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.

Matt Webber is an experienced personal finance writer, researcher, and editor. He has published widely on personal finance, marketing, and the impact of technology on contemporary arts and culture.

A business plan includes details about your company’s goals and methods for achieving them Written By Written by Staff Senior Editor, Buy Side Miranda Marquit is a staff senior personal finance editor ...

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 ...

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So you’ve come up with an idea for a business and made the courageous decision to strike out on your own. You’ll get to work on your terms, become your own boss, and hopefully turn a profit by doing ...

Boost efficiency and accuracy in logistics, data analysis, forecasting, and more Elysse Bell is a finance and business writer for Investopedia. She writes about small business, personal finance, ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Running a business can be unpredictable, which is why having a solid business plan as a foundation is vital to surviving and thriving in ...