The successful entrepreneur's guidebook : where you are now, where you want to be, how to get there / Colin Barrow, Robert Brown, Liz Clarke.

Originally published under the title: The business enterprise handbook. Rev. edition 2004.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-326) and index.

Part 1: Where are we now? -- Phases of organizational growth -- 1. Your mission -- Mission statements -- Prime objectives -- 2. Opportunities and threats -- your marketing environment -- 3. Strengths and weaknesses -- Products and services -- Pricing and distribution -- Advertising and promotion -- Sales and sales management -- 4. The financial position -- Business objectives -- Ratios -- the tools of analysis -- Measures of growth -- Measures of profitability -- Credit control -- Sources of financial information -- 5. How to diagnose your organization -- Organization 'fit' with the environment -- Your organizational phase of growth -- Benchmarking against best practice -- Characteristics of effective organizations -- 6. Assessing people, structure and systems -- Assessing people capability -- Assessing structure capability -- Assessing systems capability.

Part 2: Where are we going? -- 7. Marketing options -- Critical success factors (CSFs) -- 8. Marketing strategy: focus and priorities -- Improved productivity -- Increasing margins -- Increasing volume -- 9. Choosing between alternatives -- Analysis of strategic options -- 10. Financing growth -- Internal sources of funds -- Debt and equity -- Other ways to fund growth -- 11. Acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures and divestments -- Going on the acquisition trail -- Licensing -- 12. Visionary leadership -- Developing a vision.

Part 3: How will we get there? -- Revise the company mission statement -- Set specific objectives and goals -- 13. The marketing plan -- Marketing strategies for growth -- 'The five Ps' -- Key company competences -- Sales forecast and control -- 14. The people plan -- Where people fit into the business plan -- Your people objectives -- Key elements of the people plan -- 15. Managing change -- Change hurts -- The predictable process of change -- Identifying and managing resistance -- Diagnosing readiness for change -- 16. The financial plan -- Planning assumptions -- The cash flow forecast -- The profit-and-loss account -- The balance sheet -- Sensitivity analysis -- Summary of performance ratios -- Financing requirements -- 17. Writing and presenting your business plan -- Packaging -- Layout and content -- Writing and editing -- Who to send the business plan to -- The oral presentation -- What financiers look for in a business plan -- 18. Exit routes -- Types of sale -- Who can help -- Confidentiality -- Due diligence -- Valuing the business -- Afterwards -- Professional advice.