Ultimate Business Planner

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Summary: Ultimate Business Planner
Review: ...the sample plans and example text helped me get started with my plan. The software contains several sample plans and financials from different industries. At this price (lowest price I found), I would recommend this product to anyone. It will save you a lot of time and aggravation.

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Summary: This software was chosen by Intuit for QuickBooks
Review: I currently use another software program by Atlas Business Solutions called Customer Appointment Manager for our practice and became aware of Ultimate Business Planner through their website. As a CPA, I run into clients who need business plans all the time. I recently purchased QuickBooks Premier 2004 only to discover that Ultimate Business Planner is a "beefed up" standalone version of what's included in QuickBooks Premier (Atlas Business Solutions and Intuit must have some sort relationship). I recommend Ultimate Business Planner to all my clients. It's easy to use and does a fantastic job. Since Ultimate Business Planner was chosen by Intuit, I know it has to be the best business plan software on the market.

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Summary: Universal Business Planner surprisingly easy to use
Review: I found Universal Business Planner to be surprisingly easy to use. It was particularly helpful in the area of making projected financials. You are prompted for certain information in an interview and it uses that information to produce 3 years worth of P&L's, Balance sheets and Cash flow statements. It also guides you through writing a plan giving useful examples. I would say that the best strength of the product is that it is very easy to use. I would recommend it to anyone making a business plan. It is well worth the cost because it will save you allot of time particularly in the area of financials.

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Summary: Solid Software
Review: I had no idea how or where to start writing a business before I purchased this software. Wasn't sure which package to go with and this one seemed like a reasonable deal. After installing, I discovered that writing a plan isn't so difficult. The software guided me through every step by interviewing me along the entire way. When I finished, I hit the print button and out came my completed business plan. The plan looks great with the addition of my color graphics and charts. I definitely recommend this software.

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Summary: easy way to write a business plan
Review: I had no idea how or where to start writing a business before I purchased this software. Wasn't sure which package to go with and this one seemed like a reasonable deal. After installing, I discovered that writing a plan isn't so difficult. The software guided me through every step by interviewing me along the entire way. When I finished, I hit the print button and out came my completed business plan. The plan looks great with the addition of my color graphics and charts. I definitely recommend this software.

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Summary: Keep Looking
Review: I just did not find that this was a state-of-the-art product. It has the navigation and feel of a late 1990's piece of software and failed to meet my expectations.

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Summary: Solid Software
Review: I use this software for helping start-up businesses. I find it is easier to work with than Business Plan Pro and the Financial Forcasting software is VERY accurate. The print-outs are very professional and it is very easy to change numbers and projections. I recommend this for new business owners. Those with a lot of business experience or business degrees can use this and feel confident in the information.

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Summary: Going into business for the first time
Review: I'm very pleased with my Ultimate Business Planner purchase. It was just what I needed! The reason I purchased the software is because my Business Plan Pro was horribly difficult to work with, so I returned it. Ultimate Business Planner allowed me to complete my business plan and financial forecast in a fashion that is easy for me to explain to potential investors. I'm attempting to start a business for the first time and I cannot tell you how difficult the financial planning end of things has been. Ultimate Business Planner made it a simple process for me. I would definitely recommend this software to anyone looking to start a business.

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Summary: A poor knock-off
Review: This is a cheap imitiation of Business Plan Pro. They copied by paraphrasing wherever they could. Unfortunately, they copied a four-year old version, while the real thing has had two major new versions since then. Do yourself a favor, and get the one they copied from instead.

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Summary: Questionable reviews
Review: Two of these 5-star reviews were written by the same person over the course of two days. Another 5-star review was written on one of those days. Very suspicious -- much like the reviews for Palo Alto's Business Plan Pro software. It appears the business plans for these software companies did not include a section about ethics.