This book will take you step by step through the process of planning and starting your business. Other books in the series dive deeper into marketing, sales, financial planning, pitching, and more.
Along the way, you will find targeted questions which will help you understand your own thoughts, needs, and desires. Take your time in answering these questions, using those answers to guide your decisions in getting from idea to startup company.
However, first things first. Read through the whole book. Note the questions as they come along, but do not spend time answering them. Focus instead on understanding the whole process. At the end of the book, you will find the full list of questions, and at that point you should have enough of a grasp of the process to start answering those questions. Those answers are your business plan.
As you progress, expect that an answer to one question may change the answer to an earlier question.
Iteration is normal. In fact, when you have a complete set of answers, expect to go back and reiterate through all the answers at least three times, if not ten times – or in some cases, dozens of times.
Building a business plan is neither a simple nor a linear process.
Related lessons from The Next Step
A visual diagram of steps within The Next Step
