What are the advantages and limitations of having a business plan?

Here are some reasons why you should write a business plan: * It can be a tool for obtaining financing. * It will help unite venture partners in a common goal. * It can serve as a feasibility study. * It will serve as a goal and blueprint for your new business. Of all of the purposes listed, the last one is the most important. A business plan can crystalize your thinking and give you a direction to go in. Consider the analogy of building a house. If you start building a house without a blueprint, you will likely have severe problems. Would you want a house with Plumbing in the wrong spots? How about a house without shingles or a roof. If you don't create a business plan, then you have a plan for failure.