No Limits Ladies.com

Last week, June Campbell from Nightcats.com explained to us the difference between a business proposal and a business plan.

So what is the number one error entrepreneurs make when writing a business proposal?

"The number one mistake that I have seen is the failure to explain the items in the proposal clearly and fully. I have read many business proposals that entrepreneurs have written. All to often, I had to ask the writer to explain or clarify various points. The reader should not have to do this. A busy CEO receiving a proposal like this is likely to trash the document rather than contacting the submitter for clarification. This is a common mistake, however, because we all know our own businesses so thoroughly that we forget that others do not have the same understanding. We miss key issues because to us, those issues are obvious. They are not obvious to the reader, however."

That is actually the number one mistake I make writing novels. I think the feelings or actions or... are obvious but when my test audience reads them, they ask questions they shouldn't have to. Maybe its part of being too close to the work.

So if being too close isn't a good thing, does June think it makes sense to hire an outside consultant?

"The obvious advantage to using a consultant is that writing a proposal takes considerable time. The entrepreneur may be better off spending his or her time in other business activities. Secondly, the entrepreneur may not understand the key elements to include in a business proposal and may not know how to describe the proposed venture in the most favorable light.

However, I believe that no one understands his/her business as well as the entrepreneur himself/herself. Therefore, if he has the writing skills needed, I believe the best business proposal will be the one he writes personally. I have written business proposals for entrepreneurs before, and I know how challenging it can be to understand the intricate details of the business arrangement that I am trying to explain to a third party. I believe the ideal solution is for the entrepreneur to write the document themselves and perhaps engage a consultant to edit and revise the document as needed. I have developed a guide to writing a business proposal that takes the entrepreneur through the steps of developing the document themselves. By using the guide, the entrepreneur can create a well thought out business proposal which she can then have edited by a consultant."

I could pick June's brain for days but I should really let her get back to business. She's a busy woman (aren't we all), and I don't want to steal too much time away from her regular website readers at Nightcats.com (don't you think that's the coolest company name?). It could be better spent writing articles on subjects like How To Botch Your Media Interview (I hear her about business people hell bent on messing up their interviews).