Small Business Success Network

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There are thousands of new startup businesses every day, some of them are very successful, some don't last long and some just 'get by' but what is the difference that sets them apart to makes each business endeavor a possible success or failure?

In this interview Cassandra Stein and Barbara Findlay Schenck had a fantastic discussion about:

• Why do businesses need a business plan in place?
• How to create and maintain a successful business plan
• What are the various circumstances in which we should create or update our business plan?
• How can a potential business owner know if their business idea is worthy of pursuing?
• What does the business plan need to cover and why is one needed?
• How does a business plan help us find investors and receive the funding we need?
• How long, on average, does it take to establish a solid business plan?
• How do we recognize who our competition is and what the best steps would be to surpass them?
• How do we identify our Target Audiences, how do we find them and how do they differ from the target audience that we will be marketing to later?
• How long should a business plan be?
• How do we implement the business plan once we have it written and how can we be sure that our business plan will be effective?
• With the economy being in a downturn is now the right time to start a business?
• How to successfully implement a business plan.

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Barbara is a small-business strategist who has followed an interest in markets and customers around the world. She launched her career in Hawaii, first at a small college and then with Honolulu's largest public relations firm, after which she left for Malaysia to serve as a community development Peace Corps volunteer. She returned from Asia to Oregon where, with her husband, Peter, she co-founded and later sold an ad agency that served a roster of nationally known brands. She has since authored "Small Business Marketing for Dummies," "Branding for Dummies," "Business Plans Kit for Dummies" and "Selling Your Business for Dummies." She writes marketing and branding articles for MSN's businessonmain.com, presents at conferences, and shares advice at www.bizstrong.com and facebook.com/bizstrong, where she welcomes comment.

 "Business Plans Kit for Dummies." now available in an updated third edition, is a one-stop resource for blueprinting the plan for your business or organization, including advice for generating a business idea, mapping strategic direction, and tailoring a plan to your business needs. A CD includes worksheets, surveys, and form for developing all the business plan components.

 What would you like to ask Barbara? Leave a comment below and let us know!