Small business resources

Running a successful business doesn't happen by accident. Building a thriving company requires a great deal of planning and preparation. Two of the most important planning and goal-setting tools are the business plan and the marketing plan. A business plan is a document that describes an organization's current structure and status, where it expects to be several years in the future and how it plans to get there. A marketing plan outlines the implementation of the firm's marketing strategy and includes the specific steps the company will take to reach its target market. Both of these documents can be overwhelming.

There are lots of resources available about how to go about writing business and marketing plans. There are even some nicely designed software programs that can guide you through the process. A number of websites also offer some great free resources about business plans and marketing plans. For business plans, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has a very helpful site to assist in developing a writing a business plan. The SBA site has also got some very useful information and marketing plan development resources that can help you to develop a marketing plan.