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.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Writing a business plan is like the architectural plan for a home or a brick-and-mortar building. You need to know what materials you ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Now that you understand why you need a business plan and you’ve spent some time doing your homework gathering the information you need to ...

A strong, well-thought-out business plan is crucial for a business's success. Without one, it's tough to maintain a vision of the future and what the next steps for your business should be. Think of ...

What is a business plan, and what's the point of a business plan? To understand the benefits of a business plan, it is important to first understand why it's useful and how to create one. In essence, ...