Industry Stats - More Than You Want To Know

Business plans have all kinds of stats.  Industry stats.  Demographic stats.  Stats are just not always easy to deal with AND lots of stats are derived from big business, not small business.  The stats in this link fall pretty much into the latter category.  They are pretty much based on big business reporting.

While you cannot -- and should not -- use these verbatim in your own business plan, they do give you an idea of the kind of data that your banker will look at.

The secret to using this set of stats is just to keep clicking until you find what it is you want.  In all that clicking you may even discover something useful that you hadn't thought of.

Minority Retail Entreprenuers: Your Time Is Now!

There is a HUGE avalanche of business underway for minority business supplying the retail industry.  Retailers have finally decided that minorities comprise a goodly percentage of their business and -- lo and behold -- they don't necessarily want what other customers wants.  (You know, the part that is astounding about this post is that this is news.)

Macy's is leading the way by actually holding workshops for small designers and manufacturers who can cater to specific markets.  Each store in the Macy conglomerate will be marketed individually, pulling product from specialized minority vendors. 

Cozy Up In 2012 - Top 10 Business Ideas

There's a pattern in business development that goes something like this:  The rougher the skid marks, the more comfort we need.  And it is true.  Time and again I've seen it -- you have too.  When a major economic bump hits, we flee to comfort on the recovery.  We look for hand made items, for personal service, for old time values.  We do it again and again.  That's why these businesses will succeed more than ever in 2012:

1.  PERSONAL TRAINERS.  Health in all forms is Big Business right now.  Add a personal touch and you are on your way.

2.  BEAUTY SALONS (and all related nail salons, etc.).  We've gone scruffy long enough.  It is time to fix our "do" and do it.

Shhhh - Keeping Great Business Ideas Secret

"How do I keep my business plan idea secret?"  That's the just of an email we received recently.  It is an issue common to a lot of entrepreneurs, so here are some recommendations.

NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS.  Forget them.  No banker or venture capitalist or angel investor will sign them.  If you don't trust the person you are seeing, just don't see them -- go somewhere else.  The only time you will use a NDA is if you are presenting your idea to a large company in your field.  In that case be as protected as you can possibly be before stepping in their door.

PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS.  Not cheap, but if your idea is truly original, this is they way to go.  Do it before people start talking about your product/idea -- afterwards is too late.

One Business That Boomed When Other Busted

That's it:  Internet Cafes!  Coffee houses!  Meeting spots!

Here's the logic.  When the economy is down, adults go back to school to learn more so they can get better jobs.

So colleges, city colleges, universities, tech schools, etc., all get really crowded.

Most internet cafes are located near such places of learning.  Ergo, more business.

Great Business Plan Ideas And The Harry

There are a gazillion different great business plan ideas, and ways to finance them.  There are even more ideas that we haven't even thought of yet.  Someone will think of them.  Will that be you?

And while we're on the topic, where do great business ideas and business financing notions come from?  Where, in fact, does creativity come from?  I read an article recently about how social stuff (Twitter, etc.) is very creative killing.  It doesn't leave time for anyone to feel a gut reaction, it just whizzes by. 

Great ideas need time to jell, to emerge on their own terms, in their own time.  These are not mediocre ideas, but really great ideas.  For example, did you know that both Harry Potter and Mickey Mouse sprung into being during a train ride? 

Say HELLO! To The New Year With A Greeting Card Business Plan

2012.  Sounds great, doesn't it.  Good, solid number.  2011 was pretty unstable balancing on those toothpicks at the end.  But 2012 ... that's a different story.

A Greeting Card Business Is
A Top Candidate For a
Start At Home Business

With creativity in your soul, and a yearning to be your own boss, then 2012 just may be the year for your greeting card business, with a business plan to knock your socks off.

Many greeting card companies get their feet wet by starting at home, and in many respects it is a perfect home based business. 

• It can begin with one person.
• The product is small-ish.
• It can be an online business or a hard copy business.
• It can begin locally, and literally spread around the world.
• The profit potential is pretty decent.

There are lots of things that commend a greeting card business as a home based business.  But that is not to say that this has to be a low income business.  On the contrary.

Dynocharge Your Kids Gym Business Plan, In Just Two Steps

Your Kids Gym Business Plan -
A Dynomite Presentation

Actually, this is great advice for writing all business plans, but let's use the Kids Gym Business plan as an example.

ENERGIZE IT.  No one likes to read a first sentence like "The name of my gym is Active Gym for Kids".  It is just boring.  Rather, try "Active Gym for Kids burst out of the energy and talent of our local athletes."

Go through your draft.  Mark in yellow every single boring sentence you see.  If you see a lot, start over.

PERSONALIZE IT.  You see the mention of "local athletes" above?  THAT is personalizing it.  Even more personal would be "Active Gym for Kids burst out of the energy and talent of two very special local athletes: Kim and Terri Ngomo. ... With very little research we discovered dozens more just like them."

Soooothe Your Headache With A Day Spa Business Plan

Need Financing? Look to the
Day Spa Business Plan

Yes, this IS the time to start or expand your spa business, whether it is a day spa, a health retreat, a wellness center, a teen weight loss adventure, or any other health related business.

Now is the time when people are focusing more and more on health issues.  The pressures of the past few years have taken their toll, and people are beginning to realize that they have to take care of themselves, no matter what the economy is doing.

Now is the time when financial issues for starting a day spa really come into focus for many entrepreneurs.  Quite honestly, many day spas and health centers did not make it through the financial crunch.  Many closed.  That  opened doors of opportunity for those who are serious about the spa and health business because the need and the desire are still there.

Toot Toot Tootsie, G'Bye

It is a time of endings.  2011 is closing its doors, and most sigh a sigh a relief.  Not a lot of us want to re-live the past year.

And it is time of beginnings, and that is a lot more exciting.  Did you know that about 1.2 MILLION people quit their jobs last year to become entrepreneurs?  That really is "quit", not laid off, not fired.  This is probably the greatest news the economy could have.

Count 'em Up

Finding current unbiased demographic information is tough.  While the best source for locating information on local neighborhoods is still your county planning department, should you be looking at larger metropolitan areas, the Brookings Institution has an excellent free report for you.  It is the MetroMontor: Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in America's 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas.

The Institute notes up front that the stats only reflect activity through the third quarter of 2011, i.e., the end of September 2011, but that is a whole lot better than most reporting agencies can do. 

1,001 Entreprenuers Wanted!

Still looking for that perfect entrepreneurial venture?  Well, have we got a treat for you.  I am not sure that there are 1,001 opportunities listed, but there are a lot.

First, we have discovered a neat online tool called "O*Net Online" that does list literally thousands of occupations, including the growth prospects for that occupation, its average income and lots more.  We did a search for "self-employed", and wow, did we get an ear full.  Just look at this list of possible self employed jobs, with everything from doctors to to dancers.  Click on any one of those jobs and find out what you need to know to create your self employment, the training, the skills, the experience.  It is an impressive list.

Our whole website, too, is all about self employment,

Ready, Set, Ready, Set, Ready, Set, whaaaa?

There are two kinds of failures in the world -- the ones who prepare and prepare and prepare, and the ones who do no prep at all.  Either approach is deadly.  For the Success, dear Watson, lies somewhere in between.

The first kind -- those who seem to "get ready" forever -- are the hardest to spot because whatever they are doing does look important.  And some of it probably is.  There is just a certain amount of work that goes into any major project.  In the case of starting a new business, for example, consider

• What type of business you want;
• How much it will cost, and why;
• What your funding options are;

Newscasters and Wet Noses

The Dog Day Care Business Plan eBook

Have you noticed?  Nearly every news report ends with a fuzzy or furry creature lovingly gazing into the camera.  This didn't used to be.  I suspect that the financial trauma of the past few years has brought us back to a homey seeking society.  And I for one like that.

There are also more pets than there used to be.  Since many couples are deferring having children, it seems that pets are taking their place.  And that spells o-p-p-o-r-t-u-n-i-t-y for watchful entrepreneurs.

More pets means all kinds of pet care are needed.  Dog walkers are in demand in more affluent areas where both adults work.  Full day care for dogs is also on the rise, as as doggie hotels in all kinds of locations.  Some people prefer to leave their pets at home, and need a care center near home. Others travel with pets and welcome doggie hotels near where they are staying.

Developing the marketing for doggie day care and doggie hotels is relatively easy.

Just One Itsy Bitsy Resolution? Pleeeeeease

This isn't for the Dave Letterman top ten, nor necessarily for you.  This is MY resolution, and mine alone.  I hereby resolve to take one day a week off from work.  Totally.  No notes.  No computer.  Certainly no business plan writing.

This is the one thing that I do believe will add most to the quality of my life.  And ultimately, it is a quality of life that we are all after.  Income, yes.  But even more we want quality of life.  This is why so many thousands of entrepreneurs have shifted to home businesses.  You just cannot believe the difference it makes in Life until you try it.  How about

Sooooothe Your Tattered Soul With A Relaxing Day Spa Business Plan

The 7 Step Day Spa Business Plan

Have you felt it?  When you walk into a banker's office everything tightens up -- your shoulders, your neck, your back.  Heck, you might even be clenching your teeth.

Unless you take your masseur with you, we need a better approach.  How about walking in with confidence, knowing you've got a great day spa business plan in hand?  Honest, it is a whole lot easier to get all that pressure out of the way before you ever step into the bank.  And it is not that hard.

Tapping Toes and Tippie Toes - All In One Dance Studio Business Plan

I thought ballet had nearly disappeared from existence.  And then Stephen Colbert had a duo from the American Ballet Theater (an excellent troupe, by the way) on his show.  And tonight I saw an ad for a ballet school, way out in the middle of nearly nowhere.  So there is hope.

And there are also tango sessions, and hip hop hullabalos, and jive, and folk dances from around the world. I guess as long as people can move, they will dance.  And that is so good.

Sweep It, Swab It, Clean It Up!

Any cleaning service business plan pretty much gets a "ho hum" from a banker.  Let's face it.  It is not a romantic job.

But it can indeed be quite lucrative.  And bankers like money.  Bankers really like money.

Use that affinity for money to your advantage in crafting a cleaning service business plan.  And add a bit of a light touch if possible.  For example, for headers try ...

It Is A Good Thing That Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

And behold!  I am certainly a whole more beautiful than my mirror would attest to.

A great beauty salon does the impossible:  It makes the so-so person feel really great.  Business plans can't do that, even our 7 Step Beauty Salon Business Plan.  All we can do is help out with words.  And numbers.  And presentation.  But the important stuff -- like making someone feel beautiful -- no, we can't do that.

Service With Honor, and A Smile -- No Small Accomplishment

Tomorrow is the International Day of Human Rights.  I paused today and read the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.  I am proud to say that I will be among the Occupiers tomorrow who read the Declaration aloud for all to hear.  It is an important document, and needs to be heard.

I also paused to wonder, "What is our obligation to serve, as well as receive?"  Yes, I remember well President Kennedy's call to "Ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country."

One would think it easy to lose track of these sentiments in daily chores, whether in the board room or the janitor's closet.  In fact, we actively participate in these sentiments every single day because we can ALL choose to be service businesses, no matter what we do.

Sip A Little, Munch A Little - A Vintage Wine Bar!

There isn't a wine bar business plan in existence (even ours) that will actually tell you how to make a wine bar successful.  We can only tell you what you already know:

• Location
• Location
• Location

It also helps to have a nose matching that of your guests. And a solid marketing plan.  And a good vintner or two in your pocket doesn't hurt either.  About that vintner ...

C'Mon, Buddy - Get That Sports Bar Financing In Shape

OK, so I am not a big sports bar fan.  I am not even a sports fan.  Too much brutality for my taste.  But lots of people do enjoy guzzling beer and shouting at a TV screen.  And that's where your Sport Bar Business Plan comes into play.

The good news is that your lender is likely a man.  Even if "he" is a "she", she will no doubt grasp the concept of a screaming hoard of men. (Sorry.)  More to the point, male or female, the banker knows the reality of the cash that flows through a sports bar.  And there's your hook.