Blog


Recent trends, advice, and resources for business plans and early stage business development.

Bank/SBA Lending (2)

How to Make Your Side Hustle Your Main Hustle

4 min read

Making the Leap from Side Hustle to Full-Time Entrepreneur

2022 was the year of the side hustle. Recent data from Zippia show that 45% of working Americans have a side job, and that percentage rises to 70%...

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Can You Use ChatGPT to Write Your Business Plan?

9 min read

ChatGPT Is Coming for Our Jobs. Here’s Why We’re Not Scared.

When an esteemed colleague told me about ChatGPT about a month ago, I was well into the Christmas spirit and not interested in assessing the risk...

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Can you afford your SBA loan? Check out our startup business loan calculator

7 min read

How Much Will My Startup Cost?

One of my favorite aspects of financial modeling is that it is a logic puzzle. You take one piece of data and figure out how it is related to other...

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Market Research Was Once Much More Difficult Than It Is Today

12 min read

Best Market Research Tools for Business Plans in 2023

Over the past 20 years that Masterplans has been in operation, we've witnessed a significant evolution in market research methodologies. In the...

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What is an SBA Loan (& is it Right for You?)

5 min read

Is an SBA Loan the Best Way to Fund Your Business?

A business loan, particularly one backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), is an excellent way for entrepreneurs to launch a new venture....

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Take the first bite of an elephant

10 min read

From Idea to Action: A Quick Guide to Starting Your Business Plan

We’ve all been there. You're lying in bed trying to sleep when inspiration strikes: you have a million-dollar business idea!

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Do better things really come to those who wait?

7 min read

4 Factors for Timing When To Launch Your Business

Whenever I’m out in the real world, I tend to shy away from talking about what I do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. But it can be...

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Visualize Your Future Business! Create a Fake Ad!

3 min read

Unsure if Your Business Idea is Any Good? Try Making a Fake Ad

A great business idea sometimes strikes you. Then, it may consume your thoughts when you can’t sleep. Later, it can full-on haunt you.

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What to do while you're NOT writing your business plan

3 min read

How Will You Spend the Time You Save by Hiring Masterplans?

A quick internet search might leave you with the sense that you can create a business plan in “less than an hour" and in "four easy steps!” Wow, you...

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Why do your customers buy? Jobs-to-be-done & your business plan

5 min read

Jobs-To-Be-Done Will Make You Rethink Competitive Advantage

Writing or updating a business plan for an existing business can be rewarding and eye-opening, but you might consider taking a different approach...

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What is a business plan?

5 min read

What Is A Business Plan (& Do I Really Need One?)

The term "business plan" is a familiar one, often bandied about in entrepreneurial circles. Yet, despite its ubiquity, it's remarkable how much...

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How to to understand a business plan's cash flow statement

1 min read

What is the cash flow statement (and why it matters)

If your home-grown business plan financial model is super tripped out with tons of drivers and interlocking financial statements, you can pat...

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What is Mezzanine Funding & Startups Use It

3 min read

What is Mezzanine Financing (And Is It Right for Your Business?)

Most entrepreneurs know about the traditional types of funding: debt or equity. But did you know there’s something that combines the two? It’s...

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How to Avoid A Business Plan Emergency

4 min read

5 Ways to Avoid a Business Plan Emergency

Sirens blare and traffic parts. Someone is rushed down the hall to the ER on a gurney. It’s an emergency—a business plan emergency!

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A history of franchises and how to put together a business plan

2 min read

A Brief, Non-Boring History of Franchises

Ever dreamt of escaping your cubicle and becoming your own boss?

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7 expenses every startup should consider when writing a business plan

2 min read

Every new business should think about these 7 costs

So, you wanna start a business, eh? Has the thrill turned into fear yet? Already? Don’t worry; that’s completely normal. It can be intimidating to...

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