According to the U. S. Small Business Administration, a business plan is a strategic tool that shapes the trajectory of your business over the next 3-5 years. It's a written guide that outlines how your business will generate revenue and expand. The library provides a wealth of databases to support your business planning. This month, we're featuring the Business Plan Handbook Series available through GALE as well as some helpful books and LinkedIn Learning courses.
Business Plan Handbook Series - GALE Database
Learn how to structure your business plan, seek funding, and more with The Business Plan Handbook Series. It provides real examples of business plans from a variety of industries such as lawn care services, house cleaning, food trucks, pet boarding, coffee shops, party planning, and more. A business plan template is also provided to help you develop and structure your own plan.
To get started, navigate to the Business Plan Handbook Series in our list of free research databases and enter your business type using the search button. We searched "Food Truck" and found eight samples. Here is a link to Eddie’s Edible Mobile Truck.
Additional Features
New to Gale? Not only can you read the business plan (or any article) on the site, but you can also email it, send it to Google Drive, download it, or print it. There are some nice accessibility options, too: You can have the business plan read to you, increase the font, decrease the font, or translate the text.
Gale is a global provider of research and learning resources that can assist people at every stage of life. That includes supporting workforce development, providing adult learning opportunities, contributing to small business success, and more. Access is free with your Jacksonville Public Library card. You may also be interested in Gale Presents: Peterson's Career and Test Prep.
#Books We Recommend
Most entrepreneurs set off on a business venture without adequate resources or fully understanding how they will accomplish their vision. This leads to failure, mostly due to a lack of preparation. This book is designed to give you the foundations needed for successful business planning, also to give you an insight into the development of a successful entrepreneurial journey for your business through writing an effective business plan.
Whether you’re just starting out or already running a business, to successfully build a company, you need a plan - one that lays out your product, your strategy, your market, your team, and your opportunity. It is the blueprint for your business. The experts at Entrepreneur show you how to create it in this comprehensive companion to Entrepreneur's long-time bestseller Start Your Own Business. Plus, learn from real-world examples of plans that worked, helping to raise money, hone strategy, and build a solid business. Includes sample business plans, resources, and worksheets.
#Free, On-Demand Learning
Featured Resource: LinkedIn Learning
Try out LinkedIn Learning, a leading online learning platform that helps anyone learn business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve their goals. All you need is your library card and PIN to enjoy unlimited FREE access to 16,000+ on-demand courses.
Using the LinkedIn Learning mobile app?
The Library ID (case sensitive) is: jaxpubliclibrary.
#Courses We Recommend
Looking to build a business or expand one you're already running? You need to write a business plan. Learn how to define your business, market, product, sales strategy, and more. Experienced entrepreneur and consultant Mike Figliuolo walks through the process of defining your business, researching the market, and determining your product. A sample business plan is provided, so you can follow along with the development of a real-world company.
If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you can’t just dive right in. You need a plan! In this course, learn how to create a simple and effective business plan you can take to investors, share with cofounders, or just start executing. Discover how to design every part of your business step by step, including how to calculate the startup costs of your new business, plan and predict the cash flow, and determine your business’s mission and goals. Upon wrapping up this course, you'll have the knowledge you need to build a bulletproof business plan in less than an hour.
