The LivePlan Blog

Milestones are what you use to convert your business strategy and tactics into action. They’re also an essential part of any Lean Plan. Here’s how to set (and adhere to) your milestones.

Your Lean Plan needs strategy, but even a great strategy is useless without tactics. Tactics are the things that you actually do to make your business work. Tactics are your road map—and here’s how to develop them.

Your profit and loss statement is the first financial information that investors and bankers will look at in your plan. Here’s a rundown of what the numbers mean.

Does the idea of reading your balance sheet leave you feeling decidedly unbalanced? The balance sheet is the most misunderstood financial statement—which is problematic because it is also one of the most useful. Here’s how to read it.

Fail to develop a solid business strategy, and your new venture will likely not be successful. Here’s how to complete this first step of the Lean Planning process.

Cash is the lifeblood of every business. Run out of cash, and you’re dead in the water. Here’s how to understand your cash flow statement, and keep your business alive.

Creating your financial forecast for your business plan can seem like a daunting task. How do you know if you’ve got the right numbers? LivePlan’s new Benchmarks feature makes it easy.

If your business is going to have employees, you need to include a personnel plan as part of your business plan and financial forecast. Here’s how to create one.

We all set goals in our personal lives, but when it comes to business, it turns out that we’re not nearly as goal-focused. Even though we’ve taken on big risks to start new businesses, the surprising truth is that we’re really not very good at goal setting at all.

Industry benchmarks are a great tool to measure your company’s performance against similar businesses, but they can also be used by startups to help with forecasting and budgeting, and ultimately, to help drive business growth. Here’s how to use them effectively.