This is a list of business planning references I have assembled specifically for students of BUS 477. (Note: Everyone is welcome to benefit from these resources, but some are licensed to Simon Fraser University, so require a SFU user account to access.) For your convenience, I have sorted references into the following sections:

• Supplementary Reading
• Selected Articles
• Videos, Newsletters and Blogs
• Books
• Business Plan Competitions
• Business Networking in Vancouver

Supplementary Reading

These Harvard Business Review and other readings supplement the class text. They are all helpful for the class project. I will assign readings from this list for most classes.

Realistic criteria for judging new ventures. Stancill, James McNeill. Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec 81, Vol. 59 Issue 6, p60-72, 7p.

The Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer. Amar Bhidé: Harvard Business Review. Nov/Dec96, Vol. 74 Issue 6, p120-130

How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work. Amar Bhidé: Harvard Business Review, Mar/Apr94, Vol. 72 Issue 2, p150-161

Venture Capital Negotiations: VC vs. Entrepreneur Robinson, Robert J. and Wasserman, Noam: Harvard Business Review, Oct1999, p1, 18p

The Founder's Dilemma.Wasserman, Noam. Harvard Business Review, Feb 2008, Vol. 86 Issue 2, p102-109, 8p.

Bootstrap finance: The Art of Start-ups. Amar Bhidé: Harvard Business Review. Nov/Dec92, Vol. 70 Issue 6, p109-117.

How to Pitch a Brilliant Idea.Elsbach, Kimberly D. Harvard Business Review, Sep 2003, Vol. 81 Issue 9, p117-123, 7p.

Why Business Models Matter. Magretta, Joan. Harvard Business Review, May 2002, Vol. 80 Issue 5, p86-92, 7p.

The Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs. Kawasaki, Guy. Harvard Business Review, Jan 2001, Vol. 79 Issue 1, p22-23, 2p.

How Venture Capital Works. Zider, Bob. Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec98, Vol. 76 Issue 6, p131-139, 9p.

How to Write a Great Business Plan. Sahlman, William A.. Harvard Business Review, Jul/Aug97, Vol. 75 Issue 4, p98-108, 11p.

Everything you (don't) Want to Know About Raising Capital. Timmons, Jeffry A.; Sander, Dale A.. Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec89, Vol. 67 Issue 6, 70-73, 4p.

How Much Money Does Your New Venture Need? Stancill, James McNeill. Harvard Business Review, May/Jun86, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p122-139, 9p.

Milestones for Successful Venture Planning. Block, Zenas; MacMillan, Ian C.. Harvard Business Review, Sep/Oct85, Vol. 63 Issue 5, p184-196, 6p.

The Discipline of Innovation. Drucker, Peter F. Harvard Business Review, May/Jun85, Vol. 63 Issue 3, p67-72, 6p.

How to Write a Winning Business Plan. Rich, Stanley R.; Gumpert, David E. Harvard Business Review, May/Jun85, Vol. 63 Issue 3, p156-166, 6p.

Building Breakthrough Businesses Within Established Organizations. Govindarajan, Vijay; Trimble, Chris. Harvard Business Review, May 2005, Vol. 83 Issue 5, p58-68, 11p.

Six Rules for Effective Forecasting. Saffo, Paul. Harvard Business Review, Jul/Aug 2007, Vol. 85 Issue 7/8, p122-131, 10p.

Knowing a Winning Business Idea When You See One. Kim, W. Chan; Mauborgne, Renée. Harvard Business Review, Sep/Oct 2000, Vol. 78 Issue 5, p129-138, 9p.

Some Thoughts on Business Plans. William Sahlman, Harvard Business School, 1996.

Selection Bias and the Perils of Benchmarking. Denrell, Jerker. Harvard Business Review, Apr 2005, Vol. 83 Issue 4, p114-119, 6p.

 

 

Selected Articles

I have selected these links because I feel they provide answers to many of the questions you will need answers to during the class. What's an elevator pitch? An executive summary? How does an advisory board work?

Business Plans

So you have to create a business plan for your class project. You want top grades for it. "What's a "perfect" business plan look like?", you ask.

Well, there is no "perfect" business plan template. There are elements that every business plan should include. Since each business is unique, there are also discretionary elements. Your challenge is to find the right balance of research and flair that makes your idea sell.

There are a lot of great resources available that will help you craft a good business plan. Here are a few:

50 Free Business Plan Templates and Models

This site offers several references to business plan templates.

Templates from GoogleDocs

Google Doc Template1

Google Doc Template2

Ventures West Business Plan Guide
A very good template. Thank you, Celeste Bickford (Fall 08).

Business plan writing
Hints, tips and example business plans from My Own Business

Business plan writing
Hints, tips and resources for writing a business plan from the US Small Business Administration (SBA)

Your Class Text
There are a couple of good business plan examples in the text.

Ken Spencer Business Plan Competition Winners
If I were you, I would look at the plans that won money in the Ken Spencer competition in previous years. I believe all of these plans received an A or A+ grade. These plans are available for you to review in the undergrad business office.

Harvard Business Review Articles
See the Supplementary Reading section for some excellent ideas on what a business plan should accomplish.

Executive Summary

Executive summary writing
Hints and tips for an executive summary. Entertaining video!

Executive Summary Examples
From a vendor of software that helps you to create business plans. Thank you Sarah Vefghi.

Executive Summary and Related How-Tos
From About.com on Canadian Small Business. Thank you Sarah Vefghi.

Comparison of Good and Bad Executive Summaries
From UniLearning, an Australian website dedicated to good writing. Thank you Sarah Vefghi.

Other Useful Resources

Elevator Pitch
Hints and tips for perfecting your elevator pitch

Investor Pitch
Hints and tips for honing your investor pitch

Advisory Boards
Hints and tips on how to structure a Board of Advisers

Advisory Boards
Don't Go It Alone: Create an Advisory Board from Business Week.

30 Top Young Entrepreneurs

Stories about young entrepreneurs from Inc. magazine. Thanks to Rodney Noriega.

Effective Networking

Hints and tips from networking expert Roger Killen.

 

Videos, Newsletters and Blogs

Books

You are absolutely right: There is no way you'll be able to read all of Jackson's faves while you are taking BUS 477. I offer all but one of these references as supplementary reading and encourage you to read them when you get the chance.

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Building a Dream, Walter S. Good. 7th Edition.
This is our class text and a required read.

Everything I needed to know about business...I learned from a Canadian, Leonard Brody & David Raffa
Some great war stories about successful Canadian entrepreneurs.

The eMyth Mastery, Michael Gerber
Simple, easy-to-read clarification of what business is all about. An important read for all entrepreneurs.

Art of the Start, Guy Kawasaki
What does it take to turn ideas into action? What are the elements of a perfect pitch? How do you win the war for talent? How do you establish a brand without bucks? These are some of the issues everyone faces when starting or revitalizing any undertaking, and Guy Kawasaki, former marketing leader at Apple Computer.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki
Are you an employee, self-employed, a business owner or an investor? This book has spawned a whole series.

Art of War, Sun Tzu
One of the best reads on strategy of all time. Written nearly 2,500 years ago, The Art of War contains not only wisdom on war, but also on the science and skill of maneuver and strategy that are relevant today in business.

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The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual, Rick Levine
A look at how technology is changing business

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing & Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers, Geoffrey A. Moore
A must-read for anyone with an interest in marketing.

Unleashing the Idea Virus, Seth Godin
How do you get the word out about your widget?

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell
An interesting read on why major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly

Wikinomics, Don Tapscott
How technology is influencing business.

 

Business Plan Competitions

What's wrong with using this course to win back your tuition? Taking BUS 477 will give you a great start for most of these competitions. There are many competitions: some are student-focused, others are not. Here is a partial list:

Ken Spencer SFU Business/Engineering Venture Plan Competition
You are automatically entered into this competition, so no need to appy. There are $5000 in cash prizes for the top finishers.

Small Business BC
This is a "real world" business plan competition that offers $40K in cash and in-kind prizes. It is free to enter, so what do you have to loose?

New Ventures BC
Another "real world" venture competition. Mentors included.

Queens University
They call it the "foremost international undergraduate business plan competition in Canada". Compete with other students for cash and glory.

Enterprize Canada
A university business plan competition based in Vancouver that is also billed as Canada's largest. Offers "six figures" in prizes!

Others?
This is a link to the SFU page where past results are posted.