Business Plan Software

[Detonate]

Does anyone have any experience with any business plan preperation software that is FOSS and runs on *ubuntu?

[dibl]

Re: Business Plan Software

Being the cheapass that I am, I think I would find the one most closely matching my desirements here, and copy and paste it into a LibreOffice document. I don't trust "one size fits all", as there are so many varieties of business operations.

[Qqmike]

Re: Business Plan Software

Agree with dibl. In fact, very quickly I googled business plan outlines, and came up with good hits, like this one:
Free Sample Business Plans
Most Popular Sample Business Plan Categories
http://www.bplans.com/sample_business_plans.cfm

(I'm on the run, out the door, and haven't checked other promising hits.)
http://www.google.com/search?q=Busin...ient=firefox-a

[Detonate]

Re: Business Plan Software

I have done business plans before, but it has been thirty years. These days, with the help of Google and a good word processor I don't think it will be too hard.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Business Plan Software

From QMike's source:
http://www.bplans.com/computer_repai...summary_fc.php

Along with a good business plan is a good accounting model. In my state if you charge for services or make sales you have collect the necessary taxes and file a monthly report along with the collected taxes. That alone is a good enough reason to create a good Chart of Accounts in some business accounting software, like GnuCash, LedgerSQL, HomeBank, KMyMoney, etc.. Besides a CofA, a GL and GJ, will you need AR - Customers-Invoices? AP-Vendors-bills? Inventory?

A cash-only business works only if both parties do not exchange a paper trail. If you want cash and the customer wants a receipt for tax purposes I can guarantee you that your income from him can be traced. Nebraska is not necessarily in the vanguard of digital data manipulation, but one of the jobs I did before I retired three years ago was to generate SQL commands to compare NE tax returns with IRS tax data for NE taxpayers and make a list of taxpayers with differences as small as we wanted. Generally $500 or more. I also compared data from vendors with data from businesses to see if the invoice totals from vendors matched AP totals from businesses, and other comparisons. I've uncovered individuals trying to hide as much as $100K of income by generating false AP expense entries and other tricks. The son of one beer vendor, for example, was frequently taking $50 to $100 out of the register and telling the clerk to create an invoice to a fictitious company listed in Accounts Payable. He also didn't tell his father, who owned the business but had retired and was letting his son run it. When he gave himself an extra $800-$1000 per month income his dad couldn't figure out why the company wasn't as profitable as it was when he was running it.

[Detonate]

Re: Business Plan Software

I intend to use Gnucash for the bookkeeping. Did you know that bookkeeping is the only word in the English language that has three double letters in a row? I have a strong background in double entry bookkeeping and business accounting, and I intend to get all the information needed to satisfy the government. Local, state, and federal. I already know, and have experience in this field.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Business Plan Software

I intend to use Gnucash for the bookkeeping. Did you know that bookkeeping is the only word in the English language that has three double letters in a row?

Not only did I not know, I did not notice nor even suspect!

I have a strong background in double entry bookkkeeping and business accounting, and I intend to get all the information needed to satisfy the government. Local, state, and federal. I already know, and have experience in this field.

Now you've made it 2-3-2

I'm glad you're informed on bookkeeping. A lot of folks doing mom&pop startups have no appreciation for the power and control a good set of books can give them, but those that do have a better chance of succeeding. And, in my job at the state I've seen several guys who the didn't know the power of data mining until their lack of honesty gave them an opportunity to learn from a Dept. of Revenue attorney.

[Detonate]

Re: Business Plan Software

Yes, I also know how to do cost analysis, which is very important

[GreyGeek]

Re: Business Plan Software

So you'll learn your slack variables, then. 8)

[Detonate]

Re: Business Plan Software

I will have to pull out my old text books and freshen up. I don't even know where they are. Reminds me I will also have to find my old Statistics textbook.