Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Melissa Houston covers financial issues that affect women in business. Creating a successful business starts with a strong plan.

If you are building a startup long enough, someone will ask for your business plan. Sometimes it is an investor. Sometimes it is a bank. Sometimes it is just you, staring at a blank Google Doc at 11 p ...

The purpose of an executive summary Common mistakes to avoid The first part of your plan that anybody will see, after the title page and table of contents, is the executive summary. This could be ...

Starting a business is no easy feat, and at the backbone of every business is a solid business plan. Before those words scare you, you'll be happy to know there's a simple way to do this. In this ...

What Are the First Steps for Writing a Business Plan? Here’s how to get started. A business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a company’s core objectives, strategies for achieving them, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Melissa Houston covers financial issues that affect women in business. Creating a business plan is a critical first step for any ...

Bear this in mind as you write: if you don't do it right, your chances of getting an approval will be extremely low. Knowing how to write a good business proposal is one art that you must learn if you ...

Improve your chances of growth and success by covering these bases in your financial plan.

Katie Miller is a consumer financial services expert. She worked for almost two decades as an executive, leading multi-billion dollar mortgage, credit card, and savings portfolios with operations ...