[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-166178-en":3,"doc-seo-166178-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":11,"category_id":12,"category_name":13,"doc_title":14,"doc_description":15,"doc_content":16,"file_id":17,"file_url":18,"file_type":19,"file_size":20,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":15,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},166178,1099513958762,"Logic","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253",1,158,"General","The 21 Questions to create a Business Plan","A structured business planning guide that replaces long, complex plans with an investor-focused Question-and-Answer format. The method frames a business plan as concise answers to 21 practical questions, aiming to keep attention, communicate the real “story” behind the business, and support investment readiness. It begins with Part 1, guiding founders to clarify the business idea, motivations, personal fit, organization, and first-12-month goals, while emphasizing measurable targets and decision clarity.","The 21 Questions to create a Business Plan\nSince 1980 I have had to write about 25 different business plans for various businesses that I was starting or had already started.  Each time I had to write a plan I dreaded the experience because the process was so time consuming, boring, and complex.  As a teacher of business planning it has been my goal for over nine years to create a simpler, easy to understand, and fun way to create a business plan.\nFrom my experiences of writing plans and presenting them over 300 times to investors looking for money, I learned two things:\nPlans do not get read because they are usually too long, too boring, too complex, and do not tell the real “story” behind the business.\nPeople don’t give loans or invest in businesses from Business Plans; they make buying decisions from the Question and Answer period before, during after an investor presentation.\nSo if the “buy in” to a new businesses happens during the question and answer period, why not make the business plan simply the answers to the questions?  This is exactly what the 21 Question Business Plan is!  The questions in the 21 Question Business Plan are the questions bankers and investors are going to ask anyway!  All you have to do is answer 21 questions and you have competed 90% of your plan (you will still need to provide at least 12 months of financials, but even most of that is included in the 21 Questions).\nI have taken the 21 Questions Business Plan format and presented it to a Bank President and a number of investors.  I asked them, “If you got a business plan that was laid out as 21 questions and 21 answers, what would you think of the plan?”  Universally they stated how simple the concept is and how easy it is to get a grasp of the idea and the business!  The 21 Question Business Plan is now used in all my classes on business planning, both in the classroom and online.\n\u000f\nPART 1: YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS IDEA\nHow would you describe your business idea?\nWhat you are really creating here is a “description of the business”.  Use your imagination and create a 1-2 page document that describes in detail the business as it exists in your mind.  Where will it be located, who will do what, how much money will you make, who are your customers?  All these questions can be answered in the description.  This should be a “brain-dump” with your best guesses at this point.  After reading this answer the reader should have a clear understanding of what this business is and what your dream for this business is.  Also by answering this question, the reader should know what makes this business unique and different from everyone else.  Reading the answer to this question needs to also tell how people purchase your products or services.  Start with the Business Model sheet to verify the business can meet your financial goals!\nWhy are you starting this business?\nBy answering this question you are giving the REAL reason why you are starting this particular business.  Are you doing this business because it is the only thing you know; is this your passion; or do you have experience doing this?  What are the reasons?  After reading the answer to this question, the reader should know why you chose this business over another one.  Also reading this answer should allow the reader to gather some insights on your background and why you have now decided that this is the right time to get your new business idea going.\nWhy are you the right person to start, run and own this business?\nThis answer is all about you personally.  Much of this is about your experience, your knowledge base and your job history.  Have you ever started and run a business before?  Do you have experience in the industry your business is in?  Does your job history say you can do it?  What in your past would prove to someone that you are right person to do this?  In addition, your education (both formal and informal) is very important and gives the reader a comfort level that you can get this business ","cbCaik98kZJGt0Ey","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik98kZJGt0Ey","docx",33821,10,"English","en",105,"# Part 1: You and your Business Idea\n## How would you describe your business idea?\n## Why are you starting this business?\n## Why are you the right person to start, run and own this business?\n## How is your business organized?\n## What goals do you want to accomplish in the first 12 months of your business?","[{\"question\":\"Why use the 21 Question format instead of a traditional business plan?\",\"answer\":\"Plans often go unread because they are too long, boring, and complex. Investors and bankers make decisions during the question-and-answer period, so the plan becomes the answers to the questions they ask.\"},{\"question\":\"What should you include in the description of your business idea?\",\"answer\":\"Provide a detailed 1–2 page description covering what the business is, where it will be located, who does what, expected money-making assumptions, who customers are, and how products or services are purchased.\"},{\"question\":\"How do you answer “How is your business organized?”\",\"answer\":\"Cover two parts: the legal structure and the internal roles. 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