Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this program if you are running Windows XP
Review: I bought this program looking forward to an easy start to a business plan for an expansion project with my existing business. Business Plan Pro 2003 has NEVER worked with my Windows XP operating system. I have contacted Palo Alto customer service and technical support and have still not been able to resolve the problem. There response is that it is a third party problem with a XP update. They have been trying things and having me change set ups on my system and guess what? IT STILL DOESN'T WORK!!! I am stuck with a program that doesn't work and now no one will stand behind it.
Rating: 
Summary: Easiest way to get started
Review: I checked out several different business planning packages and ended up with Business Plan Pro becuase of the positive magazine reviews, the free sample plans, and the market research resources.I had no trouble loading the software on my Windows XP machine and started right away by loading up a sample plan. It was pretty easy to find a plan similar to my business, and while the samples do vary in quality, most that I looked at were pretty well written. I was able to import the sample plan directly into the software and start editing it to match my own business. It was a great way to get started. The instructions and examples in the software are well written and I didn't have any trouble filling out the financials. Some of the financials were a bit hard to understand at first, but after using the software, I feel that I've got a pretty good understanding of my financials and my cash flow. All in all, I found the software very helpful. I did check out the Premier edition of Business Plan Pro, but felt that is was more than I needed. I didn't need to add my own custom spreadsheets, so the basic version seemed fine to me. My loan officer was very impressed with the quality of my plan and I hope to get my business off the ground soon! I would recommend this software to anyone looking to get a plan started quickly. The output is professional and it was easy to customize the plan to fit my needs.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Cool
Review: I found this software to be a great resource. This was the first time that I had tired to do a business plan. It lead me through the process, has some great examples, and gave me some good coaching. I had no problems with the software at all (XP) and things went from start to finish. Bottom Line: It saved me alot of time and I got my money's worth.
Rating:
Summary: Business plan LITE
Review: I had used BPP 4.0 at a previous employer. When I went to start a business of my own I purchased BPP 2003. I have been Extremely unhappy with the product. The files I had created on BPP 4.0 could not be imported into 2003. Tech support at Palo Alto did convert them for me so I can't complain about their support. The problem was that a lot of the detail from 4.0/2002 is lost importing to 2003. BPP 2003 does not support all the features of 4.0 or 2002. Detailed tables got converted to a "simple" format. User defined tables are not allowed so they were lost. Their website doesn't mention the loss of features importing files from previous versions on the page covering imports from previous versions. To get the features of 4.0 or 2002 you need to purchase the "Premier" version. I wish they had named it Business Plan Pro Lite to reflect the true features and I would have bought the Premier version.
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful Software
Review: I have been running my own business for 7 years and I never thought I needed a business plan, then my bank manager told me he wanted to see one as part of a loan application. ...mentioned Business Plan Pro and how much time I would save if I used it, so I believed the hype and forked out the [money]. It was well worth it! The software had simple instructions at every section, and best of all the spreadsheets made it almost impossible for me to mess up my financials! This software probably saved me a weeks' work! Glad I bought it and would HIGHLY recommend it to others!
Rating: 
Summary: Cautious
Review: I have use an older version of this softaware and found it to be awkward as will many business plan software. Most bus plan software in general tries to make a basic task, that can be time consuming, but relatively straight forward, simplier. Actually a good MS Excel and MsWord templete would do the same thing. I have reviewed several types of BP software, I don't think any of them would making my job much easier.
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Summary: Ready Proof that 'Better' is the Enemy of 'Good Enough'
Review: I heartily agree with other reviewers that MS Word & Excel templates are plenty sufficent for the -- apparently unavoidable -- time-consuming business planning task. Business Plan Pro's attempts at simplicity only make it obtuse. Rather than permitting business owners to focus on the priorities of their particular business, BPP users will find themselves answering off-topic questions and dealing with other near-useless distractions that add little to no value. Moreover, what good are 400 samples if _they can't be imported for use as a template_?? Selling the software on the basis of making all these great 'samples' available (when they most definitely cannot be used directly) is a borderline scam in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: I learned about my business as I wrote my plan
Review: I just had to take the time to write a review of this software. Business Plan Pro is so easy to work with! Between the Hurdle book and the software's instructions and examples throughout it, I was amazed to finish an elaborate business plan from start to finish in one week! I learned so much more about our company during this process and made many business decisions that I would have never learned until the mistakes were made. The print out was beautiful and it uses a format that everyone can understand (i.e., text, charts, tables). Thanks Palo Alto Software!
Rating:
Summary: Consultants use this too
Review: I read through a negative review obviously written by a consultant interested in pitching their services, and felt compelled to respond. I saw no obvious bugs in the 2003 version. No problem with the wizard, or any other major component. for [$$$] you simply can't go wrong. Granted, not all samples in this software are equal, but the ones that I've seen provide a good starting point and the financials make sense. It helps you through the logistics of writing the plan, and guides you along with content. Naturally you have to be willing to show moxie and research a little deeper (interview people, trade magazines, case studies, etc). Success isn't found in any software package, but good ones can help by saving you time and money. All in all, a plan should take you a week with this program, whereas a consultant may cost you a month and $5000 and they probably use this program too. For some, a consultant makes sense, and that's fine if you don't have the time to write one yourself and have the money to buy a consultant. For me, this [$$$] program made sense, and still does.
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Summary: Windos XP bugs
Review: I was pretty excited to start using Business Plan Pro after reading some positive reviews...But my opinion changed quickly after installing the program to my Windows XP operating system. Immediately, I experienced bugs. When I launched the program my machine locked up. Not sure how it works on other systems.
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