Veechi Curtis - Business Planning Essentials for Dummies

W hile working on this book, I realised something quite fundamental. Although Ive been steadily successful in my own business for over 20 years, all too often the sensible-cardigan-wearing-accountant side of me wins out against the risk-taking-creative-why-dont-we-try-this side of me. Possibly due to the rather precarious finances of my childhood, I typically spend more time analysing profit margins than I do thinking of creative new products; I focus more on managing risk than being a trendsetter.

If youve been in business before, Im sure you too have experienced this natural tension between your entrepreneurial side and the inner voice of reason.

One challenge for me in writing this book has been to find ways to encourage dreams to flourish while simultaneously exploring the somewhat sobering process of writing a business plan. Im writing this introduction having just finished the last chapter of this book, and happily, I think that the process has worked on me. Im itching with impatience to begin my next business venture, and feel utterly optimistic about its prospects.

I hope you have a similar experience with this book, and that I share enough inspiration for your inner entrepreneur to thrive while at the same time providing unshakeable feet-on-the-ground practicality.

I like to think that this book is a bit different from other business planning books, not least because this book is part of the For Dummies series. Dummies books arent about thinking that youre a dummy far from it. What the For Dummies series is all about is balancing heavyweight topics with a lightweight mindset, and sharing a can-do attitude that encourages anyone no matter how young or old, how inexperienced or how veteran to give the subject at hand a go.

I like to think that the For Dummies way of thinking has helped me to bring a fresh approach to the subject of business planning. Ive tried not to get bogged down in the same old stodgy discussions of mission statements, values and organisational charts. Instead, Ive focused more on working with others, being creative and thinking of your business as something thats unique and separate from yourself.

You may be surprised by the fact that I devote five whole chapters to the topic of finance (youll only find one finance chapter in most business planning books). Im a real advocate of the importance of financial planning and in this book, I try to break the topic down into bite-sized chunks that anyone can understand, even if theyve never done any bookkeeping or accounting before.

I also understand that most people whove worked in business end up with knowledge thats patchy. You may know heaps about marketing but nothing about finance, or vice versa. The beauty of For Dummies books is that you can just leap in, find the chunk of information that addresses your query, and start reading from there.

When writing this book, I make no assumptions about your prior experience. Maybe youve been in business all your life or maybe youve never been in business before. It could be that youre a tech geek or its possible that you hate computers. Maybe you love numbers or much more likely you may have a somewhat queasy feeling when it comes to maths.

I also make no assumptions about the age of your business, and realise that for many people reading this book, your business is still a seedling waiting to be watered. (For this reason, I include practical advice, such as how to budget for personal expenses while youre building your business, and why things such as your relationships and family situation are all part of the picture.)

Last, I dont try to guess where you live in the world. After all, the principles of business planning are universal, whether youre in the snowdrifts of Alaska, the stone country of Australia or the kilt-swaying highlands of Scotland.

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