When talking about higher-level planning in business, the phrases "strategic plan" and "SWOT" (an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) come up often. Both involve important data ...

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and ...

Accurate evaluation of environmental factors could be the difference between success or failure when starting a business. An effective environmental analysis can have a major impact on the strategic ...

The Competitive Analysis section of your business plan is devoted to analyzing your competition–both your current competition and potential competitors who might enter your market. Every business has ...

A market analysis is critical to a business plan. It helps you understand the buying habits of your target market. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners ...

Numbers tell the story. Bottom line results indicate the success or failure of any business. Financial projections and estimates help entrepreneurs, lenders, and investors or lenders objectively ...