
  • Formatting Cells so they make sense
  • Applying Conditional Formatting

Videos

More information

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