Business plans are the preferred mode of communication between entrepreneurs and potential investors. Experienced owners and managers of closely held businesses know that business plans can also be anindispensable management tool. Many have found that just completing the steps required to develop a business plan forces them to introduce discipline and a logical thought process into all of their planning activities. They have found that a properly prepared business plan can greatly improve their company’s ability to consistently establish and meet goals and objectives in a way that best serves the company’s owners, employees, and investors.