Do you run (or are thinking of starting) a small business or non-profit and could use some guidance? Plymouth Public Library card holders now have access to Gale Business: Plan Builder, a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration to develop a business plan focused on long-term success.
Gale Small Business Builder provides a framework to move through the entire business development lifecycle, focusing on five areas of guided business planning:
Entrepreneur Profile: This tool helps users explore what they can bring to the table as an entrepreneur and assess where they stand in preparing to start a business. A one-page summary of them as an entrepreneur is generated.
Business Ideation: Users can employ tools such as Lean Canvas, SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and more to plan the high-level framework in which their business will operate.
Break-Even Analysis: Delivers insight to determine when a user’s business will be able to cover expenses and begin to realize a profit.
Business Plans: Creates a plan that can be presented to potential investors and lenders, including Executive Summary, Lean Business Plan, Full Business Plan, and Strategic Marketing Plan.
Financial Projections: A robust analysis of a company’s financial future encompassing capital expenditures, sales, equity, taxes, inventory and more.
Tools for nonprofits: Specific tools and features such as such as Mission Canvas, Bylaws Template and Nonprofit Pitch Deck can be of particular benefit to those managing nonprofits.