Business Plan Tip
Dec 15th, 2007 by admin
Like any professional document, EVERY business plan requires a cover page. This may seem quite obvious, however, many plans lack a cover page or have one that is incomplete. The cover page of your business plan should be pleasing to the eye, yet professional, containing the name of your business venture, a logo and/or image that captures the essence of your product or service, contact information that includes an e-mail address, the date and a short confidentiality/privacy statement. A cover page makes the first impression. It also provides the core information that bankers and investors require.
If you don’t have a logo, there are a number of sites online where you can obtain a royalty-free or pay-for-use graphic or stock photo. Log onto your favorite search engine (Google!) and try a keyword search using free stock photos or royalty-free graphics. Or go directly to Corbis® at www.corbis.com or iStockPhoto at www.istockphoto.com. You can search, purchase and download images all ONLINE.
This is something I haven’t thought about. I know that you need a business plan if you want to apply for a loan but never thought that it may be so vital. Thanks man, keep on writing!
Thanks for the comment, Vladtess! First impressions really do count…
I have a question about royalty-free graphics. If I find a good graphic that I want to use for my company lets say, and my company gets very successful, can I copyright that graphic? I mean, I didn’t make it by myself. I don’t know if I should be posting it here, but delete if you feel the need. Thanks.
Royalty free graphics have specific terms of use which vary by company. I can tell you that the person/entity who creates a specific graphic or image usually retains all copyrights - so you won’t be able to resell the image or graphic or copyright it as your own. Consider having a freelance designer or artist create one for you. I use Guru.com (www.guru.com) for these types of services. It’s a freelance marketplace that allows you to get multiple bids and make an informed decision.
Thanks man. I look the guru and it sure seems to have something offer. I guess I’ll try to get one of those guys to help me out to make a logo for my blog (sometime).