Rating: 
Summary: So far, soooo smart!
Review:
I'm only three-fifths of the way through the plan I'm writing with this book, but I had to stop and praise it highly. Abrams forces you to go find numerical evidence for statements (I'm using the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau for starters), and to back up what you say with solid numbers. Thanks to her, I discovered highly lucrative, related fields to the business I was originally intending to start! By adding some simple enhancements to my original vision, I will probably double my income. Had I not done the research this book recommends, I never would have known.
There are some drawbacks to this book. For one thing, the fill-in charts don't always match the sample plan sections at the end of the chapter. And sometimes they ask questions without telling you where or how to find the answer. But those are minor quibbles. Overall, it is an excellent book that makes you work hard (as in 40 hours or more), and think about who you are as a corporate entity. The best "proof of the pudding" was when I took a draft of my business plan into a meeting with an accountant today. Abrams warns you not to use draft plans (they can seem half-baked), but I had no choice... the accountant had to look at something. She was highly impressed, and instantly grasped the basics about my business based on this tight, well-focused, statistically sound presentation. Thank you, Ms. Abrams. And to potential readers, what's thirty bucks if you can earn many tens or hundreds of thousands more by planning right?
Rating:
Summary: The best "how to write a business plan" book around???
Review: Before you buy any "how to write a business plan" book, take a look at this one. It's clear, concise, thorough, precise. Chock full o' good stuff. Being used at the University of Arizona's entrepreneurship program, one of the best in the country
Rating:
Summary: CHECKING
Review: DEARS, I AM INTEREST TO BUY THIS BOOK: " BUSINESS PLAN: SECRETS AND SUCESS STRATEGIES" BY RHONDA, HOWEVER, I WAS CHECKING YOUR FILES AND I FOUND THREE BOOKS WITH THE SAME NAME AND AUTHOR. WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM? ... THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HOPE HEAR FROM YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. - TRULLY YOURS - BOB.
Rating: 
Summary: Just updated?
Review: I bought this book from Amazon a couple of weeks ago... and am quite frankly disappointed... it is dated and didn't really provide the know-how I wanted to build a business plan that is current and what my potential investors want. This one is headed to my next garage sale.... or heck, even one of those Amazon auctions!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as helpful as I had hoped....
Review: I did not find this book as helpful as I was hoping. First, and most importantly, I needed more examples. There was only one and it was a service organization and I needed to see an example of a manufacturing organization where the target customer was not so geographically limited. Also, I found that the way the book is organized was difficult. I felt the book was more oriented toward helping someone sort out their thoughts and feelings about starting a business than it was focused on actually structuring and writing a business plan. What I actually need are the hard, factual mechanics of writing a business plan and I did not find it to my satisfaction in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Unquestionably the best business plan guide out today
Review: I have been doing business plans for several years now and Abrams' book is the best out there. It is clearly written, informative without being overly detailed and it walks the reader step-by-step through the business plan writing process. The book provides methods and items to perform research and does a solid job of explaining the difficult job of preparing projected financial statements. I cannot understand why anyone would give this book a dissapointing review. The few bad reviews that I've read criticize the book for everything that makes it such a strong read. If you are writing a business plan you should have this book. If you are experienced in writing business plans, you should have this book for reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Good starting point and reference
Review: I have probably purchased 5 business plan books over the last year. I have also purchased a couple of business plan software programs (both unsatisfactory). None can be considered a definitive "best" book or resource. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, and anyone searching for a drop-in guide should re-think their goals. Abrams book, on the whole, is certainly one of the better business plan books. The advise and focus of the content are very salient to anyone out there looking for OPM.
Rating:
Summary: Good starting point and reference
Review: I have probably purchased 5 business plan books over the last year. I have also purchased a couple of business plan software programs (both unsatisfactory). None can be considered a definitive "best" book or resource. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, and anyone searching for a drop-in guide should re-think their goals. Abrams book, on the whole, is certainly one of the better business plan books. The advise and focus of the content are very salient to anyone out there looking for OPM.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Business Planning Book, PERIOD.
Review: I have read a lot of them and written a lot of them... business plans and bus planning books. This is BY FAR the best book available. It has depth and the detail needed to write a SERIOUS business plan. The only reason it has been criticized in reviews here is that it has a lot of detail and requires WORK. If you want the Daffy Duck business plan book (don't want to work), go elsewhere. If you want to get money (are willing to work), buy this book and do it from cover to cover. A MUST HAVE BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Class Act
Review: I liked Rhonda's book so much I'm recommending we use it as one of the texts for "Capital Formation & Finance", a class we offer at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Center for Law & Financial Markets; and I'm not just writing this because Rhonda asked me to! This book lays out a strategy for writing and presenting a thoughtful business plan that covers all the bases in a very professional fashion. She even covers the very tricky subjects of putting the plan to work and raising money. I'm a convert...I'll be using Chapter 16, The Financials, in class Wednesday night.
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