Palo Alto Software Introduces a New Comprehensive Online Tool for Developing a Business Plan and Managing a Growing Business

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New online business planning and tracking tool joins the company’s stable of best-selling business planning software titles.

Eugene, Oregon July 12, 2012

Palo Alto Software, developer of best-selling business planning software, Business Plan Pro, and Sales and Marketing Plan Pro, is proud to announce the official launch of LivePlan, the company’s new cloud-based business planning and management tool.

Palo Alto Software CEO, Sabrina Parsons, stated, “LivePlan is an accessible, affordable solution for entrepreneurs and business owners to create a lender-ready professional business plan. LivePlan also makes it easy to track what is actually happening financially in your business so that you can manage your business and adjust your plan based on what’s going on in the real world. Smart planning is a great way to avoid unpleasant surprises.”

LivePlan can be accessed from nearly any device with a browser connected to the Internet, and the software’s collaborative features are ideal for instances where multiple people are contributing to a single plan or helping manage a business.

Palo Alto Software’s nearly 25 years of developing business planning software has enabled the company to develop a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for anyone writing a business plan for the first time and encourages users to engage in active planning. The software encourages users to write only what they need and to focus on the act of planning instead of just simply creating an old-fashioned static business plan document. A user can create a professional plan for funding, with help and guidance at every step, or just use LivePlan to create a forecast and a budget to plan for growth. The financials have been created from years of experience and all the formulas and calculations are automated to ensure accuracy.

“LivePlan is incredibly simple and easy to use. The financial sales forecasting tool is very intuitive and makes writing a business plan more fun. I would highly recommend this product to anybody starting a business or revising their business plan,” stated Helga Douglas, LivePlan user and Founder and CEO of sustainable apparel company, Svala.

For ongoing business management, the software includes an innovative “Scoreboard” feature that allows business owners and managers to compare their actual results against their plan. This real-time, accurate visibility of key performance indicators such as cash balances can expose important trends that are critical for ongoing management.

While this is the official introduction of LivePlan, the software quietly launched 14 months ago. In that short period of time, LivePlan has become the most-used online business planning tool with more than 40,000 paid accounts and an average monthly growth rate of over 20%. The economic impact of LivePlan users is significant. For example, a survey of completed LivePlan plans, from United States-based businesses, indicated that LivePlan small business owners intend to generate over 37,000 new jobs over the next 12 months.

Parsons added, “We’re proud of the role we play in the entrepreneurial process and the creation of successful new businesses. According to research conducted at the University of Oregon, entrepreneurs with a business plan are two-and-a-half times more likely to secure investment capital. The research also found that writing a business plan correlated with increased success reaching business goals such as purchasing assets, recruiting employees, and overall strategic thinking that leads to company growth.”

In conjunction with the official release of LivePlan, Palo Alto Software is also excited to announce the inaugural “LivePlan $10,000 Business Boost” business plan competition. The winning plan will receive a $10,000 business grant. The competition officially runs from July 17 through August 24 and preliminary details can be found at https://www.liveplan.com/boost.

About Palo Alto Software, Inc.
Palo Alto Software, Inc. develops tools and provides content resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The company’s flagship product, Business Plan Pro, is the best-selling business-planning software in the U.S. retail market, according to NPD Intelect. The company’s new SaaS (software as a service) application, LivePlan, is the most complete online business planning and small business management tool on the market. The company’s content site, Bplans.com, ranks as the highest-trafficked business planning web site, with over one million unique visits a month. Palo Alto Software was founded in 1988 and is privately-owned corporation based in Eugene, Oregon. For more information about Palo Alto Software products, visit http://www.paloalto.com.

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Noah Parsons
Noah Parsons
Noah is currently the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan.
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