Carl Woodard - What is The Right Business Plan Time Horizon? (G1417)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carl Woodard of SCORE OC discusses the best time horizon to consider for a business plan.

Transcript: 

Bill: What's the right time horizon for your business plan? Here's SCORE mentor Carl Woodard. 

Carl: A lot of people think that if they're not making it within that 90 days that you mentioned, then they need to close up shop and leave. They don't realize that the cash flow doesn't come in from day one, and so that's all part of the planning process. I would say, when you're putting together a plan, it should be for a fiscal year, one year period, and then do your financial projections for at least another year or two, especially if you're going to go borrow money for your business, because the financial folks and people that want to loan the money to you will want to know what you're thinking about after that first year. So, I would say, at least, cover a three-year horizon, but pay special attention to that first year you're in business. But of course, you're always adjusting it. If you're a little behind or a little ahead of your schedule, then you can adjust your current year to make it more realistic. 

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