The New Venture Adventure: Succeed with Professional Business Planning

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Summary: Plan, create and grow your company
Review: Probably a updated and translated version of the "Planen, gründen, wachsen. Mit dem professionellen Businessplan zum Erfolg" Book (ISBN: 3706405962).

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Summary: If Yours Is a "Hazardous Undertaking"....
Review: The original meaning of the word "adventure" evolved from "what comes or happens by chance" (i.e. luck) to "hazardous undertaking." Looser and Schlapfer perhaps had this in mind as they collaborated on this book. In it, they provide a step-by-step in introduction to the concepts needed to prepare a business plan and then to arrange the financing of a business idea; also, the basic knowledge needed to participate effectively in subsequent discussions and negotiations and to ask the right questions; also, the necessary business language (i.e. all the jargon and technical expressions one needs to know), explained by the authors and augmented by a very useful Glossary; finally, a References section for further reading. They organize their material within four Parts:

Starting Up a Company -- How Companies Grow

The Business Idea -- Concept and Presentation

Developing the Business Plan

Valuing a Start-Up and Raising Equity

Looser and Schlapfer are well aware of the fact that a reputable venture capital firm annually funds (on average) only one business plan of every 500 considered. (In 1999, Draper Fisher Jurvetson received almost 20,000 business plans.) Obviously, competition is ferocious. As the authors explain, their manual "is aimed at helping you through the first stage of starting up an innovative, high-growth company: writing a professional business plan....The trick is to take advantage of promising, innovative ideas, research and technology, and financing in the form of venture capital investment funds to achieve a breakthrough." There are three stages to the start-up process: First, put the business idea down on paper and analyze its marketability of on the basis of a few key indicators. (the authors identify and explain them.) Next, develop the idea into a detailed business plan which obtains the funds needed. Finally, build the company to profitability according to the business plan. (The authors suggest several "next steps", including the withdrawal of investors.) Part 3 is perhaps the most valuable section of the book because it provides a comprehensive, step-by-step explanation of HOW to formulate a proper business plan. Another valuable section is located in the Appendix: the "Extended Table of Contents"(ETC). After you have read the book, I urge you to review the ETC at least weekly. Why? Because it can serve as a check list of possible "early-warning signs" to which you and your associates must constantly be alert. You also need to know that each copy includes a CD: "mySAP Workplace -- The Enterprise Portal solution." This is an excellent value-added benefit.

If you share my high regard for this book, check out Done Deals (edited by Udayan Gupta) and The VC Way (authored by Jeffrey Zygmont). Those involved in a "hazardous undertaking" need all the help they can

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Summary: An outline, not a book
Review: This book weighs in at 217 pages (including index). Unfortunately, what you really get is about 50 pages worth of material, and much of that is repetitive and/or obvious.

Particularly galling are the many pages (over 25) devoted to quotes, one quote per page. We're talking 15-20 words per page for such pages. OK, nice quotes, but they should take a line or two each, not a page.

Probably the most useful thing is that it includes a sample business plan.

In sum, this book is an outline of the book it should be, and an outline that has been stretched to cover 200 pages.

Until the authors write the book that goes with this outline, save your money.