Business Planning


Recent Business Planning Articles

Gary Erickson on Balancing Sustainability and Other Business Objectives

By Gary Erickson |  Feb 1, 2007

Clif Bar's founder talks about balancing sustainability and effectiveness  Read more


The Five Fundamentals of Business Survival

By Doug Ducey |  Oct 1, 2006

How can you make it through the rough patch that even the most successful companies eventually hit? Start preparing while the good times are still rolling.  Read more


Surviving Katrina: How We Did It

By Angus Loten |  Aug 18, 2006

Hurricane Katrina dealt a near-fatal blow to thousands of businesses. One year later, determined entrepreneurs across the Gulf Coast are staging a comeback.  Read more


Is There a Future for Small Retailing?

By Ted Hurlbut |  Jan 1, 2005

A few thoughts on what it will take to succeed.  Read more


How to Spot Trouble in Your Financials

By Darren Dahl and Carol Hirsch |  Oct 1, 2004

Diagnose what's wrong with your company by zeroing in on your financials.  Read more


More Bang for the IT Buck

By Andrew M. Appel, Amit Dhadwal and Wayne E. Pietraszek |  Jun 23, 2003

IT procurement must be a capability, not a mere exercise in cutting deals.  Read more


War Stories

Jun 2, 2003

War and other unexpected events of recent years have had varying effects on American small businesses. Here, Inc.com shares the stories of two small business...  Read more


To Pay or Not to Pay: Business Weighs the Cost of Terrorism Coverage

May 12, 2003

Confronted with high premiums and their own skepticism about whether such coverage is necessary, many managers are deciding against terrorism insurance.  Read more


Calculated Risk

Apr 30, 2003

Make decision-making less painful by analyzing alternative outcomes before you make your decision.  Read more


Projecting Outcomes with Probability Modeling

By Carole Matthews |  Apr 28, 2003

Computers and probability modeling software can play a pivotal role in helping business owners better project the outcome of their decisions.  Read more


Decision Making with Decision Trees

By Carole Matthews |  Apr 28, 2003

Decision making doesn't have to be done in the dark. Analyzing the outcomes of a few alternative actions using a decision tree can help you determine if you'...  Read more


Getting IT Spending Right This Time

Mar 4, 2003

Cost cutting is in vogue for IT, but companies that cut too deeply could sacrifice their ability to promote innovation.  Read more


How Business Can Prepare for War

Feb 13, 2003

Companies in many areas of the world are reining in investments and postponing the launch of new projects, according to a webcast/teleconference organized by...  Read more


Crisis Management Guide

By Jennifer A. Redmond |  Oct 31, 2001

This guide covers the basics of dealing with crises -- from disaster recovery planning, to business insurance, to succession planning.  Read more


Disaster Recovery Planning 101

By Emily Barker |  Oct 1, 2001

Follow these low-cost tips to prepare your business for emergencies.  Read more


Agenda Lifesavers, Big and Little

By Ralph Ward |  Jun 29, 2001

So you have a boardroom with important, high-net-worth people, who can only devote a limited amount of time to contributing to your company. Do you really wa...  Read more


What do you think the most important trend affecting small business will be?

May 16, 2001

Running a One Person Business mentors Paul and Sarah Edwards stress the importance of adapting to continual change.  Read more


Living Business Plans Help Businesses Flow with Future

By Jeff Zbar |  Mar 31, 2000

Sudden, unanticipated changes in your market can have a drastic impact on your business. But you can thwart catastrophe by building flexibility into your bu...  Read more


A Simple Approach to Sales Forecasting

By Tim Berry |  Mar 13, 2000

How do you forecast sales accurately? The trick is to break the sales down into manageable parts.  Read more


The Complete Franchise Business Plan

By Roger C. Rule |  Mar 1, 2000

A franchise business plan is similar to a traditional plan except that the former has to combine components of both the franchisee and the franchisor, or par...  Read more


Boosting Performance with Critical Numbers

By John Case |  Dec 11, 1999

Learn how to figure out your company's critical numbers -- and how to use them to build a stronger company.  Read more


Preventing Sexual Harrassment

Nov 9, 1999

A sexual harassment suit can be ruinous to a company's public image, productivity, and culture. Here's a review of a recent book that gives advice on keeping...  Read more


Successful Succession

Oct 21, 1999

A good succession plan can eliminate many problems that occur when a leader steps aside.  Read more


Strategies for Reducing Your Environmental Liability

Oct 13, 1999

In this excerpt from a bulletin discussing key areas of corporate environmental liability, a law firm outlines six strategic steps start-up businesses can ta...  Read more


Strategic Planning 101

By Karen Carney |  May 1, 1999

When it comes to strategic planning, practice makes perfect.Here are some guidelines to get you started.  Read more