The LivePlan Blog

We’ve just released some exciting updates to LivePlan that make it easier to create new financial forecasts. We’ve also given you a new option to forecast cost of goods sold and improved how we provide help.

Writing a business plan can seem like a daunting task and an easy one to avoid. But, it doesn’t have to be. An easy way to start is with a one-page business plan or Lean Plan. Here’s how to do it.

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.

Setting goals is a fundamental part of improving. Here’s how to set goals within your business and track your progress—which better improves your chances for achieving your goals.

Accounts receivable is money that is owed to you by your customers for products or services that you have sold. Find out why AR is important, and how to track it.

Whatever type of business plan you’re writing, there are a few key financial items that you should definitely include. Here’s what they are, why they’re important, and how you should create them.

There’s something about paper that just makes it easier to concentrate and review data, especially when you need to focus. To get the “paper” experience, we’ve added a new feature in LivePlan that lets you print just your budget and forecast.

Most people think that meetings are a waste of time—and they’re usually right. Here’s how to run a monthly plan review meeting that as actually effective, useful, and not a waste of valuable time.

Direct costs (also known as costs of goods sold—COGS) are the costs that can be completely attributed to the production of a specific product or service. Here’s why this is important for growing and running your business.

Business owners who succeed in meeting their goals have one common thread: They all track their progress toward their goals. Here are the metrics and data you should track to realistically measure performance, and what you can safely ignore.