Whether he meant to or not jolly old St. Nick created one of the most recognizable and beloved brands in the western world; one that children have adored and parents embraced for centuries.  Santa Claus has endured wars, depressions, scrutiny (is he real or not??), imposters who tried to tarnish his image (ala The Grinch), and even opposition from certain religious groups.

So how the heck did he do it? How did Santa Claus build such a phenomenon, despite the obstacles and challenges the world threw at him? And what lessons can businesses owners learn from him for building our own brands?

I’ve identified some key things that Santa does to solidify his brand, create raving fans, build trust and grow his Christmas Empire! Here they are, along with the lessons we can learn from his success:

Marketing Lessons from Santa

1.  Santa is painstakingly reliable. Most of us awoke every Christmas morning, year after year, to find a plate sprinkled with cookie crumbs, an empty milk glass, and a bounty of presents; all bearing witness to Santa’s  late night visit. Despite snow storms and freezing temperatures, or dad losing his job, moving to a new house, or fighting with our brothers too much, Santa never let us down. Santa is the epitome of reliability.

Business Lesson:  How reliable is your business? Are you letting customers down?  Like expectant children on Christmas mornings, our customers have high expectations and it’s our job to deliver – or risk losing them.  Make it a habit to ask customers if they’ve ever felt let down by your company, what areas you can improve upon, and what products or services they’d like you to offer.  Being painstakingly reliable builds trust and people buy from companies they trust!

2.  Santa surprises and delights us!  Who doesn’t think of Santa and smile? Why is that? It’s because he always surprises and delights us! Whether it’s flashing a jovial smile and belting out a jolly “Ho Ho Ho”, delivering that Barbie doll we’d been obsessing over for months, or making a surprise appearance with a bag full of goodies at a holiday party, happiness and smiles follow Santa wherever he goes.  

Business Lesson:  Can you say the same about your brand? Does your business leave a lasting smile and happy thoughts? Do you surprise and delight? If not, study your competition and your industry, talk to people, and find out where others let customers down. Then do something that no one else in your industry does.  Find that  “something extra”  to add to your product or service mix.  Customers love the unexpected, so what can you do to leave a lasting impression?

3.  Santa encourages us to write.  Everyone knows Santa loves getting our letters – and even reads every single one of them! And what does he ask of us?  Nothing but a list all the presents we want him to deliver on Christmas morning!

Business Lesson:  Imagine if our customers felt comfortable enough to send us a list of their wants, needs,  and desires. Don’t you think that would help us understand  and serve them better? What can you do to encourage your customers to stay in touch with you?  Since we don’t have our own North Pole address, I’d recommend things like suggestion boxes (on, or offline!), surveys, and, service follow up calls.

4.  Santa rewards good behavior.  ”Have you been naughty or nice?”  Your answer could mean the difference between that diamond necklace you’ve been eyeing or a big ole lump of coal!  

Business Lesson: Businesses can build their brands by rewarding “good” behavior too! Did a customer buy more than usual? Reward them with a discount or an extra freebie. Did a customer refer you or leave a raving Yelp review? Send a special present or gift certificate to say “thank you.” Rewarding good behavior not only shows the customer your appreciation, it encourages them to do it again!

5.  Santa has elves and  8 reindeer- Santa wouldn’t be Santa without his team. Do you think he’d be able to read all of our letters, be painstakingly reliable, or jolly and delightful if he didn’t have a team to help him with all his Christmas responsibilities?  Of course not, so then why do you expect to be able to take care of all of your business responsibilities by yourself?

Business Lesson:  If you don’t have the time to provide the level of service you want, surprise and delight customers – or market and build your business then it’s time to get your own team of elves and reindeer! No one ever built an empire alone…not even Santa.  Want to be insanely popular like Santa?  Then it may be time  to hire some help!

6.  Santa is one-of-a-kind!  Santa has an image like no one else:  long gray beard, velvety red suit, and shiny black boots. Santa has a catch phrase, “Ho, Ho, Ho”.  Santa knows his target market are children. Santa also knows these three things set him apart from the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and moms and dad -  and he used that to build the Santa brand to be the unmistakable symbol it is today!

Business Lesson: Take a look at your business, what can you do to make your business stand out from the crowd? Do you have a unique image? A symbolic uniform? A bright red sleigh pulled by 8 tiny reindeer (Ok, a fleet of bright red trucks will do!)?  A quirky catch phrase? Find your uniqueness and do something big to stand apart from the competition!

Summary:

The bottom line is this: Santa “gets” marketing – he built one of the most recognizable brands that ever existed by doing these 6 things.  Sure, we may never be as popular as Santa but by following his example, we can certainly create our own little world of magic!  Happy holidays! Ho, Ho, Ho!!!

By the way, if you liked this post, I’d really appreciate your Retweet!!! Thank you.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is frequently cited as one of the top ten travel destinations in the world. Expensive resorts line pristine beaches and cater to the rich and famous. Yet one of the most popular beachfront restaurants in the area isn’t associated with any of the typical tourist venues.

Zipper’s Beachfront Restaurant is a little off the beaten path, and there’s nothing fancy about it other than great ocean view courtesy of Mother Nature. The restaurant’s owner, Tony Magdaleno (aka “Big Tony”), is a mini-celebrity. My husband and I were introduced to Zipper’s and “Big Tony” about ten years ago by some friends who own a second home in Cabo. Now, every year when we go back we, Zipper’s is on our “must do” list. And Big Tony always remembers us. As soon as he sees us, he makes his way to our table to say hello and welcome us back. Of course, that’s part of the reason folks like us come back time and time again. Big Tony makes you feel special.

During one of my trips there, I decided to chat with Big Tony about how he built his business and how he manages to continue to succeed with so much competition. “Most business comes from word-of-mouth, and I never forget a face,” he explained. “It is important to get repeat customers.”

It certainly does the trick at Zipper’s. More than 60 percent of the restaurant’s customers are tourists. Since Tony launched the restaurant 14 years ago, he says he has watched families come with young children who are now grown and returning with their own children. “I really enjoy that,” he said with his trademark big smile.

Big Tony is also a brand in and of himself. There’s a Big Tony cartoon character depicted on the restaurant’s coasters and signage which includes Tony’s famous slogan “Sale y Vale,” which as far as I can tell has no meaning – except at Zipper’s.

Building a base of loyal customers doesn’t require a huge marketing budget. Follow Big Tony’s example. Zipper’s doesn’t have a website and Tony doesn’t spend a lot of money on advertising. Nonetheless, during the slowest tourism months in Cabo, you’ll still find a comfortable crowd at Zipper’s. Big Tony understands the importance of building a loyal customer base by making people feel special. That’s why if you are ever in Cabo and get a chance to check out Zipper’s, you can count on Big Tony being there working the room.  Tell him I said hello.

If you’d like more information on ways to build your restaurant customer base without breaking the bank, let me share some resources with you.

First,the National Restaurant Association works to help its members build customer loyalty and find financial success. For example, the organization sponsors members-only webinars which allow you to learn from industry experts. The programs feature insights into new trends, economic conditions, cash flow management, effective pricing strategies, innovative marketing and promotions programs. In addition, you can network with some of the leaders in the business so you can learn from the experience of others. The NRA’s annual conference and trade show is a popular industry event where you can network, learn new techniques for marketing and menu development, and find the latest products to help you build your business.

CoverBoom.com is primarily a website development and online strategy company  for restaurants, but it also offers free, educational webinars. The webinars are presented by online marketing restaurant experts. For example, an upcoming event teaches you how to create an online sweepstakes for Facebook to attract new business.

MarketingProfs.com is a resource that offers practical know-how to help you market your products and services both smarter and better. While the material is designed for all types of businesses, the site does provide restaurant-specific content. You’ll find helpful newsletters, seminars, forums and conferences to help you design smart marketing strategies that work for you.

Finally, visit ItsYourBiz.com. We have information, tips and inspirational examples of how small-business owners just like you took their businesses to the next level. You’ll find a host of segments produced for the restaurant and hospitality industry, including coverage of past NRA conferences and how to build your business dream through restaurant ownership.

Over 100 incoming emails a day.
Four customer service representatives.
One inbox and one workstation set up to receive all the messages.

How does a company with that set up and that volume of email make sure that every customer gets responded to quickly? And that everyone is clear who ‘owns’ each conversation, from the initial contact through resolution? How do you make musical chairs an efficient part of your customer service workflow?

Those are questions Taran Lent, vice president and founder of CardSmith, had to address. A campus ID card payment solutions company, CardSmith serves educational institutions, campus service providers, as well as cardholders and closed loop communities nationwide. Card holders don’t need to have cash to get goods or services on campus, and campuses don’t have the hassle or expense of creating their own proprietary card systems. CardSmith is the market’s only software as a service provider.

“The biggest challenge for us,” says Lent about his email situation,  was “not having a multi-user system and keeping track of which agent ‘owned’ a particular message.”

The solution was Email Center Pro. Students are their primary demographic, says Lent, and they prefer contacting customer service through email. “Using Email Center Pro helps make us relevant and responsive to this need,” he says.

“Email Center Pro is great.  It was a snap to implement and to get up and running,” he says. “Now we can have multiple agents managing inbound service requests, and we have very clear tracking and reporting regarding our performance and resolution of cases.” Of all the features that make Email Center Pro so valuable to his organization, Lent says “the multi-user and assign features are our favorites.”

According to Lent, the benefits of Email Center are many. “It’s hosted, easy to use, and affordable. If you take your email care operations seriously, and need a single solution to support many mail boxes with multi-agent access and tracking, then Email Center Pro is what you need.”

Jay Snider
Palo Alto Software

Darshaun McAway is a young man with big ideas. He was in his early 20s when he made a choice that takes many people decades more to make, and he’s been building a successful business based on that choice for the last six years.

“I was extremely tired of working for other people, and having them make this large profit off of me. And me being nowhere near happy with the work I was doing,” remembers Darshaun.

So he decided to pave his own way and start a company, Darshaun.com. He now makes his living as an author, poet, voice-over artist and motivational speaker. He started his own publishing company, Dmac Poetry House, to publish his poetry, and is currently working on a series of self-help books called “The City of Heartbreak.” It’s quite a change for somebody who had previously worked as a truck driver, baker, and forklift operator. But it wasn’t such a difficult shift, he says. “Starting a business isn’t hard. It’s believing that you can do it — now that’s the hard part.”

Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Darshaun.com employs four people, and has an unusual business model. “What makes my business unique is that everything is controlled, viewed, and even shipped from my mobile device. Whereas before, everything in the original business plan was a brick and mortar location and [there was] lots of on-hand shipping.”

Darshaun wrote that business plan using Business Plan Pro. “I used Business Plan Pro to get the foundation and education to properly seal the deal with the bank,” he says. And it worked — he got $15,000 in loans and investment and was able to fund his business.

“Business Plan Pro made it easier by guiding me step by step, giving me the luxury of working at my own pace, and teaching me to stay focused on the plan.” One thing the process taught him was the importance of the Executive Summary. “[It] has to really impress whomever you’re trying to do business with,” he comments. And like most entrepreneurs, he notes that getting the financial projections right was the hardest part of doing the business plan.

Being the man in charge isn’t always easy, either. “When it comes to running the business, the difficult part is, if you slack, the company slacks, and of course you get nowhere. All the pressure is on you,” Darshaun says.

But he clearly finds the pressure is worth it. “The most exciting part of being an entrepreneur is seeing your vision come to life and living what many people think is a dream. If I’m dreaming, then don’t wake me up.”

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Michael Turner started his own company after growing disillusioned with working for somebody else. As he remembers: “There were meetings galore, lots of PowerPoint slide shows, big buzzwords that meant nothing—all resulting in very little productivity, but costing millions of dollars.” After 10 years, Turner decided to head out on his own.

In 2006, he started Marketing Max, with the goal of providing companies with marketing, PR, and design services. With business plan in hand, he and his wife relocated from Atlanta to Jacksonville, Florida, hired an employee, and landed several large clients.

Despite his strong belief in the power of a planning, says Michael, “nothing prepared us for what happened a few years later. In 2009, when the U.S. economy tanked like most of us have never seen, every one of our larger clients almost instantly laid people off and cut back on marketing spend.”

This had a tremendous effect on Marketing Max’s business. “I knew I needed to target more small businesses that, while also affected by the economy, still needed pros to help them market their businesses to survive.” So, rather than cutting back like so many others were doing, Michael instead changed gears.

“Later that year, I revived an old name that I had used for a popular small business community website back in the early 1990s called CriticalBiz. I shifted focus a bit and extended the services that we offered at Marketing Max, but on a much more simplified level with very clear terms. Instead of the intimidating “big marketing firm” persona that was Marketing Max, I decided to get more personal.”

Starting over

CriticalBiznow offers services ranging from document creation, employee recruiting, graphic design and copywriting, to sales, public relations, and even Web design and development. Michael brings more than 20 years of business experience to the table, and enlists a team of consultants who are experts in a variety of fields to assist. The idea behind CriticalBiz is that they can provide services that go beyond typical “virtual assistant” tasks but that aren’t needed often enough to justify hiring a full-time employee. As the website says, “working with CriticalBiz means you can focus on other things that may be more important to your business.”

Before he ever struck out on his own, Michael armed himself with a plan. “Before leaving [his previous position]… I put a ton of time and energy into writing the business plan for Marketing Max. I utilized Business Plan Pro, as it forced me to stay on track and organized. I was not seeking outside capital, but did enlist a former colleague to review the plan. This forced me to write as if I were in fact presenting the plan—it helps to keep things honest and realistic.” That planning helped him weather the economic downturn, and helped him figure out what the next logical steps for his business should be.

Michael is a true believer in planning. He feels that a business plan is not just a static document that you write up and stick in a drawer. “I believe that a business plan is a living document that needs to act as a guide to success,” he says, rather than a document created as part of a one-time process that a business owner goes through.

photo by flickr user JMRosenfeld

Think like a football coach

Michael sets aside a full day every quarter to review and refine both his marketing plan and his business plan. “Far too many of those that do create business plans, simply do so by going through the motions,” says Michael. “Once it’s written, it goes into a file cabinet, never to be seen again. If more people would use their business plans like a football coach uses his playbook — to strategically manage the game — fewer businesses would fail.”

In fact, according to Michael, some of the biggest mistakes made by entrepreneurs are caused by a failure to plan. “I would be willing to bet that most small-business owners spend more time planning a vacation than they do planning for their businesses,” he says, noting “if more small businesses would stop to create a detailed business plan, including all of the market research and number crunching that they should be doing,” they would be better off.

Speaking of crunching numbers, Michael echoes what a lot of folks say when asked about the toughest part of writing a business plan. “The hardest part is the financials. This section of the plan requires you to be completely honest with yourself. Business Plan Pro made the number crunching much easier for me because it forced me to answer the tough questions. The math doesn’t lie, and making sure you put all of the right numbers in is critical. You have to keep things real!”

As Michael sees it, the value of the plan is lost if you don’t remember that you’re not fantasizing or imagining best-case scenarios. You’re doing your best to project into the future. “Those who do plan, and are honest with themselves throughout the process, will be able to cope with critical issues much, much easier when they do arise… and they will. Planning ahead of time always makes for a more predictable, successful outcome,” he says.

A few weeks ago we shared the success story of Camille Rose on this blog. She’s an entrepreneur who has started and run several successful businesses, and she credits her belief in the importance of a business plan, and the power of positive thinking, as keys to her success.

With a strong passion for startups in general, and specifically those started and run by women, Camille operates a consulting firm called Pink Purse Ventures. Her goal is to help other women realize the dream of business ownership.

On May 15, Camille will be leading a seminar called “Your Business Plan is Like a Bra… it supports your every move,” in Walnut Creek, California. According to Camille, whether you’re a startup looking for a bank loan or a business that’s already up and running but looking to grow, “business planning allows you to accomplish these goals.” One seminar participant will win a copy of Business Plan Pro, to assist them on the planning process.

For more information about Pink Purse Ventures, or to register for the seminar, check out www.pinkpurse.org.

Camille Rose believes in the power of positive thinking. After starting and running several successful businesses, she says she’s learned how to reframe the thinking that dooms many would-be entrepreneurs. “When you start down the path of striking out on your own, [you need to] realize that you’re your own worst enemy. Your fear will feed your negative thoughts. You must stop those thoughts in their tracks and replace them with positive thoughts of success,” the Lafayette, California entrepreneur says. As she launches her newest venture, Get a Gofer, this month, it’s clear she’s taking her own advice.

The business plan for Get a Gofer was not her first, says Camille, who estimates she’s written around 20 of them, both for herself and for other people. “I have an idea and I immediately want to start writing a business plan. Not all the businesses I’ve written plans for have come to fruition obviously,” she notes. Get a Gofer, with it’s catchy slogan “Spend more time with your little angels,” she says, clearly wasn’t one of those “no-goes.”

“Errand services nowadays are mostly provided by work-at-home individuals or large companies who market their services to other large companies. We are filling an enormous gap in the market by creating an easy-to-use, affordable service for busy, elderly, and disabled individuals.”

Rose has successfully launched several other businesses, including a wine exporting business and a kebab lounge. And for each of them, she used Business Plan Pro to put together the plan. In fact, she’s raised more than $1 million — both from investors and from SBA loans –  for her ventures, thanks in no small part, she says, to the business plans she wrote.

According to Camille, the organization Business Plan Pro provides makes the process of writing the business plan easier. “My challenge is always keeping my business ideas documented. When I’m in the start-up phase, I do a ton of research.  I use Business Plan Pro’s tasks to capture my research in any given area.  I write my initial thoughts, paste URLs to blogs, statistics, links to articles and more, under the various tasks in the software (e.g., Market Analysis, Sales Strategy, etc.)  Then when I’m ready to start writing I have my initial thoughts and all my research already organized for me under each task, so the writing process is so much easier.”

Writing a business plan is a real learning experience, according to Camille. She says she always discovers something about her business through writing the plan, “which is why I didn’t launch some of the businesses I wrote plans for.” Seeing the cash or work-flow pitfalls before investing time and energy into a bad business idea is one advantage of good business planning.

In addition to Get a Gofer, Rose also owns and runs Pink Purse Ventures, which has been providing consulting services to women-owned businesses for more three years. She’s now putting all that she’s learned about business planning to work, and growing Pink Purse Ventures at the same time. Starting in May, she’ll be holding business-planning seminars for women, where she’ll encourage them to push past their fears to make their business dreams reality. And she’ll be using Business Plan Pro to lead them through the planning process.

What is a full service animation studio doing in a quiet Northern Virginia neighborhood?

Producing animation for “the big screen, the small screen, and all the screens in between,” says its founder, Charlotte Rinderknecht.

Studio Kinate is a “concept to completion” studio whose artists use traditional hand-drawn animation to create its projects.

But it’s not just its unusual location and old-school style that set Kinate apart from other animation studios. “It is our process that makes us stand out. I believe in apprenticeship. The animations we produce rely on interns and apprentices working alongside veteran and senior animators,” Rinderknecht says.

Rinderknecht feels this is an important part of what makes her company special. “Our films not only engage audiences, they inspire a new generation of animators. Each and every Studio Kinate project includes the work of student, intern, and junior animators.” This, she says, is the key to creating relevant and progressive storytelling that resonates with young audiences.

While she had been involved in other businesses, it wasn’t until she decided to seek funding for Studio Kinate that she embarked upon writing her first business plan. “When I was looking for help, it was the reviews that made me turn to Business Plan Pro, because I had no idea where else to turn.”

“My business model is unusual, so people who were advising me had a hard time seeing the possibilities outside the norm,” Charlotte notes. Then she discovered the Business Success Coaching service, and found a coach who supported her vision and helped her achieve it. “My coach, Paul Gibson, was amazing. He helped me keep on goal and helped me with questions that were related more to my industry, that helped me understand how to write my plans. For instance, since my company produces animation for feature distribution, I need to build a plan for each of those projects. Paul was amazing and encouraging.”

Charlotte Rinderknecht

Charlotte considers any business plan a work in progress. “The business plan is a living document and should be revisited to help keep track of where you are going. I feel it is like a map, and you don’t just look at the map when you begin a journey. You need to review and plan new routes as you travel.” On her planning journey, she’s found the most challenging part to be crunching the numbers. “It takes considerable research and planning to develop the funding requirements of the studio. Business Plan Pro helps me get organized and walks me through the process. It also provides additional resources,” she says, which provided valuable assistance in finding the data she needed to complete her plan.

Studio Kinate is not just a business. Its productions include both traditional hand drawing techniques and innovative digital technology, says Charlotte, “because we believe the warmth and artistry of hand drawn animation is an art worth preserving for the next generation.” And since the animations are created by young animators sitting alongside seasoned professionals, viewers and creators alike benefit from the process.

And so does Charlotte. “I love watching people come together on a project. Working with young people and introducing them to veterans in the industry has been priceless. I love watching them work together to produce something that audiences will love. Don’t get me wrong, this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it is also the most rewarding.”

Jim Glasgow has a black belt in karate, does jui jitsu, kickboxes, cycles, and has competed in triathlons and marathons. Oh yeah, and he operates a successful business too.

What connects these pursuits? The passion that he brings to them all.

Jim had always wanted to have his own business. And as  a long time devotee of the martial arts, he says he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather be doing than introducing other people to his passion. But while teaching martial arts was fulfilling, he says,  it wasn’t going to pay the bills. When he had an opportunity to start a business producing a line of products specifically for martial artists and athletes, he jumped at it. “There’s really nothing better,” he says.

Sick Gear is based in Chicago, and launched in December 2008. They manufacture and sell uniforms, shirts, and gear for martial artists.  “Sick Gear was an idea I had a couple of years ago, to come out with a line of products that really dealt with the individual athlete, and recognized how that athlete is separate from somebody in a team sport.” The main product focus for Sick Gear is jui jitsu gi’s, with logo branded apparel and training gear rounding out the line.

Glasgow had a fleeting previous experience as a business owner. “In the past I worked with entrepreneurial  companies. I’d been involved with small companies, and I’d wanted to start my own company for years. So I started a small consulting firm in 2005,” he says. “I was only in business for two or three months,” before an old employer lured him back. “They gave me an offer I really couldn’t refuse,” he remembers with a smile.

But it wasn’t what he wanted to be doing. Looking back, he says, “I spent a lot of years in business dreading going to work, just hating it and wondering what I was doing. Life is too short to do that.”

With a motto of “succeed or fail, you just have to take a shot” when you really want something, Jim took his shot. And a few years later, Sick Gear became a reality. “I’d written some very rough business plans before, when I started my consulting business,” he says, and had covered the topic in college as well. “I had some classes that included the concepts and components of business plans. But they never brought you through a thorough business plan, integrating the financials with the marketing… This is the first time that I really put everything together.”

“When I did the Sick Gear business plan, I used Business Plan Pro. That was really a nice tool. It was very user friendly, and just walked me through all the steps. It helped me think about the plan in a logical format,” he recalls. He added that the process of writing the plan, and the questions and issues the software brought up, made him think about areas of his business that he might not have previously considered.

Jim continues to use Business Plan Pro to help him manage his business. “I truly believe a business plan is never done. It’s a living document that you have to incorporate, every day, into your business. It makes it a lot easier using software like this.”

Through his martial arts training and his business experience, Jim says he has learned the value of seeking advice and listening to other people’s stories. “I think the more advice you get from other people, the better. You pick up on the success stories and learn from the mistakes. It’s so helpful getting the advice from people who’ve been through it.”

Ultimately, says Jim, success comes down to a few key factors. “You’ve got to have a passion for what you do. You’ve got to be resilient, and you’ve got to be prepared.  If you don’t do your homework and put together a business plan, you’re doomed to failure. There are going to be things that come around that you just didn’t plan for,” he adds, but you’ll be better prepared to deal with them. “And Business Plan Pro really helped me do that.”

James P. Shelley

James P. Shelley creates business documents for a living. He writes full business plans, financial plans, summaries, even Web copy and employee/employer documents (like employee manuals). He works with startups and ongoing businesses to craft their documents, and explains, “my specialty is to work with principals and key employees of existing businesses of all types to create changes that will help them reach their next level of organization, leadership, and performance, and to improve their profitability.”

Back in 1996, Jim was launching a health information consulting company with a few partners, and used Business Plan Pro to write the plan for that business. Since then, he has used several versions of the software to write plans for his own businesses, as well as all business and financial plans he writes for his clients. “I like the simplicity of Business Plan Pro,” he notes.

“In 2004 I engineered my own business plan for a venture separate from my writing business. The lending institution told me that it was one of the best plans they had ever seen; very detailed and easy to understand. This resulted in a business loan that included the purchase of a business and the associated real property.”

A business plan is an important document, according to Jim, because it helps to determine if a business idea will work. “Many people have great business ideas, but until everything is fleshed out — until they look at how all the numbers gel together — it’s a guessing game.” But almost as important as the plan is for determining the course of the business for the business owner, is the tremendous impact it has on lenders and investors. “Having a properly prepared business plan has ensured my clients present their ideas to the proper people in a proper format. It must be perfect. There is no un-ringing the bell.”

Writing a business plan is an everyday thing for Jim, but he experiences the same difficulties as anyone who sits down to the task. “The biggest challenge of engineering a business plan without Business Plan Pro is the financial plan component. Engineering a financial plan as comprehensive as that in Business Plan Pro, using a workbook with spreadsheets, is simply too time consuming.” He tells the story of a client who handed him a bundle of 36 spreadsheets, prepared by a CPA. Though it was challenging, he was able to cull the information from all those sheets and use Business Plan Pro to create a finished product that made his client happy. “I’m not a CPA, but when everything folded together in Business Plan Pro, the end result was a comprehensive financial plan easily understood by most any banker.”

While the financial tools were his favorite part of the software, he says the flow of the program was really helpful as well. “The outline feature is very appealing. I like to see where I’ve been, where I’m going, and enjoy being guided towards a conclusion. I also like the review feature… which identifies the success or failure of your work.”

One feature of Business Plan Pro that Jim doesn’t use is the plan versus actual comparison. Since he’s writing the plans for other people, he doesn’t usually have the opportunity to follow up. “However, for my clients, I encourage them to purchase Business Plan Pro Premier Edition so they can use that feature once they’ve established their business.”

Jim has been writing business plans for clients for over four years, and says he has not written any of them without Business Plan Pro. “While I consider myself very organized, I found the intuitiveness of Business Plan Pro quite appealing.  It really is a smart approach to engineering such an important document.”

Before starting his writing business, Jim says he labored in the corporate world — “Been there, done that.” He finds a great deal of satisfaction in what he’s doing now. “I enjoy helping people identify, reach, and enjoy their hopes, dreams, and aspirations through proper planning.”

Check out Jim’s website for more about what he does, samples of his work, or to contact him directly.