The business plan must be written with three perspectives in mind; the entrepreneurs, the marketers, and the investors. The entrepreneurs' perspective is one with complete understanding of the new venture. The entrepreneur knows the venture better than anyone else. The marketer's perspective must see the venture through the eyes of a consumer. Who will buy the product or service? The investor perspective must address sound financial projections. At some point the venture may seek outside financing, in this case, an investor will require sound assumptions and complete accounting documents.

How long should the business plan be? This is an excellent question with one answer. A business plan should be long enough to answer all the pertinent questions a marketer, supplier or investor will ask. The most important thing to remember is keeping the reader in mind while writing the business plan. If the business plan is too long the reader will become frustrated, lost, and bored. If the business plan is too short, it may not address the critical areas the reader is looking for. When determining the length of your business plan, ask yourself, 'If I were to sit down with this document, how long will it take me to read and is it interesting?' If you answer this question positively, then the business plan is adequate. If not, you have some editing to do.