Your business plan is the life-blood of your business. It's your guide to success in your industry so that you don't go flat broke and have to close up shop do to running around languidly like a chicken with your head cut off trying to figure out what to do next. It's also the vehicle that gets you the money that you need to startup and grow your business.

create a business plan to obtain venture capital isn't a simple task, but if you know how to format your business plan then it's not all that difficult. It will take a lot of time, and a lot of thinking on your part, and a lot of writing. Get your eraser handy because if you haven't mapped out your businesses future yet, you'll probably need it.

You can if need be hire a business plan consultant to help you, and if you've never had to create a business plan in the past then it's probably a good idea to do so. It's recommended thought that you at least begin on your own and round up most of the information that you'll need to get started.

You're going to need to do some soul searching about what your business is about. The first section of your business plan will be your Executive Summary. What's the purpose of your business, what's the huge idea that your business presents and who you'll be presenting this idea to? In other words, who's your target market? Here's a good time to tell you that when you're trying to get funding to start your business, those who may fund your business are looking to see if a) you'll be able to sustain the business long enough to pay back the loan or b) if it's an investor such as a venture capital firm or private venture capitalist will be wanting to know if they'll see a return on their money.

So in your Executive Summary sell and sell hard the benefits of your business to both the consumer of your product or clientele of your service, and kill the lender with the benefits of either payback (with interest) or a high profit ROI.

You have to let the funding source know within your business plan how you intend to run the shop. What is your operations plan, what's it look like, and how will you sustain that daily, weekly, monthly etc.

What are your outlooks for growth? What do you plan for your company in 3-5 years? Will you be taking the company public, will you realize a profit by this time or is your company structure one where the profit isn't realized until a much later date?

Now, and this is possibly the most important part, while being the part where everyone messes up their business plan. You need to have a quantifiable marketing plan put together detailing who your market is, how you'll market to them (radio, Internet, Direct Mail) etc., what process you'll put the prospect/lead through after you've gotten them into your marketing funnel, and how you'll turn that prospect or lead into a paying customer.

This is ultra important and the more data/testing that you have to back it up the better off you are. Take a lot of time here, test ideas, ask around, and figure this part out. The basis of any business is its customers, so that's a do or dies aspect of create a business plan.

As well, any lender or investor into your company must know who's running your company, and whether or not those people have enough experience and dedication to do so. Surround yourself with people who are much more proficient than yourself, as well as who compliment one another in filling in the gaps and you'll present to the capital funding source a very strong management team.

There is plenty more to include but the time you spend on the above will essential to your success of receiving funding when creating a business plan.